Goldberg Teases WWE Return, Latest Rumors on Rusev's Contract and Joe Hendry at Mania

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

Goldberg Says It's "Time to Replicate" WWE Return

WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg is set to have his retirement match this year, and he suggested Monday night on social media that he could return to the fold in the near future.

In a post on X, Goldberg dropped the video of his massive return to WWE in 2016, including the caption: "About time to replicate this!"

The 58-year-old Goldberg has not had a match since losing to Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber in February 2022, but his in-ring return is now only a matter of time.

After a lengthy absence from WWE programming, Goldberg resurfaced back in October at the Bad Blood premium live event in his adopted hometown of Atlanta.

Goldberg was in the front row watching the show with his family when then-world heavyweight champion Gunther arrived on the scene and made some disparaging remarks regarding the former WCW and WWE world champ.

Goldberg jumped the barricade and attempted to attack Gunther, but security intervened and prevented them from locking horns.

Shortly after his appearance at Bad Blood, Goldberg was a guest on SEC Network's SEC Nation, which is where he broke the news regarding his retirement match.

Goldberg noted that while it would occur in 2025, he wasn't sure of which event would play host to his final match, nor was he sure of the opponent.

However, Goldberg did mention Gunther as a likely candidate given their run-in at Bad Blood.

With Gunther dropping the World Heavyweight Championship to Jey Uso at WrestleMania 41, he is free and clear to rekindle his rivalry with Goldberg when the Hall of Famer shows back up on WWE programming.

Rusev Reportedly Signs 2-Year Contract with WWE

Details have emerged regarding Rusev's deal with WWE following his return to the company on Monday night's episode of Raw.

According to Deadline.com's Rosy Cordero, Rusev signed a two-year contract with WWE. His wife, former WWE Superstar Lana, reportedly signed a legends deal with the company as well.

Rusev first signed a developmental contract with WWE in 2010, and he eventually debuted on the main roster in 2014, going on a lengthy winning streak that saw him win the United States Championship.

In his first WrestleMania match, Rusev dropped the U.S. title to John Cena at WrestleMania 31.

Rusev went on to become a three-time United States champion overall before getting released in 2020. Going by his real name of Miro, Rusev signed with AEW and debuted in September 2020.

He enjoyed a great deal of success at first, holding the TNT Championship once, but his usage declined significantly over the past couple of years, leading to his departure and return to WWE.

On Monday's post-WrestleMania edition of Raw, New Day were set to defend the World Tag Team Championships against Otis and Akira Tozawa, but Rusev made his surprise return by attacking both Otis and Tozawa.

That seemingly solidified Rusev as a monster heel, which was the character he portrayed during his most successful run in WWE.

Given the relatively short-term nature of his reported deal with WWE, Rusev may need to make a sizable impact quite quickly in order to land a longer contract if he desires one.

Details on Hendry Being Chosen as Orton's WrestleMania Opponent

TNA world champion Joe Hendry shocked the pro wrestling world Sunday night at WrestleMania 41 when he emerged as the surprise opponent for Randy Orton.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), WWE began "lining up" Hendry as Orton's WrestleMania opponent even before Kevin Owens' announcement that he would have to miss WrestleMania due to a neck injury.

However, many people in TNA reportedly didn't learn it was going to happen "for sure" until Saturday.

Owens was originally supposed to face Orton at WrestleMania, continuing a feud that started several months ago after KO put Orton on the shelf with a piledriver.

However, with Owens requiring time off due to a legitimate neck injury, WWE decided to have Orton lay down an open challenge on the Grandest Stage of Them All.

Hendry arrived to a huge reaction from the fans, and although the match was a relatively short loss to Orton, he got plenty of spotlight and the chance to showcase himself and TNA at the biggest event in wrestling.

During an appearance on Busted Open (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Hendry clapped back against criticism of how the match was booked, expressing his belief that it wasn't a squash.

Hendry also said: "My job as TNA champion and what defines this reign is business and getting as many eyeballs on TNA Wrestling as possible. You know who else lost quickly at WrestleMania in a similar fashion? John Cena."

Additionally, Hendry said CM Punk told him the match against Orton was "exactly how it should've gone."

Orton was always going to win at WrestleMania based on the clear setup for a match between him and new WWE champion John Cena at Backlash next month.

Given Orton's status as a 14-time world champion and one of the all-time greats, losing to him did little to take away from what Hendry accomplished at WrestleMania.

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