Bill Goldberg’s return to wrestling in 2016 came as a surprise to many after the star hadn’t been seen in WWE since his 2004 exit. He went on to reign as Universal Champion on two separate occasions and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2018.
Now, a new report from Fightful Select reveals that Goldberg’s contract with WWE officially expired at the end of 2022, and no deal to extend or renew the contract was reached. He has been a free agent since his contract expired.
The star has been used infrequently on WWE television in the past few years, having only one match in all of 2022. That bout came at the Elimination Chamber in Saudi Arabia in February where he challenged Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
Despite being able to get in some offense on the Tribal Chief and even delivering his signature spear, in the end, Goldberg passed out as Reigns had him in a submission and the referee declared the match over, making Reigns the winner by technical submission. The WWE Hall of Famer hasn’t been seen in the company since, and it’s unlikely he’ll return any time soon now that he’s a free agent.
According to Fightful, there were still ten months left on his deal following his Elimination Chamber bout.
Goldberg joins the former Bella Twins (now known as The Garcia Twins) in becoming a free agent as the duo recently announced their time with WWE had come to a close and they were leaving the Bella name behind.
“I Made A Deal With The Devil And I Did My Job” – Bill Goldberg On His Time With WWE
Speaking in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Goldberg reflected on his wrestling career and spoke about the idea of one final retirement match, something he believes he’s owed after giving so much to the business.
“You never say never, especially in wrestling, and they owe me one,” says Goldberg. “That’s all I can say. I made a deal with the devil and I did my job, and they owe me a retirement match. At the end of the day, at 56, it’s not something where I’m sitting by the phone waiting for a call. I’ve got a few ideas of how to do it on my own, possibly in Israel. So never say never.”