Football career

Bill Goldberg

No. 71, 73
Position:	Defensive tackle
Personal information
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	266 lb (121 kg)
Career information
High school:	Tulsa (OK) Edison
College:	Georgia
NFL draft:	1990 / Round: 11 / Pick: 302
Career history
Los Angeles Rams (1990-1991)* Sacramento Surge (1992) Sacramento Gold Miners (1993) Atlanta Falcons (1993-1994) Carolina Panthers (1995)*
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
World Bowl champion (II)
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 14 Games started: 1 Tackles: 11 Player stats at NFL.com

Goldberg earned a scholarship to play for the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team where he served as a defensive tackle. He was taken by the Los Angeles Rams in the 11th round, with the 302nd overall selection, in the 1990 NFL draft.

He played for the Los Angeles Rams in the 1990 NFL season, followed by a stint with the CFL Sacramento Gold Miners and Atlanta Falcons from 1992 to 1994. After being cut from the Falcons, in 1995 he was selected by the new expansion team, the Carolina Panthers, in the 1995 NFL expansion draft, but never played a game with the team. He was the first player to have been cut by the Panthers.

Goldberg's NFL career ended when he "tore his lower abdomen off his pelvis". He had hopes of returning to the league after rehabilitation but, due to his lack of success, wasn't considered a major asset. Goldberg has described playing in the NFL as "a mixed emotional experience" because, despite reaching the goal of simply playing in the NFL, he didn't obtain the level of achievement that he desired.

Professional wrestling career

World Championship Wrestling

Training and early matches (1996-1997)

During the rehab following his NFL injury, Goldberg began powerlifting and mixed martial arts training. He was spotted by Lex Luger and Sting who urged him to try professional wrestling. Although not a fan of professional wrestling, he saw it as an alternative to his fledgling football career and began training at the WCW Power Plant.

Working as Bill Gold, Goldberg made five appearances. The first was on a dark match at a Monday Nitro event on June 23, 1997 where he defeated Buddy Lee Parker. He would also face and defeat Buddy Landell (Saturday Night dark match), Hugh Morrus (house show), Chip Minton (Nitro dark match) and John Betcha (house show). His final pre-televised appearance was in dark match on July 24 at Saturday Night taping, a loss to Chad Fortune.

Undefeated streak (1997-1998)

On the September 22 episode of Nitro, Bill Goldberg defeated Hugh Morrus in his debut match. Soon afterward, he began to dish out quick lessons to his fellow WCW wrestlers in the range of 1-2 minutes. Goldberg's succession of wins saw him quickly advance up the card, and he was pushed as a singles wrestler. The newcomer captivated fans with his monstrous yet silent charisma, brute strength, and agility that saw him vault the ropes, perform high kicks and even the occasional backflip. Goldberg made his pay-per-view debut at Starrcade defeating Steve McMichael. In early 1998, Goldberg squashed Brad Armstrong at SuperBrawl VIII and pinned Perry Saturn at Spring Stampede. In mid-March, WCW stopped referring to him by his full name, shortening it to simply Goldberg. Around this time, WCW began counting Goldberg's consecutive wins on television as he continued to climb up the ranks. Goldberg's win over Saturn was his 74th consecutive without a loss, and the next night on Nitro he challenged Raven for the United States Heavyweight Championship that Raven had won the night before at Spring Stampede. Despite interference from Raven's Flock, Goldberg overpowered them all and defeated Raven to win his first professional wrestling championship. Two days later, on the April 22 episode of Thunder, he made his first successful title defense against Mike Enos. Goldberg then started a feud with Raven and The Flock. At Slamboree, he ended his feud with The Flock after a successful title defense against Saturn. Goldberg would continue to make successful title defenses against Konnan at The Great American Bash and Curt Hennig. By this time, he had adopted the catchphrase "Who's next?" in reference to his rapidly expanding winning streak.

As Goldberg was getting over as a main eventer, he continued to defend the United States Heavyweight Championship and was slowly becoming a contender for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship that was held by New World Order (nWo) leader Hollywood Hogan. Hogan eventually promised Goldberg a title match, which was to take place on the July 6, 1998 episode of Nitro. However, Hogan elected instead to make Goldberg earn it in a match with his stablemate Scott Hall which Goldberg won. Goldberg was able to defeat Hogan later in the evening to become world champion, in turn vacating his United States Heavyweight Championship. At Road Wild, Goldberg won a battle royal, consisting of nWo members.

