WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi gave his blunt assessment of the recent Bill Goldberg controversy on his Rikishi Fatu Off The Top podcast, dismissing Goldberg’s complaints about his retirement speech being cut short and siding with the critical opinion of Bret Hart.
When asked how he would have reacted to being cut off 30 seconds into a retirement speech on network television, Rikishi was unsympathetic and pragmatic. “My speech wouldn’t even be that long. I’d just say ‘thank you for coming out. I’ll see you next time.’ And then pull out the check, two, three million dollars,” he joked. “That’s it. What would you… that’s what they got social media for… You can get on there and get on your own… there’s a thing called Stories, Live, Facebook Live, Twitter Live. You do all the time you want there. Come on now, smarten up.”
He continued, questioning the logic of expecting a live network broadcast to wait. “You think WWE gonna like, you know, pass up that sponsor money, TKO money, right? You think that really like, ‘we just gonna wait for your…’ I don’t know how long the speech was, but if they cut it within 30 seconds? Damn.” When his co-host mentioned Bret Hart’s harsh criticism, Rikishi simply replied, “That’s what the best there is, the best there was, the best there’ll ever be said.”
Rapid-Fire Assessment
Co-host Joey Gaytan then put Rikishi through a rapid-fire Q&A about Goldberg, where his opinions remained pointed. When asked if he had ever met Goldberg, he said, “Yes.” When asked if he thought Goldberg was overhyped, he replied with another “Yes.” When asked who performs a better spear between Goldberg, Bron Breakker, and Roman Reigns, he answered, “Roman Reigns.”
Finally, when asked to describe Goldberg in one word, Rikishi’s answer was a pointed reference to the parody character from the Attitude Era: “Gillberg.” Despite the harsh critiques, Rikishi ended the segment by saying, “Shout out to Goldberg, man. Congratulations on your career.”
The comments from Rikishi add another legendary voice to the ongoing debate surrounding Goldberg’s retirement match against Gunther at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event. The incident has become a major topic of discussion across the wrestling industry, drawing strong opinions from fans and wrestlers alike.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Rikishi Fatu Off The Top with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
