Bill Goldberg - Myth or Legend?

[Mouthy Idiot]

Something has bothered me recently and thats Goldbergs quitting/retiring from sports entertainment. It kind of makes me sick in a way that he just quit the business like he did. I dont understand why the guy just quit and gave up his spot. Bill Goldberg is 45 years old and his last match was 2004.... Think about it ,. he was only 37 years old at the time. 37 is still young for sports entertainers. I mean you look at the career he had and how dominating a character he was. I dont understand why he quit so soon. People always compare monsters like Ryback to Goldberg. Goldberg is STILL Goldberg. He is Goldberg. Ryback was Skip Sheffield from NXT., Think about that.

I dont remember the guy getting a horrible injury or anything. Maybe he didnt like the wwe travel and Vinces direction but why not go to TNA? Hogan and them would love to have Goldberg in there but the guy always turns down offers, hes very similar to Warrior aka Jim Hellwig. I guess he doesnt give a shit about the business and doesnt care that he just threw away 8 years of what could have been alot of good storylines and feuds and memories for his legacy. People never really get on the guy about this . Its like people just are ok that he left and quit and has never came back. I know some of you will say oh hes 2 old now and he didnt have a good run in the WWE but he could have if he had stayed. Or even now alot of guys keep going into their 50's he could still make a good 4 or 5 year run . Im sure hes in good shape still and has had 8 years to rest and relax his knees and neck.

So why doesnt he come back and do it? Is he a bum who took the money and was done or is he a beast who could come back and make a dent in the business again before he does get 2 old. I think he needs to show back up. I dont wanna hear from people saying hes "too old" or "he did enough and let him enjoy his retirement. I say thats BS hes only 45 and he only wrestled for like 6 or 7 years. He definetly could come back. So what is the deal?? Goldberg is he a myth or legend? He needs to decide.

 

[Nate DaMac]

He didn't live and breathe the business and I really don't see any reason to fault him for it. He made a lot of money and solidified himself as a legend in the business. Why exactly would he want to outstay his welcome and probably tarnish his legacy? Lord knows Vince wasn't doing it any favors in the last year of his career.

I think when he lives late into his 80s while the rest of his peers die 20 years prior, it'll be pretty obvious why he decided to hang it up.

 

[MTL722]

I guess he doesnt give a shit about the business and doesnt care that he just threw away 8 years of what could have been alot of good storylines and feuds and memories for his legacy. People never really get on the guy about this . Its like people just are ok that he left and quit and has never came back. I know some of you will say oh hes 2 old now and he didnt have a good run in the WWE but he could have if he had stayed. Or even now alot of guys keep going into their 50's he could still make a good 4 or 5 year run . Im sure hes in good shape still and has had 8 years to rest and relax his knees and neck.

So why doesnt he come back and do it? Is he a bum who took the money and was done or is he a beast who could come back and make a dent in the business again before he does get 2 old. I think he needs to show back up. I dont wanna hear from people saying hes "too old" or "he did enough and let him enjoy his retirement. I say thats BS hes only 45 and he only wrestled for like 6 or 7 years. He definetly could come back. So what is the deal?? Goldberg is he a myth or legend? He needs to decide.

I sense ALOT of bitterness here and although I get your point, I have to take the side of Goldberg.

Bill Goldberg did not want to be a wrestler. He was a football player that played in the NFL, got injured, and changed his focus. Eric Bischoff literally found this guy at a nightclub and asked him to try it out. He became the hottest thing in wrestling, got hot-shotted into the world heavyweight championship slot on 4 days notice(one of the dumbest moves WCW ever made) and then slowly fizzled with the rest of WCW.

Goldberg has nothing left to in this business. These "potential storylines" that he could have had would all have been exactly the same as all his other feuds. All Goldberg had was intensity. He's not a "pipe-bomb" talker, he's not a guy that can go a solid 20 minutes. He's not a guy thats gonna come back to put guys over, so whats the point?

Lets face it, Goldberg was awesome while he was around. Hulk Hogan was awesome until he REFUSED to just go away for even 5 minutes. Wrestlers overstaying there welcome is one of the saddest parts of the business. Luckily, Goldberg didn't. He's gone, and he should stay gone

 

[pipebomber]

I guess he doesnt give a shit about the business and doesnt care that he just threw away 8 years of what could have been alot of good storylines and feuds and memories for his legacy.

