After weeks of rumors and speculation, we finally have confirmation that Goldberg will face Gunther at Saturday Night's Main Event in July, after the match has been made official on the June 16, 2025 edition of Monday Night Raw.
How did this go down tonight, what led to this, and what could be on the horizon? Let's break it all down!
How We Got Here:
Back in September 2024, Gunther had an interaction with Bret "Hitman" Hart in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where he riled up The Excellence of Execution by saying Hart was one of his favorite wrestlers growing up, but not as much as he revered Bill Goldberg. Hart was injured by Goldberg at WCW Starrcade 1999 when Hart suffered a concussion that ended his career, causing Hart to berate him to this day about how unsafe of a worker he was.
A month later, Gunther crossed paths with Goldberg at the WWE Bad Blood event on October 5, 2024, where he insulted the former WCW icon's son, Gage, and saying that he hopes Goldberg is a better father than he is a pro wrestler.
Last week, Gunther defeated Jey Uso on Raw to win back the World Heavyweight Championship he had lost at WrestleMania 41, apparently with the goal in mind specifically to set up this match.
Segment Details:
This was a short segment, as expected with Goldberg, who interrupted a promo Gunther was cutting about how he had won the title back. Goldberg said that he was there to get some payback for what Gunther had said the last time they interacted. Since the next Saturday Night's Main Event is going to take place at that same location, the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, that's a fitting place for him to be "next."
Personal Reactions & What Happens Next?:
WWE hasn't specified yet that this is Goldberg's retirement match, even though that's been the speculation surrounding this for months. It's possible they don't announce this, just in case they decide to do another match in the future, but could always just allow this to be his last match even if they don't forecast that in advance.
It's not going to be great. Goldberg was in his prime over 25 years ago and hasn't been the same. His last few matches were very problematic, and he's proven that he can't pick up bigger guys anymore. How he's expected to do a Jackhammer to someone Gunther's size is beyond me. But at least as far as marquee value, a match with Goldberg for Gunther is only beaten out at this point by a few other names like John Cena, Brock Lesnar, and The Rock. If Goldberg wants this to be his final match, he's at least a tough opponent for him to go out against.
This is a busy weekend, as NXT Great American Bash takes place earlier at Center Stage Theatre in Atlanta, with both airing opposite All Elite Wrestling's biggest event of the year, AEW All In: Texas. The next day, World Wrestling Entertainment has another premium live event with WWE Evolution on July 13, 2025, also at State Farm Arena.
Whether this is going to be enough to convince people not to pay for All In remains to be seen, but it wouldn't shock me if this doesn't pull much of that audience.
Tell us what you think about this title match by leaving a comment below! Do you think Goldberg will actually win the title? Keep the discussion going!