Tag: Vince McMahon

Royal Rumble winners list: Every wrestler to win a WWE Royal Rumble

Check out a full list of WWE Royal Rumble winners over the years, plus fun stats on entry number, most eliminations and more.

There’s nothing in pro wrestling quite like the Royal Rumble. While there have been and always will be other battle royals, WWE has distilled the over-the-top extravaganza into something that has withstood the test of time.

Since 1988, the promotion has had at least one Royal Rumble a year, with one for men and women held annually since 2018. Not only have fans fallen in love with the core concept, to the point that they enthusiastically count down from 10 each time a new wrestler enters the fray, they’ve also come to expect legends and surprises — which WWE generally delivers.

Another great aspect that has become part of the Royal Rumble’s DNA over time is the prize: an opportunity to challenge for a world championship at WrestleMania, making the Rumble the official kickoff on the road to WWE’s biggest show of each calendar year.

Naturally, that means it’s quite an honor to win a Rumble match. Even with the event heading toward its 40th anniversary later this decade, the list of Royal Rumble winners is still a pretty exclusive club.

Let’s take a look at every Royal Rumble winner ever, year by year.

Cody Rhodes addresses Vince McMahon lawsuit: TKO took it seriously, acted immediately

Cody Rhodes discussed the lawsuit filed against Vince McMahon during the WWE Royal Rumble press conference.

The lawsuit filed by Janel Grant, accusing Vince McMahon of sex trafficking, cast a shadow over a week of WWE news that included Monday Night Raw shifting to Netflix starting in January 2025 and Dwayne Johnson’s addition to the TKO Board of Directors. McMahon, in response, resigned from his role as TKO executive chairman and also stepped down from its board on Friday.

All of these developments transpired before Royal Rumble premium live event on Saturday night. As is tradition after the marquee events, WWE held a post-show press conference, opening a forum for questions regarding what happened the last seven days.

During the press conference, Cody Rhodes was asked about the McMahon situation and agreed with the question phrasing that it cast a “dark cloud” (h/t Fightful for transcription).

I know as far as the news is concerned, we were finding out and reading the same things you guys were reading. You said a dark cloud, certainly. As far TKO, Nick Khan, and the board, clearly took it very seriously, acted immediately, and looking at the future, I don’t know the answer to that and I think somewhere is a really probably basic tenant of this crew, more than ever, from a roster standpoint, is very family. Never seen anything like this. Most of the time, wrestling locker rooms are fighting, talking trash about each other, making fun of each other, sandbagging each other in the ring and all that nonsense. This crew is very team-based. Perhaps that’s the ingredient, everyone looking out for everyone, being accountable. For me as a performer, I’ve been through dark periods on our industry. It might sound cheesy, but it’s very reinforcing if you’re in my position, that it’s a time when, ‘Hey, we have 50,000 people out here, I want to give them something else from this weekend that isn’t a terrible situation, terrible news.’ I think we were able to do that. Obviously, as more news comes out, we’ll be seeing it like you do.

Triple H also fielded questions about the lawsuit during his segment of the press conference.

It undeniably brought a sense of uncertainty to WWE this week, happening between two significant business announcements and the Royal Rumble. The future remains uncertain with the lawsuit filed just on Thursday, with much yet to unfold.

[lawrence-related id=44547]

Even with Vince McMahon gone, the culture must change within WWE

Vince McMahon is gone from WWE, but that’s only the first of many changes needed.

Vince McMahon has been no stranger to controversy. 

He has been indicted by the federal government, sued for the wrongful death of one of his wrestlers and accused of sexual assault and the misuse of company funds to pay multiple women in exchange for their silence about their personal relationships with him.

That is why it was no surprise that Vince McMahon was listed as one of the many “Risk Factors” facing TKO, the shell company comprised of WWE and UFC, in its filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

“The special committee of independent members of WWE’s Board of Directors’ investigation into allegations of misconduct by Mr. McMahon, and any further allegations and investigations may have an adverse financial and operational impact on our business performance,” it reads, indicating that the company knew full well with whom it was forging a business partnership.

Not even six months after the paperwork was filed, TKO’s fears were confirmed. 

