Bill Goldberg

William Scott Goldberg (born December 27, 1966), often known mononymously as Goldberg, is an American professional wrestler, former American football defensive tackle and actor.

William Scott Goldberg was born into a Reform Jewish family in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on December 27, 1966, the son of classical violinist Ethel and OB-GYN Jed Goldberg.

He is of Russian-Jewish and Romanian-Jewish descent, with his Romanian-born great-grandfather having relocated to the U.S. from Bucharest through Ellis Island.

His father was a graduate of both Harvard and Johns Hopkins University.

One of the most popular figures of the professional wrestling boom during the late 1990s and early 2000s, Goldberg is credited with inventing the spear signature move in wrestling, which he popularized, and for which he gained a reputation for being the best at executing the move.

He was taken by the Los Angeles Rams in the 11th round of the 1990 NFL draft, with the 301st overall selection.

He played for the Los Angeles Rams in the 1990 NFL season, followed by a stint with the Sacramento Surge of the WLAF in 1992, Sacramento Gold Miners of the Canadian Football League in 1993 and the Atlanta Falcons from 1992 to 1994, where he became close with Deion Sanders.

He was cut from the Falcons in 1995, so he was selected by the new expansion team the Carolina Panthers in the 1995 NFL expansion draft.

He never played a game with the team, as he was the first player to have been cut by the Panthers.

Goldberg's NFL career ended when he "tore his lower abdomen off his pelvis".

He explained that he hoped to return to the league after rehabilitation but was not considered a major asset due to his lack of success.

The NFL was "a mixed emotional experience" for him because he did not attain the level of success on the field that he desired, despite reaching the goal of simply playing in the league.

During his after-NFL rehab, Goldberg began powerlifting and mixed martial arts training when he was spotted by Lex Luger and Sting; both convinced him to try professional wrestling.

He was not a fan of professional wrestling.

Seeing it as an alternative to his fledgling football career, he began training at the WCW Power Plant.

Goldberg made five appearances, working as Bill Gold during this career.

He rose to fame in WCW with a lengthy undefeated streak in singles competition from 1997 to 1998, became the highest paid WCW wrestler, and led the company as its franchise player and public face until it was sold to WWE.

During his time with WCW, he became a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, two-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion, and one-time WCW World Tag Team Champion (with Bret Hart).

Along with Hart, he is the fifth WCW Triple Crown winner.

The first match was in a Monday Nitro dark match on June 23, 1997, defeating Buddy Lee Parker.

He also faced and defeated Buddy Landell, Hugh Morrus, Chip Minton, and John Betcha.

His final pre-televised appearance was in a dark match at a Saturday Night taping on July 24 when losing to Chad Fortune.

He has headlined multiple WCW and WWE pay-per-view events, including WCW's premier annual event Starrcade (in 1998 and 1999).

His mother breeds flowers and created an award-winning hybrid orchid in 2000, which she named after Goldberg.

He has two brothers, Michael and Steve.

His brother Michael later became the owner of a music club in Aspen, Colorado.

Goldberg had his Bar Mitzvah at a Reform synagogue, Temple Israel, in his hometown.

He attended Tulsa Edison High School.

He acquired a love for football early in his life and, due to his large stature, began working as a nightclub bouncer at the age of 16.

Goldberg earned a scholarship to attend the University of Georgia and play college football for the Georgia Bulldogs as a defensive tackle.

Following WCW's closure in 2001, Goldberg wrestled for All Japan Pro Wrestling between 2002 and 2003 and for WWE between 2003 and 2004, becoming a one-time World Heavyweight Champion in the latter.

Following his first retirement from wrestling in 2004, he began working as a commentator for the mixed martial arts promotion Elite Xtreme Combat before it closed down.

His parents later divorced, and his father died in late 2006.

He hosted 26 episodes of Garage Mahal on the DIY Network from 2009 to 2011 and has acted in various films and television shows, including Universal Soldier: The Return and NCIS: Los Angeles.

After 12 years away from wrestling, he returned to WWE in 2016, winning the WWE Universal Championship for the first time in 2017 and a second time in 2020.

He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018.

He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and WWE.

He headlined the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018 and is a five-time world champion in his career between WWE and WCW, with WWE counting his world title win at the 1999 Halloween Havoc.

He is also the only wrestler to have won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, WWE's World Heavyweight Championship, and the WWE Universal Championship.

Before he became a professional wrestler, Goldberg was a professional American football player.