Bill Goldberg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Goldberg

William Scott "Bill" Goldberg (born December 27, 1966) is an American actor, former football player and former professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) between 1997 and 2001, and in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) between 2003 and 2004. He is notable for his lengthy undefeated streak in singles competition. The official count is listed as 173–0, though the legitimacy of this figure has been questioned.

Goldberg is a two-time world champion: a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion and a one-time World Heavyweight Champion in WWE. He is recognized by WWE as the only undefeated world champion in the history of sports entertainment. He is also a two-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion and one-time WCW World Tag Team Champion (with Bret Hart). Goldberg headlined many pay-per-views for WCW and WWE, including closing WCW's premier annual event, Starrcade, on two occasions.

Before he was a professional wrestler, Goldberg was a football player. After retiring from wrestling, he began working as a commentator for the mixed martial arts promotion EliteXC until its closure. As of 2010, he has been the host of Garage Mahal on the DIY Network.

Football Careeer

Goldberg earned a scholarship to play for the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team where he served as a defensive tackle. He was taken by the Los Angeles Rams in the 11th round, with the 302nd overall selection, in the 1990 NFL Draft.

He played for the Los Angeles Rams in the 1990 NFL season, followed by a stint with the CFL Sacramento Gold Miners and Atlanta Falcons from 1992 to 1994. After being cut from the Falcons, in 1995 he was selected by the new expansion team, the Carolina Panthers, in the 1995 NFL Expansion Draft, but never played a game with the team. He was the first player to have been cut by the Carolina Panthers.

Goldberg's NFL career ended when he "tore his lower abdomen off his pelvis". He had hopes of returning to the league after rehabilitation but, due to his lack of success, wasn't considered a major asset. Goldberg has described playing in the NFL as "a mixed emotional experience" because, despite reaching the goal of simply playing in the NFL, he didn't obtain the level of achievement that he desired.

Professional wrestling career World Championship Wrestling (1997–2001)[edit] Introduction[edit] During the rehab following his NFL injury, Goldberg began power lifting and mixed martial arts training. He was spotted by Lex Luger and Sting who urged him to try professional wrestling.[21] Although not a fan of professional wrestling, he saw it as an alternative to his fledgling football career and began training at the WCW Power Plant.

Matches prior to debut as Goldberg[edit] Working as Bill Gold, Goldberg made five appearances. The first was on a dark match at a Monday Nitro event on June 23, 1997 where he defeated Buddy Lee Parker.[22] He would also face and defeat Buddy Landell (WCW Saturday Night dark Match), Hugh Morrus (house show), Chip Minton (Monday Nitro dark match), and John Betcha (house show). His final pre-televised appearance was in dark match on July 24 at WCW Saturday Night taping, a loss to Chad Fortune.

Undefeated streak, WCW Champion[edit] On the September 22 edition of WCW Monday Nitro, Bill Goldberg defeated Hugh Morrus in his debut match. Soon afterward, he began to dish out quick lessons to his fellow WCW wrestlers in the range of 1–2 minutes. Goldberg's succession of wins saw him quickly advance up the card, and he was pushed as a singles wrestler. The newcomer captivated fans with his monstrous yet silent charisma, brute strength, and agility that saw him vault the ropes, perform high kicks and even the occasional backflip. Goldberg was WCW's counter to the WWE's Steve Austin by keeping his head shaved, and having a goatee, while wearing the same black wrestling trunks.[23] Goldberg made his pay-per-view debut at Starrcade defeating Steve McMichael.[1][2] In early 1998, Goldberg squashed Brad Armstrong at SuperBrawl VIII and pinned Perry Saturn at Spring Stampede.[1][2] In mid-March, WCW stopped referring to him by his full name, shortening it to simply "Goldberg".[24] Around this time, WCW began counting Goldberg's consecutive wins on television as he continued to climb up the ranks. Goldberg's win over Saturn was his 74th consecutive without a loss, and the next night on Nitro he challenged Raven for the United States Heavyweight Championship that Raven had won the night before at Spring Stampede. Despite interference from Raven's Flock, Goldberg overpowered them all and defeated Raven to win his first professional wrestling championship.[25] Two days later, on the April 22 edition of WCW Thunder, he made his first successful title defense against Mike Enos.[26] Goldberg then started a feud with Raven and The Flock. At Slamboree, he ended his feud with the Flock after a successful title defense against Saturn.[2] Goldberg would continue to make successful title defenses against Konnan at The Great American Bash and Curt Hennig.[2] By this time, he had adopted the catchphrase "Who's next?" in reference to his rapidly expanding winning streak.[27]