This is exactly right. I'm a Goldberg mark, with him being the first favorite wrestler I ever had. He never loved the business. The business aspect he actually hates. Thats why when he got married and had a child, he got out. I dont blame him. He enjoys performing for the fans but hates the politics. Why stay on the road away from his family for something he doesnt absolutely love? I know I wouldnt.

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

I have nothing bad to say about Goldberg. I've read a lot of negative comments on the forums lately about him.

The guy was a star. A lot of it was hype and great booking. But at the end of the day, the guy was a star.

He hit it big. I hope made a lot of money. And he moved on. This is what 80% of all pro-wrestlers wish they could do. Problem is only a few can actually get out and move on to bigger things. The Rock being the best example. How old was he when he 'retired' from WWE?

i always liked Goldberg. Was he great in the ring? Hell no. But he was a draw. And people wanted to see him.

Look at his WWE debut - This is what, 5 years after his 1998 run with the streak? Look at the chants and the pop the guy gets... he was a star in WWE too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihgE4N2MtXQ

His run in WWE, while short, was still successful. He went over The Rock, Triple H, Brock Lesnar, and held the World Championship for 3 months - All in less than one year with the company.

Who has ever gone over all three of those guys PLUS win the title within just 6-9 months?

 

[Ovaltine]

I never liked the fact that Golberg destroyed guys like Hennig, Sting, Raven etcetera... As much as I am not a Nash fan I do beleive that he said it right "They turned Goldberg into the NY Yankees." The guy just destryoed everyone and in the long run that hurt the rest of the roster. He destryoed everyone and there really were no credible contenders to the title. However, I am not blaming Goldberg for that though. That was just the way that he was booked by WCW. I also don't blame him for retiring at 37 years old. WCW was gone and WWF/E were the only game in town. I haven't seen anyone who came to WWF/E from WCW after the WCW buyout who was used correctly. Steiner came to the WWE to one of the most massive pops I have ever heard and he was burried. Booker T should have gone over in his match against HHH at Wrestlemania especially after all of the racial promos that HHH did. The only way booker did get the title was to become a goofy King. That character was an insult to the character he had in WCW. DDP was a huge star in WCW and when he went to the WWE he came in as the stalker of the Undertakers wife. Um, excuse me have you seen DDP's wife? What a joke! Goldberg was another one who wasn't used right either. The problems started upon his arrival. He was booked against The Rock who was one of the greatest talkers in the business and he made Goldberg look like a goof. So, can anyone blame Goldberg for leaving? No. He didn't overstay his welcome like many other wrestlers and that is a nice change. He saved his money, retired and now only does what he wants. It sounds like he knew his time was up and opted to get out. Please take into account that I loathed the Golddberg character. I was a die hard WCW/NWA fan and he was a slap in the face to everything that the NWA/WCW stood for. WCW/NWA was a company that was centered on pure athleticism rather than goofy skits or wrestling gimmicks and Goldberg was a gimmick. The guy couldn't work, couldn't talk and had no love for the business.

 

[Attitude Era Junkie]

He only got into wrestling for the money. His NFL career was cut short due to an injury so he went into wrestling to make money. He stated before why he left. Watch this video.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsL2QSifwbA


Not sure why he hasn't come back though since the WWE has been PG for quite a few years.

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

I was a die hard WCW/NWA fan and he was a slap in the face to everything that the NWA/WCW stood for. WCW/NWA was a company that was centered on pure athleticism rather than goofy skits or wrestling gimmicks and Goldberg was a gimmick. The guy couldn't work, couldn't talk and had no love for the business.

Let's be honest... The WCW/NWA that you enjoyed died LOOOOOONG before Goldberg came along. It probably died when Hogan showed up.

Hogan, Macho Man, Giant, NWO, Dennis Rodman, Jay Leno, Crow Sting, Fake Sting.... FUCK.... Robocop?!?

The "old school" WCW was long gone before Goldberg.

