While some fans will tell you that Goldberg should've never come back to the WWE following his retirement in the 2000s, you can't blame him for playing the money game.
According to Dave Meltzer in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newspaper, Goldberg was paid handsomely to be a part of the WWE again. Specifically, Goldberg made a ton of money in his matches in Saudi Arabia.
As part of the WWE's deal with Saudi Arabia, the world's leading wrestling promotion received a huge influx of cash to hold two shows annually. In exchange, the WWE has to find a way to fit a couple of fan favourites into the shows, which includes Goldberg.
For working two matches in Saudi Arabia in 2021, Goldberg received $2 million per match as compensation.
Meltzer then elaborates that this is the kind of money that the AEW can't afford if it's interested in booking Goldberg for a retirement match.