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Bill Goldberg made his big WWE return in the last quarter of 2016 when he squashed Brock Lesnar at that year's Survivor Series pay-per-view. Since then, he has returned for multiple matches, winning the Universal Championship twice and unsuccessfully contending for the WWE Championship multiple times.
With that being said, many younger fans may not be fully aware of who the Hall of Famer is, having been too young to watch him at his peak. The former Universal Champion’s career started in WCW, and he was one of the industry’s hottest stars in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. He finally signed with WWE in 2003 but his run lasted just over a year. The WCW star is still in good shape and adds name value to WWE and a host of exciting match-ups with the stars of today.
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Here are sixteen things you did not know about Goldberg.
Former WWE writer buries Judgment Day HERE
#16 Goldberg wanted Bobby Eaton to end his winning streak
Goldberg is Eric Bischoff's greatest creation, and Bischoff treated him like one. In WCW, Bill was booked to be an unstoppable beast, who would have a magnificent winning streak of 173 matches. In an interview, the former Universal Champion revealed that he wanted to put over Bobby Eaton by making the latter end the former's legendary streak:
“Bobby Eaton, I wanted to put Bobby over in his hometown on his birthday in a dark match during my streak. They would not let me do it." [H/T: therichest.com]
The streak was ultimately broken by Kevin Nash at Starrcade, who would go on to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in a streak-breaking match.
Speaking of the streak:
#15 His 173-0 undefeated streak is exaggerated
Goldberg’s unbeaten streak is a lie, or at best a gross exaggeration. Apart from destroying his opponents, the WWE Hall of Famer is also known for his legendary “173-0 undefeated streak” since his WCW debut, which was only ended by Kevin Nash after Scott Hall tazed Bill. Along with the Undertaker’s Wrestlemania streak, Goldberg’s streak is one of the most famous streaks in pro wrestling.
The 173-0 number vastly exaggerated the number of matches that the former Universal Champion had participated in during his streak. Some of Goldberg’s former colleagues and wrestling journalists have also spoken about this exaggeration. Chris Jericho has said that the actual match count did not "even come close to the number of matches they were claiming".
It is noted in the book, The Death of WCW, by Bryan Alvarez and R.D. Reynolds that “One week, announcer [Tony] Schiavone's number didn't jive with the number the hardcores [fans] had. Then, the next week, it was even farther off. As it turned out, in a lame effort to make his streak appear more meaningful, the company had started to add imaginary numbers to the total.”
#14 Vintage car collection
Goldberg was one of the biggest superstars in pro wrestling during the industry’s peak in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Since his retirement, he has immersed himself in his hobby of collecting vintage.
The former Universal Champion is a huge fan of vintage cars and motorcycles and owns more than 20 vintage cars including a Super Boss 429 Mustang, and a Shelby Cobra 427.
The Hall of Famer hosted 26 episodes of the show Garage Mahal on the DIY Network. He also stars in the show Goldberg’s Garage with his wife where they restore vintage vehicles.
#13 Played in the NFL
A host of pro wrestlers who began their careers playing American football like Roman Reigns, Baron Corbin, Mojo Rawley and Goldberg. He got drafted to the LA Rams in the 1990 NFL Draft as draft pick number 302 and also played for the Atlanta Falcons.
His football career was cut short, however, after the former Universal Champion "tore his lower abdomen off his pelvis". The end of his football career led to the beginning of his pro wrestling career. More on this later.
#12 He speared a guy on a baseball field after throwing the first pitch
Goldberg was invited to throw the first pitch by the Miami Marlins on the “Legends of Wrestling” night at one of their games. The first pitch is a ceremonial pitch before a baseball match begins, usually thrown by a former player or celebrity.
The WCW legend followed the pitch up by spearing a guy who was acting heel-ish to a cameraman.
#11 Starred in multiple movies
The Rock is the most famous wrestler to ever tread his feet into the film industry, but he isn’t the only one. For his part, Goldberg has appeared in more than 10 movies, the most famous of which is the Adam Sandler reboot of The Longest Yard which also starred The Great Khali, Stone Cold and Kevin Nash. He also made an appearance on the television show Desperate Housewives and hosted the History Channel docu-series Auto-Matic.
