When Bill Goldberg left the WWE, everyone thought it was permanently. The relationship between him, the company, and chairman Vince McMahon was strained to that extent that no one thought he will ever be back. But, after 12 years away from the WWE Goldberg came back, he reconciled with McMahon, and he brought fans to his side. We shouldn’t forget his epic feud with Brock Lesnar which culminated at Wrestlemania 33. It was the expected finale of his return. If you remember, Goldberg left the WWE right after he won the main event match at Wrestlemania XX against Brock Lesnar.
Bill Goldberg came back as a different man with 51 years behind him, and this was most notable at his WWE Hall of Fame speech during WM 34 at New Orleans. He thanked many people within the company that helped him during his rise in WCW and most recently during his comeback. Among many names he mentioned was Hulk Hogan. Hollywood Hogan was released by the company after photos and videos of him making racist remarks were leaked.
During a recent interview on CBS Sports’ In This Corner Podcast, Goldberg was asked would the fans and the WWE accept Hogan the same way they did him if Hulk makes a comeback. Bill responded with: “Oh, that’s not for me to judge. I think everybody deserves a second chance. I think you put [Hogan] in the locker room and give him the floor and let him speak his mind. That’s what he deserves. Who knows what happens from there but it’s not for me to say by any means. I can just give you my opinion and say that he deserves the floor and who knows where it goes from there.”
It was nice to see Goldberg talking like this about his former rival. The fans would undoubtedly be thrilled to see Hulk Hogan in the ring, but WWE officials certainly have their doubts. Upon returning to the world of sports entertainment, Bill was absent for twelve years. Since Hogan’s scandal broke out, it passed less than five. It’s not hard to imagine Hogan back between the ropes, but at this moment it seems too soon. One more thing that needs to be added to the equation is his age, few years down the road might be too late.
Would you like to see Hulk Hogan back in WWE?
