When you think ofBill Goldberg, you think of a bald man with a blonde goatee, not a clean-shaven man with a full head of hair. In recent years,wrestling fans have discovered pictures and videos of a younger, haired Goldberg, a discovery that feels almost unnatural and cursed. It just does not feel right to look at. It's like you would never expect the man in those images to become what Bill Goldberg became.
Before he dominated the wrestling world, Goldberg played football, where he was a defensive tackle. He had earned a scholarship to attend the University of Georgia and play college football for the Georgia Bulldogs. The Los Angeles Rams drafted him with the 301st overall pick in the 11th round of the 1990 NFL Draft. He made his NFL debut on the 3rd of December 1992, for the Atlanta Falcons. Goldberg retired from football, however, just a few years later, in 1995, due to injury.
Goldberg's Move From Football to Wrestling
Due to injury, his football career ended, but that started his venture into professional wrestling
Despite his failed football career, Goldberg found a home in professional wrestling, where, at one point, he was the most popular man. His popularity turned him into the poster boy for World Championship Wrestling in the late 1990s.
From 1997 to 1998, he went on an impressive and dominant 173-0 undefeated streak. The unprecedented streak proved essential in making Goldberg the breakout star of WCW, propelling him to main event status within a year of his first match. Despite the controversy of the figure perhaps being exaggerated, the streak was influential and impressive nonetheless. In 1998, he was named the Rookie of the Year by Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He was also ranked No.2 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in the same year.
GIVEMESPORT's Key Statistic: Goldberg went 173 matches undefeated in the wrestling world.
During his professional wrestling career, Goldberg achieved great success, including winning the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship, WCW World Heavyweight Championship, WCW World Tag Team Championship with Bret Hart, and theWWE World Heavyweight Championship. His comeback in 2016 saw him win the WWE Universal Championship twice, first in 2017 and once again in 2020.
His comeback also saw him be named the Comeback of the Year for 2016 by the revered Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Rolling Stone ranked him No. 5 of the 10 best WWE wrestlers of 2016, and he was also inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2018.
Goldberg's WWE statistics (as of 12/09/24) | |
|---|---|
Total number of matches | 383 |
Total number of wins | 326 (85.1%) |
Total number of losses | 35 (9.1%) |
Total number of draws | 22 (5.7%) |
Goldberg's Retirement From Wrestling
Maybe there's one more match left
Despite not having wrestled since 2022, Goldberg has yet to officially retire. However, earlier this year, he revealed that his plans for a retirement match have been put on the back burner, stating: "I’ll be perfectly honest with you, I’ve kind of put that on the back burner. Right now, I’ve segued into dad, first and foremost, and husband and car host. I’m just having fun at my garage. So I really don’t have a lot of time right now to dedicate to prepping for a retirement match."
Goldberg's last match was againstRoman Reigns at the 2022 WWE Elimination Chamber event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where Reigns successfully defended his WWE Universal Championship. This match, along with his others in recent years, was not met with glowing reviews from fans, so perhaps it's for the best that he stays unoffically retired.
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