Before his phone rang last year, Bill Goldberg was happily retired from professional wrestling.
He was 31 years removed from Tulsa’s Edison High School, 27 years removed from playing defensive tackle for the Georgia Bulldogs, 21 years removed from an injury-shortened run in pro football and 12 years detached from what had been a mostly sensational run in pro wrestling.
In the World Championship Wrestling company, he was billed simply as “Goldberg” and became a superstar during a streak of more than 170 consecutive victories.
There were no silly gimmicks with his character. Serenaded by fan chants of “Gold-berg! Gold-berg!” he typically would pummel an opponent with a couple of spears (which basically were form tackles) and execute a quick pin.
As a kid in Tulsa, Goldberg was the son of a father who was an obstetrician and a mother who had been a concert violinist. His favorite foods were provided by Goldie’s and Coney I-Lander. He had a really normal life and developed into a really good football player, but as a wrestler, he was a rock star. His character was a Mike Tyson-level practitioner of destruction, and he made millions.
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While professional wrestling outcomes are scripted, the physical toll is real. The travel is a grind. In 2004, after a year of World Wrestling Entertainment bookings, Goldberg walked away.
“I didn’t like the experience,” he recalled during a Tulsa World interview. “I had been a football player — to be judged on the basis of your performance and not on the luck of the draw (or the whims of pro wrestling’s talent overseers).
“When I first got into the wrestling business, it was more cutthroat than it is now. In every business, every person wants to supersede the guy in front of them, but professional wrestling was a different thing. I wanted to be a superhero for kids. I didn’t want to be a part of some of what was happening at the time. So, I hung up my tights and my boots.”
Goldberg dabbled in acting and opened a gym in Southern California. He was introduced to a woman who would become his wife, and they had a son.
After 2004, Goldberg said, he never watched the WWE’s weeknight telecasts or weekend pay-per-view events.
“I was completely removed from it. It wasn’t a part of my life anymore,” he explained. “I was always going to be Goldberg, the guy who had been a wrestler, but I pushed it to the side and had other priorities. My family became my priority.”
During a recent podcast conversation with former wrestling commentator Jim Ross (now a Norman resident and a sideline fixture during Oklahoma Sooner football games), Goldberg said, “Never in a trillion years did I expect to go back to the WWE.”
But the phone did ring last year, and there was a proposal: For the right price, would you consider doing this again?
The offer apparently was lucrative. Goldberg accepted.
On Sunday night, at the age of 50, he will be in Orlando, Florida, as one of the headliners at Wrestlemania — the Super Bowl of the wrestling entertainment industry.
The Goldberg comeback was launched against Brock Lesnar in November. Wrestling legend Ric Flair was quoted as saying, “You’re off for a couple of months, much less 10 years, (and) you’re going to get in the ring and you’re going to wrestle Brock Lesnar the first time around? Good luck with that.”
In 86 seconds, Goldberg conquered Lesnar.
On March 5, Goldberg needed only 22 seconds to crush and pin Kevin Owens for the WWE Universal title.
At Wrestlemania, Goldberg will defend his championship against Lesnar, who in 2000, for the University of Minnesota, was an NCAA wrestling champion at 285 pounds. Lesnar went on to become a four-time WWE champion, went to training camp with the Minnesota Vikings and captured a UFC title.
“Originally, this was going to be one pay-per-view,” Goldberg said. “The one pay-per-view led to a couple more pay-per-views.”
There were additional pay-per-views because of the fan response. Goldberg was as marketable in 2016-17 as he had been during his 1997-98 winning streak.
“The cool thing is that the streak was organic. It wasn’t planned,” Goldberg said. “We gave the people what they wanted to see, and they couldn’t get enough of it. Now, I’m doing this again after 12 years of being out of the picture, and I’m blown away by the fact that anybody remembers me.
“I was blown away the night I went out to Denver and announced my comeback. My wife and boy were in the first row. My wife was crying. Priceless. I was humbled. When there is affirmation that people do remember and appreciate you, it’s overwhelming. I’m greatly appreciative.”
Goldberg has been married to Wanda Ferraton since 2005. They met on a movie set as she worked as a stunt double. They now have a 10-year-old son, Gage, and reside a few miles north of San Diego. A few days ago, Goldberg took his WWE title belt to Gage’s classroom.
“Something I’ll never forget,” Goldberg said.
The Goldberg home, the San Diego Union reports, has a 6,800-square-foot garage outfitted with a gym, kitchen, king-sized bed and 52-inch television.
While Goldberg always sustained a workout regimen and a healthy lifestyle, he weighed only 237 pounds when the WWE reached out last year. He had only six weeks to gain weight.
“After 12 years, to go out and wrestle in front of millions of people? Only two months after a double knee operation? I had been training, but I wasn’t in ring shape,” he said. “Now, I train six days a week and at least two times a day, if not three. My training is different now that I’m 50 years old. I’m no longer 290 pounds. My body can’t handle getting back to that weight again. I’m at 276 right now.
“It’s by no means easy, and especially at this age. Your joints and tendons aren’t liking the fact that you’re trying to lift 500 pounds again.”
Ross also is in Orlando for Wrestlemania, but he traveled there with a broken heart. His wife of 24 years, Jan Ross, died on March 22 after having been struck by a car while riding a scooter. Ross’ podcast interview with Goldberg occurred after Jan Ross passed away.
Beyond Wrestlemania, Goldberg reportedly has no contract with the WWE. Websites committed to wrestling coverage suggest that Sunday’s spectacle could be his career finale, but Goldberg told Ross that he would consider a continuation.
“Forget about what I’ve been through,” Goldberg said. “It doesn’t matter. I’d do it all over again.
“Hey, I’m a warrior. Until the day I die, I’ll be competing. At the end of the day, it’s an experience I can share with my wife and kid.”
If his relationship with the WWE is extended beyond Sunday, Goldberg is intrigued by the possibility of bringing “Gold-berg!” to Tulsa’s BOK Center. He remembers wrestling at the Convention Center, but an appearance at the BOK Center would be an altogether different experience.
“I would love it,” he said. “That would be unbelievable.”