WWE Releases Goldberg’s Full Speech Following SNME – WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg has officially retired from professional wrestling following his loss to World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event on July 12. The 58-year-old icon closed the chapter on a storied career in front of his hometown crowd in Atlanta, Georgia.
Though the event aired live on ABC, Goldberg’s heartfelt farewell was cut short as the broadcast went off the air. As seen below, WWE has since uploaded the full, unedited speech to YouTube, allowing fans around the world to hear Goldberg’s emotional goodbye.
“Every time I step in this ring, it’s with every one of you with me. All these kids, it’s the reason why I did what I did. I grew up wanting to be a professional football player. I was lucky enough to play at the University of Georgia. Go Dogs! I was lucky enough to play for the Atlanta Falcons. And I was lucky enough to beat Hogan in front of 45,000 of y’all. I’ve never thought about this moment because I never thought it would come. But I couldn’t have done it without you. Each and every one of you.”
“Treat everybody with respect. Treat everybody the way you want to be treated. Black, green, purple, Christian, Jewish, I don’t give a damn. You treat every single human being with respect. And if I did anything in my career, I honored that. And I try to pass that down. And every single human being in this ring is of the same character. Because if I let them stay in the ring with me, that’s who they are.”
“And this goes out to my father-in-law who passed away last week. This goes out to all the flood victims 30 miles from our house in Texas, North Carolina, everywhere where people have been negatively affected. And the one thing that I’ve learned is that you’re never too good to lend a helping hand.”
“And again, treat everybody with respect. This can be a really crappy world if you let it. But if you stand up and you put your damn foot down and you lead by example, then it’s going to be one hell of a ride. And I want every one of you to take that ride with me.”
Goldberg literally ended the moment by saying “mic drop.”
As the crowd roared with chants of “Thank you, Goldberg,” Cody Rhodes came to the ring and led the WWE Universe in one final tribute to the legendary powerhouse.
Goldberg’s last match — a hard-fought, emotional bout against GUNTHER — marked the first time he had competed since February 2022’s Elimination Chamber event. While he didn’t capture the WWE World Heavyweight Title in his final outing, the moment was less about victory and more about closure — for both the man and the fans who have supported him for decades.
WWE Releases Goldberg’s Full Speech Following SNME
