3 Reasons why Goldberg lost his WWE retirement match

Goldberg competed in his final WWE match at Saturday Night’s Main Event 40 against Gunther, and now it’s in the books. The match was slow-paced, with The Ring General targeting Goldberg’s already injured knee with his low kicks.

The WCW legend got up and went for a Spear, but Gunther dodged, and Da Man ended up hitting referee Charles Robinson instead.

Gunther once again targeted Goldberg’s knee and tried to mess with his son Gage, taking advantage of which Da Man connected a spear on The Ring General. A referee rushed in, and the Hall of Famer covered the champion, but it wasn’t enough as the Austrian star kicked out.

Goldberg picked Gunther for a Jackhammer; however, The Ring General reversed it into his sleeper choke, and Da Man lost by TKO after being choked out. In this listicle, we look at three reasons why the WCW legend lost his retirement match at WWE SNME XL.

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#3. Putting Gunther over

Goldberg has had an illustrious career and has won almost every prize in the world of professional wrestling.

Losing to a rising superstar like Gunther would help The Ring General elevate to true main-event status and make him appear as a genuine threat to the entire division. Da Man lost at Saturday Night’s Main Event 40 in dominant fashion to get the champ over.

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#2. Goldberg winning the WWE title wouldn't have made any sense

The WCW legend has held major championships and had decorated reigns as a titleholder. However, his winning the World Heavyweight Championship by beating Gunther at SNME XL would not have made sense.

The 58-year-old legend was ready to retire that very night in front of his family and hometown crowd. Da Man winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship would have cast the entire division into darkness, as a retiring legend took the title, defeated the top guy, and vacated it all on the same night.

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#1. Goldberg’s bad health

The WCW legend has openly discussed the physical issues he has faced over the past few years and how he has been managing them constantly. Additionally, before his return, he went into rehab and then started a serious training camp for his retirement bout.

Goldberg was already limping when he made his final entrance before his match at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event 2025. Both powerhouses kept the pace of the entire bout slow so Da Man wouldn’t sustain any injury in his last match with the Stamford-based promotion.

The 58-year-old superstar winning the bout and capturing the title would have put him in a position where he would need to compete in another match, which would have been physically demanding for the Hall of Famer, as he would have to start another training camp to prepare.