Jan. 25, 2024 will be a date that will live in wrestling infamy, as the Wall Street Journal published a story about a lawsuit that was filed against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE. The allegations within the lawsuit, which features vivid details and text messages, filed on behalf of plaintiff Janel Grant are quite frankly disgusting and disturbing (MAJOR trigger warning to anyone who decides to read it), and include accusations of sexual assault and sex trafficking.

The lawsuit and the negative press that followed resulted in Vince McMahon’s resignation from all roles within TKO, removing all professional connections with WWE, the company he grew into a worldwide juggernaut.

It will serve as a fitting end for someone who used WWE as leverage against so many others — wrestlers, backstage talent, office workers — just to have it taken away from him. In reality, he was the person who needed WWE the most. 

WWE was the source of Vince McMahon’s power, which he wielded with little to no regard for the well-being of others. And while Grant’s allegations are currently just that, they are in line with the numerous experiences people have publicly revealed.

For example his own daughter, Stephanie McMahon, once disclosed on camera — during a WWE production no less— that her father once pitched the idea for her to take part in a story in which McMahon would be revealed as the father of Stephanie’s unborn child. Stephanie McMahon said she emphatically rejected the idea.

If even a portion of what has been alleged in that lawsuit is true, the only option was for McMahon to leave WWE and begin a life far from the bright lights and the adoration of wrestling fans that grew up watching his product.

However, this is not over.

Yes, McMahon, the source of all these issues, is seemingly gone for good this time. But as TKO’s own SEC filing suggests, others were aware of Vince McMahon’s past improprieties and understood how much harm they could cause the company. 

Despite this, Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel said that he insisted Vince McMahon be part of the new company and that he would have “body-slammed” the wrestling promoter if he thought about doing otherwise.

In addition to the vile things that McMahon is alleged to have done to Grant personally, just as troubling was that the relationship was essentially an open secret around the company and that it was known to be emotionally, psychologically, and often physically abusive.

“WWE knew of McMahon’s illegal conduct and did nothing to stop it. This is self-evident from the numerous executive level and board members who were privy to McMahon’s involvement with Ms. Grant, as well as his prior incidents involving sexual misconduct,” the filing says.

Someone identified in the lawsuit as “WWE Corporate Officer No. 1” apparently knew of Grant before they had even met, despite them working in separate buildings and Grant working in an entry-level position, which was unusual, according to the lawsuit.

McMahon allegedly told Grant that he discussed their relationship with both “WWE Corporate Officer No. 1” and another person identified as “WWE Corporate Officer No. 2.”

“McMahon continued this conversation by detailing to Ms. Grant that they had expressed concern but were ultimately supportive. McMahon also advised Ms. Grant that one or both of WWE Corporate Officer No. 1 and/or WWE Corporate Officer No. 2 inquired whether Ms. Grant could be trusted, and that McMahon offered assurances that Ms. Grant would not do something to hurt the WWE,” the lawsuit alleges.

“To further illustrate knowledge of the culture of sexual misconduct at WWE, top level executives not only failed to properly investigate abuse, but also compounded Ms. Grant’s suffering by making public statements that trivialized the harm perpetrated upon her.”

Grant’s relationship with Vince McMahon was allegedly bandied about as mere watercooler talk, according to the lawsuit. One person in particular, known in the lawsuit as “WWE Employee No. 1,” was accused of frequently making jokes about Grant and McMahon’s relationship around the office.

“WWE Employee No. 1 was a lively individual who frequently regaled the legal department with stories of others at WWE. If McMahon’s name was mentioned, WWE Employee No. 1 would turn to Ms. Grant with a smile, a finger point, and/or a comment that drew attention to her connection to McMahon – such as, ‘She knows what I’m talking about.’”

Then you have the story of the person identified as “WWE Corporate Officer No. 4,” who was also privy to Grant and McMahon’s relationship and began to treat Grant differently because of it, further isolating Grant during a time where she was in desperate need of support.

“Based on her hiring alone, WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 was on notice that there was something different about Ms. Grant; namely, her connection to McMahon. As Ms. Grant feared (and had expressed to McMahon), she was unhappy that a spotlight was unnecessarily put on her before she ever set foot in the office. Ms. Grant immediately noticed that WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 was warm with other colleagues but cold towards her.

