In an interview with Inside the Ropes in May 2017, WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg opened up about his tumultuous entry into WWE back in 2003. The legendary wrestler, who had made his mark in rival promotion WCW from 1997 to 2001, joined WWE after his contract with Time Warner concluded, marking a significant shift in his career during a highly competitive era known as the Monday Night Wars.
Goldberg described his entry into WWE as akin to “jumping into a fire pit with no way out.” Having been part of WCW, which was in fierce competition with WWE, Goldberg felt the weight of his past allegiances. “I was their competition, along with everyone else, for a long time, and we didn’t look favourably upon our competition. Now we find ourselves working with the competition, and everything we did will be held against us,” Goldberg recalled.
He detailed an early incident meant to embarrass him, orchestrated by WWE shortly after his arrival. In April 2003, Goldberg was involved in a skit with Dustin Rhodes, known as Goldust, where he was made to wear a wig. “After two weeks, they put a wig on me. You think it might have had something to do with the fact that we were neck and neck with them, and I might have been one of the guys who helped, and they had some feelings about that, and they wanted to diminish the character? I don’t know, at the end of the day it was what it was, and if it wasn’t Dustin, then I never would have done it because he’s a buddy of mine,” Goldberg explained.
The transition to WWE proved to be a substantial challenge for Goldberg. Unlike his time in WCW, where he had known many of his colleagues for years due to his football career, WWE was an entirely different environment. “It was tough, it was a totally different deal. Before WCW, I played football in the area, I played college football, I played pro football, and I knew most of the guys for a long period of time prior to wrestling. That was not the case in WWE. Totally different,” Goldberg shared. He highlighted the distance and unfamiliarity with WWE’s management in Stamford, Connecticut, and the roster, which he initially viewed as adversaries.
Despite high-profile feuds with The Rock, Triple H, and Brock Lesnar, Goldberg’s tenure in WWE was short-lived. His one-year contract culminated at WrestleMania XX in March 2004, after which he departed the company, not to return until over a decade later in 2016.
In a more recent development, Goldberg appeared to take a verbal jab at Bret Hart, referencing a controversial moment from their match at WCW Starrcade 1999. The kick delivered by Goldberg to Hart’s head prematurely ended Hart’s in-ring career, a point of contention that has lingered for years. Goldberg’s comment, perceived as a slight towards Hart, has reignited discussions among wrestling fans about that fateful match and its aftermath.
