Heroes in Business - Bill Goldberg, WCW and WWE Legend, American Professional Wrestler, Actor, and Former NFL Defensive Tackle

Episode Date: April 4, 2025

Tune in to the Eliances Heroes Radio Show as David Cogan interviews Bill Goldberg, the legendary WCW and WWE icon! In this action-packed episode, Goldberg dives into his journey from dominating the wrestling ring to his ventures in acting and football. Don’t miss this exciting conversation with a true powerhouse! Connect with him on Instagram @Goldberg95.

Up in the sky, look, it's captivating, it's energizing, it's Alliances Heroes. Alliances is the destination for entrepreneurs, investors, CEOs, inventors, leaders, celebrities, and startups. We're our heroes in business aligned. Now, here's your host flying in, David Cogan, founder of Eliances. That's right. You know what? I've got the best job in the world. I get to interview the most incredible people

and today is no different. And by the way, thank you again for the past feedback we had when I interviewed Henrik Fisker, right? The iconic automotive designer, Ashton Martin, BMW. Make sure you go to past interviews, go to alliances, E-L-I-A-N-C-E-S.com. As you know, it's the only place where entrepreneurs align. All right, are you ready for this?

Our next hero played professional football. Now, if that's not enough, he played with the LA Rams, Atlanta Falcons, and now also too, four time, that's right, not one four time champion winning both the WCW and WWE heavyweight championships once and the WWE universal championship two times. Also inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018.

You can reach, are you ready for this? Bill Goldberg, that's right on Instagram at goldberg95 and goldbergsgarage. Bill, boy, you keep on going and we're gonna talk about also too what you're doing now, but you have got such a successful career. I gotta ask you, how do you keep the energy, I mean you kept it from beginning to now and you keep on going. What's the secret? First and foremost thank you

very much for the introduction and secondly I'd have to say my secret is once you feel like you're slipping have a kid because then you'll be on your toes the rest of your life. For one reason or another, whether it be responsibility as a parent, or whether it be trying to set a good example, or whether it be, you know, just trying to be a spotter in the weight room. But you know, the fact that I have segwayed into dad dad from all of these other titles is it's an honor and a privilege. And it's the most rewarding title that I have,

but yet it does keep me on my toes every second of the day. Let me ask you, because you spoke about that. What are some of the kind of secrets, life lessons then that you've shared with your son, in regards to being motivated, staying positive, right? All of those things keep on going that you have made you so successful. You know, there's so many cliches

and I was thinking about it the other day and I, in this day and age with the landscape, I don't know if they a hundred percent apply like they used to, but you know, one of the foundations for me being the human being that I am is based upon the fact that I treat people the way I want to be treated. At the end of the day, that's the most important thing in life. And to set that example for my son, for your kids, for anyone who would follow in your footsteps and anyone who would look up to you for one reason or another, I think

that's the biggest lesson, the most important lesson to pass down. That don't ever give up. I could sit here for an hour and spit out 50 cliches that apply and apply every day to my son, but you don't have pride in what you do, don't do anything unless you wanna be the best at it. Give 100% effort in everything you got and don't ever give up and be a leader. Like I say, I could go on and on and on,

but everything that my dad really stressed when I was a kid has just transpired from me or from him to me in the role that I play as father now. It's the most difficult role that I played my entire life. That's for damn sure. Right, right. And Bill, again, when you're, whether playing football or wrestling,

I mean, you're on, I mean, you're on the entire time. And at wrestling, like what, how do you, just what's like the formula to get that attraction, to get those people to, right, to focus in on you? I mean, you know, besides the energy part, like what's going through your mind of, okay, there's this huge crowd here. I mean, certainly different from the beginning

till, you know, when you had more you had more, continue to have more experience in that, but each time you were on game. Well, I mean, I'm a perfectionist. No matter if it was football, whether it's professional wrestling or whether it's playing Joey Battle on the longest yard, it doesn't matter. I try to give the best professional wrestling or in the professional wrestling world is that you have a light switch. It's not as constantly on as on the football field, no question. But you have to have the ability to turn it on and off.

You have to have the ability to go from zero to 100 miles an hour in a split second and then back to zero. You talk about preparation. Let's forget about all of it until like five minutes before you get in the ring. You have so many things going through your head, whether it's completing the match 100% safe, telling that story as realistic as humanly possible. Fan interaction.

There's so many things to think about. It's really tough to to kind of explain it because it's a I don't even know how to explain it. There's so many things going on. You just have to be able to turn that light switch on and off And you have to be able to when you walk through that curtain To give them a hundred percent of your energy every single time But when you walk back through that curtain and you go backstage you have to have the ability to turn it off

so it's a It's a true skill to be able to do that. Right. You must've slept like a baby at the end of each match at night. Well, I did and I didn't because you know, it's, it, you look at a special forces, um, personnel, um, you look at the stress they go through physically and mentally, and then afterwards afterwards after their mission is completed It's hard to wind down. It's hard to turn it off immediately. I give you the light switch reference, but

The power bar is still running on that light switch once you turn it turn it off so it's a it's a slow process process to be able to really calm down. But throughout the years you just learn to be better at it. Excellent. And again, we have with us Bill Goldberg. He's the famous WWE wrestler, played for LA Rams, Atlanta Falcons, multiple champion. And thank you again to a member of the Rams, Atlanta Falcons, multiple champion. And thank you again to a member of alliances, Steven Johnson for nominating you to be on the show.

