Former WCW and WWE star Bill Goldberg recently spoke with Donald Wood of Ring Rust Radio, and below are some interview highlights:
Negative fan reaction for part-time wrestlers:
"Obviously in anybody's mind, any type of failure, whether it be to yourself or the fans or management, is something that you don't want to encounter and if you can keep yourself out of it then that's always a consideration if you're a smart person. How much that would play in my decision? Honestly, it wouldn't play very much because that's not why I would do it. At the end of the day, I would do it to invoke a positive response from my son and my wife. I'd love to be able to please the fans, so many of them that have asked me over the last 10 to 11 years to go back, I would obviously do it for them also. It's always a crap shoot. Whether you're away 10 years or you're away 10 minutes every single time I've looked at it, you're only as good as your next performance. So it would weigh in my mind but it wouldn't be a factor in my decision."
Who/What was responsible for WCW's demise:
"There's nobody you can point to single-handedly. First of all, it's hard for me to give an educated opinion because I was injured during that period of time and I was away from the normal day goings on of WCW. Now, when AOL and Time Warner merged, it was ultimately the demise of WCW as we know it I believe. I don't think it was something that they were heavily behind as far as programming is concerned by any stretch of the imagination and from what I remember, Ted Turner was on safari when the decision was made by the board to get rid of WCW. I think it starts at the top and when everybody feels that something is going awry, anxiety is at such a level that everybody just falls apart. It was a law-less society once it started going downhill and at that time, who was wanting to put forth the effort to save it? Obviously there were a lot of die-hards that wanted it saved and a lot of wresters that wanted it saved, I don't know anybody that didn't want it saved and to see it succeed except maybe the competition and the people who owned it. There was a lot of passion for it."
CM Punk leaving WWE:
"We're all individuals and we all live different ways, I do not know any of the back story, I don't know CM Punk but I can empathize and I can completely understand anyone who wouldn't like dealings that have transgressed throughout the years at the WWE."
His Streak Ending:
"From time to time I've shown displeasures to the way that it ended and Kevin was on the booking committee for a couple of weeks and it was just timing. I believe the creativity to keep it going could have happened, but I'll plead the fifth again and just say I'm a performer, not an entertainer in that I can take direction and go out and complete it but I can't develop the storyline. My job was not a booker by any stretch of the imagination and I try not to give my opinion as to who I think should've beaten me because I don't get into the storyline as much as the next guy. It was those guys' decision, they've been in the business, collectively, probably 100 years, so who am I to question that? As a human being you're always going to question things but it's not my place, I was just the talent. I wish Godzilla would've beaten me, or Big Foot, or something like that. I just think Scott Hall should've hit me with the taser that sticks in your chest from across the ring, but so be it."
Feelings on a Possible Hall of Fame Induction:
"To get any type of accolade like that when you're in a given sport or profession is the ultimate honor. But again, like I said about me stepping back in the ring, it's not something that I long for every morning. Would I deem my wrestling career a failure if I didn't join it? No. It would be a hell of an honor for sure. There are people there that deserve it and there are people there that don't deserve it and I'm not anyone to say that I deserve it by any stretch of the imagination. It would be an honor for sure because there are a lot of legends there and it is a sport that put my name at the forefront and I owe it a lot of credit for me being able to talk to you right now and have my own podcast and be a television actor. Yes it would be an honor but I wouldn't feel incomplete if it didn't happen at the end of the day."
One more match:
"First and foremost, let me back you up for a second here. It's funny anytime that I mention anything about wrestling, even my words can be taken out of context. There have been a number of different publications that have run the story that 'Goldberg's back and begging to have a match again' and he wants to get back in the ring, at the end of the day, I would definitely listen to that type of conversation but it's not something I wake up every morning and I pray to God to and hope that I can lace up my boots one more time because I have to end on a nostalgic note. If the opportunity arose and it was a favorable condition for everybody involved, and I mean working condition, not necessarily the money, and opponent, I would definitely cater the thought.
As to specific people that I would like to face, man I've been forthright and upfront that I'm not on top of the wrestling business like the normal fan would be since my departure, it hasn't been the number one thing in my life, so to just throw a couple of names off the top of my head would be the only way that I could do it. I couldn't give an educated guess as to what the good storyline would be in this day and age as far as television storylines are concerned. Like I said, I'd consider it, for sure, but it's not something I'm longing for.
J.R is a very good friend of mine and I can talk straight with him and that's what these podcasts do. They catch intimate conversations and now that I have my own I can point the mic at someone else and let them spew so they can get themselves in trouble more than I can. I enjoyed the wrestling business, there were a lot of things that I didn't like about it, but there were things that I did like about it so I would consider something like that.
As far as schedule is concerned, who knows. I'm in pretty decent shape, I don't know what to compare it to, but for a 47 year old guy walking around and he goes to a Muy-Thai Gym a number of days a week, I'd say I'm pretty much ahead of the game. For the schedule, I don't know. I don't talk to Brock enough to compare what I would think would be acceptable for myself. It's a topic that interests me but it's not a topic I think about daily."
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
