WWE Rumors: NJPW Was Interested in Goldberg Before Hall of Fame Announcement

New Japan Pro Wrestling reportedly expressed interest in signing Bill Goldberg prior to this week's announcement that he will headline the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2018.

According to SI.com's Justin Barrasso, NJPW "kicked the tires" on Goldberg due to the idea that signing him would have created buzz and aided in the company's efforts to increase its popularity in the United States.

New Japan has made efforts to expand beyond its home base over the past year.

In addition to creating an IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship and holding events in America, one of Wrestle Kingdom 12's headline matches was a battle between of two North American stars, Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega.

The 51-year-old Goldberg has no shortage of name recognition in the United States, and he is coming off a memorable recent run with WWE.

After beating Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series 2016 and competing in the 2017 Royal Rumble, Goldberg defeated Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship at Fastlane 2017.

Goldberg then locked horns with Lesnar once again at WrestleMania 33, but the Beast Incarnate left Orlando, Florida, with the title.

Although Goldberg announced he was stepping away from wrestling for a while after that, he left the door open for more matches down the line.

It is unclear if he will wrestle again for WWE, but his entry into the Hall of Fame will be one of WWE's biggest talking points during WrestleMania week.

Goldberg working with New Japan at some point may also not be out of the question, as Jericho is scheduled to appear on Monday's 25th anniversary edition of Raw just weeks after facing Omega at Wrestle Kingdom.

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