Nic Nemeth has opened up about his SummerSlam 2019 match with Goldberg, revealing that it nearly brought his WWE career to an end.

Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, the former World Heavyweight Champion explained that the original plan for the match was for Goldberg to defeat him instantly, which he strongly opposed.

“I was told no, ding, ding, ding, spear, jackhammer,” Nemeth recalled. “I said, ‘Vince, why am I in this match when anybody could take a spear and a jackhammer? If I can’t be in this match doing something, then I have to leave this company right now. If this is purely for a scarecrow to take a spear and a jackhammer, I don’t want to work here.’”

Nemeth said he pushed back hard against the plan, arguing that the match needed at least a small story or moment for fans to connect with instead of ending right away.

“I’m fighting. I’m like, it should be something. I should kick him. I should hit him with my finish. I should do something. There should be something other than a bell, because then there’s no little ride.”

After some debate, Vince McMahon eventually agreed to adjust the match layout, allowing Nemeth a brief flurry of offense before Goldberg’s win.

“Finally it was a superkick on the bell, get a false out of it. Superkick him again, and then get broken in half. And I go, ‘Yeah, okay, that’s something, at least.’”

Nemeth also revealed that the match was supposed to serve as part of his planned WWE exit storyline, but the company stopped his departure before it could happen.

“I was pitched the idea to go with Goldberg because I was going to leave the company… I’ll lose there to Mike [The Miz], and then I was out of the company and on a handshake deal, I was out. And that day I was told that I would not be allowed to be out.”

Although the bout was meant to be his farewell, Nemeth ultimately stayed with WWE for another four years before being released in September 2023.

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