Heroes in Business - Bill Goldberg, WCW and WWE legend, an American Professional Wrestler, Actor and Former American Football Defensive Tackle

Episode Date: August 29, 2024

Catch David Cogan on the Eliances Heroes Radio Show as he sits down with Bill Goldberg, the legendary figure in WCW and WWE wrestling. In this high-energy episode, Goldberg shares his experiences from his powerhouse wrestling career to his roles in acting and football. Don’t miss this chance to hear firsthand from a true icon about the thrills and challenges of his diverse career! You can reach him in 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 where our heroes in business align now here's your host flying in, David Kogan, founder of Eliance's. 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 Eliance's, E-L-I-A-N-C-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 two 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 Goldberg's Garage. Bill, boy, you keep on going, and we're going to talk about also, too, what you're doing now, but you have got such a successful career. I got to 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 uh 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 uh you know just trying to be a spotter in the weight room but you know the fact that i have segued into dad from all of these other titles is uh it's an honor and a privilege and

it's the most uh 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, you know, in regards to, you know, being motivated, staying positive, right? All 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 100% 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, that I think that's the biggest lesson, the most important lesson to pass, pass down that, you know, 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 know, have pride in what you do don't do anything unless you want to be the best at it you know um give 100 effort and everything you got and uh don't ever give up and and uh be a leader and 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,

you know, transpired from me or from him to me. And the role that I play as father now, it's, it's the most difficult role that I played my entire life. That's for damn sure. Right. Right. And Bill, again, you know, 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 what's like the formula to get that attraction to get those people to write to focus in on you? I mean, you know, besides the energy part, like what's going through your mind of, OK, there's this huge crowd here. I mean, certainly different from the beginning till, you know, when you had more, you know, 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 on the longest yard it doesn't matter

I I try to give the best and and give 100 every single thing that I do and um you know it's it's tough to you like to say the best analogy as a performer 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 um you have so many things going through your head whether it's um uh completing the match uh a hundred percent safe uh telling that story as realistic as humanly possible, fan interaction.

There's so many things to think about. It's really tough 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 uh to give them 100 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 each 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, 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 off. So it's a slow process to be able to really calm down but um you know throughout the years you just learn to be learn to be better at it excellent and again we have with us um bill goldberg he's the famous you know wwe wrestler uh played for la rams atlanta falcons um multiple champion and thank you again 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. So let's get into hobbies. All right. Talk to me about some of your favorite hobbies. 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'm 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 late 60s and 70s.

And 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. Each and every one has a special place in my heart because of a 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 upstairs, we got about a a 3 500 square foot weight room that

i've been cultivating my son in for the past four years so um that's that's i don't know that and and firearms i'd have to say living out here in texas on a couple hundred acres and the animals that we have are wonderful and nice and relaxing and uh it's, it's just a, it's a totally different life encompassing nothing but taking in the sights, you know, enjoying, 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 going to 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 in that. What would that piece be yeah i'd have to say my uh atlanta falcons jersey there over my right shoulder that would be my excuse me my left shoulder there it is right there number 71 uh you know that was 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 aspire 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, because 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? Because, 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 athletically related or just memorable experience, period? I would say, well, let's do one most memorable fight in ever had was was hands down against uh hollywood hogan in atlanta in front of 40 something thousand people uh announced four days before live on television and it was wasn't a pay-per-view it was a live event um 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, you know, 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 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 uh with them the beautiful ceremony it was a number of years ago and the smiles we were able to put on those kids faces was it was uh 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. 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 Kogan with the Alliance's Hero Show.

Make sure you stand by because we have coming up the founders, right, of a well-known wine company, which you'll know. So make sure that you stand by. And again, this has been David Kogan with the Alliance's Hero Show. And Bill, you got to dance with me too.