After Diamond Dallas Page became the number one contender for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, Goldberg and Page began a feud with each other. At Halloween Havoc, the feud was settled after Goldberg defeated Page to retain the title. According to Goldberg, his match against Page was the favourite match of his career. At Starrcade, Goldberg's undefeated streak was ended at a cited 173 victories when he lost his title to Kevin Nash after Scott Hall, disguised as a ringside security guard, made a run-in and shocked Goldberg with a taser gun. Goldberg, however, avenged this act by facing Hall at Souled Out, in a ladder taser match. Goldberg won when he used the taser, which was hung high above the ring, requiring the ladder to obtain it. At the same time, the WWF began mocking Goldberg with the character Gillberg, a perennial jobber who dressed similarly to Goldberg and mocked his signature entrance and mannerisms, but was small and scrawny, using the catchphrase "Who's First?" since he never won.

Exaggeration

Goldberg's win-loss record at WCW events from 1997-1998 differs from that which was perpetuated by the company; the official 173-0 figure exaggerates the number of staged matches in which he actually participated. Goldberg's then-WCW peer Chris Jericho said that the actual match count did not "even come close to the number of matches they were claiming". Manager Jimmy Hart, also a colleague of Goldberg's in WCW, regarded the level of embellishment as "kind of funny". Veteran wrestler The Miz summarized: "The number would just go on and on and on, to where it was like, 'Wait a second. How did he get this many wins in such a short time'?" In their book, The Death of WCW, pro wrestling journalists Bryan Alvarez and R. D. Reynolds recalled how the exaggeration damaged the credibility of Goldberg's streak among the pro wrestling audience:

One week, announcer Schiavone's number didn't jive with the number the hardcores had. Then, the next week, it was even farther off. As it turned out, in a lame effort to make his streak appear more meaningful, the company had started to add imaginary numbers to the total. This had the exact opposite of its intended effect, as once fans figured out that the streak number had become fiction, all those signs fans had been bringing to the arenas trumpeting Goldberg's record disappeared.

Championship pursuits and last feuds (1998-2001)

At Spring Stampede, Goldberg gained his revenge against Nash by defeating him. Then at Slamboree the following month, Goldberg was "injured" in an attack by Rick and Scott Steiner and took some time off to prepare for his movie debut in 1999 film Universal Soldier: The Return alongside Timecop film star Jean-Claude Van Damme. He returned two months later and defeated Rick Steiner at Road Wild. Goldberg then restarted his feud with DDP also involving Page's allies, The Jersey Triad, which culminated in a match at Fall Brawl that Goldberg won. After Goldberg settled his rivalry with Page, he began focusing on Sid Vicious and challenged him to a match to end Sid's winning streak. The two feuded with each other, which culminated in a match at Halloween Havoc for Sid's United States Heavyweight title. Goldberg defeated Sid via referee stoppage, and thus won his second United States Heavyweight Championship. Later that night, he answered an open challenge from WCW World Heavyweight Champion Sting and defeated him to win the championship. On the next night's episode of Nitro, commissioner J.J. Dillon ruled that the match had not been sanctioned by WCW and that, therefore, Goldberg's victory was void. Sting, however, was not given the title back due to his attack on a referee during the event and Dillon announced a 32-man tournament for the now-vacant title which included Goldberg.

Goldberg wrestled Bret Hart on the same Nitro in the first round of the tournament in a match that also served as the first defense of his newly won United States Heavyweight Championship. Sid Vicious managed to interfere in the contest and cost Goldberg the match, thus giving him his second career loss, costing him the title, and eliminating him from the tournament which was eventually won by Hart at Mayhem in November. Goldberg continued his rivalry with Vicious and defeated him in an "I Quit" match at Mayhem to close their feud. Shortly thereafter, Goldberg joined forces with Hart, teaming with him to defeat Creative Control for the WCW World Tag Team Championship. One week later, they lost the title to The Outsiders (Scott Hall and Kevin Nash).

