WWE News: Goldberg comments on how he thought fans would react to his WWE return

What’s the story?

WWE 2018 Hall of Fame headliner Bill Goldberg was recently a guest on Busted Open Radio to discuss being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Goldberg also talked about how he expected fans to react to his return after such a long absence.

In case you didn’t know...

Goldberg finally signed with WWE in March 2003, just about 2 years after WCW went out of business. He remained with the company for around a year and feuded with Triple H, Chris Jericho, Kane and The Rock.

He left WWE just after WrestleMania 20 when his contract expired. He was unhappy about WWE's booking of him and had issues with Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon and Triple H, so he left on pretty bad terms, vowing never to work with WWE again. Before he told officials he was to leave when his contract expired, he was reportedly pencilled in to win the 2004 Royal Rumble, an honour which later went to Chris Benoit.

The heart of the matter

While speaking with Busted Open Radio, Goldberg was asked about how he thought WWE fans would react to he returning after a long 12-year absence. Goldberg commented on it saying:

"It was all a dream come true in that I was able to come back and try to vindicate the character in the WWE setting to the WWE fans. The first run was a bit tumultuous for many reasons, and to be able to come back 13 years removed and get an opportunity to get in front of the people who made you who you are and ask for their acceptance again. I'll be honest with you, it was nerve-racking. I assumed everybody was gonna boo me.

So, the fact that my family was the storyline, which truly was the storyline in real life, was something that was needed. It was the truth! I was able to come back and be Bill for the first time. You know, whether that worked in the setting, I guess it did. But, I'll be forever grateful for [guys in the locker room] for welcoming me with open arms."

What’s next?

Goldberg will be the headliner of the WWE Hall of Fame on April 6 in New Orleans. The WCW icon has also expressed an interest in doing some more TV work for WWE.

Author’s take

I have always been a huge fan of Goldberg since his WCW days, so I was ecstatic to see him return. He was always limited in the ring, but the Atlanta native portrayed a unique character that connected with the audience and drew a lot of money during the Monday Night Wars.

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