 

[HBsam31]

Goldberg definitely was huge during his streak. He really became the reason why my friends and I would flip over to watch WCW. Like everyone else said though he didn't really have the love for the business, and he made his moeny and got out. His run I WWE seemed off the whole time, and I am sure he felt he wasn't doing himself any favors by continuing to do it. I don't have anything bad to say about him. he made money for his family and he will probably live long enough to enjoy it. Good for him.

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

I think he did great in WWE.

It wasn't long, but he wasn't booked terribly either. Especially considering what Booker and Steiner went through.

 

[fouldsy91]

I don't understand why you are so pissed off with him? The last time I checked it was his life not yours. Goldberg was a big phenomenon back in WCW and was also big in WWE...so basically he made a ton of money early in his career and he could live off it for the rest of his life whilst he knows his health will be intact also.

What Goldberg has done with his life is up to him, the same as what The Rock does with his life. Yes, the wrestling business made them famous, but they don't owe us anything really, it's their life and their decision.

 

[Silver Fox]

What you have to ask yourself is this: Did Bill Goldberg leave an impression on the business, and will his name always be recognisable.

The answer, of course, is yes. So in that respect, he has no need to comeback and make a 'dent' in the business again. He already made his dent. He left on his own terms, after making an impact and earning enough money to support him for the rest of his life.

Why do you want him to come back? What will him coming back prove? Nothing. He doesn't want to, he doesn't need to. He is a legend, you are a myth

 

[De Mysteriis Dom Satanas]

He's gone on record as saying that he's happy being retired, stop reading so much into things, OP.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Goldberg may not have been completely utilized in the best way by WWE but he was a main eventer and World Champion who beat up the top heel group in the company (Evolution). I certainly would have looked forward to seeing him against Edge or post Evolution Randy Orton, or Taker, had he stayed.

I hate people who criticize McMahon for not doing enough with WCW talent post 2001 buyout. Certainly Chris Jericho (when he wanted to wrestle in between his own self chosen long sabaticals), Eddie Guerrero, & definately Ric Flair all did quite well during the last decade. Scott Steiner was getting booed and Triple H was getting cheered in their feud, fans were not that interested in him. Booking him initially as a fan fave when his character and personna clearly fit a heel mode in retrospect was a mistake. Steiner also has a legendary rep for being difficult to work with and hard to get along with behind the scenes, which has continued in his post WWE career just as it started in WCW. If he didnt "live up to his potential" how much of that was his and continues to be his fault ?

Booker T was a career mid carder and tag team wrestler. He was not a major singles star. The idea of having him take the title off HHH at WrestleMania is ludicrous, certainly if he did it would have been a token reign and ended quickly, he was never long term build around material as a main event singles star. Overall, he had a pretty good amount of success, way more in WWE than he ever had in WCW (only after the company was next to gone did Booker have any discernable singles success in WCW above the mid card, and even then he was often behind Steiner and Jarrett).

DDP, The biggest star to join WWE from WCW behind Goldberg & Flair (Jericho & Guerrero both did much more at the top of the card in WWE than they ever did in WCW) was immediately placed in high profile matches as soon as he walked in the door. It was injury issues that ended his run or he'd likely still be involved today.

As for Goldberg leaving, why is that so bad ? He didnt want to tour and didnt want the physical tear on his body, he left on his own terms, followed storyline direction and lost when he was asked, he was to all accounts a good team player and contributed poritively to the product. I have absolutely no problem with him leaving as he did.

In fact, if you're upset GB didnt stay longer, are you mad at HBK for retiring and refusing to wrestle ? Randy Savage hardly did anything post 1999, should we criticize him and rail against him ? What about Taker who only shows up for one feud per year anymore ?

These guys all made choices that were best for them which is their right, although none did so in a way that was disrespectful or damaging to the product.

 

[Wald]

I never understand this attitude wrestling fans have to people who quit when they still have gas in the tank.

Life on the road isn't meant for everyone, not all wrestlers want to end up with 10 back ops like Hogan and barely able to walk, not everyone wants to be Ric Flair.

Goldberg came in, did great, made a tonne of money and got out because he wanted to spend time with his family. What's so wrong with that? He gave us some great memories (arguably his title win over Hogan is one of the Top 5 moments in wrestling history) and we should all be happy for him.