At Starrcade, Goldberg challenged Hart for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship; in the course of the match, Goldberg delivered a stiff kick to Hart's head, legitimately giving him a concussion and tearing a muscle in his neck. Hart continued on, suffering what he believed to be at least one other concussion when he hit his head on the floor while executing a ringpost-assisted figure-four leglock. The match ended when Roddy Piper, the special guest referee for the contest, declared Hart the winner despite Goldberg never having tapped out to the Sharpshooter. Hart vacated the title the next night on Nitro, saying he did not want to win that way, and gave Goldberg a rematch. Goldberg was defeated again due to outside interference from Hall and Nash, who came to the ring brandishing baseball bats which they used to attack Goldberg. In a swerve, Hart took one of the bats from The Outsiders and began beating on Goldberg himself, doing enough damage to score the pin and regain his championship. After the match, Hall, Nash, Hart and Jeff Jarrett announced the reformation of the nWo and gave Goldberg a new target for a feud that, however, would not last long.

Shortly after his title match loss, Goldberg injured himself on the December 23, 1999 episode of Thunder, during a sequence where he chased the nWo limousine into the parking lot. A spot in the sequence called for Goldberg to pound on the windshield of the limousine with his hands. To ensure his safety, Goldberg had assistance from a piece of metal pipe and his hands were covered in black tape. After this, Goldberg was to break some of the vehicle's windows. There were four windows on the side of the limousine and Goldberg broke the first two with his hands. He then got aggressive, putting his forearm through the third window and immediately gashing it. Goldberg finished the sequence by pounding on the hood of the limo with his bloody arm, but immediately after it ended he was taken from the arena and rushed to a nearby hospital where the wound was patched. Goldberg lost a large amount of blood due to the accident. The injury caused Goldberg to miss the January 4, 2000 New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) Tokyo Dome show, where he was scheduled to face Manabu Nakanishi. After taking time off to recuperate, Goldberg returned to WCW on the May 29, 2000 episode of Nitro interfering in a handicap match between Kevin Nash and the team of Tank Abbott and Rick Steiner . At The Great American Bash, Goldberg betrayed Nash during Nash's world championship match against Jeff Jarrett and turned heel for the first time in his career, aligning himself with The New Blood faction. This did not last long, as Goldberg would again be lost to injury and miss time. As a result of this betrayal, Goldberg feuded with Nash and defeated him at Bash at the Beach, with help from fellow New Blood member Scott Steiner. Goldberg participated in a triangle number one contender's match against Nash and Steiner at New Blood Rising, which Nash won. Goldberg walked out of the match midway through while Nash had him ready for the Jackknife Powerbomb and swore at Vince Russo as he left the ring, turning face again. He then began a rivalry with Steiner, culminating in a no disqualification match at Fall Brawl which Goldberg lost due to outside interference.

After his loss to Steiner, Goldberg's rivalry with Russo accelerated and in October, having finally had enough, Russo gave Goldberg an ultimatum. If Goldberg was to lose another match at any point in time, unless he managed to duplicate his undefeated streak from 1997 to 1998, his career would be over and he would be forced to retire from professional wrestling. Goldberg defeated KroniK (Brian Adams and Bryan Clark) at Halloween Havoc in a handicap elimination match. He then started a feud with Lex Luger. This culminated in a match at Mayhem, which Goldberg won. They continued their rivalry and battled in a rematch at Starrcade. Goldberg won the match, but afterwards he was attacked by Luger's partner Buff Bagwell. Goldberg feuded with both Luger and Bagwell, who called themselves "Totally Buffed". His streak was broken at Sin when Goldberg, teaming with his Power Plant trainer Dewayne Bruce, lost to Totally Buffed in a tag team no disqualification match after a "fan" maced him, enabling Totally Buffed to pin him. The storyline was intended to enable Goldberg to have shoulder surgery, but WCW was sold to the WWF in March 2001, while Goldberg was still recuperating. The WWF did not buy out Goldberg's contract with Time Warner (the parent company of WCW) as they had done with several other WCW employees, so he was not involved in the WWF "Invasion" angle. Goldberg instead remained under contract to Time Warner until May 2002, when he agreed on a contract buyout. He was WCW's highest paid athlete, alongside Bret Hart, earning 2.5 million dollars per year, a sum which would've risen to 3.5 million in the final year of his contract, due to have expired in July 2003.

