All language subtitles for EP-02 - Goldberg

[somber music]

- Not many people were privy
to the transformation

Of goldberg the human
to goldberg the character.

[film projector whirring]

- When you're a kid,
you fantasize about powers.

Goldberg hitting the spear,
that's a power.

[crowd cheering]

- Oh!

Reese is down!

Reese is down,
and goldberg's up!

- When you get older you care
about overcoming adversity.

You care about the substance
of the character

That defines the man,

What he has been through
to get to where he is.

♪ ♪

- Goldberg in the ring

Is the ramped-up alter ego
of bill the person.

[crowd cheering]

- 12 years,
ladies and gentlemen!

Never thought I'd be
in this ring again.

All: Goldberg! Goldberg!
Goldberg!

- The biggest thing that
I miss is being a superhero

For the kids
all around the world.

- If a superhero
is defined ultimately

By the obstacles
he or she overcomes

In the course
of their journey,

Goldberg's legacy

Should be defined by the fact

He overcame
his biggest challenge...

♪ ♪

Bill goldberg, the person.

♪ ♪

[line trilling]

- Your call has been forwarded

To an automatic
versus message system.

At the tone,
please record your message.

[tone beeps]

- Hey, baby, just letting
you know I'm going to get gage.

And I'm doing
a doughnut real quick.

[engine revving]

Good footage for you guys.

Figured you might like that.

♪ ♪

I was born in tulsa, oklahoma,

Nice jewish kid in the middle
of nowhere, in tulsa.

And father was
an obstetrician-gynecologist.

My mother was
a concert violinist

And a united states
orchid judge.

So how I came out
of that combination

Is completely beyond me.

I had two older brothers
and an old sister.

They're much older, 14, 16,
and 18 years older than I am.

I was the only one
at the house,

The only kid
at the house growing up.

As a kid,
I was kind of a loner.

I kind of grew up on my own,
myself and my best friend,

Which was the rottweiler
that I would have at the time.

Rocky was his name.

I went to hebrew school.

Yes, I did, temple israel.

I was ridiculed day after day
after day for being jewish.

Not a lot of jewish people
will tell you that,

Because we internalize it.

We don't like to tell
people about it.

But it happened.

And the only way
that I can tell you

That my life changed is,

If you look at the movie
"a christmas story,"

When he finally jumps on the
bully outside in the snow,

And he's yelling obscenities
as he's punching him

With both hands in the face...

- You rotten, no-good, damn...

[indistinct].

- Come on, ralphie!
- Did you hear what he said?

- That was my story.

[bell tolling]

There are many things
that I like about football.

One thing that really sets
it apart from anything else

That you do
is the feeling of competition.

Not only does it pose one team
against another,

But on each and every play it--

It--you compete one-on-one
with another person.

♪ ♪

My love for football dates
back to the first picture

I ever saw of me.

And it had "bill goldberg,
all american,

1989," whatever it was.

♪ ♪

I played nose guard.

And I tried to inflict
as much bodily harm

On every human being in front
of me as humanly possible.

[crowd cheering]

- Oh, he was stuffed
by bill goldberg,

The nose man,
who had 107 tackles last year.

- To be able to do that
without being thrown in jail

Is an unbelievable outlet.

And I think that's why
I liked it so much.

- Welcome to sanford stadium,

One of the shrines
of college football.

- Being able to play
major college football

At the university of georgia

Was one of the biggest honors
I've ever been bestowed.

- Watch number 95,
bill goldberg.

- The ball is fumbled.

- They call bill goldberg

The best defensive lineman
in the southeast.

- 95, bill goldberg.

- That's the most comfortable
place that I could ever be.

I'm going to be
a football player

Until the day that I die.

- They say bill goldberg
has a screw loose,

That he's wild and wooly.

- Goldberg with a body slam.

- And bill goldberg is pushing
and shoving with one of the...

- Look at this.
Looks like foreman-cooney.

- Big hole in the middle.
Lost the ball.

Georgia has it at the 33.

Bill goldberg, number 95,

The sophomore from tulsa,
oklahoma, makes the recovery.

[cheers and applause]

- Bill goldberg
was a violent football player,

Extremely aggressive.

- Hell, yeah, baby. Whoo!

- I officiated high school
football for 20 years.

That's how I came
across bill goldberg.

My football crew
was officiating a game

That his high school team,
the edison eagles, played in.

And, of course,
he was the talk of the town,

Because he was
the number one player

In the state of oklahoma.

♪ ♪

- Okay, let's go.

I got, like, 15 minutes for you
to make me...

- Let's do it.
- Make me cry. Ugh.

♪ ♪

- He had a nice career.
He had some injury issues.

But he had a decent career.

- How's the knee?

- You know what, man?
I'll tell you, this thing,

It's the root of the--think
I've been working in the yard?

- No kidding.
Hunting mountain lions.

- This thing is bigger.
See the size of that now?

- Yeah, it feel good?

- I mean, you can never do
as good as you want to do.

To give you the mindset
of bill goldberg,

When I was drafted,
I was pissed,

'cause it took till the second
day and the 11th round.

So I took it personally.

And immediately I was like,
"okay, when do we report?

I'm ready to rock."

♪ ♪

I played for the rams
till the last preseason game,

Tore my hamstring,
got cut,

Worked the rest of the year
to rehab, get ready,

Got signed by the rams
again in the offseason,

Got cut again.

♪ ♪

Did it make me
start questioning myself?

Yes. Did it piss me off
to the point

Where I wanted
to work my ass off

To make sure that I showed
them that they were wrong?

Yes.

I went to the canadian league
to check it out.

I didn't like the pay scale.

Nor did I like the fact
that they wanted me

To drop, like, 30 pounds.

That didn't last very long.

And so I signed with
the world football league.

We won the world championship

And then went straight
from there three weeks later

To the atlanta falcons right
into their training camp.

♪ ♪

I never really had
a backup plan.

I didn't want to--

I didn't want to face reality
in that...

I didn't want to know what if.

Needless to say,
I love football.

♪ ♪

- Good evening.

I'm very pleased to announce
that the carolina panthers

Have been unanimously selected
as the--

[cheers and applause]

- For the first time
since 1976

The nfl opened its doors
to expansion.

- When the expansion teams
came to be

The jacksonville jaguars
and the carolina panthers

Each existing nfl team put up
four people on their roster

That went to
the supplemental draft.

Carolina picked me.

Unbeknownst to them,
I had had surgery

Like, two weeks before

Repairing my abdomen and
re-attaching it to my pelvis.

Let's just say
that my physical condition

And the trajectory
of the carolina panthers

Were going in
opposite directions.

It wasn't the right fit.

It wasn't the right time
in my life.

And I actually asked
for my release.

♪ ♪

- Tibia's rotated a little bit
on this foot.

- Yeah.
- So it sits more posterior.

- I'll tell you what, man,
when I just--augh.

- Yeah.
- That hurts really bad.

I've hurt myself
so many different times

And had so many
different surgeries.

They all kind of run together.

Augh!

But I know that one
was pretty extensive.

Any kind of rehab that you're
gonna do for a torn abdomen,

It's gonna be strenuous,
it's gonna be monotonous,

And it's gonna be
painful as hell.

- We getting close
I feel--

- Oh yeah, yeah.
You're--you're getting close.

Yeah, you're on it. Yeah.

- Okay.
- Uh-huh.

When I got hurt,
I thought my career was over.

I thought that
my lifting was over.

I thought my life was over,

Because that's what I was--

That's the human being
that I am.

I'm a physical guy.

