Goldberg Agrees with The Undertaker That WWE, Wrestling Business Is 'Soft' Today

WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg agrees with The Undertaker's recent comments about the current state of professional wrestling being "soft" compared to the past, though he did acknowledge that change in the industry is inevitable. 

Appearing on After The Bell with Corey Graves (h/t Gary Cassidy of Inside The Ropes), Goldberg said:

"When you hear the comments about me coming back and doing one or two matches a year, how people are like, 'He doesn't deserve it, he never paid his dues, he was never on the road and these people are on the road…' Hey man, people forget very quickly what all of us did back in the day to earn the spot we are in the now—and I am one of the luckiest guys in the world.

"But, yes, I believe, comparatively, the business is soft—but the business is in 2021, so things have to change and things have to be different."

Goldberg's comments came on the heels of The Undertaker's appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience (h/t Phillip Hendrix of Ringside News), during which he gave his thoughts on the wrestling business and wrestlers of today.

"It's kind of tough for me because the product changed so much and it's kind of ... soft," Taker said. "... I'll probably piss a lot of people off, but they need to hear it. There's too much pretty and not enough substance right now."

Goldberg also argued that current stars should be more appreciative of legends who are still working in the business:

"Like I said, times are quite different than they were back then today but people are soft, people take offense to things way too quickly. Get a little thicker skin, boys and girls, that's all I can say. When legends came in when I was in the business, in the beginning, I was greatly appreciative of the eyes they brought to our product and one day those young kids are going to be just like me and I hope that karma comes back to bite them in the ass, that's all I can say. Because at 54 years old, I don't know one of them that could be doing what I do."

Goldberg was one of the biggest stars in the business at his height with WCW in the late 1990s, and after taking a long hiatus from wrestling, he made his return for WWE in 2016.

He has wrestled periodically since then and competed in a couple of matches per year recently. On Sunday, he will challenge Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble.

It isn't uncommon for current, full-time wrestlers to express dismay when legends show up to work high-profile programs and take up television time, but Goldberg expressed his belief that legends like himself help elevate everyone and the business as a whole by sticking around.

Taker's comments on wrestlers being soft seemed to relate to the in-ring product and storytelling, but Goldberg made it clear that he feels the wrestlers of today should stop taking the presence of legends personally.

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