As Goldberg was getting over as a main eventer, he continued to defend the United States Championship and was slowly becoming a contender for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship that was held by nWo leader Hollywood Hulk Hogan. Hogan eventually promised Goldberg a title match, which was to take place on the July 6, 1998 edition of Nitro. However, Hogan elected instead to make Goldberg earn it in a match with his stablemate Scott Hall which Goldberg won. Goldberg was able to defeat Hogan later in the evening to become world champion, in turn vacating his US Title. At Road Wild, Goldberg won a battle royal, consisting of New World Order (nWo) members.[1][2]

After Diamond Dallas Page became the number one contender for the WCW Title, Goldberg and Page began a feud with each other. At Halloween Havoc, the feud was settled after Goldberg defeated Page to retain the title.[1][2] At Starrcade, Goldberg's undefeated streak was ended at a cited 173 victories when he lost his title to Kevin Nash after Scott Hall, disguised as a ringside security guard, made a run-in and shocked Goldberg with a taser gun.[1][2] Goldberg, however, avenged this act by facing Hall at Souled Out, in a Ladder Taser match. Goldberg won when he used the taser, which was hung high above the ring, requiring the ladder to obtain it.[1][2] At the same time, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) began mocking Goldberg with the character Gillberg, a perennial jobber who dressed similarly to Goldberg and mocked his signature entrance and mannerisms, but was small and scrawny, using the catchphrase "Who's First?" since he never won.

At Spring Stampede, Goldberg gained his revenge against Nash after defeating him.[1][2] Then at Slamboree the following month, Goldberg was "injured" in an attack by Rick and Scott Steiner and took some time off to prepare for his movie debut in 1999 film Universal Soldier: The Return alongside Timecop film star Jean-Claude Van Damme.[2] He returned two months later and defeated Rick Steiner at Road Wild.[2][28] Goldberg then restarted his feud with Diamond Dallas Page also involving Page's allies, The Jersey Triad, which culminated in a match at Fall Brawl that Goldberg won.[2] After Goldberg settled his rivalry with Page, he began focusing on Sid Vicious and challenged him to a match to end Sid's winning streak.[2] The two feuded with each other, which culminated in a match at Halloween Havoc for Sid's U.S. Title. Goldberg defeated Sid via referee stoppage, and thus won his second United States Heavyweight Championship.[29] Later that night, he answered an open challenge from World Heavyweight Champion Sting and defeated him to win the championship.[1][2] On the next night's edition of Nitro, commissioner J.J. Dillon ruled that the match had not been sanctioned by WCW and that, therefore, Goldberg's victory was void.[2] The title was vacated and a 32-man tournament was held to determine a new champion, which started that night.[2] Goldberg entered the tournament and wrestled his first match against Bret Hart later that night, choosing also to defend his newly won U.S. Title in the match. Interference from Sid Vicious cost Goldberg the match and the title as well as his second official WCW loss.[2] Goldberg continued his rivalry with Vicious and defeated him in an "I Quit" match at Mayhem.[2]