All Japan Pro Wrestling (2002-2003)

Goldberg had suffered an arm injury during the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race at the Long Beach Grand Prix in April 2002. In August 2002, he returned to the ring in Japan. He initially joined All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), defeating Satoshi Kojima and Taiyō Kea. He went on to defeat Rick Steiner in a match for the W-1 promotion, and teamed with Keiji Mutoh to defeat KroniK. His success in Japan led to the WWF - now renamed World Wrestling Entertainment - to begin contract negotiations with him.

World Wrestling Entertainment (2003-2004)

WWE World Heavyweight Champion

After leaving Japan, Goldberg signed a one-year contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in March 2003, debuting on the March 31 episode of Raw, the night after WrestleMania XIX. Immediately, he began a feud with The Rock by spearing him. Their rivalry intensified when The Rock held a segment entitled The Rock Concert, where he taunted Goldberg along with Gillberg. He defeated The Rock in his debut match at Backlash. The match was won by Goldberg following three spears and a Jackhammer. Goldberg went undefeated over the subsequent half-year, defeating 3-Minute Warning in his first match on Raw. Goldberg defeated Christian on the following episode of Raw in a steel cage match.

Goldberg next feuded with Chris Jericho. During Jericho's first edition of the Highlight Reel, an interview show, where Goldberg was the guest, he complained that no one wanted Goldberg in WWE and continued to insult him in the following weeks. On the May 12 episode of Raw, a mystery assailant attempted to run over Goldberg with a limousine. A week later, the Raw co-general manager, Stone Cold Steve Austin, interrogated several superstars to find out who was driving the car. One of the interrogatees was Lance Storm, who admitted that he was the assailant. Austin forced Storm into a match with Goldberg, who defeated Storm. After the match, Goldberg forced Storm to admit that Jericho was the superstar who conspired Storm into running him over. On the May 26 episode of Raw, Goldberg was once again a guest on the Highlight Reel. Jericho expressed jealousy towards Goldberg's success in WCW and felt that since joining WWE, he had achieved everything he had ever wanted in his career and all that was left was to defeat Goldberg and challenged him to a match. At Bad Blood, Goldberg settled the score with Jericho and pinned him.

Goldberg entered a rivalry with Triple H, challenging him for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam in the second Elimination Chamber match in WWE; after squashing and eliminating Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels and Jericho, he was pinned by Triple H after Ric Flair threw a sledgehammer inside the Chamber. Triple H proceeded to attack Goldberg with the sledgehammer and as a result, Triple H retained the title. Goldberg continued his feud with Triple H and finally defeated him for the World Heavyweight Championship at Unforgiven, after agreeing to put his career on the line. The next night on Raw, Goldberg successfully retained the championship against Chris Jericho. A week later, Triple H issued a $100,000 bounty to anybody who could take Goldberg out of the game. Steven Richards, Mark Henry, La Résistance and Tommy Dreamer all attempted to collect the bounty, but were unsuccessful. On the October 20 episode of Raw, Batista collected the bounty after he interfered in Goldberg's title defense against Shawn Michaels and attacked Goldberg, placing a folding chair around Goldberg's ankle and jumping off the middle rope onto the chair, shattering his ankle. Furious, Goldberg demanded a match against Batista. Triple H, however, got involved in the match between Goldberg and Batista trying to cripple Goldberg, but Goldberg fought back and speared Triple H before attacking Batista with a sledgehammer. At Survivor Series, Goldberg retained his championship against Triple H despite interference from Evolution.

