Last year, Conrad Thompson dipped his toes into promoter waters when he produced the final card his father-in-law will likely ever main event, Ric Flair’s Last Match. I say “likely” because, you know, he’s Ric Flair. Despite the possibility Flair may attempt to set foot back in a pro wrestling ring at some point, the show was largely a success, even if Flair’s fake heart attack in the ring drew some raised eyebrows. In the wake of the historical event, questions swirled regarding whether Thompson would produce more final matches for notable talent.
Enter Bill Goldberg, who last month teased fans with an independently produced four-city retirement tour. Legendary promoter and agent, Rick Bassman, in an exclusive Haus of Wrestling interview, went so far as to say he’s working with the former football player and AEW star Sting regarding a show in Jerusalem this September.
With interest around the possible retirement tour taking hold, the question of who could be helping the former WWE and WCW Champion plan his final matches has begun to swarm, and one name who would seemingly make sense is Thompson.
In an exclusive Haus of Wrestling interview, now available on Premier Streaming Network and the Haus of Wrestling podcast feed, the podcasting powerhouse addressed that speculation.
“He’s not somebody I’ve ever spent any time with,” he said. “You know, he has me blocked on Twitter. So I don’t know that that’s gonna happen.”
“I mean, I’m not saying I wouldn’t but, you know, I don’t know what the plan is. I mean, we tried to do a bit of a story as much as you could on a one-off like that. And I would be curious to see how he does that with a with a four-show opportunity. I mean, there’s clearly an appetite for nostalgia, and for big wrestling events. It’s a matter of, he’s obviously going to be strategic if Jerusalem maybe is one of the stops. My Goodness.”
While Thompson may not be the man to produce the big Goldberg retirement shows, that doesn’t mean there aren’t others in his orbit who may be interested. Back in 2009, 83 Weeks’ host Eric Bischoff helped to produce Hulkamania: Let The Battle Begin down under in Australia. The four-city tour featured Hulk Hogan, Flair, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, and others wrestling, and bleeding heavily, before returning to the States.
So, was it intentional that days after Goldberg’s announcement, Bischoff released a podcast episode looking back on that tour? Or, was he planting seeds regarding a possible return to promoting for his former champion? Maybe even a return to the ring for on of Goldberg’s greatest opponents ever, Hogan?
“Those are not connected,” Thompson clarified. “Hulk Hogan will not be wrestling Goldberg on any of those shows. I haven’t been in contact with Hogan, but I can assure you there will not be a Hogan vs Goldberg last match”
“I don’t think there’s any scenario where you see Hulk Hogan even holding a tag rope. No disrespect, he is my favorite. He’s the reason I’m talking to you. I was a little Hulkamaniac, that’s what got me into this. But, sure, I think he’s, he’s probably done. I think that’s fair to say.”
While it doesn’t appear Hogan will be stepping back into the ring for another match against Goldberg, it doesn’t mean there aren’t other WCW stars who could be up to the task. One name in particular that could fit the bill is AEW’s Jeff Jarrett, who is still putting on great matches in the ring.
“I say from experience, if you were looking to book a last match, you couldn’t find a better opponent for that person than Jeff Jarrett,” Thompson said. “I already did this, and Jeff Jarrett is the perfect last-match opponent. If you need a grandpa murdered in a parking lot, no problem. Whatever you need, he’s got you.”
If you use any quotes from this article please give a h/t to Haus of Wrestling and link back