Shortly thereafter, Goldberg joined forces with Hart, teaming with him to defeat Creative Control for the WCW World Tag Team Championship.[19] One week later, they lost the title to The Outsiders (Scott Hall and Kevin Nash). At Starrcade, Goldberg challenged Hart for the World Heavyweight Championship. In the course of the match, Goldberg delivered a stiff kick to Hart's head, legitimately giving him a concussion and tearing a muscle in his neck. After being diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome, Hart wrestled only three more matches and retired several months later. Despite that, Goldberg lost the match to Hart,[1][2] but Hart vacated the title the next night on Nitro, saying he did not want to win that way and granting Goldberg a rematch.[30] Goldberg was defeated again due to outside interference from the Outsiders, who began to beat on Goldberg with baseball bats.[30] In a swerve, Hart took one of the bats from The Outsiders and began beating on Goldberg himself, doing enough damage to score the pin and regain his championship.[2][30] After the match, Hall, Nash, Hart, and Jeff Jarrett announced the reformation of the nWo,[30] and gave Goldberg a new target for a feud. However, it would not last long.

Pursuit of the WCW Championship[edit] Shortly after his title match loss, Goldberg injured himself on the December 23, 1999 edition of WCW Thunder, during a sequence where he chased the nWo limousine into the parking lot. A spot in the sequence called for Goldberg to pound on the windshield of the limousine with his hands. To ensure his safety, Goldberg had assistance from a piece of metal pipe and his hands were covered in black tape. After this, Goldberg was to break some of the vehicle's windows. There were four windows on the side of the limousine and Goldberg broke the first two with his hands. He then got aggressive, putting his forearm through the third window and immediately gashing it. Goldberg finished the sequence by pounding on the hood of the limo with his bloody arm, but immediately after it ended he was taken from the arena and rushed to a nearby hospital where the wound was patched. Goldberg lost a large amount of blood due to the accident and came within one centimeter of having to have the arm amputated. The injury caused Goldberg to miss the January 4, 2000 New Japan Pro Wrestling Tokyo Dome show, where he was scheduled to face Manabu Nakanishi. After taking time off to recuperate, Goldberg returned to WCW on the May 29, 2000 edition of WCW Monday Nitro interfering in a handicap match between Kevin Nash and the team of Tank Abbott and Rick Steiner on Nitro.[2] At The Great American Bash, Goldberg betrayed Nash during Nash's World Heavyweight Title match against Jeff Jarrett and turned heel for the first time in his career, aligning himself with The New Blood faction.[1][2] This did not last long, as Goldberg would again be lost to injury and miss time. As a result of this betrayal, Goldberg feuded with Nash and defeated him at Bash at the Beach, with help from fellow New Blood member Scott Steiner.[2] Goldberg participated in a triangle number one contender's match against Nash and Steiner at New Blood Rising, which Nash won.[2] Goldberg walked out of the match midway through while Nash had him ready for the Jackknife Powerbomb and swore at Vince Russo as he left the ring, turning face again. He then began a rivalry with Steiner, culminating in a no disqualification match at Fall Brawl which Goldberg lost due to outside interference.[2]

After his loss to Steiner, Goldberg's rivalry with Russo accelerated and in October, having finally had enough, Russo gave Goldberg an ultimatum. If Goldberg was to lose another match at any point in time, unless he managed to duplicate his undefeated streak from 1997 to 1998, his career would be over and he would be forced to retire from professional wrestling. Goldberg defeated KroniK (Brian Adams and Bryan Clark) at Halloween Havoc in a handicap elimination match.[1][2] He started a feud with Lex Luger.[2] This culminated in a match at Mayhem, which Goldberg won.[2] They continued their rivalry and battled in a rematch at Starrcade.[1][2] Goldberg won the match, but afterwards, he was attacked by Luger's partner Buff Bagwell.[1][2] Goldberg feuded with both Luger and Bagwell, who called themselves Totally Buffed. His streak was broken at Sin when Goldberg, teaming with his Power Plant trainer Dewayne Bruce, lost to Totally Buffed in a tag team no disqualification match after a "fan" maced him, enabling Totally Buffed to pin him.[1][2] The storyline was intended to enable Goldberg to have shoulder surgery, but WCW was sold to the WWF in March 2001, while Goldberg was still recuperating. The WWF did not buy out Goldberg's contract with Time Warner (the parent company of WCW) as they had done with several other WCW employees, so he was not involved in the WWF "Invasion" angle. Goldberg instead remained under contract to Time Warner until May 2002, when he agreed on a contract buyout.[1][2]