♪ ♪

I worked my ass off for 20,
30 years--25 years on my body.

There has to be something
I can apply it to.

- Football had gotten him
a college education.

Football had got him a cup
of coffee or two in the nfl.

He made teams.
He was on rosters.

You know,
let's cut to the chase here.

- Ahh!

- Goldberg needed a job.

♪ ♪

- The person that told me
to give wrestling a shot

Was my accountant.

♪ ♪

'cause he called me one day
and told me to get off my ass

And go do something.

♪ ♪

- If you drew a picture
of what a pro wrestler

Should look like,

All you gotta do is clip out
a photo of bill goldberg.

♪ ♪

So he looked the part,
and that's a big step

In the right direction.
You gotta look the part.

- One of the most
interesting questions I get,

Whether I'm on a plane

And someone recognizes me
or finds out who I am,

Or someone that I've known
for a long time,

I get the question,

"how do you get into
the wrestling business?"

- The wcw power plant will
help you reach your potential.

They'll train your body,
work on your moves,

And motivate you
to be your best.

The wcw power plant,

The number one wrestling
facility in the world.

Call now to set up...

- Wcw in the '90s

Started something
called the power plant

That was where they would train
people to become wrestlers.

And usually
they were pretty green.

They had a bunch of trainers,
former wrestlers,

Current wrestlers who would
teach them all the skills

They needed to become
an on-screen performer.

- Wcw power plant,
the place to be

If you want to be
a serious athlete,

You want to be a serious...

- Coming out of football
and then learning

How to become
a great professional wrestler

Is not an easy transition,

Because you're having to
unlearn many aspects

Of what made you
a successful football player.

In the nfl
your intent is to go out

And hit them as hard
as you possibly can.

And then you show up
at the power plant and go,

"oh, no, no, no, no, no.

"that's not quite
what we do here.

We kind of dance, but we just
make it look like it hurts."

- [inaudible],
you piece of [bleep].

- Five, six days a week,
9:00 to 5:00,

Just busting your ass
trying to learn

How to get off the ropes,
hit the ropes,

How to do flips,
how to take break falls,

How to not hurt people.

It's--it's a must.
And it's a grind.

- Now a little bit more, "ahh!"

- With a maniacal laugh.

- Ha-ha-ha.
- Ha-ha-ha.

- Good. Excellent.

- The fact that bill started

His professional
wrestling career

At 30 years old...
- One more time.

- The deck
is stacked against you.

That is a very,
very late stage in life

To enter into
professional wrestling.

It takes a long time

To get good
at professional wrestling.

- Since we first put wrestling

On turner network
many years ago,

It's been exciting
entertainment programming

For all our viewers.
World championship wrestling

Has always been one
of our most popular programs.

And now wcw is about
to dominate the globe

In professional wrestling.

♪ ♪

- Ted turner decided that
he wanted to go head-to-head

And compete with wwe.

Ted turner said,
let's give a head-to-head,

Monday night, tnt against wwe.

♪ ♪

- The Monday night wars
by far the most exciting time

To ever be
a pro wrestling fan.

We got two big
wrestling companies,

Wwe, which is
the sort of institution,

And wcw,
which is the underdog.

It's these two wrestling
institutions that are vying

For your eyeballs.

This is the '90s.

You were physically
flipping channels

With your remote control
back and forth.

Every time one show
goes to commercial

You were immediately
on the other show.

So they are actively
competing in real time

To keep you glued
to your tv screen.

♪ ♪

These two monoliths were just,
like, fighting tooth

And nail for your attention.

[cheers and applause]

But it became this
sort of proxy battle, right?

It was like, who wins
the ratings every week

Became the talking point.

That became a huge moment
in time

That was a signal
that the tide had turned.

- Wcw was outperforming
wwe each and every week.

Wasn't even close.

- ♪ we are the champions ♪

All: ♪ we are the champions ♪

- Here we go,
the next bout here on wcw,

A newcomer here
in bill goldberg,

A man we know absolutely
nothing about,

But he is making
his debut here.

- Two or three months
in the power plant, if that,

Bill had enough fundamentals

That we could take him
out of the power plant

And now put him out
in front of a live crowd.

[cheers and applause]

And typically when you would
bring new talent out

Sometimes they'd get into it,
sometimes they wouldn't.

Most of the time
they didn't care.

Bill goldberg grabbed
everybody's attention.

Nobody knew who he was.

This was just a guy
walking out in his underwear

That captured
everybody's imagination.

♪ ♪

- How about that backflip?
And a big power slam!

- And that's a lot to lift,

Over 300 pounds
of hugh morris.

- And he did it
with ease that time.

He's gonna pick him up again.

Scoop slam put him down.

- I'm a less-is-more guy.

I wanted to be the mike tyson
of wrestling,

Black tights, black boots,
knock people out, leave.

- Serious trouble,
and down he...

- Next.

- Muscles him over.
Combination slam.

One, two, three.
- He got him!

- Oh!
Bill goldberg!

- The plan was to be so simple
and so devastating

And so quick
that people are like...

♪ ♪

"did you just see that?"

♪ ♪

- Oh!

- "no? Well, damn.

You gotta wait
another week to see it."

- Wrestling at its very core
is a interactive experience.

It's less like a boxing match
and more like an election.

You're standing up
in front of a giant crowd

And trying to get
that crowd to go crazy.

You're trying
to get them behind you.

To get that reaction
is the game.

That's the contest.

♪ ♪

- Bill came out
breathing fire,

Spitting smoke,

And the crowd just went,
"whoa! What is this?"

And we were all sitting
backstage going,

"whoa! Look at them react."

- Adding moves all the team
[inaudible]. Oh!

- Bill was now going to be on
a very accelerated flight path.

- Yes!

- Count him out!
He wins again!

- 21 and 0.

- 56 and 0.

- 60. He tied babe ruth.

- Put another mark
in the win column

For that man right there.

- Goldberg was
a down-and-dirty and

Very easy to figure out
persona.

Spear...

Jackhammer...

"ahh!"
- ahh!

- Pin.
Audience reaction.

Who's next?
You're next. That's it.

- Goldberg. There's the spear!

- You saw him last night
at spring stampede,

And he goes down.

- That's a ten on the richter!

- I wanted to be something
completely different

That people
have ever seen before.

[crowd cheering]

All: One. Two. Three.

[bell dinging]

- Goldberg
is the united states

Heavyweight champion!

And he won it in grand style!

- And chalk up victory
number 75 in a row.

- 75 and zero!

[cheers and applause]

- We didn't want to put bill
in the position

That ultimately we did.

The fear was,
if we're going to keep

Pushing this guy this fast

On this accelerated
flight path and trajectory,

We're going to reach a point

Where we're gonna run out
of guys for him to eat.

♪ ♪

And you finally--
you're getting

To the point now
where we're looking at bill

And going,
"okay, what do we do?"

[cheers and applause]

- Hollywood hulk hogan,
the wcw champion,

Is contractually obligated
to be in the georgia dome

This coming Monday night,
for "nitro"

To defend the wcw
heavyweight title belt...

[chuckles]

Against what I feel
is the number one contender,

Goldberg!

[cheers and applause]

- I remember I was in la.

And I remember exactly
where I was.

I was on the--I was on the 90

Taking an exit
into marina del rey.

[phone ringing]

My phone rang.

It was hulk hogan.
He said, "brother,

I gotta talk to you.
Got an idea."

And hulk said, "I know what
we need to do with bill."

I said, "okay.
I'm all ears, brother.