On the November 17 episode of Raw, Goldberg faced Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista in a handicap match, but was pinned following an RKO, a Batista Bomb and finally a Pedigree. After the match, Kane unexpectedly came out to seemingly assist Goldberg after Evolution continued their assault on him following the match. After scaring off Evolution, however, he turned on Goldberg and chokeslammed him. The following week, Kane attacked Goldberg again while he was defending his championship against Triple H in a rematch from Survivor Series and later that night, expressed his desire to face Goldberg for the title. Raw general manager Eric Bischoff announced that Goldberg would be defending his championship against both Kane and Triple H in a triple threat match at Armageddon. Goldberg teamed with Shawn Michaels and Rob Van Dam to face and defeat Kane, Batista and Orton in a six-man tag team match. On the December 8 episode of Raw, Goldberg faced Kane in a lumberjack match which ended in a disqualification when Evolution and Mark Henry entered the ring and assaulted Goldberg. At Armageddon, Goldberg ultimately lost the title when Triple H pinned him after interference from Evolution and a chokeslam from Kane.

Feud with Brock Lesnar and departure

The Survivor Series 2003 also marked the first time Goldberg crossed paths with a physically similar Brock Lesnar by interrupting Lesnar after the latter remarked that he could beat anyone in the world. At the time of Survivor Series both men were World Heavyweight and WWE Champions respectively. The feud escalated at the Royal Rumble when Goldberg (now as a former champion) was in the midst of dominating the Rumble (he eliminated Charlie Haas, Billy Gunn and Nunzio) as the 30th entrant until Brock Lesnar interfered in the match and hit Goldberg with the F-5 (Lesnar was still WWE Champion at that time and wasn't a participant in the Rumble). Angrily distracted at Lesnar's cheap shot, Goldberg left himself vulnerable for an elimination as Kurt Angle threw him over the top rope from behind. Vowing revenge after defeating Mark Henry and Jonathan Coachman in a no disqualification handicap match the following Raw, Goldberg declared Brock Lesnar his next victim. On February 2, Goldberg was given a front row ticket to No Way Out by Stone Cold Steve Austin. SmackDown! General Manager Paul Heyman appeared on Raw and, along with Mr. McMahon attempted to get Goldberg to back off in his vendetta against Lesnar which resulted in Goldberg spearing Heyman and accidentally spearing Austin when he was aiming for McMahon. Goldberg attended No Way Out as a fan, confronting Lesnar at the event and, after several insults by Lesnar, entered the ring and speared Lesnar. Goldberg was then detained and escorted out of the arena by security guards. During the main event between Brock Lesnar and Eddie Guerrero, Goldberg reemerged from the crowd and cost Brock Lesnar the WWE Championship. Lesnar then demanded a match with Goldberg at WrestleMania XX, with Austin serving as special guest referee. Fans knew this would be the final WWE match for both Goldberg and Lesnar, and thus gave largely negative reactions through the performance. Goldberg won the match, causing Lesnar to show Austin a middle finger, but in return, he received a Stone Cold Stunner. Goldberg then celebrated his victory with Austin, only to also receive a stunner.

Legends of Wrestling (2015-present)

Goldberg made his return to professional wrestling on June 7, 2015 at Entertainment Impresario Uncle Louie's Legends of Wrestling show at Citi Field in New York. While he was not scheduled to wrestle at the event, Goldberg would come to the aid of Rob Van Dam after his match with Scott Steiner, where he would hit both of his finishing moves on Steiner and Doc Gallows. On January 23, 2016 Goldberg made a second return for the "Legends of Wrestling's" event in Miami, where he hit another spear on Scott Steiner.

Mixed martial arts

On July 22, 2006, Goldberg served as color commentator in mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion World Fighting Alliance (WFA) King of the Streets pay-per-view in Los Angeles, California. When asked whether he was interested in becoming a mixed martial artist, Goldberg stated, "I'd love to, especially if I was 21 or even 29, but these guys are so far ahead of me in terms of experience. I never say never, though. But I don't see myself stopping my movies, my shows, my commentating, or being a dad to do that". On June 2, 2007, Goldberg also commentated on K-1 Dynamite USA.

Goldberg became a color commentator for the EliteXC organization during their inaugural event. The event, EliteXC Destiny, was broadcast live on Showtime, on February 10, 2007. He has continued in this role through all of EliteXC's showcase and combined cards, including Dynamite!! USA, Strikeforce Shamrock vs. Baroni, EliteXC: Renegade, and EliteXC: Street Certified.