Same with the Rock, same with Jericho, same with Batista. They did their time, entertained us and made themselves so money. We should be thankfully they were there at all and were as good as they were.

 

[ZeroChan]

Some times I am baffled by fans. Bill Goldberg gave some of the best years of his life, flying at 100 miles an hour and the squared circle. Please don't act like him retiring early is a faux pa and he owes you something. I grew up chanting Goldberg! like the rest of you. Do i miss him? Probably. Hell I shed a few tears when HBK retired.

Just because a guy has years left on his body doesn't mean he needs to stay in the ring until he dies. Part of being a smart person in life is knowing when to walk away. Nobody ever really got tired of Goldberg (Sans the Elitist members of the IWC. "OMG WWE is like totaly crap now!!" ) So the only question left is...U mad bro?

 

[MWRedskins]

Bill Goldberg did not want to be a wrestler. He was a football player that played in the NFL, got injured, and changed his focus. Eric Bischoff literally found this guy at a nightclub and asked him to try it out. He became the hottest thing in wrestling, got hot-shotted into the world heavyweight championship slot on 4 days notice(one of the dumbest moves WCW ever made) and then slowly fizzled with the rest of WCW.

Goldberg has nothing left to in this business. These "potential storylines" that he could have had would all have been exactly the same as all his other feuds. All Goldberg had was intensity. He's not a "pipe-bomb" talker, he's not a guy that can go a solid 20 minutes. He's not a guy thats gonna come back to put guys over, so whats the point?

agree here. sorry to the OP, but Goldberg is a legend. is he a legend for his wrestling moves, no. is he a legend for his mic work, oh no, but he's a legend because he was so hot in WCW. he was a huge deal despite his wrestling ability or mic work and the fans just loved him to the point that Bischoff decided to put the title on him on a Nitro and cost himself a ton of money in the process. Goldberg is a legend and should he come back?? in my book, he should only come back for his DVD and show up as a legend and that's it. there's no storyline you can give him. his best storylines are long gone. i think the storyline most wanted to see was Stone Cold vs. Goldberg which of course never happened and never will.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

As far as Goldberg's talent goes, I think the guy's overrated as hell. You put the guy in a match for longer than 5 minutes, it usually went down the shitter because of his limitations.

However, people were into Bill Goldberg back in the day. They were interested in him and he drew money. At the end of the day, that's what counts in wrestling. Some fans have this idea in their heads that being a great pro wrestler means that you're mostly involved just because you love it rather than trying to make a living. Anyone who believes that is an absolute fool and deserves to be treated like one. Whenever a wrestler sets foot in the ring, he or she is taking a risk and it's only natural to want to make a good living in return for that risk.

Goldberg didn't love wrestling. From the perspective of a fan, I never cared much for Goldberg. Once you get past that much of his streak was comprised of 2 minute matches against jobbers, I just don't see much to be impressed about. As someone that's realistic, I can see why Goldberg was such a hit back in the day. He had a great look about him and an intense persona that was easy to buy into. He was different from anybody else out then. Whether you liked him or not, he was different and different can sometimes mean money.

As far as Goldberg leaving wrestling, so what? I'll never understand why some believe that a wrestler should stay in wrestling until they wear their bodies out. The fact that Goldberg got out while he did and made a lot of money in the process was incredibly smart, if nothing else. Goldberg didn't piss away the money he earned like a lot of guys, especially older veterans that are still in it for one reason or another.

To me, Bill Goldberg will never be a legend. It's a label that's tossed around so casually in pro wrestling that the meaning of the word has been diminished. Goldberg's greatness, to me, is a myth as I was just never overly impressed by the guy. What Goldberg was, however, was a draw that made a lot of money. He may not have loved wrestling but, at the end of the day, he's still got millions of dollars and his health.

 

[Mouthy Idiot]

See I knew you guys were gonna say "let him enjoy his retirement" "he has done enough".... I say NO he hasnt. Like I said he is still only 45 years old. Even he has dropped hints about a return in the past. My point is that he is a muscled up beast whos still got some gas left in that tank. He looks about the same , besides the gray in his beard. He is not some broken down 80's wrestler with a drug problem. He is Bill Fucking Goldberg. I am sick of people making excuses for these guys. The reason its different with Shawn and Austin and Taker and those guys is because they put in over 20 years in the business and had bad injuries. Goldberg is some dude who just sits at home with a jacked up body thats been rested since 2004. Unless the guy has some sickness/injury/condition we dont know about. I dont see why he cant make 1 more run in the biz. Boo Hoo the guy wasnt used my ass. He went over on Brock at Mania. He beat HHH , I think thats a pretty good run. He makes B-Movies....