All Japan Pro Wrestling (2002–2003)[edit] Goldberg had suffered an arm injury during the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race at the Long Beach Grand Prix in April 2002. In August 2002, he returned to the ring in Japan. He initially joined All Japan Pro Wrestling, defeating Satoshi Kojima and Taiyō Kea. He went on to defeat Rick Steiner in a match for the W-1 promotion, and teamed with Keiji Mutoh to defeat KroniK. His success in Japan led to the WWF – now renamed World Wrestling Entertainment – to begin contract negotiations with him.[1]

World Wrestling Entertainment[edit] World Heavyweight Championship feuds (2003–2004)[edit] After leaving Japan, Goldberg signed a 1-year contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in March 2003, debuting on the March 31 edition of Raw, the night after WrestleMania XIX. Immediately, he began a feud with The Rock by spearing him.[1] Their rivalry intensified when The Rock held a segment entitled The Rock Concert, where he taunted Goldberg along with Gillberg. He defeated The Rock in his debut match at Backlash. The match was won by Goldberg following three spears and a Jackhammer.[31] Goldberg went undefeated over the subsequent half-year, defeating 3-Minute Warning in his first match on Raw.[1] Goldberg defeated Christian on the following edition of Raw in a steel cage match.[1]

Goldberg next feuded with Chris Jericho. During Jericho's first edition of the Highlight Reel, an interview show, where Goldberg was the guest, he complained that no one wanted Goldberg in WWE and continued to insult him in the following weeks. On May 12 on Raw, a mystery assailant attempted to run over Goldberg with a limousine. A week later, Co-Raw General Manager, Stone Cold Steve Austin, interrogated several Raw superstars to find out who was driving the car. One of the interrogatees was Lance Storm, who admitted that he was the assailant. Austin forced Storm into a match with Goldberg, who defeated Storm. After the match, Goldberg forced Storm to admit that Jericho was the superstar who conspired Storm into running him over. On May 26, Goldberg was once again a guest on the Highlight Reel. Jericho expressed jealousy towards Goldberg's success in WCW and felt that since joining WWE, he had achieved everything he had ever wanted in his career and all that was left was to defeat Goldberg and challenged him to a match. At Bad Blood, Goldberg settled the score with Jericho and pinned him.[1]

Goldberg entered a rivalry with Triple H, challenging him for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam in the second Elimination Chamber match in WWE; after squashing and eliminating Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, and Jericho, he was pinned by Triple H after Ric Flair threw a sledgehammer inside the Chamber. Triple H proceeded to attack Goldberg with the sledgehammer and as a result, Triple H retained the title.[32] Goldberg continued his feud with Triple H and finally defeated him for the World Heavyweight Championship at Unforgiven, after agreeing to put his career on the line.[33][34] The next night on Raw, Goldberg successfully retained the championship against Chris Jericho. A week later, Triple H issued a $100,000 bounty to anybody who could take Goldberg out of the game. Steven Richards, Mark Henry, La Résistance and Tommy Dreamer all attempted to collect the bounty but were unsuccessful. On October 20, Batista collected the bounty after he interfered in Goldberg's title defense against Shawn Michaels on Raw and attacked Goldberg, placing a folding chair around Goldberg's ankle and jumping off the middle rope onto the chair, shattering his ankle. Furious, Goldberg demanded a match against Batista. Triple H, however, got involved in the match between Goldberg and Batista trying to cripple Goldberg, but Goldberg fought back and speared Triple H before attacking Batista with a sledgehammer. At Survivor Series, Goldberg retained his championship against Triple H despite interference from Evolution.[35]