What do you got?"
and he goes,

"he's gonna beat me."

I did what you're doing
just right now.

My--I went, "whoa! What?"

He said, "no, brother,
it's time."

- Hulk hogan's here!

- Hulk hogan
is in the building!

- You're damn right he is!

- Go get him, hulkster!

- At that point,
hulk hogan is the institution.

He's also seen as being
kind of past his prime,

So people are happy to see him
deposed from that spot.

And for goldberg to take it
was a natural fit

Based on the story
they were telling.

- Hulk hogan, what in
the world are you thinking?

- I looked at the sum
of all the parts.

So all of a sudden,
I'm looking at this thing

Of bill goldberg, and I feel
this crazy momentum coming.

If I could get him
as big as hulk hogan was,

Now I got somebody
to work with.

Now I got somebody
to make money with.

And I'm looking around
and going,

"hmm, how can I create
another monster?"

- Every bad guy
needs a good guy.

Hogan needed somebody.

And they wanted it
to be this nice

Jewish boy
from tulsa, oklahoma, goldberg.

- "nitro" is on the air!

And you are looking live
as we come to you

From the professional
wrestling capital

Of the world,
atlanta, georgia,

Where over 30,000 fans
are jammed in the georgia dome

In what will go down
as the biggest night

In the history
of this grand sport!

- 106 consecutive
straight as for goldberg.

We've talked about
a home ring advantage.

But thing of
the pressure involved.

Among the 40,000 fans on hand

Former teammates
at the university of georgia

As well as
the atlanta falcons.

Will goldberg be able to
measure up to that pressure?

- It was the best night
of my wrestling career,

My athletic career, my life.

And, you know, I mean,
it was a--it was

An extremely emotional night
in a lot of respects.

I was--I was nervous
to the nth degree,

Because I didn't--you know,

I had just gotten
in the business.

♪ ♪

All: Goldberg! Goldberg!

Goldberg! Goldberg!

Goldberg! Goldberg!

Goldberg!
Goldberg!

Goldberg! Goldberg!

Goldberg!
Goldberg!

- Goldberg has passed
every test to date.

106 consecutive
straight as for goldberg.

- And am I right?

There has never been
a world champion undefeated.

- You are right.

All: Goldberg! Goldberg!
Goldberg! Goldberg!

- I was in pretty
decent shape back then.

All: Goldberg! Goldberg!
Goldberg! Goldberg!

- Ahh! Ah!

♪ ♪

Hulk hogan was a mentor.
There's no question.

So I walk into hogan's locker
room prior to the match.

And it's commonplace to go
over, you know, the dance.

Well, I go in there,
and I look at hogan,

And he looks at me,
and he goes,

"don't worry, kid,
we'll call it in the ring."

- This is the biggest one.

That heightened sense
of anticipation is now over.

Let the match begin.

- Gentlemen,
start your engines.

- The fans erupt at the bell.

I've never seen that,
never heard that in our sport.

- The thing that fans loved
about goldberg is,

He was intense.

And I'm here to tell you,
it was intense

When you were
in the ring with him.

♪ ♪

You know, technical wrestling
all that gaga

Doesn't mean a thing
if you're not selling out

Every building you're in.

- It's the biggest crowd
ever to see

A televised wrestling event
on cable tv.

And you're a part of it.
And it could be the night

Where goldberg walks away
with the gold

From arguably
the greatest champion

Our sport has ever had.

- That's hulk frickin' hogan
right there.

And he knows what he's doing

More than anybody
in the business.

'cause I ain't doing [bleep]
that he doesn't call.

So he's in control
of everything.

Both: Oh!
- I don't know if I'd do that.

- Charles robinson,
hand to the back [indistinct].

They'll let the match go on.

And goldberg's got the belt!

- If you're really good
at what you do,

You don't need writers,
you don't need to rehearse.

All you need to know,
who's gonna win or lose.

It's about creating emotion,
having people cheer

And hate you and take them
on that roller-coaster ride.

And it's a complete arc
from beginning, middle, to end,

And you're telling
an amazing story

That everybody understands.

- Can you imagine the shot

In the arm
world championship wrestling?

- Despite the fact that this
was the story for goldberg,

Hogan had been here for so long

That it just seemed impossible
that--that he would lose.

- So dangerous is hogan

Driving goldberg face-first
into the steel guardrail.

And now he's got the chair
from behind!

- We needed another attraction.
We needed another hulk hogan.

♪ ♪

And what better--better way
to be hulk hogan

Than beating hulk hogan
right in the middle?

- Where gotta dig down deep,
where you gotta suck it up,

Where you gotta prove
beyond a shadow of a doubt

That you belong here.

For goldberg,
the time is right now.

Because the champ is
leveling with everything.

- Yes! Yes!

Malone can use
the diamond cutter.

And look at goldberg!
He's ready!

- He's poised!
Hogan down!

- Okay, there's part one.

Now finish him off!
Finish him off!

- He's calling for it.

- This is it! This is it!

Your career's
on the line here.

Do it! Do it!

This place will erupt
when he picks him up.

- He's got him up!

- Oh, hell yeah!

One! Two! Three!

- Thank you! Thank you!
Thank you!

We've got a new heavyweight
champion of the world!

The first undefeated man
in the history of this sport

To ever win
the world championship

And have a record of 107,
108...Who cares?

- I mean, that was pretty cool.

♪ ♪

To have my friends,
to have my family,

And to have, you know,
fans that I've acquired

In the short period of time
of me being in the business

In quote-unquote my hometown
at the time, atlanta.

And then, oh, my god,
to have my teammates there,

I mean,
what a cool deal that was.

♪ ♪

It was--it was the coolest
night of my wrestling career.

♪ ♪

I remember it like
it was yesterday.

♪ ♪

The guys that I revered,
the guys that I looked up to,

The guys that I idolized...

♪ ♪

They wanted to be me
that night.

♪ ♪

- There's an old expression
that I like to use:

What works works,
what doesn't doesn't.

Look at the footage of goldberg
spearing hulk hogan

In front of 40,000-plus people
in the georgia dome

And then hitting
the jackhammer

And pinning hulk hogan
for the title.

Did the audience
rebel against it?

Was there
a quasi-okay reaction?

No. There were 40,000 people

Going out of
their [bleep] minds.

Why?
Because goldberg had hit.

He had become
a major attraction,

And the audience loved him.

I don't see what's so difficult
about that to understand.

Goldberg needed to rise
to the top.

- Please welcome goldberg!

♪ ♪

- Looks like a star,
carries himself like a star,

Looks like a badass.

The audience thinks
he's a badass.

You marry those two together,

You have an attraction
in this industry.

♪ ♪

- A lot of things go into
making a decision

About who you're going to put
as the face of your company.

And as the world champion,

You are the face
of the company.

- Bill goldberg. Bill.

- Are you gonna put somebody
out there

That pisses themselves

Every time they have to do
a live interview?

Or are you gonna put somebody
as the face of your company

That is telegenic,

Charismatic, totally at ease
with non-wrestling media?

And bill goldberg had
all of those attributes.

- Now, were your parents
wrestlers?

[laughter]

- They were the famous jewish
tag team from the midwest.

- The jewish tag--of course.

The jewish tag team
of the midwest.

- When you're the champ, you're
at least a half-inch taller.

♪ ♪

There's a reason
why you have the belt on you.

There's a reason why you have
the title around your waist.

- Ready to go?
- Yeah.

- Don't get that coke can
in there. They don't pay me.

[laughter]

- All right. All right.
We'll go for it, okay, bill?

