WWE Superstar and Wrestling Legend Goldberg Is Officially Retired: A Look Back at His Career
The July 12 episode of Saturday Night's Main Event marked the end of an era for wrestling fans with the retirement of Goldberg.
It's truly the end of an era. On July 12, the legendary Goldberg hung up his wrestling boots for good, losing his final match against WWE Superstar Gunther during Saturday Night's Main Event in a moment that capped an incredible career.
Goldberg is officially retired. There will be no more championships, no more rivalries, no more entertaining the WWE Universe for the 58-year-old icon.
After eventually succumbing to the World Heavyweight Champion via sleeper hold in a hotly-contested back-and-forth main event, Goldberg marched into retirement with his head held high. Despite the loss, he went out like he wanted to — putting his all into his in-ring performance and giving the world one last classic match.
(For those who missed Goldberg's final match, log on to Peacock to watch it — and the unforgettable July 12 event in general — in its entirety.)
One of the most impactful moments of Saturday Night's Main Event came after Goldberg's final match, when one of the most dominant WWE Superstars in history said goodbye:
The career of Goldberg can be defined by his many victories over some of the most legendary wrestlers of all time.
Superstars like The Rock, Triple H, Chris Jericho, Brock Lesnar, Hulk Hogan, and Bray Wyatt have also been steamrolled by Goldberg at one time or another in their careers, with Goldberg rarely encountering anyone who could keep his shoulders pinned down to the mat for a three count.
As many fans know all too well, every illustrious wrestling career has to end at some point, and from the beginning, Goldberg always put his all into his matches. If there was any indication that he wasn't putting 100% effort every time he stepped into the ring, fans didn't notice.
Goldberg entered the professional wrestling business as an unstoppable force and exited the industry as one of its brightest stars ever.
Not a bad way to leave a mark.
What was Goldberg's first match?
Goldberg's first-ever televised match took place during an episode of WCW Monday Nitro on September 22, 1997, against Hugh Morrus. Donning the same plain black trunks and boots that would become synonymous with his persona, Goldberg immediately impressed wrestling fans with an uncanny combination of power and athleticism.
He was only 30 years old when audiences first took notice of the former Georgia Bulldog college football standout:
And unbeknownst to fans at the time, Goldberg's first match — a decisive victory — would become historic in other ways: It marked the beginning of one of the most impressive undefeated streaks in history.
What was Goldberg's undefeated streak?
From the time of his debut in September 1997 to finally losing his first match against Kevin Nash on December 27, 1998, Goldberg was officially billed as going on an almost-unbelievable 173-match winning streak.
That's right; from the moment Goldberg stepped into the ring for the first time on Nitro, he proved to be a force of nature that couldn't be stopped, racking up 173 wins over nearly every wrestler in the WCW locker room. His first loss against Nash didn't come without controversy, either, as he lost thanks to a well-timed shot from a literal stun gun:
During his epic undefeated streak, Goldberg memorably won the WCW United States Championship and WCW World Heavyweight Championship en route to becoming the company's biggest star.
After a lengthy hiatus from the wrestling business, Goldberg finally made his WWE debut in 2003 during a post-WrestleMania edition of Monday Night Raw and immediately proved that nobody could stop him in WWE, either.
The larger-than-life Superstar went on to win WWE's top championships on multiple occasions and was eventually inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, headlining the Class of 2018.
So, while the road has finally come to an end for Goldberg, his impact on the world of professional wrestling will always be felt.