We're very honored to have you here today. All right, let's get into hobbies. All right, talk to me about some of your favorite hobbies. Cause. Well, I'm sitting in my favorite hobby room. My 15,000 square foot monstrosity I call Goldberg's Garage. I'm an avid car collector.

I have been for 30 years. I am very passionate about the automobile. I remember growing up and I remember the cars that my parents would have and I remember the experiences we had in them and I remember my buddies and their older brothers who had these cool hot rods and muscle cars back in the the late 60s and 70s and it was a it was a really cool time for the automotive industry. And my dad was a Jaguar guy. And my brothers turned into car guys. And then it had no chance of not trickling down to me.

So what you see behind you is about 35 cars that I've collected throughout the years. That each and every one of them tell a story. what you see behind you is about 35 cars that I've collected throughout the years that that each and each and every one of them tell a story. Each and every one has a special place in my heart because of a certain certain experience that I had in that car or a car similar to it. So you know that and on top of the Goldberg's garage is Goldberg's gym. So, wonderful and nice and relaxing and It's it's just a it's a totally different life encompassing nothing but Taking in the sights, you know I enjoy enjoying your past accomplishments and and kind of relaxing a little bit and taking it all in that's that's what I do Out here in Texas. All right. I want to do some snooping now we're gonna do some snooping right now

because those of you that are watching online see those of you that are listening. So he's in his garage right now. There's a whole lot of things hanging on the wall behind and all that. What's one of the items, if you had to choose one that kind of maybe means the most to you that we can actually maybe see behind you

because I know you again have quite a bit more on that. What would that piece be? Yeah, I'd have to say my Atlanta Falcons jersey there over my right shoulder. That would be my, excuse me, my left shoulder. There it is right there, number 71. You know, that was my dream. That I was born in a football helmet, they like to say.

And I had two older brothers who played major college football up in Minnesota. And they're 16 and 18 years older than I am. And I, I aspired to be nothing more in life than a professional football player. And I was lucky enough to attain that goal. It was for a short period of time. I very much value that short period. It means the world to me. And it means that I accomplished the goal that I had set out for my entire life. And I was able to live that dream for a little

while. It was the best experience of my life. Other than being married and having a son, it was hands down the best experience I've ever had. So bar none, that Falcons jersey is the most sentimental thing on that wall right there. Bill, most memorable experience, what would that have been? You know, you, cause again, you've had and created so many things, made so much joy to people's lives What would be if there was one most memorable experience?

And why is it is an athletically related or just memorable experience period? I I would say um, well, let's do one which most memorable fight in the ring and then overall most memorable match I ever had was was hands down against Hollywood Hogan in Atlanta in front of 40 something thousand people announced four days before live on television and it was wasn't a pay-per-view it was a live event. What made it very special to me was that when we went off the air and I was continually being beaten up by Hulk Hogan and his goons, the Atlanta Falcons came to my aid and they were the guys that I aspired to be my entire life,

guys that I would have died for. And at that moment, they wanted to be in my shoes. They reveled in the fact that they were in my workplace and they were kids in the candy store. It was the coolest thing. Just sitting back in the corner and just watching that for five minutes was the coolest five minutes of my life. Absolutely incredible, incredible. I mean, again, we've been very successful.

So what do you do in your free time? I try to help as many people as humanly possible, whether it be kids or whether it be, you know, our military living out here near San Antonio and moving from Oceanside, California. I never thought I'd be in a more military-centric place, but God has rewarded me for putting me in a place that has more veterans per capita, I think, than anyone or any other place in the country. But anything I can do for current servicemen and women and current service men and women and veterans, that's my calling. Quite obviously anything for children also.

One of the best experiences of my life was at a wrestling match in Jacksonville, Florida. And the Wolfson's Children's Hospital, Wolfson's Children's Cancer Hospital was down there in Jacksonville and that's that's part of my family and I was able to open that up with them. The beautiful ceremony was a number of years ago and the smiles we were able to put on those kids faces was it was it was a moment I'll never forget but you know to be able to recreate stuff like that as often as humanly possible, that's my goal in life.

Obviously my number one responsibility is my family. And beyond that, taking care of them, I'm a man of the people. So I try to do as much for the community as humanly possible. Well, definitely have made an impact on other people's lives and you continue to do that, Bill Goldberg again, thank you so much for being here. LA Rams played for Atlanta Falcons, WWE world champion, WCW and continues to

make an impact on others. And again, make sure that you follow him on Instagram at Goldberg95 and at Goldberg's Garage. This has been David Cogan with the Alliance's Hero Show. Make sure you stand by because we have coming up the founders of a well-known wine company, which you'll know. So make sure that you stand by.

And again, this is Ben David Kogan with the E-Lion's Hero Show. And Bill you got to dance with me too.