- Shoot.
- What is the deal with--

I mean, what is
the connection that you have,

That wrestling has with the
young people in america today?

- You know, I like to think

That we're superheroes,
in a sense.

We're like real-life
comic book heroes.

[indistinct chatter]

Nice shirt. Good to see you.

Brought you a picture.

And it gave me the opportunity
to be the guy

That I was always planning
to be

In professional football.

[blows]

- [laughs]

- I couldn't wait to go
out there and be introduced

And grab a kid
and give him my belt.

I mean,
I couldn't wait to do that.

Because I realized
how big a moment

That is to the person
on the receiving end.

I looked up to professional
football players

Like these kids do
professional wrestlers.

And I got that instantly.

- Ready when you are.
- Ready?

- Yep. Stand by. Rolling.

- So you want to win this
wcw t-shirt or 12,000 bucks?

Well, you're gonna
have to take me on.

You, me in the ring.
Let's go.

Yeah. You're next.
I'm gonna ring your bell.

- Bill showed up
at the power plant,

Punched in one morning,
and 24 months later

He's one of the biggest stars
in the world.

- You, me in the ring!

Let's go! You're next!

- That's where it became
the most difficult.

Because at that point bill
as the champion

Now has to face some
of the other top stars in wcw.

- You're next!

- Bill still doesn't have
the skill set

That will enable him
to go out there

And have a match
that will satisfy

The audience's expectations

Of a world heavyweight champion
at that level.

- Ahh!

- Meaning
he can't just go out there

And eat scott hall,
kevin nash, roddy piper,

Ric flair, eat them all,
and then what?

♪ ♪

- Oh, look at him
with that belt.

- Perfect fit.

- It had started
to turn a little bit.

Wcw had inflated his undefeated
streak along the way.

He would mysteriously win ten

Extra matches
between appearances,

And the numbers
got higher and higher.

- 121 and 0!

- 131 and zip!

- It is a milestone!
Number 150!

- I have a vivid memory
of wcw cameras lingering

On a sign in the crowd
by accident that said,

"this is getting oldberg."

- When we were in the middle
of the streak,

It was a really cool thing
to be a part of.

♪ ♪

What people also
have to understand

Is that I didn't walk in there
and go,

"hey, this is goldberg.

"this is the way it's gonna be.

This is what's gonna happen,
and we're gonna have a streak."

Who's the man now, boys?

Both: You're the man!

- You're the man, bill!
- Holy smokes!

- You're the man,
no doubt about it!

- Please, come on.

- I showed up every week
waiting for them

To tell me what to do.

- It takes three, four, five,
six, seven, eight years

To really develop
the level of skill set

That you need
to be able to survive

In a main event environment.

Bill didn't have it.

- Who's next?
That's all I got to say!

Who's next!

- So that was when the idea
of bill coming out

And just eating everybody alive

In very short order
became his trademark.

- As effective as it was,

It does paint you
into a corner, you know?

I mean, there's a reason
why ross and rachel

Didn't get together on season
one of "friends," right?

Because, like,
that was the story

That people kept coming back
for to find the resolution of.

- Ahh!

- What goldberg had been
giving us was sort of

Like an artificial high.
It was like a sugar rush.

To really get behind somebody,

You gotta have the steak,
you gotta have the vegetables,

You gotta have
the whole presentation.

You've seen it enough times,

It's not
as exciting as it used to be.

So what are you gonna do now?

- I'm goldberg,
and I fear no man.

- Goldberg, you can't survive
my jackknife power bomb.

- Nash, get ready
for the jackhammer.

- You can't survive
my jackknife power bomb.

- I'll spear ya, nash.

- Let's get ready to rumble!

[cheers and applause]

- We've talked about
the anticipation level

For this matchup
being so high.

We don't have to anticipate
anymore. It's here.

[bell dinging]

- It stands at 173 and 0.

♪ ♪

- Was it the right time?

Hell, it wasn't the right time.

It was on my frickin' birthday.

Come on. Give me a break.

[cheers and applause]

- What is this?

What is he doing here?

- Was it the right time
career-wise? I don't know.

But I wasn't the right guy
to ask that question.

I didn't have enough knowledge
of the business around me.

So I went with
what everybody thought.

- And bigelow
once again uninvited.

- Whoa.
- Not supposed to be here.

Send him to jail.

- Meanwhile,
nash gets a break.

[taser zapping]

- What--what was that?

- That's one of those tasers
that police use.

- It's like a stun gun.

- It was my [bleep] idea
to use a real taser.

Absolutely.

'cause I wanted that one
that would shoot out of the gun

And that would stick in you,

And then they could light
you up like a christmas tree.

'cause if goldberg's
going down,

I wanted to be going down.

And they wouldn't
let me use it.

- Oh, no.

- Wait a minute.
He--oh, jackknife power bomb!

- Could this be it?
One! Two! Three!

- The steak is over!

- And we have a new
world's champion!

- The streak is over!

173 and 1
and a new world's champion.

Kevin nash is crowned.

♪ ♪

[engine revving]

- And basically what
I'm gonna be doing is,

I'm gonna be standing
five feet away,

And I'm gonna be trying to hit
this hole with each round.

And every time it deviates,
I try to adjust.

So you want to make the hole
completely disappear.

[cheers and applause]

- We have witnessed

Professional wrestling
history.

Kevin nash will always go down
as the first man

To stop the streak
of goldberg.

- We have a new heavyweight
champion of the world!

[gunshots]

- After my first loss,

I didn't really know how
to feel about the character.

You've got a guy
who's never lost before,

And now he loses
for the first time.

Sure, it presents
a different dynamic.

There's always a beginning,
and there's always an end

To anything that's good.

♪ ♪

The gun that goldberg
should have.

- There are a lot of ways
that you can make a loss

Add value to a character.

The character they had
presented of goldberg

So far was so one-dimensional,

The old context for goldberg's
existence was the win streak.

♪ ♪

[gunshot]

The ideal
of the bill goldberg story

Is to get swept up in it.

[gunshot]

As soon as the shine
comes off,

You're not swept up
in it anymore,

And you start asking
all these questions,

And you start identifying
all the blemishes.

♪ ♪

- There we go.

- The same things that got
him up there are the reasons

That we point at for everything
that happened afterwards.

- Bret hart, goldberg,

On December the 19th,
at starrcade

The two of you are gonna be
facing each other

For the wcw heavyweight title.

However,
tonight it's gonna be...

- Now we're in
a different world.

Now we're in a world
where you have to tell a story,

And you have to work
with people

Who are at a very elevated
position in the company,

And you can't go out there
and eat them.

The challenge that that
presented is being able to have

A long enough match
with enough layers

From a storytelling point
of view

That didn't expose bill's
lack of experience.

- Ladies and gentlemen...

- There he is!

- Bret "the hitman" hart
has arrived to "nitro."

- Bret hart comes
from a wrestling family.

Bret is literally
born and bred

To be a professional wrestler.

In that ring,
I don't know that anybody's

Ever done it better.

- He arguably was one
of the best

And is still one of the best
professional wrestlers

Ever in the history
of the business.

I looked up to him
exponentially.

When he came down from wwe,

I was honored to have him
teach me anything,

Even talk to me.
I mean, that's bret hart.

- [exhaling]
- boom. Whoosh!

- Bill never learned
to wrestle.

That's the problem.

Bill was zero,
didn't have a clue.

He just seemed to think
that I was a practice dummy.

He didn't understand. I don't
think anyone ever taught him

That wrestling's
actually performance art.

Wrestling is all about trust,
and it's all about respect.

