Why did Goldberg leave WWE in 2004 and 2017?

After a ground-breaking run in WCW, Goldberg signed for WWE in 2003 as one of the hottest free agent acquisitions in the history of the Connecticut-based promotion. While a number of big names struck deals with Vince McMahon in the aftermath of the Monday Night Wars, Goldberg's arrival was easily the most anticipated.

After all, in 1998, the University of Georgia product's popularity arguably rivalled that of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. The two of them even shared certain physical resemblances which meant that every professional wrestling fan in the world wanted to see Goldberg lock horns with the Texas Rattlesnake.

Unfortunately, things didn't pan out, and the former Atlanta Falcon made his WWE debut on the episode of Raw after WrestleMania 19 — which was, ironically, the night after Austin wrestled his last match. Even though his first program was with The Rock, Goldberg never quite found his footing as WWE struggled to capture the essence of the juggernaut that once moved the needle for WCW.

An unwillingness to work more dates also didn't help the Myth who was clearly unwilling to curry favour with Vince McMahon — a trait shared by every top Superstar with the exception of Brock Lesnar and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. This meant that when Goldberg's contract came due in 2004, both parties were more than willing to part ways, allowing WWE to move OVW's famed Class of 2002 into the main event picture.

According to most reports, relations between Vince McMahon and Goldberg remained frosty until Take-Two Interactive struck a deal with the WCW legend to appear as a pre-order bonus in WWE 2K16, which featured old rival Brock Lesnar as its cover athlete. The University of Georgia product then appeared at a number of events to promote the video game while trading insults with Lesnar in the process.

Goldberg finally returned to WWE television for the first time in 12 years on the October 17, 2016, episode of Monday Night Raw to accept a challenge from Paul Heyman for a match with the "Beast Incarnate" at that year's Survivor Series. In the ensuing bout, the Myth disposed of Lesnar in convincing fashion, becoming the first person to pin the former UFC Heavyweight Champion since WrestleMania 29.

An unsuccessful Royal Rumble appearance soon followed, but Goldberg won the Universal Championship from Kevin Owens at Fastlane 2017. However, at WrestleMania 33, he dropped the title to Brock Lesnar, who finally overcame his nemesis and even kicked out of the fabled Jackhammer.

Goldberg then appeared on Raw Talk the following night and bade the fans farewell. He refused to rule out a return to the ring and could be back in the not too distant future.

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