Goldberg may have left his in-ring career behind, but he didn’t leave without causing some damage on the way out—literally.
During his retirement bout against GUNTHER at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, the powerhouse Hall of Famer delivered a brutal spear that accidentally broke veteran referee Charles Robinson’s rib. Now, Gage Goldberg is confirming what fans suspected: Robinson really did get hurt.
In an update from Gage’s appearance on WrestleBinge, he revealed that Charles Robinson wasn’t just selling the move—he was actually injured during the impact.
“Oh yeah, I did. No, he actually broke his rib. I saw on his Instagram he broke his rib. I had to say sorry to him just for my dad, I will say.”
Despite the injury, Gage couldn’t help but give Robinson props for how tough he was in taking the hit.
“But no, Charles, he’s badass. He’s taken the spear from him and he took it like a champ, I will say. Like big kudos to him.”
Robinson, 61, has long been regarded as one of WWE’s most respected referees. Known to fans as “Lil Naitch,” he posted about the injury on Instagram and confirmed he’d be back officiating on WWE SmackDown next week in San Antonio, showing that even a broken rib won’t keep him down.
Goldberg himself also opened up about the moment on The Ariel Helwani Show, admitting he requested Robinson to officiate because of their history and trust—and acknowledged that this wasn’t the first time Robinson had taken the brunt of a spear.
“Charles is a freakin’—he is—I don’t know, I’m not going to say Renaissance man. That dude’s indestructible… I love him to death. But I do apologize for the rib. But you know, it’ll heal—like the other one did.”
One thing’s for sure: when Goldberg hits, even the officials aren’t safe.
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