Nobody said, "hey, you can't...

Bill had zero.

"really hurt these guys
for real."

You need to go back
to wrestling school

And learn how to wrestle.
The wcw...

And nobody ever called out
bill for any of that stuff,

Not one time ever.

- [exhaling]

- Wrestling is a dance.

And the most senior person
in that dance

Is the one that ultimately
has to make certain decisions.

♪ ♪

- Guys who were as good
as bret in the ring,

Part of their job
every single day

Is to make guys like goldberg
look good in a match.

Good wrestlers
are tasked with this.

- Let me say one thing.

I'm gonna take any chance I get
to become the world champion.

If I gotta go through
goldberg--and maybe

I'll suffer
the consequences tonight,

But I'm gonna show one thing,
that I'm gonna go in there,

And I'm gonna do my best,

And I'm gonna
give bill goldberg

A match
that he's not gonna forget.

He's gonna know
he's in for a fight.

This is gonna be a fight.

- There's an old saying
about guys like bret hart,

Is that they can go out there
and have a match with a broom

And make the broom
look like a superstar.

That was bret hart.

That didn't happen that night.

[crowd shouting]

- The match was all set,
and everything was in order.

And I remember,
I said, "bill," I said,

"just remember one thing.

"don't hurt me.

"I'm gonna try to teach you.
I'm gonna try to help you

"so much with your career.
I'm gonna teach you

"and help you become the
wrestler you really can be.

Don't hurt me."

[crowd shouting]

- He's gonna soften up those
legs for that figure four.

- I had done
the figure four spot

On the ropes with him.

And I told him
how important it was that

When I put the figure four
on the post

That he's gotta grab my foot.

If he grabbed my foot
just before I fell back,

I could do a sit-up and slowly
lower myself to the ground.

But if I just jump up
and fall backwards,

I got nothing to stop me.
It's just dead weight.

Bill's pulling on my foot
just like he's supposed to.

I jump up, and as soon
as I start to fall

He let's go of my foot.

- Oh!

- Really fuzzy. Like,
the whole world's spinning.

I get in the ring
after that with bill,

And he calls for a kick.

It's thrown with no sense
about what it could do to me.

♪ ♪

I was concussed and totally,
totally messed up.

I knew as soon
as I hit the ground.

♪ ♪

I get up, and he mows me down

Like a car driving me over
in a parking lot.

- [indistinct].

- Oh, the spear!

- For that man to think
that I intentionally

Kicked him in the head,

He has no idea who I am.

What good would it have done

If I would have dropped him
with that kick?

'cause I would have been
on my own.

I would have had to run
the match.

I don't know what the hell
I'm doing, right?

[crowd shouting]

- Bill made contact. Okay?
So I'm bill.

It's not like bret hart
stepped into the ring

With bill goldberg thinking
that bill goldberg

Was even close
to a level of a bret hart.

Because bret was such a master
from a technical perspective,

He knew what he was getting
into the ring with

And has to take
a certain responsibility

For what happened
in the ring as a result.

So I understand
the bitterness and the angst,

But there's a certain amount
of responsibility

That both participants
in a match like that have.

♪ ♪

- History has not been
very kind to goldberg

On the bret hart match.

I think if that match
had happened

When goldberg was on the rise,

I don't think he would have
gotten the reaction

That he would have gotten.

It's really easy to say,
"goldberg

"for all of his good stuff

"never learned how to be
a wrestler in the ring,

"and because of that,
a to b,

It's his fault that
bret hart's career is over."

[cheers and applause]

- When I'm coming off
the ropes,

I trust you, bill goldberg,

To kick me properly
and not hurt me.

And when you do it wrong,
you cost me four years

At 3 million a year.
My career was over.

- Hey!

- That intensity that you saw
walk through the curtain

The first time that he did
his very first dark match,

Or the night that he beat
hulk hogan

In the georgia dome,

Or any time that you've seen
bill goldberg since,

That's real with bill.

- There he is.

- Every professional wrestler
with some level of success

Begins to believe that
they're that superhero? Right?

I mean, that's part
of what makes you that great,

Is that fact that you
buy into your own mythos.

- You have to get
caught up in it.

You--it has to be you.

You have to blur that line.

♪ ♪

I put my hand through
a limousine window.

Ahh!

I have to become
a completely different

Human being to be

That guy that people pay
their money for.

♪ ♪

I have to go from choirboy
to damn godzilla

Within a flip of a switch.

That's not easy.

And it's taxing
on a human being.

- The powers that be,

They've gotta be shaking
in their boots in there.

- Yeah, if I'm bret hart,
if I'm the nwo,

I'm gonna have
second thoughts.

- Smashing in the windshield.

If I'm bret hart,
I'm worried about Monday

When we're in houston, texas,
for "nitro"

If goldberg gets his hands
on the hitman.

- I came within a centimeter
of hitting that main artery.

[siren wailing]

- Hold it up here.

How'd it feel last night?

- Didn't feel real good,

But it felt a lot
more comfortable

With the bandage on it,
now that you put it on.

- Looks like the swelling
went down some.

- Yeah.

- See if you had much drainage.

- A little bit, I think.

- All right, let's see here.

Hold it up.

Not bad.

- You know, this is truly
an unfortunate moment

For me right now because

Not only am I not able
to wrestle in the ring,

But the only bells
I'll be ringing lately

And in the near future

Will be the bell
at the stock exchange.

So, everybody at the nassau
coliseum, take warning.

When I get back...

I ain't gonna be swinging
a mallet.

I'm gonna be swinging this.

So, everybody take heed.

[clanging]

[cheers and applause]

- Internet pioneer
america online announced today

It is buying big,
sprawling time warner,

Creating the world's
largest media conglomerate.

- I remember when
the time warner-aol merger

Was announced, it was, oh,
this is gonna be magnificent.

This is gonna be
the greatest thing

That ever happened
to this company.

But two months later,
someone told me,

That had a lot more experience

In corporate mergers
than I did...

Automated voice:
You've got mail.

- It's not gonna be like that.

It'll feel like that for about
six months or a year.

And then eventually,

One culture is going to eat
the other culture.

- Many of you may already know
that wcw has new owners.

- Nobody, no one,
other than ted turner,

Wanted wcw within the tbs

Or turner broadcasting
platform.

The writing was on the wall
for wcw.

- I told you
I talked to the man,

And that man is eric bischoff,
so shut up and listen.

- I wanna make
an announcement now

That next Monday night
in panama city

Very well could be
the last night of wrestling

On the turner networks.

♪ ♪

- When they were looking
to sell it,

They weren't looking
to give away the tv timeslot,

And the tv timeslot was, like,

Most of the value
of the company.

Vince mcmahon was able
to go in and just say,

"I don't care about the tv.
I just want to own it."

- Imagine that.
Here I am on wcw television.

How can that happen?
Well, there's only way.

You see, it was just
a matter of time

Before I, vince mcmahon,

Bought my competition.

That's right, I own wcw.

- In 2001, the decision
is made to sell wcw.

Wwe buys all the assets.

Goldberg's contract
is so lucrative,

He'd be a fool to go to wwe
for lesser money.

So he sits it out.

And he gets paid to do nothing.

- [indistinct], come on.

Sit. Sit.

Sit, sit, sit, sit.
Not on me.

Good boy.

My contract was guaranteed.

I could sit at home
for two and a half years

And still be paid
100% of my money,

Whereas 90% of the people
that went up to wwe

Were paid 50 cents
on the dollar.

Doesn't take a rocket scientist

To figure out
why I stayed home.

