As he prepares for his co-main event championship match this Saturday at SummerSlam, Goldberg recently spoke to the panel from WWE’s The Bump on where his head’s at heading into this career-altering title match against Bobby Lashley. But first, he expressed how thrilled he is to perform in front of a crowd for the first time in over a year.
“Here’s the reality: what we do is 90 percent for the fans,” Goldberg said right off the bat. “And to have them back and to have their interactions – either with their smiling faces or whatever it may be – it provides the boost that we need as performers. Hats off to everybody who made the ThunderDome possible. It was a cornucopia of people trying to provide an experience for people under the pandemic. But it fell way short than what we’re used to.
“It’s going to be a surreal experience to go out there in the stadium – in a football stadium no less – and be able to entertain for all of the fans in real-time. To get to see them yell at you or cheer for you is an honor that I can’t wait to experience.”
This leads to them talking about his soon-to-be epic clashing with Lashley for the WWE Championship on Saturday. Goldberg mentions that while “The All-Mighty” is an opponent he’s wanted to face for some time now, he won’t let this opportunity slip from his fingers.
“First and foremost, he [Bobby Lashley] is an opponent that I’ve wanted to face for a very long time,” Goldberg mentioned. “I don’t know why we haven’t crossed paths my first 15 forays at the WWE, but it’s going to happen now. He’s a worthy opponent; there’s no doubt about it.
“Like I said, if I was 25, 55, or 105, I still think that I can pose a big threat to him, but he doesn’t think so. But that’s his problem. He will see the difference on Saturday. I’m still the Goldberg of old there’s no doubt about it.”
When Goldberg first returned to WWE in 2016, it was to replicate the bad-ass offense he once showcased during his time in WCW and WWE before leaving in 2004. Now that he’s a family man, he also made this comeback to show his son and wife just how willing he is to put his body on the line again to provide them a better life and to teach his son that anything is possible in life.
“I never really wanted to get my family involved into my business because it’s collateral damage – it’s another target,” Goldberg revealed when making his comeback to WWE five years ago. “Everybody knows that 100 percent of my reasoning behind coming back was because of my family. My son, my wife, [they] had never seen me wrestle. My wife didn’t even know who the hell I was when we met.
“It’s not that I had something to prove to anybody, but it’s something that if I could make happen, I wanted it to happen. As Ric Flair said, ‘Those are very special times.’ It’s an honor and a privilege to have that time and to be able to provide a moment like that for my son. I do hope and pray it doesn’t backfire.”
Speaking of his son, with recent appearances on Monday Night RAW, Goldberg said he would never steer Gage away from potentially getting into the pro-wrestling industry. He does specify that he would educate his son on how to move forward since he will become a prime target as a second generational wrestler – a controversy that has left many generational wrestlers going the distance to prove they aren’t trying to take the easy way out or milk their families success for their own luxury.
“I don’t want to choose his path. The kid’s 15-years-old, and he’s a hell of a baseball player and a hell of a football player. And if one day he wanted to step in the ring, you know, I would support it 100 percent,” Goldberg answered. “But I would also let him know to be prepared to be a target, as he is probably right now. As a father, I would be behind him 100 percent. Just know, if he did, he would be the biggest and baddest to ever step in the ring, just like his dad.”
