Bill Goldberg

Background

Bill Goldberg, an American professional wrestler, actor, and former N.F.L. player was destined for a life in the boxing ring! The Jewish wrestler was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and attended Tulsa Edison High School. His childhood dream was to become a professional football player and was on the road to achieving it until he suffered a career-ending injury.

He began playing college football after earning a scholarship to play for the University of Georgia’s Bulldogs football team, where he played the role of a defensive tackle. He entered the 1990 N.F.L. draft and played for the Los Angeles Rams, among several other teams, until 1995, when he tore his lower abdomen off his pelvis, an injury that ended his football career.

Goldberg was discovered by two professional wrestlers, Lex Luger and Sting, in 1996, during his powerlifting and mixed martial arts training. Luger and Sting invited him to try professional wrestling. Goldberg hesitated at first but later decided to give it a try and began training at the W.W.C. Power Plant. He won his first match against Buddy Lee Parker in 1997, in a Monday Nitro dark match, following the defeat of several other wrestlers such as Buddy Landell, Hugh Marrus, Chip Minton, and John Betcha. But he lost to Chad Fortune in a Saturday night dark match. Goldberg soon became known for his quick victories, often in two minutes, his high kicks, and spontaneous backflips. His consecutive wins led to his adopting the catchphrase “Who’s next?”

In 1998, Goldberg began competing in the W.C.W. World Heavyweight Championship held by Hulk Hogan, whom he also competed against. Goldberg defeated Hogan and became the W.C.W. World Heavyweight Champion.

Following many years of numerous victories mixed with feuds and a couple of injuries, Goldberg was inducted into the 2018 W.W.E. Hall of Fame and continues to wrestle today. The professional wrestler has been married to Wanda Darraton since 2005, and the two welcomed their son Gage A.J. Goldberg in 2006.