The Voice of Wrestling with Chris Cash and Nick âThe Man of 1000 Namesâ had the opportunity to interview Bill Goldberg this past Monday. Topics included his disdain toward the wrestling business, what WWE could have done to utilize him better, another major reason he decided not to work with TNA outside of the insulting offer, his critics, and much more. You can listen to the interview at the links below. The Voice of Wrestling airs live every Monday evening from 7:00-9:00 EST, exclusively on WrestleZone.com. Bret Hart is scheduled the first week of June and we are now taking questions for him via email at VoiceofWrestling@aol.com.
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Bill Goldberg Recap:
Bill puts over his new coffee line, Jackhammer Java, that you can check out at LegendsCupCoffee.com. Due to the fact that Bill Goldberg drinks a half a pot of coffee each day, the idea of his own coffee seemed to fit. Nick asked what made it âJackhammeryâ and whether one cup of it equaled a half a pot of coffee �” Bill jokingly agreed saying that the caffeine level was the same. Also, a percentage of every sale will be donated to the âDoor of Faithâ orphanage.
Down to business at hand, Chris jumps into the wrestling questions by simply asking Bill whether he saw himself ever returning to a mainstream wrestling company again. âI don’t foresee that ever coming to pass,â Goldberg began, âwith my disdain for everything and everybody up in the WWE pretty muchâ. He continues by saying it’s really a âphilosophical differenceâ between him and the WWE and a âlack of visionâ of TNA to bring someone like him in as the main reasons why he’ll likely never be apart of those companies.
As far as TNA is specifically concerned, Bill mentions that at first he saw an effort by them to really get out there and try and compete with the WWE. Despite some differences between him and a couple of members of their creative team (later revealed to be Vince Russo), Sting was a good friend of his and he was open to talking with âDaisyâ. After a quick correction and a good laugh over the name, Bill continued explaining how they made him an insulting monetary offer. âAfter that I totally realized that either the other guys took a lot less money than I thought they did or they undercut meâ.
Chris then asked why Goldberg wouldn’t take a little less from TNA to get back in the business specifically for his wrestling fans. After stating the well-known fact that he was a football player by heart and not a wrestling fan (outside of watching it a little with his grandma when he was a kid), he explained how wrestling was an âopportunityâ for him when he was forced to stop playing football due to injury. Despite owing a majority of his success to the wrestling business, that’s not enough for him to take a very âunreasonable offerâ to go back because of his love for the business.
He added, ânor would it even come close to me going to work for a guy like Vince Russo who I absolutely despised when I worked with him in the pastâ. Due to the the insulting offer and Vince Russo making it that much worse, it simply wasn’t enough. Bill does mention that if it were football, he would go back in a heartbeat, yet wrestling is a âtotal businessâ nowadays, it’s no longer for kids, they push the envelope, and he chooses not to be apart of it. âThat’s my choice,â he continued, âand you and the fans and everybody else can look at me anyway they want, but until you walk in my shows and experience what I’ve experienced…â. Bill does mention that if it weren’t for the fans, he would have not been in the wrestling business as long as he was.
How about more quotes from Bill Goldberg on Vince Russo:
– âI just didn’t like his philosophy periodâ.
– âI can’t really put a finger on what I didn’t like, I just didn’t like the guy, and that’s my God-given rightâ.
– âLet’s be honest…to go and take a huge cut in salary to go work for a guy like Vince Russo and at the time to be wrestling in front of 1500-2000 people, I don’t foresee that as the logical option for me to takeâ.
– âHave everybody put themselves in my position…there’s not one redeeming quality of the TNA organization that would have wanted to bring me backâ. âIf there was a huge amount of money and I had the creative control that I’ve always had, then I might be able to deal with a guy like Vince Russoâ.
As far as whether anything has changed recently between him and TNA, âabsolutely notâ. However, Goldberg did mention that if they had a reasonable offer for him, they could still reach out and he would look at it. âOther than that, I’ll be damned if I reach out to anybody like that. It’s just not going to happenâ.
Regarding WWE, Goldberg was asked what he could have seen (in hindsight now) working better for him while he was there. âYou know what? It all boils down to the fact that I wasn’t a Vince McMahon product, period.â Despite being Bill Goldberg and on a higher level than most of those the talent that came over from WCW, Bill admits that he still had that proverbial glass ceiling there in WWE. The difference between him and the majority of the others is that he âdoesn’t take crap from anyoneâ. âYou don’t put a guy like me through a trial process and try to break him mentally and try to show your power…I’m not a guy that does that. I don’t care how much I get paid, I’m never going to compromise my morality. It’s not gonna happenâ.
Nick asks for Bill to elaborate on how he feels his morality was compromised. He was quick to answer: âAll the mind games, the backstabbing, and the creative crap…everybody knows thatâ. Again comparing himself to the other wrestlers there, Bill brings up how he doesn’t care what he says and will always speak the truth. âI don’t have to rely on getting a job from Vince McMahon,â he continued, âthe other guys have to. They choose not to speak their minds, I think, because at the end of the day, if they need a job, then they don’t want to bury their opportunityâ. As far as what they could have done better creatively, he admits that he’s not a booker and doesn’t know. He simply knows that they didn’t use him right.
Goldberg continues with Chris and Nick talking about UFC and the crossover between that business and wrestling, whether it’s hurting the wrestling industry, and if WWE and TNA should try to change their product to a more reality-based theme to try and compete. Again, you can tune in to the interview by clicking the links above. Do not forget that Bret Hart will be the guest on the Voice of Wrestling the first week of June, yet VOW airs live every Monday night from 7:00-9:00 EST with a guest nearly every week along with great wrestling discussion and debates.