#10 Was discovered in a gym by Sting and Lex Luger while rehabbing his football injury
We spoke earlier about how Goldberg’s American Football career ended after an abdominal injury. However, this injury also led to the beginning of his pro wrestling career.
The WCW legend was rehabbing his injury at an Atlanta gym, still looking to continue his football career, when he was ’discovered' by none other than Sting and Lex Luger who were also training there. The duo was impressed by the former Universal Champion’s size and physique and suggested that he give professional wrestling a shot. The rest, as they say, is history.
#9 Almost got a degree in psychology from the University of Georgia
Goldberg attended the University of Georgia on a football scholarship. During this time, Goldberg also studied hard and came close to earning himself a degree in Psychology. However, he was drafted to the NFL before he could complete his degree. The wrestling legend was just three classes short of obtaining his degree in psychology.
#8 Is a spokesperson for the ASPCA
Goldberg’s love for animals is well known. Apart from just being an animal lover, he is also a spokesperson for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). The WWE Hall of Famer has addressed the United States Congress in the past to raise awareness on the issue of illegal animal fighting.
#7 Big supporter of charities
Goldberg appeared on the 9th season of the Donald Trump-hosted reality show, The Apprentice, and represented the charity Specchio Family Foundation: Sons of the Fallen. He also plays in the Jimmy V Golf Classic every year that is held by the V Foundation For Cancer Research.
The former Universal Champion has also been known to visit children undergoing cancer treatment in local hospitals. He also makes visits to members of the American Armed Forces whom he has great respect for.
#6 He has 3 cats and a pet goat
As we noted earlier, Goldberg is an outspoken animal lover. Although it’d be easy to think of him as a dog person, he is in fact a cat person and has three cats named Moe, Larry and Curly named after the Three Stooges. Along with his three pet cats, the WCW legend also has a pet cat called Goatberg. Amazing.
#5 He allegedly ended Bret Hart’s wrestling career with a mistimed kick
Bill Goldberg faced Bret Hart at Starrcade ’99. The Hitman was a little wary before the match and asked the former Universal Champion to be careful. However, Bret’s premonitions, unfortunately, came true and Bill connected with a mistimed superkick that changed Bret Hart’s life forever. Hart suffered a severe concussion which eventually forced him to retire. The WCW legend has apologized to Bret Hart multiple times since the incident and has expressed his remorse.
#4 Sparred with Kimbo Slice
Goldberg was and is still a big fan of MMA. In fact, he briefly spent time as an MMA analyst for SHOWTIME. Although he never entered the cage himself, he’s helped another fighter get ready for a fight. During this time in 2008, the WCW legend spent time as the late MMA fighter Kimbo Slice’s sparring partner.
#3 He’s a vegetarian
After seeing Bill Goldberg’s massive muscular frame, you’d never guess that he is a vegetarian. The Hall of Famer’s food habits stems from his love of animals. He has also shared some of his soy recipes in a PETA celebrity cookbook. The WCW legend has shown us that it doesn’t take a meat diet to stay muscular and fit.
#2 Originally wrestled under a different ring-name
Goldberg is one of the most recognizable names in pro wrestling. However, contrary to popular belief, he didn’t always wrestle under this ring name. The former Universal Champion made five untelevised appearances on WCW Nitro Dark Matches and House Shows under the ring-name Bill Gold before he even made his television debut.
The first match was a victory in a dark match at a Monday Nitro taping on June 23, 1997 against Buddy Lee Parker. This was followed by wins over Buddy Landell, Hugh Morrus, Chip Minton and John Betcha before he made his televised debut under his current ring name.
#1 Has only been pinned in ten televised matches in his career
Goldberg has one of the most impressive win-loss records in pro wrestling history, if not the most impressive. He has only lost ten televised matches throughout his long career.
The WCW legend built up a kayfabe 173-0 win record following his WCW debut in 1997. The streak lasted until December 1998, when it was ended at Starrcade ’98 by Kevin Nash with a little help from Scott Hall who’d disguised himself as a security guard and tazed the former Universal Champion behind the referee’s back.
His other losses came against Scott Steiner, Booker T, Bret Hart, Triple H, Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker, Braun Strowman, Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns.