Other media

Goldberg began acting while working for WCW in 1999. His appearance in Universal Soldier: The Return corresponded with him being featured in the music video. He was a special guest star on Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling. On the show he showed the contestants his various power moves and also how to hit an opponent with a steel chair. He went on to host three seasons of the Speed Channel show Bullrun.

In 2005, Goldberg also starred in the Happy Madison produced Adam Sandler movie The Longest Yard, as an inmate, along with fellow wrestlers Kevin Nash, The Great Khali, and Stone Cold Steve Austin, as well as actors Chris Rock and Burt Reynolds among others. In the same year he was also the host of The History Channel documentary series "'Auto-Maniac" and later starred in the movie Santa's Slay where he plays a homicidal Santa Claus who goes on a killing spree on Christmas.

In March 2010, Goldberg appeared on the ninth season of Donald Trump's reality series The Celebrity Apprentice and was eliminated in the sixth episode.

In September 2010, Goldberg joined forces with Louis Gregory, CEO of Uncle Louie Music Group and Uncle Louie Management when Bill placed "Uncle Louie" on Team Goldberg.

Goldberg makes frequent guest appearances on 4th & Pain, a pro-wrestling show co-hosted by Adam Carriker.

Goldberg is featured in video games such as WCW Nitro, WCW/nWo Revenge, WCW/nWo Thunder, WCW Mayhem, WCW Backstage Assault, WWE WrestleMania XIX, WWE Raw 2, WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain and WWE 2K14.

In 2014, Goldberg started his own Podcast entitled Who's Next?! With Bill Goldberg. The show can be found for free on his official homepage. Notable guests include Deion Sanders and Terry Crews. He has weekly guests from all facets of his professional life, from football, to MMA, to sports in general, to movies and television.

In 2016, Goldberg starred in the documentary film Nine Legends alongside other notable wrestlers, former boxing star Mike Tyson and UFC fighter Randy Couture.

He also sponsored the Monster Jam truck "Goldberg", which was driven by Tom Meents in 2000-2001.

Personal life

Goldberg's mother, Ethel, is a classical violinist, while his father, Jed, who attended Harvard University, was an obstetrician and gynecologist. They divorced, and Jed died in late 2006. In addition to playing the violin, Ethel breeds flowers, and once succeeded in creating an award-winning hybrid orchid which she named after Goldberg. Bill's brother, Michael, is the owner of the premier music club in Aspen, Colorado named Belly Up. Bill is proud of his Jewish heritage and refused to hide it in the wrestling world, including refusing to wrestle on Yom Kippur. Goldberg's Jewish ancestors came from Russia and Romania. His Romanian grandfather, Marcel, emigrated from Bucharest and came to America through Ellis Island. His other great-grandfather, Willie, was an immigrant from Russia.

Goldberg was raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he had a bar mitzvah at Temple Israel and graduated from Tulsa Edison High School. He acquired a love for football early in life and was a bouncer at age 16.

On April 10, 2005, Goldberg married Wanda Ferraton, a stunt double whom he met while filming Santa's Slay, as stated in that movie's audio commentary. The couple have one son together named Gage Goldberg.

Goldberg is an animal welfare advocate and an American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) spokesman, and has addressed the United States Congress in order to raise awareness of illegal animal fighting. Every year, Goldberg also plays golf in the Jimmy V Golf Classic and visits with children in local hospitals who are undergoing cancer treatment.

Goldberg co-owns and operates the "Extreme Power Gym" Muay Thai and amateur boxing training facility in Oceanside, California. He also owns over 25 vintage cars, including a Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertible, Shelby Cobra 427, and a Mustang Boss 429 "Lawman" (one of the two cars used in the Vietnam War to entertain the U.S. Army).

Goldberg has a long scar on the right side of his torso from a tear suffered during a college football game that required surgery to repair. He also acquired a scar on his right forearm from an altercation in WCW which kept him out of action for quite some time due to the surgery needed to fix. He has a large tribal tattoo on his left upper shoulder (which became his professional wrestling logo) and a skull on the inside of his right biceps.