On November 17, Goldberg faced Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista in a Handicap match on Raw but was pinned following an RKO, a Batista Bomb and finally a Pedigree. After the match, Kane unexpectedly came out to seemingly assist Goldberg after Evolution continued their assault on him following the match. After scaring off Evolution however, he turned on Goldberg and chokeslammed him. The following week, Kane attacked Goldberg again while he was defending his championship against Triple H in a rematch from Survivor Series and later that night, expressed his desire to face Goldberg for the title. Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff announced that Goldberg would be defending his championship against both Kane and Triple H in a triple threat match at Armageddon. Goldberg teamed with Shawn Michaels and Rob Van Dam to face and defeat Kane, Batista, and Orton in a six-man tag team match. On December 8 on Raw, Goldberg faced Kane in a Lumberjack match which ended in a disqualification when Evolution and Mark Henry entered the ring and assaulted Goldberg. At Armageddon, Goldberg ultimately lost the title when Triple H pinned him after interference from Evolution and a chokeslam from Kane.[36]

Feud with Brock Lesnar (2004)[edit] During the Royal Rumble in 2004, Goldberg crossed paths with then-WWE Champion Brock Lesnar when the latter interrupted Goldberg during a backstage interview. While Goldberg was in the midst of dominating the Royal Rumble, Brock Lesnar interfered in the match and hit Goldberg with the F5. With his attention turned toward Lesnar, Kurt Angle eliminated a distracted Goldberg from behind.[1] Goldberg vowed revenge on Lesnar and after defeating Mark Henry and Jonathan Coachman in a No DQ match, he declared Brock Lesnar his next victim. On February 2, Goldberg was given a front row ticket to No Way Out by Steve Austin. Smackdown! General Manager Paul Heyman appeared on Raw and, along with Vince McMahon attempted to get Goldberg to back off in his vendetta against Brock Lesnar which resulted in Goldberg spearing Heyman and accidentally spearing Austin when he was aiming for McMahon. Goldberg attended No Way Out as a fan, confronting Lesnar at the event and, after several insults by Brock Lesnar, entered the ring and executed a Jackhammer on him. Goldberg was then detained and escorted out of the arena by security guards. During the main event between Brock Lesnar and Eddie Guerrero, Goldberg reemerged from the crowd and cost Brock Lesnar the WWE Championship.[37] This led to a match between the two being scheduled for WrestleMania XX with Austin serving as special guest referee. Fans knew this would be the final WWE match for both Goldberg and Brock Lesnar and thus gave largely negative reactions through the performance. Goldberg won the match and after it Lesnar showed Steve a middle finger and received a Stone Cold Stunner, Goldberg then celebrated his victory with Austin only to also receive a stunner.

Mixed martial arts[edit] On July 22, 2006, Goldberg served as color commentator in mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion World Fighting Alliance (WFA) King of the Streets pay-per-view in Los Angeles, California. When asked whether he was interested in becoming a mixed martial artist, Goldberg stated, "I'd love to, especially if I was 21 or even 29, but these guys are so far ahead of me in terms of experience. I never say never, though. But I don’t see myself stopping my movies, my shows, my commentating, or being a dad to do that". On June 2, 2007 Bill Goldberg also commentated on K-1 Dynamite USA.

Goldberg became a color commentator for the EliteXC organization during their inaugural event. The event, EliteXC Destiny, was broadcast live on Showtime, on February 10, 2007. He has continued in this role through all of EliteXC's showcase and combined cards, including Dynamite!! USA, Strikeforce Shamrock vs. Baroni, EliteXC: Renegade, and EliteXC: Street Certified.

Other media[edit] Goldberg began acting while working for WCW in 1999. His appearance in Universal Soldier: The Return corresponded with him being featured in the music video.[38][39] He was a special guest star on Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling. On the show he showed the contestants his various power moves and also how to hit an opponent with a steel chair. He also spent three seasons as host of the Speed Channel show Bullrun.