Beginning in July 2019, after Ms. Grant raised an issue related to XFL’s Performance Enhancing Drug Policy with McMahon, WWE Corporate Officer No. 4’s behavior shifted from cold to actively hostile. If Ms. Grant walked into a room while WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 was laughing with colleagues, WWE Corporate Officer No. 4’s expression immediately became blank and WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 would walk away. If WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 and Ms. Grant walked towards each other in a hallway, WWE Corporate Officer No. 4 stopped and changed directions. Colleagues noticed this shift in behavior; while some commented on it to Ms. Grant, others emulated it.”

And there are more culpable parties, including the members of the company that were allegedly willing participants (Laurinaitis and Brock Lesnar) or others who yearned to become one.

The lawsuit not only points to Vince McMahon’s pattern of abuse, it also points to a slew of people within WWE that enabled it. The toxic work environment that Grant experienced in WWE is one that Vince McMahon established, as he used fear as a means of control. According to the lawsuit, that fear extended to every level of the organization.

No matter how much influence the alleged abuser may have, there is still no excuse for knowingly allowing the ongoing abuse of one of its employees to occur. Based on what is alleged in Grant’s lawsuit alone, saying that WWE’s culture behind the scenes is unsafe would be an understatement. It is now the task of Emanuel and the rest of TKO’s brain trust, which now includes Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, to remedy it.

Then maybe the healing process can begin, not just for WWE, but for the entire wrestling industry. But most importantly, the healing could begin for Grant, who according to the lawsuit, endured years of abuse after being in an extremely vulnerable point of her life.

Ronda Rousey: ‘Bruce Prichard is basically Vince’s avatar,’ suggests McMahon will still have influence

Could Vince McMahon still wield power behind the scenes in WWE even after retiring?

Vince McMahon is now gone from WWE, resigning his position as executive chairman of TKO after the most horrific sexual abuse allegations to date came to light as a result of a new lawsuit filed this week.

But is he really gone? One former WWE superstar cast some doubts, suggesting that McMahon could continue to wield influence through one of his longtime associates.

The superstar in question no longer works for WWE, which is why she may have felt secure in a position to share her opinion: Ronda Rousey, who parted ways with WWE this past October. Rousey took to social media on the day of the Royal Rumble to name Bruce Prichard as the person through whom McMahon would look to continue “running things,” claiming that he did it before.

Prichard has often been described as one of the most powerful non-McMahon family people inside WWE. His official position is executive director, but he almost certainly holds sway over more than just parts of the creative direction for weekly TV.

One thing that is different than what Rousey experienced during her time with the company, however, is an extra layer of oversight at the top. Already minimized from creative decisions, McMahon was also no longer CEO of WWE after it merged with UFC to become TKO — which is led by Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel. And while Emanuel has been a public supporter of McMahon prior to this week, it would not be shocking if he was playing a more active role in WWE after what went has gone down over the past 72 hours.

In other words, while Rousey could be correct, the hope would be that if there was ever a time when WWE was going to change a culture that could allow what McMahon’s accusers say went on, this is it. It might take some time to find out if that best case scenario comes to pass.

Vince McMahon resigns from TKO amid sex trafficking allegations

The horrific sex trafficking claims against Vince McMahon led to an inevitable conclusion: He’s gone from WWE and TKO.

When WWE merged with UFC, Vince McMahon remained TKO Group Holding’s Executive Chairman and board member, with a public appearance on behalf of the company as recently as Tuesday at the New York Stock Exchange. It coincided with the $500 million per year, 10-year media rights deal with Netflix for Monday Night Raw starting January 2025, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s appointment to TKO’s Board of Directors.

McMahon’s standing within TKO drew increased attention on Thursday, when the Wall Street Journal detailed a lawsuit from Janel Grant, accusing the WWE boss of abusing her sexually for years, sharing explicit texts and videos of her with others, and arranging for her to have sex with other men.

Speculation surrounding McMahon’s position on the TKO board intensified, culminating Friday night. WWE president Nick Khan shared a memo with TKO staff members, revealing McMahon’s resignation as TKO’s Executive Chairman and board member.

I wanted to inform you that Vince McMahon has tendered his resignation from his positions as TKO Executive Chairman and on the TKO Board of Directors. He will no longer have a role with TKO Group Holdings or WWE.

Following this, McMahon provided a statement to Deadline confirming his resignation, saying he would “vigorously defend” himself against Grant’s allegations.