As far as the day after that
two and a half years was up,

I had no clue
what I was gonna do.

[indistinct chatter]

What's up, buddy?
Come on over here, man.

- How you doin'?

- I was a pro football player.

I wasn't a wrestling fan.

I didn't grow up aspiring
to be a professional wrestler.

- I came to see goldberg.

- I think the way
that I expressed myself

As a professional wrestler
is just an alternative form

Of the way that my idols
expressed themselves

As professional
football players.

What's up?
Hey there.

Can you turn around
and take a picture with me?

Well, come over here
real quick.

If I got the ability to wear
a helmet and shoulder pads

And do what I did, I would have
done it in two seconds.

But unfortunately,
that wasn't the situation.

I had to run around the ring
in some bvds

And a pair of leather boots.

♪ ♪

I think we both accomplished
the same thing.

While one was doing it with
something that they loved...

♪ ♪

I did it to replace
something that I loved.

♪ ♪

That's not really him.

[laughter]

And that's definitely
not really me.

And prayed that
it filled the void

Of that said love activity
that I couldn't do anymore.

[crowd cheering]

And again,
this is not a slight

Against the wrestling business
or the fans.

It's just true.

I'm a football player.

♪ ♪

I really didn't know
what I wanted.

♪ ♪

- We start with
a story of mystery.

You've probably seen the promo.

Months of speculation.

Two years in exile.

The man everyone wants to see,

And now he's back.

Goldberg. But why has he come
to the wwe, and why now?

[truck engines roaring]

- I felt as though
I took so much

From the business
in the beginning,

And I didn't really understand
the giving back part

As much as I should have.

But I did fully understand
it when I left.

- Goldberg!

- Whoo!
- Goldberg!

- I was appreciative
of seeing kids

When I was walking down
the street going,

"when are you coming
back to wrestling?

"when are you coming back
to wrestling?

When are you coming back
to wrestling?"

- There you go.
- Number one, brother.

I always feel like
I owe the fans something.

And you should,
as a performer.

[cheers and applause]

That is what
it's all about, guys.

The fans, they love it.

They love what we do.
They love what they do.

Part of my responsibility
and part of the reason

For me coming back
and giving wwe a try

Was I wanted to give them
what they wanted.

I put my feelings to the side,
and I'm like, you know what,

Let's just--
let's give it a shot.

[goldberg's theme playing]

[cheers and applause]
- wait a minute.

Oh, look!

- Oh, my god!
- Look!

It's--it's him!

- No, wait! Where is he?

♪ ♪

- Goldberg is here!
- It is him!

- And goldberg is coming
to the ring!

[tense music]

♪ ♪

- Bill had a tough transition
coming there.

There's only so many main
even slots.

He's trying to
take somebody's job.

So, consequently,
he wasn't the most popular guy

In the locker room.

- I always felt like I was
on the outside looking in.

And because I think I looked
at it as a business venture,

Then a lot of people
resented that.

"oh, you don't have
the love for it?

Then why are you here?"

You better have more
than that, punk ass!

You better have more than that!

Strike me down, 'cause I
looked at it as a businessman,

And I was at an accelerated age
in my career,

To where I had already been
a professional at something.

[crowd cheering]

[grunts]

[crowd cheering]

- These egos are something
you have to deal with.

They're not seasonal.

It's not
the wrestling business.

It's every day.

- I didn't see eye-to-eye
with a lot of the guys.

[crowd exclaims]

I only had
a one-year contract.

- What do you say?
- [screams]

I had no desire to sign again.

♪ ♪

I wanted to get the wrestling
business over with.

♪ ♪

- So, the biggest thing
that happened

In the span
of goldberg's career,

In terms of the way that we
watch professional wrestling,

Was the rise of the internet.

At the very beginning
of goldberg's career,

You know, maybe,
if you had tried really hard,

You could have found
an aol chatroom

That had some reference
to who was coming out of

The power plant or something.

By the time that goldberg
and brock lesnar

Faced off at wrestlemania xx,

If you were trying at all,

You knew every rumor about
what was going on backstage.

[exhales, grunts]

- There was already
public knowledge

That goldberg was leaving

And already public knowledge

That a very dissatisfied
brock lesnar

Wanted out of his contract

And wanted to go pursue
other ventures.

♪ ♪

- Ladies and gentlemen,

We are about ready
to set the stage

For the goldberg-lesnar
one-on-one matchup.

Special referee
"stone cold" steve austin.

This is going to be, no doubt,

A smashmouth,
high-impact matchup.

And these two men,
one representing "raw,"

One representing "smackdown"--

- Goldberg vs. Brock lesnar
is a great idea on paper.

When the fans know that both of
them are leaving the next day,

That is, like, what failing
at wrestling looks like.

[goldberg's theme playing]

- [grunts]

Everyone knew I was leaving.

They also knew
that brock was leaving.

♪ ♪

And how dare us go on with
our lives and leave...

The fans?

- There's nothing fans
hate more

Than feeling like something's
a foregone conclusion.

[all chanting]
you sold out!

You sold out! You sold out!
You sold out!

- The audience was going
to hijack the match.

And what was going to be
most memorable

About the match
was the negative reaction

That both goldberg
and brock lesnar

Received from the audience.

And to this day,

The audience's desire
to be remembered that way

Is exactly how
that match is remembered.

All: ♪ hey hey hey, goodbye ♪

♪ na na na na
na na na na ♪

♪ hey hey hey, goodbye ♪

- It was hard to watch,
because, again,

I at least had a hand
in building

The bill goldberg character

And being a part of the team
that was there when bill

Got the best seat
in the house

On a rocket ship ride
to the moon.

- [grunts]

[crowd exclaims]

All: Goldberg sucks!
Goldberg sucks! Goldberg sucks!

Goldberg sucks! Goldberg sucks!
Goldberg sucks!

Goldberg sucks!
Goldberg sucks!

- The fans rebelled
in the garden that night,

At wrestlemania xx
because they thought

They were being deserted.

Two of their favorites
were taking a hike.

Mommy and daddy
are getting a divorce,

And we're not gonna be living
with either one of 'em.

All: This match sucks!

This match sucks!
This match sucks!

This match sucks!

This match sucks!
This match sucks!

This match sucks!

[cheering]

- It's the worst
feeling the world.

No matter how hard you try,
you got 20,000 hecklers live.

And no matter what you do,

Or how hard you work,

No matter what sacrifices
you make,

They're gonna
teach you a lesson.

[somber music]

[crowd booing]

- [grunting]

All: One! Two! Three!

[bell dings]

[crowd jeering]

- When the match ended
at wrestlemania xx,

I would have bet everything
that I owned

Or ever would own

That we would
never see bill goldberg

In the wrestling ring again.

- I didn't think,
after wrestlemania xx,

I'd step foot in
the wrestling ring again.

All: Goldberg sucks!
Goldberg sucks!

Goldberg sucks!
Goldberg sucks! Goldberg sucks!

Goldberg sucks!
Goldberg sucks!

- Quick interview.
All right.

Oh. Bill.

- What's up, kid?
- You have no clue who I am.

I've been watching you since--
- I don't care.

- Hey, no, you--
- you're a nice looking kid

In a nice suit,
you got great style.

Why not come over to you?

- Did you do any research
for your role?

- No.
- No research.

- No, man. I played five years
in the nfl, and I've seen...

- I know you've
played football.

- And I've seen
"the longest yard"

About ten, 15 times, so no.

- Guys, looking right here.
- Back in 2004,

I was a stuntwoman
in the movie industry.

