Bill Goldberg | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Goldberg in 2021 | |||||||||
| Born | William Scott Goldberg December 27, 1966 Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. | ||||||||
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1990–1995 (football) 1997–2004; 2016–present (wrestling) 1998–present (acting) | ||||||||
| Spouse |
Wanda Ferraton
(m. 2005) | ||||||||
| Children | 1 | ||||||||
| Ring name(s) | Bill Gold[1] Bill Goldberg[2] Goldberg | ||||||||
| Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)[3][4] | ||||||||
| Billed weight | 285 lb (129 kg)[3][4] | ||||||||
| Billed from | Atlanta, Georgia[3] Dawsonville, Georgia[5][6] Parts Unknown[5][6] | ||||||||
| Trained by | DeWayne Bruce[1] WCW Power Plant[2][3] | ||||||||
| Debut | June 23, 1997[2][7] | ||||||||
|
American football career | |||||||||
| No. 71, 73 | |||||||||
| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 268 lb (122 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Edison (Tulsa, Oklahoma) | ||||||||
| College: | Georgia (1987–1989) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1990 / round: 11 / pick: 301 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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William Scott Goldberg (born December 27, 1966), often known mononymously as Goldberg, is an American professional wrestler, actor and former American football defensive tackle. He is signed to WWE, where he is set to retire in 2025. He is best known for his tenure in World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
One of the most popular figures of the professional wrestling boom during the late 1990s and early 2000s,[8] Goldberg rose to fame in WCW with a lengthy undefeated streak in singles competition from 1997 to 1998, became the highest paid WCW wrestler, and led the company as its franchise player and public face until it was sold to WWE. During his time with WCW, he became a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, two-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion, and one-time WCW World Tag Team Champion (with Bret Hart). Along with Hart, he is the fifth WCW Triple Crown winner.
Following WCW's closure in 2001, Goldberg wrestled for All Japan Pro Wrestling between 2002 and 2003 and for WWE between 2003 and 2004, becoming a one-time World Heavyweight Champion in the latter. After 12 years away from wrestling, he returned to WWE in 2016, winning the WWE Universal Championship for the first time in 2017 and a second time in 2020. He has headlined multiple WCW and WWE pay-per-view events, including WCW's premier annual event Starrcade (in 1998 and 1999). He headlined the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018 and is a five-time world champion in his career between WWE and WCW, with WWE counting his world title win at the 1999 Halloween Havoc.[9] He is also the only wrestler to have won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, WWE's World Heavyweight Championship, and the WWE Universal Championship.
Before he became a professional wrestler, Goldberg was a professional American football player. Following his first retirement from wrestling in 2004, he began working as a commentator for the mixed martial arts promotion Elite Xtreme Combat before it closed down. He hosted 26 episodes of Garage Mahal on the DIY Network from 2009 to 2011 and has acted in various films and television shows, including Universal Soldier: The Return and NCIS: Los Angeles.
- ^ a b "Wrestlers Database - Goldberg". cagematch.net. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
- ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
slamwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c d "Goldberg bio". WWE. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- ^ a b "Biography". Billgoldberg.com. Archived from the original on May 5, 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2011.
- ^ a b "WCW Road Wild - Saturday, 08/08/98". ddtdigest.com. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
- ^ a b "WCW Monday Nitro - Monday, 02/22/99". ddtdigest.com. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
- ^ "WCW 1997 results". January 16, 2023., Saturday Night taping, against Buddy Landel
- ^ Winkie, Luke (July 26, 2016). "A definitive ranking of the top 101 wrestlers of all time". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ "Celebrate Goldberg's 25-year anniversary throughout September | WWE".