I stand by my prior statement that Ms. Grant’s lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and is a vindictive distortion of the truth. I intend to vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations, and look forward to clearing my name.

However, out of respect for the WWE Universe, the extraordinary TKO business and its board members and shareholders, partners and constituents, and all of the employees and Superstars who helped make WWE into the global leader it is today, I have decided to resign from my executive chairmanship and the TKO board of directors, effective immediately.

McMahon previously stepped down from WWE in 2022 amid an internal investigation into sexual misconduct allegations, only to return in January 2023 as a board member and orchestrator of the company’s merger with UFC to form TKO Group Holdings. With his departure today feeling much more permanent, WWE and TKO’s next moves will be worth watching.

[lawrence-related id=44496]

Janel Grant’s lawyer on Vince McMahon lawsuit: ‘She literally felt caged and imprisoned’

Janel Grant’s attorney commented on the lawsuit filed against WWE’s Vince McMahon.

Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis and WWE face a lawsuit filed on Thursday by Janel Grant, with McMahon accused of sex trafficking, emotional abuse and sexual assault. In response, TKO, whose board of directors was accompanied by McMahon (who is the board’s executive director) at the New York Stock Exchange this week, has so far issued only a brief statement.

The repercussions are just beginning to play out, including Slim Jim saying it has “paused” its WWE sponsorship in the aftermath of the lawsuit just a day before the Royal Rumble. The company statement said it would “monitor the situation and base our future engagements on our values and what’s best for our brand.”

Now Grant’s side commented for the first time since the lawsuit was filed. Her lawyer, Ann Callis, appeared on Law & Crime to discuss more details, with the following two excerpts discussing the allegations and what Grant hopes to accomplish with the lawsuit (h/t Fightful for transcription):

There is a thing called trauma bonding that people who haven’t studied it, I have just read articles; I’m not a psychiatrist or psychologist, but an attorney. She literally felt caged and imprisoned by Vince McMahon. The escalation of the degrading things that happened to her, it’s important for it to come out. These are facts. These are allegations that we hope to be prove to be true. They are true.

She wants her life back. She wants ownership of her story. She wants to help other victims. This is relatively close in time, 2019 when this unfolded, 2020, and her hope is to help other victims if there are other victims, to come forward because she had the courage and presence of mind to finally get this done and come forward.

Callis concluded with a statement from Grant:

She hopes any doors of secrecy have been blown off their hinges and that fresh air fills the headquarters. She hopes those at the company, past and present, who fear speaking out about harm is a thing of he past. She wishes everyone peace.

WWE is currently experiencing financial repercussions due to the disturbing allegations, with more fallout inevitable as the lawsuit unfolds.

Slim Jim to ‘pause’ WWE sponsorship in wake of Vince McMahon sex trafficking lawsuit

One of WWE’s biggest sponsors won’t be involved with the Royal Rumble this weekend.

[anyclip-media thumbnail=”https://cdn5.anyclip.com/Gg6COI0BPe8_50XPx-Cq/1706050172940_248x140_thumbnail.jpg” playlistId=”undefined” content=”PHNjcmlwdCBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vcGxheWVyLnBvcHRvay5jb20vYW55Y2xpcC13aWRnZXQvbHJlLXdpZGdldC9wcm9kL3YxL3NyYy9scmUuanMiIGRhdGEtYXI9IjE2OjkiIGRhdGEtcGxpZD0iaTV0dG1xMnBqZXllZXVkZmhicHRrbWN5a2I0YzJxM3IiIHB1Ym5hbWU9IjE5OTgiIHdpZGdldG5hbWU9IjAwMTZNMDAwMDJVMEIxa1FBRl9NODMzMCI+Cjwvc2NyaXB0Pg==”][/anyclip-media]

If there was any doubt about whether WWE might experience some financial consequences from the disturbing allegations in the Vince McMahon sex trafficking lawsuit filed this week, the answer is now a definitive “yes.”

WrestleVotes first reported earlier today on “rumblings” that Slim Jim was going to pull its sponsorship of this weekend’s Royal Rumble.

A spokesperson for Slim Jim confirmed that move to John Pollock of POST Wrestling, saying the company would “pause our promotional activities with WWE” as a direct result of the latest allegations against McMahon.

Slim Jim’s statement added that it would “monitor the situation and base our future engagements on our values and what’s best for our brand.”

