WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg's time in WWE came to an unsatisfying end and he's talked openly about Vince McMahon failing to deliver on his promise of a proper retirement match.
Given his history with WCW, many fans have speculated about AEW enlisting Goldberg for one final run (allowing him to share the ring with Sting one final time, for example).
However, after previously describing the AEW product as too "cheesy," Goldberg now tells Chris Van Vliet that Tony Khan reminds him of TNA President Dixie Carter. It's an unflattering comparison which makes his feelings about the AEW President clear.
"I just think we have a different perspective on it. It’s hard for me to really pass judgment on their production because I don’t watch it," he explained. "I see clips of it. And it’s hard to give a rational breakdown of how they are if I don’t really watch it, so I don’t really know."
"He reminds me of Dixie Carter, but a male version. I don’t know if it’s a good or a bad thing. But he reminds me of that scenario. And it’s just a different feeling. It’s different."
Goldberg was also asked whether he came close to signing a deal to appear in AEW as part of Sting's memorable retirement run.
"No, I don’t think I was ever close to making a deal with him. I think it was much more of a realistic transition when Sting was involved. That’s why I reached out to Sting because I wanted to be a part [of it]," he said. "I thought he and I could do a farewell thing at some point together. But it wasn’t about me."
"It was about Sting and I could never overshadow anything that he does. But I don’t want to conquer the waters. It would have been a nice crescendo, but it wasn’t about me. So the timing was kind of off."
We're not banking on Goldberg signing a contract with AEW and, at this stage, a WWE return looks increasingly unlikely as well. We know he's eager to have a retirement match, but short of heading to TNA or appearing for an independent promotion, it's hard to say when or where that could ever happen.
His last match for WWE was in 2022 when he was defeated by then-Universal Champion Roman Reigns at the Elimination Chamber PLE.
You can check out the full interview with Goldberg in the player below.