3 Reasons why Goldberg returned on WWE RAW

Bill Goldberg made his WWE return on this week’s episode of RAW. The Hall of Famer interrupted Gunther’s in-ring segment right after the World Heavyweight Champion badmouthed him.

While the legend congratulated The Ring General for getting the title back from Jey Uso, he also marked him as his next target. With this, here are three possible reasons why Goldberg returned to WWE on this week’s red-branded show.

#3 To set up a retirement match

Goldberg has been preparing for a retirement match, which was supposed to take place before the end of this year. While the former Universal Champion had been training for his final match in WWE, no opponent or event was set for the bout. However, after his appearance on Monday Night RAW this week, it seems Gunther would be the man to retire the veteran.

The Ring General had called out Seth Rollins to attack him with his crew and try to cash in his Money in the Bank contract on him. However, Goldberg answered the call and walked into the ring to face the Austrian. The Hall of Famer reminded Gunther of talking trash about him at the 2024 Bad Blood in Atlanta.

Having the last word, the 58-year-old said that now he would face The Ring General in the same city at the upcoming Saturday Night’s Main Event. It should be noted that Atlanta is the home turf for Goldberg, and hence, the perfect venue for his retirement match. Thus, July 12, 2025, could be the day the veteran hangs up his boots after clashing against The Austrian.

#2 Goldberg wants to settle his beef with Gunther

Gunther is known for talking trash about his opponents and destroying them on the mic. Last year, the World Heavyweight Champion extended his habit of badmouthing to Hall of Famers as well. Notably, Bill Goldberg was watching the Bad Blood Premium Live Event along with his family and the fans of his home city of Atlanta in October 2024.

Just a month ago in September, The Ring General had stated that the former Universal Champion was his childhood hero to insult Bret Hart in his hometown of Calgary, Canada. But when facing Goldberg in Atlanta, Gunther said that he would never idolize a one-trick pony like the Hall of Famer as his hero. Taking a personal jab, the Austrian then turned to the veteran’s son, Gage, and said:

“Man, I really hope for you that Bill is a better father than he is a professional wrestler.” [0:50 - 0:59]

This resulted in the 58-year-old jumping over the barricade to get a piece of the World Heavyweight Champion. The security team somehow managed to reason with the veteran at the time. However, the former Universal Champion now wants to settle his beef with Gunther once and for all.

#1 Giving Gunther a big milestone for his second World Heavyweight Championship run

Gunther’s first run as the World Heavyweight Champion ended at the hands of Jey Uso at WrestleMania 41. Last week, The Ring General took his title back and started his second run. Now, WWE would like to give the Austrian some big wins to establish his second WHC run. Especially after the 37-year-old had lost his title to Uso via submission.

A match against a legend like Goldberg would be perfect for the Austrian. This could be the reason why his upcoming SNME match against the Hall of Famer is a title bout, despite having all the hallmarks of a grudge match. It would be interesting to see what lies ahead for these two men when they collide in Atlanta on July 12, 2025.

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