Though Slim Jim’s ties to WWE go back decades, it became an even bigger sponsor and partner of the company within the last six months. On Aug. 3, 2023, the two companies announced a “multi-layered partnership” that kicked off with its heavy integration into SummerSlam in Detroit, where a match called “The SummerSlam Battle Royal Presented by Slim Jim.”

That deal, which Sports Business Journal reported as the biggest of its kind for WWE at the time, also called for Slim Jim to be involved this year at Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 40.

The obvious questions now are whether other sponsors will follow suit, and how much pressure actions like this will put on the TKO board to discipline or explore removing McMahon from his position as executive chairman of the company’s board. So far, TKO’s only action has been a brief statement to Variety acknowledging the severity of the accusations against McMahon and stating that “we take Ms. Grant’s horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally.”

TKO acknowledges new Vince McMahon lawsuit: ‘Addressing this matter internally’

A statement says TKO execs take the “horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally.”

[anyclip-media thumbnail=”https://cdn5.anyclip.com/Gg6COI0BPe8_50XPx-Cq/1706050172940_248x140_thumbnail.jpg” playlistId=”undefined” content=”PHNjcmlwdCBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vcGxheWVyLnBvcHRvay5jb20vYW55Y2xpcC13aWRnZXQvbHJlLXdpZGdldC9wcm9kL3YxL3NyYy9scmUuanMiIGRhdGEtYXI9IjE2OjkiIGRhdGEtcGxpZD0iaTV0dG1xMnBqZXllZXVkZmhicHRrbWN5a2I0YzJxM3IiIHB1Ym5hbWU9IjE5OTgiIHdpZGdldG5hbWU9IjAwMTZNMDAwMDJVMEIxa1FBRl9NODMzMCI+Cjwvc2NyaXB0Pg==”][/anyclip-media]

When WWE first merged with UFC to become TKO Group Holdings, its new parent company, Endeavor, knew the sexual misconduct scandals of Vince McMahon were still a risk. TKO said as much in its initial regulatory filings, which said that having McMahon on its board could “have other adverse financial and operational impacts on our business.”

The truth of that statement came into sharper focus today, when The Wall Street Journal published the latest and most damning accusation (warning: article contains graphic sexual language and details throughout) toward McMahon yet. It details a new lawsuit filed in Connecticut by a woman claiming McMahon failed to pay her the money promised in an NDA, signed after several years of continuous sexual abuse at the hands of McMahon and other WWE employees.

The explosive allegations within the suit, which also names former WWE exec John Laurinaitis as a defendant and implicates Brock Lesnar, are obviously a concern for TKO. Speculation has swirled about whether it would move to dismiss McMahon, who is currently executive chairman of the TKO board.

While the company has yet to make a public statement, it did address the lawsuit via spokesperson when reached for comment by Variety:

Mr. McMahon does not control TKO nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE. While this matter predates our TKO executive team’s tenure at the company, we take Ms. Grant’s horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally.

The lawsuit comes during a week of otherwise good news for WWE and TKO. In the last few days, WWE and Netflix announced a multi-year deal that will see Raw air on the streaming service in the U.S. and give Netflix the rights to weekly programming and premium live events in several important international markets. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was also announced as a new member of the TKO board, though one of his first official acts may be helping to decide McMahon’s fate.

New Vince McMahon sex trafficking allegations also include John Laurinaitis, Brock Lesnar

The most detailed sexual abuse allegations to date against Vince McMahon include the former WWE exec and a huge star.

[anyclip-media thumbnail=”https://cdn5.anyclip.com/Gg6COI0BPe8_50XPx-Cq/1706050172940_248x140_thumbnail.jpg” playlistId=”undefined” content=”PHNjcmlwdCBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vcGxheWVyLnBvcHRvay5jb20vYW55Y2xpcC13aWRnZXQvbHJlLXdpZGdldC9wcm9kL3YxL3NyYy9scmUuanMiIGRhdGEtYXI9IjE2OjkiIGRhdGEtcGxpZD0iaTV0dG1xMnBqZXllZXVkZmhicHRrbWN5a2I0YzJxM3IiIHB1Ym5hbWU9IjE5OTgiIHdpZGdldG5hbWU9IjAwMTZNMDAwMDJVMEIxa1FBRl9NODMzMCI+Cjwvc2NyaXB0Pg==”][/anyclip-media]

WWE is under new leadership these days as part of TKO, with Vince McMahon in a less prominent day-to-day role. Yet it still might not be able to distance itself from his alleged misdeeds, as a new, highly detailed lawsuit has been filed that accuses McMahon of sex trafficking and names both a longtime former WWE executive and a star who is still currently active as participants.