Is making B-Movies better than a big time run in the WWE. Imgaine the possibilities. Goldberg vs CM Punk , Goldberg vs Cena , Goldberg vs Brock part 2 , Goldberg vs Orton, Goldberg vs Ryback, Goldberg vs Sheamus , Goldberg vs Big Show .... This man needs to come back and stop wasting away his youth . He will be 50 soon. Now is the time to come back and make some money. His matches wont be any worse than Cenas or Shows.

 

[DetectiveZelix]

I dont know why anyone complain about wrestlers who leave early. I mean its their lives. Why do we as regular people have the right to leave or switch Jobs/careers yet Wrestlers get bitched at when they do it. Goldberg was a spectacle and thats all. He was awesome and dominant but a one trick pony

 

[GrandSword]

I wish Goldberg stayed around just one more year with the WWE, because de to his feud with Triple H and Evolution, there were so many dream/money matches that we didn't see. Goldberg vs. Taker, Angle, Michaels, possibly even the biggest of them all Austin. These guys would have carried him to great matches and WWE and wrestling fans would have some great memories.

Goldberg has left but his awesome run stays intact. His win streak, his wins over just about every single top guy in the industry from Hogan, Flair, Sting, Nash, Hall, Savage, Sid, Luger, DDP, Rock, Jericho, Kane, HHH, and Lesnar. He is myth and a legend of the wrestling business and it is great to leave it in the past and not have him hold talent down like the Hogan's and Flairs always did.

Everyone always talks about the Attitude Era and all it's glory, well the reason it is actually an "Era" is because Austin, Rock, left. Goldberg can be seen as such, one of the greats from a great time the Monday NIght Wars.

 

[UFOcalling]

I didn't read everyone's posts here, just the OP and a few posts on the first page (sorry, just being lazy). I apologize if I'm repeating anyone in the thread.

The fan in me would absolutely love to see Goldberg come back to wrestling. The fan in me also wishes that he wouldn't have retired back in '04, or whenever he had his last match. Goldberg was one of my favorite wrestlers during his infamous WCW winning streak, and he was the guy I was most excited about seeing show up in the WWF/E after WCW went under.

I'm sure it's been said many times in this thread already, but wrestling really fucks up your body. I'm sure Goldberg is still nursing some injuries he took during his short career, and I'm sure he saw a lot of his coworkers in describable pain while he worked for WCW and WWF/E. That had to have played a huge role in his decision to quit while he was ahead, but the other thing had to have been what did he have left to accomplish in the wrestling business?

Goldberg must have preferred WCW to WWE as well, since at WCW he probably had a lot more control over his character development. He probably made a lot more money there, too. Obviously he tried working for Vince, signed a one-year contract, didn't like it there and decided to hang it up. Case closed.

This whole thing reminds me of Dave Chappelle's situation with Comedy Central (which I believe also happened around '04ish? ...I can't remember specifically, but it was around that same time). People thought Chappelle had gone completely insane, walking away from a guaranteed $50 million (or something like that, if I remember correctly). To hear Dave himself explain it, he felt too much pressure. Pressure to try to top himself (especially the absolutely brilliant "Rick James" episode from Season 2), pressure from the fans, and whether or not he could deliver. Maybe Goldberg felt something similar, or maybe the guy just felt that it was time. The only person that knows the "real" answer of why he quit the business is Bill Goldberg himself. Hopefully we'll see more of him in the future on WWE documentaries, but I wouldn't hold my breath when it comes to seeing him in the ring again. I agree with you, he probably thinks he's "above" the wrestling business now. Too bad the acting thing didn't work out for him, but he gave it a shot with at least a few movies (the remake of "The Longest Yard", he was in some "Looney Tunes" movie I think, probably more I can't think of). He could always come back as "Hollywood Goldberg", and turn heel. Maybe dye his goatee black, too.