Why Rikishi Says Fellow WWE Hall Of Famer Goldberg Should 'Smarten Up'

Following his retirement match at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event, WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg expressed a mix of emotions. On one hand, he felt proud to share the ring with WWE World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER, whom he described as a class act. On the other, Goldberg was admittedly "pissed off" by the abrupt cutoff of his televised, post-match farewell speech. According to fellow Hall of Famer Rikishi, Goldberg could have approached his departing promo differently in order to avoid a mid-sentence halt from programming restrictions.

"My speech wouldn't even be that long. I'd just say 'Thank you for coming out, I'll see you next time,' and then pull out the check for two, three million dollars," Rikishi said on "Off The Top" "That's it. That's what they got social media for. You can get on there and get on your own stories live, Facebook Live, Twitter Live. You can do all the time you want there. I mean, come on now, smarten up. You think WWE is going to pass up that sponsor money? TKO money? Is it really really or we just going to wait for your however long [speech]? I don't know how long the speech was, but if they cut it within 30 seconds, well, damn, ain't that how long it takes for him to get up?"

In Rikishi's case, he last wrestled at Pacific Pro Wrestling's Spring Fever in 2019, when he, Danni Deeds and Todd Quality defeated Adam Ryder, Marty Sugar, and Shreddz. Under the WWE banner, his most recent in-ring appearance came in 2014 when he, Scotty 2 Hotty, and Brian Chrisopher reunited Too Cool as a part of an old-school-themed "WWE Raw."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Off The Top" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.