The Wall Street Journal, which first broke the story in the summer of 2022 about McMahon making payments that ended up totaling nearly $20 million to cover up alleged sexual misconduct against multiple victims, today published an article explaining a new lawsuit (warning: article contains graphic sexual language and details throughout) filed by one of those accusers, a woman named Janel Grant.

According to the lawsuit, Grant claims that McMahon first hired her to WWE’s legal department in 2019, creating a job that was mostly for show but saying it “has to look legit.” She goes on to accuse McMahon of abusing her sexually for years, sharing explicit texts and videos of her with others, and arranging for her to have sex with other men.

One of those men is John Laurinaitis, who is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit and has been included in earlier accusations against McMahon. Another will come as a bigger shock to people who follow WWE: Brock Lesnar, who the Journal’s sources identified as the recipient of McMahon’s request for Grant to “create personalized sexual content for a WWE superstar that he was trying to re-sign.”

As with other alleged McMahon victims, Grant did sign an NDA two years ago to remain silent on her relationship with McMahon in exchange for a $3 million payment. However, her new lawsuit suggests she received only an initial $1 million installment, and thus looks to void the agreement in exchange for additional financial damages.

The WWE’s board of directors began an internal investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and McMahon’s payments to keep them quiet two years ago, which led to his brief retirement that summer. Yet even after additional payments came to light, he was able to successfully engineer a return to power in January 2023, replacing some board members to ensure there was little chance of further complications for him within the company.

WWE has since become part of TKO under the corporate oversight of Endeavor, and McMahon’s influence has in most important ways shrunken to its lowest level in decades. What the new lawsuit suggests, though, is that the full extent of his personal scandal may yet to be revealed, and that legal questions may continue to dog him — and WWE — despite his best efforts to evade them.

Goldberg calls Vince McMahon a ‘piece of s–t’ for not giving him a retirement match

As Goldberg tells it, he thought there was some quid pro quo in place for one final WWE match.

Goldberg never hot his big WWE retirement match, but as he tells it, he thought he would — until Vince McMahon backed out of his end of the deal.

That’s the way the former WCW and WWE star remembers it, at least. The disagreement involved what until now has been his last pro wrestling match: a loss to Roman Reigns last year at Elimination Chamber in Saudi Arabia.

As Goldberg told the Steve & Captain Evil podcast, his understanding was that if he went overseas and lost to Reigns, he’d get his big retirement match in return. That’s not what happened, however, and he blames McMahon for it (h/t Fightful for the transcription).

Vince is like Dana White. He’s the big boss and he makes everything happen, and in all honesty, he gave me the opportunity to put my wife and son on the front row and gave me the ability to perform again in front of them. So, I owe him everything, until we went to Saudi Arabia and he asked me to put Roman Reigns over, and I had COVID. I remember calling him from my house and said, ‘Listen, here is the deal. I’ll do it if you give me a retirement match.’ I did what he asked. As a performer, I was 56 years old. As a human being, you’re conscientious about how you look in a bathing suit, especially two months prior to being in that bathing suit, you couldn’t work out because you had COVID. I put myself in a horribly shitty situation to get what I wanted to, but to satiate him and give him what he wanted. Problem is, he never held up his bargain. Vince is a piece of shit as far as I’m concerned.

It’s not clear exactly when or where Goldberg might get the final match he seeks. There have long been rumors of it happening in AEW, and Tony Khan has confirmed he’s spoken to Goldberg on several occasions but has never promised they’d work together.

Goldberg has also suggested he might organize his own retirement card, possibly in Israel with Sting. But now Sting has his own final match plans set for March, making that appear unlikely.

It will be interesting to see if Goldberg might pivot back to WWE to take his final bow since Vince McMahon is in a position of less power these days and pretty much any reunion seems possible (see also: CM Punk). For now, however, there doesn’t appear to be a spear and Jackhammer combo in anyone’s immediate future.