And I get a call to do a movie

In edmonton, alberta.

No problem.

Who's in the movie?

They say goldberg.

I don't know who goldberg is.

I somehow hear goldblum.

So I'm like, oh,
it might be kinda cool

To work with goldblum.

I'm like, okay,
I'll do the stunt.

So, I show up in edmonton,
on the movie set.

And I'm in full wardrobe,
and he's in full wardrobe.

He's dressed as santa claus,
of all things,

So he's got a big, fat stomach,

Big, long beard,
long gray hair pulled back.

- Ahh!
- Whoa!

[screaming]
- oh, god!

- My stockings.

Is that--
- [gasps]

- There is a santa claus.

[dog growling]

[dog yelps]

♪ ♪

[screaming]

- Whoa!

- Ahh!
- Daddy!

- [screaming]

- I love chubby guys.
I love santa claus.

So I'm like, oh, he's--
he's cute.

- I don't think so.

- So I have
three rules in dating.

I won't date a stunt guy,

A professional athlete,

Or an actor.
[laughs]

You see where I'm going
with this, right? Yeah.

So we meet.
I'll leave out all the details.

It was basically love
at first sight.

And he asked me out for dinner.

I shocked myself and said yes,

And we went out for dinner.

And three months later,
we were engaged.

♪ ♪

- Whatever I had done prior
in my life...

♪ ♪

I was rewarded
by meeting her that night.

It was the start
of a new beginning.

♪ ♪

There you go.
[indistinct].

Nice catch.

I knew right once I met her
that if I didn't ask her out

And if I didn't eventually
ask her to marry me,

I would regret it
the rest of my life.

♪ ♪

[indistinct chatter]

- When I met him,

He was already emotionally
detached from wrestling.

Three weeks after we met
is when he officially retired.

So I had never
seen him wrestler.

He really shut
that part of his life off.

- [laughs]

So, I'm married to this legend,

And I hear stories,
and I know he's a big deal

Because when we go out in
public, everybody goes crazy.

- Study hard, boys.
You're very welcome.

My pleasure.
Very nice to meet you guys.

- And I'm like, wow,
this guy's amazing.

Like, this is incredible.

But I never, ever shared
that world with him.

- Okay, don't-don't be
all--all goofy and everything

And try to throw
the ball through me.

- [laughs]

- Yeah, we almost got--
he almost got one.

- At what--has anyone found out
at what age they turn on you?

- Anyone who's had
children know

That children
change your life.

You can say
they're not going to.

They just do.

And it's always for the better.

You know, we all have
these little edges to us,

And when you have a child,
those edges all soften.

And the focus changes.

And your world just becomes

Based on this
little human being,

And how you're going to mold
and create them

And make them
this awesome person.

♪ ♪

You put that baby
in those big,

Muscly tattooed arms,

And you watch a man
turn into a puddle. [laughs]

I mean, it's magical.

♪ ♪

- I thought I was prepared
for it, but I wasn't.

Changing diapers and feeding
and being up all--

I--I'm not talking
about that.

I'm talking about, like, all
the--everything emotionally.

And it's just,
it's a different deal.

♪ ♪

I mean, it was a dream
come true to have my own kid.

Swing all the way through, bud.
Smash it.

Possibly follow
in my footsteps

In some way, shape,
or fashion?

You know, I mean,
that's pretty cool.

- He started to think,

"I want to share
all of these memories

And these experiences
with this child."

- Okay.

- "and in order to do that,

I can't shut out sections
of my life."

And so, I think he--
in his own mind,

He knew that
the older gage got,

The more the curiosity
would build.

♪ ♪

- He knew who I was when
he could understand

What his name was,
because we'd always go out,

And, "why are all these people
coming up?"

And, you know, so you have to
explain it to him,

And then you have to
show him a picture,

And then he gets excited,
and then you're like,

Oh [bleep], I retired
from the wrestling business.

I can't ever do this again
for this kid.

And it's like,
you know what, [bleep].

Just throw all this away.

Let's just go--
I'm gonna show you.

Right?

And so, you go to youtube.

♪ ♪

Then he's like,
"that's not you."

I'm like, "yeah, it really is."

- Ladies and gentlemen,
my name is...

All: Paul heyman.

- And I am the advocate
for the beast...

All: Brock lesnar.

- We were living our quiet
little life,

And then we start
to hear these rumblings.

- For 12 years,
everyone in the wwe universe

Keeps on asking
the same question:

What if, even if it's just
for one more night,

We could all experience...

All: Goldberg.

[indistinct chatter]

- Huddle up!

- Both behind the scenes
and in front of the camera,

An obvious opponent for
brock lesnar

Would be goldberg.

Huge box office potential here.

Because, as I said
on television, everyone,

Even brock lesnar, has that,
"yeah, but" on their record.

Brock lesnar is
the baddest dude on the planet.

Yeah, but there's goldberg.

- Everyone has
a responsibility.

"well, what do you think
about coming back?"

I'm like,
"you're kidding, right?

Like, I don't wanna
come back."

- Goldberg, you, sir,

Are hereby challenged
to a fight.

- Bill went through this real
big emotion roller coaster

About it, kinda like,
"I left it behind.

"I don't want it
to come back in.

"I need it to come back in,
'cause I want gage to see.

I want you to see,"
being me.

All: Goldberg! Goldberg!
Goldberg!

- So, and then we talked
about it, rationalized it.

And, you know,
the rest is history.

[weight machine squeaking]

- [grunting]

No one on the planet
can understand

What I went through

Getting back
into the business,

After having
such a long hiatus,

Of being goldberg.

Being believable
in that you can eat

Just about
any human being alive

Is really difficult to do
at 45 to 50 years old.

- Good. Bigger eyes,
bigger eyes.

Yep, you got it, bill.

- When bill has to transform
into goldberg,

It's a very serious thing
for him.

Yes, he's fit, and he's
in incredible condition,

And he's got
this amazing physique

That he works very,
very hard for.

He's dedicated to that.

But the cerebral part
of that character,

What he puts himself through,
on a stress level,

To prepare for these matches
is--

No one could
even begin to understand.

♪ ♪

- I wanted to walk away
from the business

Because everything it took
to be that guy,

Week after week after week,
was stressful on me.

It just takes a lot of energy.

Sporadic bursts of fanaticism,

From 0 to 100,
back to 0 again.

- I'm like,
"honey, you gotta, like,

Take it down a notch, right?"
but he can't.

- It's just tough.
It's stressful.

- He only knows how to do it
one way,

And that's 110%
every single time.

♪ ♪

- When I was in the best shape
of my life,

I was not in very good shape,
in my eyes.

So, imagine what putting
yourself through--

Trying to get in shape again--
[crowd cheering]

Performing in front
of all these people,

Who haven't seen you
in a long time,

And the only time they saw you

Was this
fire-breathing dragon.

Yeah!

Trying to make it the point

Where you impress your kid

After you've
hyped yourself up,

♪ ♪

And then, most importantly,
being able to live

With yourself
when you look in the mirror,

And go, "really?
You're gonna do this?

You're gonna look like a fool."

♪ ♪

And that weighs a lot.
It weighs heavy on you.

♪ ♪

Okay, ladies and gentlemen,

The goldbergs just arrived
in denver.

Honey.
- Yes?

- Your first trip in the world
of professional wrestling.

What do you--
what do you think?

- Two thumbs up so far.

- Gage?

- Yay!

- [laughs]
- okay.

- Oh, goldberg came back
so that his son

Could see him in the ring.

