WWE Rumors on Goldberg's Next Match, Backstage Buzz on Carmella and Vince McMahon

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

---

Goldberg Reportedly Pitched to Work Final Match in Israel

In the wake of his WWE contract reportedly expiring, WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg may be making plans for his retirement match.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Goldberg has been speaking with promoters about a pitch to wrestle the final match of his pro wrestling career in Israel.

In an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated this month, Goldberg talked about having a retirement match, whether it is in WWE or independent from it:

"You never say never, especially in wrestling, and they owe me one. That's all I can say. I made a deal with the devil and I did my job, and they owe me a retirement match. At the end of the day, at 56, it's not something where I'm sitting by the phone waiting for a call. I've got a few ideas of how to do it on my own, possibly in Israel. So never say never."

Fightful Select (h/t Upton) previously reported that Goldberg's WWE contract officially expired Jan. 1. His last match for WWE was against Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber in February 2022.

If WWE is either uninterested in another Goldberg match or can't come to terms with him on a new deal, Goldberg taking his final match into his own hands could make for the next biggest spectacle.

Last summer, Ric Flair wrestled the final match of his illustrious career without any company attachments, and it turned out to be a big hit on pay-per-view.

Goldberg could do something similar, and it would have added significance if the match takes place in Israel since Goldberg is arguably the biggest star in pro wrestling history from a Jewish background.

The 56-year-old Goldberg may not have too many matches left in him, but there would undoubtedly be interest in seeing him put a bow on a career that yielded four reigns as world champion in WWE and WCW.

---

Carmella "Sidelined" Due to Undisclosed Issue

Carmella had been trending toward working a match at WrestleMania 39 this weekend, but an unknown factor reportedly led to her being removed from the equation.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Upton), a source said Carmella had been "sidelined" due to an unknown issue. While no specific reason was given, the source said there is no backstage "heat" on the former SmackDown women's champion.

It was also noted that Carmella is in the Los Angeles area to take part in several WrestleMania 39-related events, even though she won't be on the show itself.

In recent weeks, Carmella had been building an on-screen partnership with Chelsea Green, as they bonded over their dislike for WWE official Adam Pearce.

Carmella was nowhere to be seen on last week's Raw, however, prompting Green to team with Piper Niven. Then, Green teamed with Sonya Deville this week on Raw.

Green and Deville defeated Candice LeRae and Mia Yim to qualify for the Fatal 4-Way women's showcase tag team match at WrestleMania 39, where they will face the teams of Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler, Natalya and Shotzi, and Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez.

When Carmella is able to return to action, it would seemingly make sense for her to join forces with Green again due to the great chemistry they displayed before Carmella's absence from WWE programming.

---

Some Reportedly Believe Vince McMahon Is Back in Creative

Some WWE talent reportedly believe recent events are a sign of WWE chairman Vince McMahon being involved again in creative decisions.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), some talent feel a recent increase in rewrites and last-minute creative changes could be a sign that McMahon's influence is increasing.

Such changes were reportedly commonplace under McMahon previously and happened less often after Triple H took over as head of creative last summer.

Per Fightful, there is a feeling of uneasiness among some WWE talent due to concern over what McMahon potentially returning to creative could mean for them.

McMahon retired from his roles as WWE chairman, CEO and head of creative last summer while under investigation by the board of directors over allegations of sexual and financial misconduct, but he returned to the board of directors in January to oversee a potential sale of the company and was once again elected chairman.

WWE has given no public indication that McMahon has any influence over creative decisions, as Triple H has remained the clear face of the creative team.

During an appearance on the Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast (h/t WrestleZone's Bill Pritchard) on Wednesday, WWE CEO Nick Khan attempted to allay concerns about McMahon's creative input:

Khan said McMahon is "not that involved" in creative decisions and stressed that Triple H is the primary decision-maker.

Khan added that while McMahon has "respected" and "embraced" Triple H in that role and added McMahon and Triple H have their "own dynamic," which suggests they may at least discuss creative ideas from time to time.

Regardless of McMahon's influence, there is no real reason to believe Triple H isn't steering the ship as of now, and it has helped make for an exciting WrestleMania season thus far.

---

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below.