In 2005, Goldberg also starred in the Happy Madison produced Adam Sandler movie The Longest Yard, as an inmate, along with fellow wrestlers Kevin Nash, The Great Khali, and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, as well as actors Chris Rock and Burt Reynolds among others. In the same year he was also the host of The History Channel documentary series "'Auto-Maniac" and later starred in the movie Santa's Slay where he plays a homicidal Santa Claus who goes on a killing spree on Christmas.

In March 2010, Goldberg appeared on the ninth season of Donald Trump's reality series The Celebrity Apprentice and was eliminated in the sixth episode.[citation needed]

In September 2010, Goldberg joined forces with Louis Gregory, CEO of Uncle Louie Music Group and Uncle Louie Management when Bill placed "Uncle Louie" on Team Goldberg.[40]

Goldberg makes frequent guest appearances on 4th & Pain, a pro-wrestling show co-hosted by Adam Carriker.[41]

Goldberg is featured in video games such as WCW/nWo Revenge,[42] WCW/nWo Thunder,[43] WCW Mayhem,[44] WCW Backstage Assault,[45] WWE WrestleMania XIX, WWE Raw 2,[46] WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain[47] and WWE 2K14.[48]

In 2014, Goldberg started his own Podcast entitled "Who's Next?! With Bill Goldberg". The show can be found for free on iTunes and Podcast One. Notable guests include Deion Sanders and Terry Crews. He has weekly guests from all facets of his professional life, from football, to MMA, to sports in general, to movies and television.

Personal life[edit] Goldberg's mother, Ethel, is a classical violinist, while his father, Jed, a graduate of Harvard University, was an obstetrician and gynecologist.[citation needed] They divorced, and Jed died in late 2006.[citation needed] In addition to playing the violin, Ethel breeds flowers, and once succeeded in creating an award-winning hybrid orchid which she named after Goldberg.[citation needed] Bill's brother, Michael, is the owner of the premier music club in Aspen, Colorado named Belly Up.[49] Bill is proud of his Jewish heritage and refused to hide it in the wrestling world.[50][51] Goldberg's Jewish ancestors came from Russia and Romania. His Romanian grandfather, Marcel, emigrated from Bucharest and came to America through Ellis Island.[52] His other great-grandfather, Willie, was an immigrant from Russia.

Goldberg was raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he had a bar mitzvah at Temple Israel[53] and graduated from Tulsa Edison High School.[54] He acquired a love for football early in life and was a bouncer at age 16.[20]

On April 10, 2005, Goldberg married Wanda Ferraton, a stunt double whom he met while filming Santa's Slay, as stated in that movie's audio commentary. The couple have one son together named Gage Goldberg.[55]

Goldberg during his tour of USS Ronald Reagan. Goldberg is an animal welfare advocate and an American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) spokesman, and has addressed the United States Congress in order to raise awareness of illegal animal fighting.[56] Every year, Goldberg also plays golf in the Jimmy V Golf Classic and visits with children in local hospitals who are undergoing cancer treatment.

Goldberg co-owns and operates the "Extreme Power Gym" Muay Thai and Amateur boxing training facility in Oceanside, California. He also owns over 25 vintage cars,[50] including a Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertible, Shelby Cobra 427, and a Mustang Boss 429 "Lawman" (one of the two cars used in the Vietnam War to entertain the U.S. Army).

Goldberg has a long scar on the right side of his torso from a tear suffered during a college football game that required surgery to repair. He also acquired a scar on his right forearm from an altercation in WCW which kept him out of action for quite some time due to the surgery needed to fix.[57] He has a large tribal tattoo on his left upper shoulder (which became his professional wrestling logo) and a skull on the inside of his right biceps.

