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WWE’s Goldberg admits Undertaker match took its toll but vows not to let it define him

Posted: Oct 10th 2019 By: Alastair McGeorge

Goldberg needed redemption after his match with The Undertaker.

The high profile bout earlier between the WWE legends at Super ShowDown in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia over summer was heavily criticised by many fans, with both stars looking shaky and struggling after the Hall of Famer accidentally injured himself early on when his head hit the turnbuckle post.

Two months later at SummerSlam in August, the star made quick work of Dolph Ziggler in a return to dominating form, and he admitted the follow-up match was very important to him after being disappointed with his performance against the Dead Man.

Speaking candidly from the blue carpet at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Goldberg told Metro.co.uk: ‘It was very important to nobody but me, OK? People were very critical of me, and I’ll be honest, I never really respond to it – I do care what people think.

‘But when I know the whole deal and everything, it’s like, come on guys. Give me a break – I knocked myself out, dude. Now let me see you walk down the street – let alone pick up a 320lbs dude – when you’re knocked out.

‘I think for me, what the Ziggler match did, was reaffirm my own self-confidence, not for anyone else. But I just needed to go out there and go through the motions, and know, man, just ’cause you stumble once, [it] doesn’t define you.’

Goldberg – who appeared in the crowd during last week’s star-studded Friday Night SmackDown debut on Sky Sports and Fox – revealed he is ‘hyper-critical’ of himself in the ring, and so getting to redeem himself so quickly after the divisive match meant a lot.

He added: ‘Unfortunately I was defining myself by whether it be a move or a night or a match. The fact of the matter is, I’m extremely hyper-critical of myself and that’s what’s made me the person that I am.

‘It’s a blessing and it’s a curse. I’m never happy, but I’m always striving to be better than anybody else… [The Ziggler match] helped me out a lot, it really did.’