Goldberg came back so that his
son could experience goldberg.

It's not the same
to see it on youtube.

It's not the experience.

It's, "oh yeah, there's my dad
when he was younger.

And look at everybody
chanting his name."

But when you're in an arena
full of people,

And they passionately,
intensely, chant,

"goldberg. Goldberg,"
[crowd chanting]

And you're sitting there going,
"holy [bleep]."

All: Goldberg! Goldberg!
Goldberg! Goldberg! Goldberg!

Goldberg! Goldberg! Goldberg!
Goldberg!

[cheers and applause]

[chanting]
this is awesome!

This is awesome!
- Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you,
ladies and gentlemen.

It's been a long time.

And you didn't forget!

[cheers and applause]

Man.

12 years, ladies and gentlemen!

[cheering]

You never say never, eh?

I never thought I'd be
in this ring again.

So, thank you
for the humble return.

[cheers and applause]

What makes it so special
is that my wife and my son

Are here to see me live
for the first time ever.

[cheers and applause]

Now, as I said,
it's been 12 years.

There's a lot of things
I miss in this business.

The biggest thing that I miss,
other than kickin' ass...

[cheering]

Is being a superhero for
the kids all around the world.

[cheering]

All: Goldberg! Goldberg!
Goldberg! Goldberg! Goldberg!

Goldberg! Goldberg!

- Now, brock lesnar
challenged me to a fight.

[cheering]

But he didn't have the balls
to do it himself!

[cheering]

He made paul heyman, his fat
little stooge, do it for him.

[cheering]

So, brock lesnar,

Not only does
that mean that you're next.

[cheering]

But most importantly, it means,

Brock lesnar, you're last!

[cheers and applause]

- You're thinking,
okay, this is gonna be

A pretty cool experience.

He's going back to wrestling.

I've been married to him
for 12 years,

Have never seen this happen.

I've never been in a room

Where everybody's
doing the chant.

And it's my husband
they're chanting for.

It's my son's father
they're chanting for.

It'll be fine. It'll be fine,
you know? No big deal.

[explosions boom]

[imitates explosion]

[cheers and applause]

- A surreal moment.

Goldberg heading to the ring

For the first time
in 12 years.

[cheering]

- You can't breathe.

Like, you just can't
emotionally encompass

The feeling of standing there
and hearing this.

- Two titans about to clash.

[bell dings]
- more pay-per-view victories

Over brock lesnar,
that's john cena.

Goldberg looks
to do it tonight.

And brock lesnar looking
to establish dominance.

And goldberg dropping lesnar!

- Goldberg was unfazed.

- When I came back,

I was actually trying
to have a good time,

Whereas before, I hadn't even
considered having a good time.

- No fear from goldberg.
Spear!

Goldberg hit lesnar
with a spear!

A spear from out of nowhere!

[crowd cheering]

Goldberg again with a spear!

Two spears to lesnar!

Brock's in trouble!

- To see him really live
in action--

Like, I knew he was amazing,
but this is, like, whew!

- I don't think
anybody expected

This sort of dominance right
out of the gate from goldberg.

- The beast may on the verge
of getting slayed.

- Goldberg again.

He's got lesnar
center of the ring.

- Goldberg's looking
for a jackhammer.

- He's doing another
jackhammer!

Goldberg gonna do
the jackhammer!

[cheering]

Jackhammer on lesnar!
And the cover!

All: One! Two! Three!

- Oh, my god!
[bell dings]

Goldberg beat brock!

[cheers and applause]

- Here is your winner,
goldberg!

- A monumental upset!

After 12 years,
goldberg returns to the ring

And absolutely destroys
the beast!

[cheers and applause]

- At the end of the match,
I look over,

And gage
is tearing his shirt off.

He tears his shirt off.

And I'm like, "oh. Okay, we're
just gonna roll with it."

So, he completely tears
his shirt off,

And then bill comes
and grabs him and takes him.

[sentimental music]

- You see goldberg bringing
his son gage

Into the ring to celebrate.

- Man, what a moment
for goldberg and his family.

♪ ♪

There's goldberg's muse,
his inspiration, his son.

♪ ♪

- You can just see gage
couldn't be prouder.

This is his dad.

Bill couldn't be prouder.

This is his son.
And he's back.

♪ ♪

- [chuckles]
that's my boy.

[light piano music]

♪ ♪

[cheers and applause]

♪ ♪

- Oh, incredible.

- Well, guys,
I tried to tell you

About my wrestling experience.

You just lived it.
- Oh, my gosh.

- How was it?

- It was unbelievable.
- Good.

- Other than that goofy name.
It won't be on there anymore.

- It's heavy.
- Yeah.

That's what a real one's like.

[exhales]
so, did you have fun?

- Yeah.
- Sure?

- Mm-hmm.

- It was so awesome.
Oh, my god.

Ohh.

- You're a good boy.

13 years and four months

Since your daddy has had
a title.

I wear belts all the time.
That's different.

- That's gotta be a record,
though, right?

- I don't know.

All I know is y'all
are the reason why I did it.

All: Goldberg! Goldberg!
Goldberg!

Goldberg! Goldberg!

Goldberg! Goldberg!
[cheers and applause]

- Wow.

How the hell did this happen?

Well, reminiscent of my
matches, ladies and gentlemen,

Do not worry,
this will be short.

[laughter]

I owe thanks to so many people.

I truly don't believe that
there was ever a character

That depended upon so many
moving parts for its success.

♪ ♪

- He breathes smoke
and [bleep] fire.

I mean, I don't know
another way to say it.

You know, intensity
is going to be bill's legacy.

[explosions booming]

- Goldberg's legacy was
the feeling that you got

When the music
started playing.

Like, that was
goldberg's legacy.

It was that feeling
of anticipation and excitement.

Like, that is bill goldberg.

- His intensity, his power,

And the emotion
that he brought to an arena,

It'll be hard to take
that away from him.

[explosions booming]

- I don't think goldberg
fits any cookie cutter vision

Of what a hero in wrestling's
supposed to be.

I think goldberg's
a very unique character.

I think he's
a very unique persona.

I think he's a very unique man.

- [exhales] wanda.

Me erasing
my wrestling demons

And finding my peace
in the business

Was your only goal
for my comeback.

I can safely say,
as I steal a quote from you,

It's all good, baby.

[cheers and applause]

- Yes, I know
it's hard on him.

Yes, I know he ages every
single time he does a match.

But will I say "don't do it"?

Never.
I married goldberg.

- I worked my ass off.

Because I wanted it again.

It meant something to me.

It wasn't just a job.

I love you people.

I love being that guy for you.

[cheers and applause]

- He could make you believe
that he's goldberg

And that there's not a human
on the face of the planet

That can stand up to him.

♪ ♪

- Goldberg might be, like,

The last superhero
in pro wrestling.

[explosion booms]

[cheers and applause]

- Wrestling brings us
all together.

I never really
thought it would.

I always wanted to follow
a football dream.

[grunting]

♪ ♪

My inability to pursue
the dream of myself

Opened the door
to my opportunity

To being a superhero
for others.

- Do it! Do it!

- Oh, my god!

- One! Two!

- My dream was--

Of being a member
of the nfl hall of fame

Could not have gotten me
nearly as far

In being
the superhero for kids

As being inducted into
the wwe hall of fame.

And I realize...

More so than ever before,
this is where I belong.

♪ ♪

[cheers and applause]

This has been one hell
of a journey.

Which leads me
to my one final question:

Who's next?

[cheering]

Thank you very much.

[goldberg's theme playing]

♪ ♪