Filmography[edit] Film[edit] Year Title Role 1999 The Jesse Ventura Story Luger Universal Soldier: The Return Romeo 2000 Ready to Rumble Himself 2003 Looney Tunes: Back in Action Mr. Smith 2005 The Longest Yard Battle The Kid & I Himself Santa's Slay Santa Claus 2007 Half Past Dead 2 William Burke 2010 Kill Speed Big Bad John Minkow Sax Holly, Jingles and Clyde 3D Gus Television[edit] Year Title Role Notes 1998 The Love Boat: The Next Wave Lou "The Pariah" Maguire Episode: "Captain Courageous" 1999 Dennis Miller Live Himself Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends Episode: "Wrestling" E! True Hollywood Story Episode: "Hulk Hogan" 2000 The Daily Show The Man Show Episode: "Holiday Show 2" 2002 Yes, Dear Big Guy Episode: "Walk Like a Man" Family Guy Angry bus passenger Episode: "Family Guy Viewer Mail 1" Arliss Episode: "In with the New" Kim Possible Pain King Episode: "Pain King vs. Cleopatra" 2003 HBO First Look Episode: "Looney Tunes: Back In Action" Punk'd Himself 2004 Monster Garage Episode: "Box-Truck Wrestling Ring" 2005 Modern Marvels Episode: "Private Collections" Desperate Housewives Inmate Episode: "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" Biker Build-Off Host Automaniac The Contender Episode: "Who's Playing The Game?" 2006 Pros vs. Joes Episodes: "Can You PVJ Champ?" and "Can You Cover Jerry Rice?" 2007 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Cupid Episode: "Loophole" 2007–2010 Bullrun Host 2008 Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling Himself Episode: "In-Ring Psychology" 2009 Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? The Rise and Fall of WCW 2010 The Celebrity Apprentice Garage Mahal In wrestling[edit] Finishing moves Jackhammer (Delayed vertical suplex powerslam)[1][58] Spear[1][59] Signature moves Ankle lock[60][61] Cross armbreaker[62][63][64][65][66] Dragon screw[67] Fireman's carry slam[64] Full nelson slam[68] Kneebar[69][70][71][72][73][74][75] Leg trap chokeslam or spinebuster Multiple kick variations Big boot[70][76][77] Drop[64][71][78] Hook[72] Super[1][64][79][80][81] Multiple military press variations, sometimes preceded by a Left hand choke lifted into a[82] Drop[83][84][85][86] Flapjack[87][88] Gutbuster[70] Slam[82] Spinebuster[1] Multiple powerslam variations Back suplex side[79][83] Front[74][89][90][91] Scoop[79][92] Ura-nage[93] Multiple suplex variations Belly to belly[62][69][94] Pumphandle[60][95] Underhook[76][77][79][93][96] Pumphandle into either a slam[68][97] or a fallaway slam[74][91][98] Shoulder block[64][77][96] Snap swinging neckbreaker[66][96][99][100][101] Nicknames "The Man"[65][77][80][102] "The Undefeated" Entrance themes WCW "Twisted" by Bobby Keyes (September 29, 1997) "Invasion" by Christian Poulet and Jean-Yves Rigo[103] (October 13, 1997 – May 9, 1999; September 6, 1999 – January 14, 2001) "Crush 'Em" by Megadeth[103][104] (July 26, 1999 – August 30, 1999) WWE "Invasion" by Christian Poulet and Jean-Yves Rigo (March 31, 2003 – April 21, 2003) "Who's Next?" V1 by Jim Johnston (April 27, 2003) "Who's Next?" V2 by Jim Johnston[103] (May 5, 2003 – March 14, 2004) Championships and accomplishments[edit] Pro Wrestling Illustrated PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1998)[105] PWI Rookie of the Year (1998)[106] PWI ranked him #2 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1998[107] PWI ranked him #75 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003[108] World Championship Wrestling WCW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[14] WCW United States Championship (2 times)[17][18] WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bret Hart[19] Fifth WCW Triple Crown Champion1 World Wrestling Entertainment World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[15] Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards Rookie of the Year (1998) 1 ^ Goldberg became the fifth man to win the Triple Crown along with Bret Hart as they both won on the same day.