WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash has come to the defense of fellow legend Bill Goldberg, slamming online critics who’ve been vocal about Goldberg’s frustrations following his retirement match. Speaking on the latest episode of his Kliq This podcast, Nash didn’t hold back while addressing the backlash Goldberg received after discussing his retirement experience during an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani.
Goldberg recently aired his disappointment over not getting to properly address fans after his final bout. Nash, who empathized with the emotions tied to a career-ending match, fired back at those minimizing Goldberg’s reaction.
“It’s always these motherf—ers, man, that have never been in the ring, have never done anything in their life except comment on wrestling,” Nash began. “They’re saying, like, ‘Well Bill, you know, if I would have had that send-off, I would have been happy with just that.’ How do you know? You never even had a f—ing match.”
Nash continued his tirade against armchair critics, calling them out for belittling a moment they can’t possibly understand. “How do you know, after f—ing all these years, that that send-off would appease you, dude? You’re just f—ing happy jacking off talking about this sh–, like, shut the f— up. You’re nobody.”
Nash also emphasized that Goldberg’s path into the business wasn’t traditional, and that should factor into people’s understanding of his emotional reaction. “Bill didn’t wake up one morning at 12 years old and go, ‘I want to be a pro wrestler.’ Bill tore his groin off the bone, playing for the Rams, and said, ‘What am I going to do now? How about wrestling?’”
“It’s always these motherf—ers, man, that have never been in the ring, have never done anything in their life except comment on wrestling”
As for the match itself—Goldberg’s final bout against Gunther—Nash had praise for both men. He said Goldberg held up well and that Gunther did a fantastic job structuring the match to showcase Goldberg’s strengths. “To me, I thought he did a really solid job,” Nash said. “Kudos to Gunther, because Gunther kept him close. You could tell… they were working their way through things.”
He also highlighted specific moments like Goldberg spearing the barricade as a standout spot in the bout. While Nash admitted he may have booked the ending differently, he respected the storytelling and the physical demands involved. “I think that he put so much into it,” Nash added. “I know that he put as much as he could into it.”
Nash revealed he had even recommended stem cell treatments to Goldberg to help him recover and prep for his last run. For Nash, the bottom line is clear: only those who have lived this life can truly understand what it means to say goodbye to the ring.
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for more on Goldberg’s retirement and reactions from wrestling legends.
(h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription)