Philanthropy

In January 2016, Goldberg and Entertainment Impresario Uncle Louie started a joint venture with disabled Air Force veteran Reinaldo Horday called "Combat Crate", offering a crate of exclusive memorabilia with 100% of the profit from the inaugural crate to Wounded Warriors of South Florida.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	role
1999	The Jesse Ventura Story	Luger
	Universal Soldier: The Return	Romeo
2000	Ready to Rumble	Himself
2003	Looney Tunes: Back in Action	Mr. Smith
2005	The Longest Yard	Battle
	The Kid & I	Himself
	Santa's Slay	Santa Claus
2007	Half Past Dead 2	William Burke
2010	Kill Speed	Big Bad John
	Minkow	Sax
	Holly, Jingles and Clyde 3D	Gus
2016	Nine Legends	Himself

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	The Love Boat: The Next Wave	Lou "The Pariah" Maguire	Episode: "Captain Courageous"
1999	Dennis Miller Live	Himself
	Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends		Episode: "Wrestling"
	E! True Hollywood Story		Episode: "Hulk Hogan"
2000	The Daily Show
	The Man Show		Episode: "Holiday Show 2"
2002	Yes, Dear	Big Guy	Episode: "Walk Like a Man"
	Family Guy	Angry bus passenger	Episode: "Family Guy Viewer Mail 1"
	Arliss		Episode: "In with the New"
	Kim Possible	Pain King	Episode: "Pain King vs. Cleopatra"
2003	HBO First Look		Episode: "Looney Tunes: Back In Action"
	Punk'd	Himself
2004	Monster Garage		Episode: "Box-Truck Wrestling Ring"
2005	Modern Marvels		Episode: "Private Collections"
	Desperate Housewives	Inmate	Episode: "My Heart Belongs to Daddy"
	Biker Build-Off	Host
	Automaniac
	The Contender		Episode: "Who's Playing The Game?"
2006	Pros vs. Joes		Episodes: "Can You PVJ Champ?" and "Can You Cover Jerry Rice?"
2007	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Cupid	Episode: "Loophole"
2007-2010	Bullrun	Host
2008	Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling	Himself	Episode: "In-Ring Psychology"
2009	Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
	The Rise and Fall of WCW
2010	The Celebrity Apprentice
	Garage Mahal

In wrestling

• Finishing moves
  • Jackhammer (Delayed vertical suplex powerslam)
  • Spear
• Signature moves
  • Ankle lock
  • Cross armbreaker
  • Dragon screw
  • Fireman's carry slam
  • Full nelson slam
  • Kneebar
  • Leg trap chokeslam or spinebuster
  • Multiple kick variations
    • Big boot
    • Drop
    • Hook
    • Super
  • Multiple military press variations, sometimes preceded by a left hand choke lifted into a
    • Drop
    • Flapjack
    • Gutbuster
    • Slam
    • Spinebuster
  • Multiple powerbomb variations
    • Crucifix
    • Gutwrench
    • Jackknife
    • Sitout
    • Turnbuckle
  • Multiple powerslam variations
    • Back suplex side
    • Front
    • Military press
    • Scoop
    • Ura-nage
  • Multiple suplex variations
    • Belly to belly
    • Fisherman
    • German
    • Snap
    • Underhook
  • Pumphandle into either a slam or a fallaway slam
  • Shoulder block (Sometimes from the top rope)
  • Snap swinging neckbreaker
• Nicknames
  • "The Man"
  • "The Undefeated"
  • "The Creature from the Planet Goldberg"
• Entrance themes
  • World Championship Wrestling
    • "Twisted" by Bobby Keyes (September 29, 1997)
    • "Invasion" by Christian Poulet and Jean-Yves Rigo (October 13, 1997 - May 9, 1999; September 6, 1999 - January 14, 2001)
    • "Crush 'Em" by Megadeth (July 26, 1999 - August 30, 1999)
  • World Wrestling Entertainment
    • "Invasion" by Christian Poulet and Jean-Yves Rigo (March 31, 2003 - April 21, 2003)
    • "Who's Next?" V1 by Jim Johnston (April 27, 2003)
    • "Who's Next?" V2 by Jim Johnston (May 5, 2003 - March 14, 2004; June 7, 2015; LOW)

Championships and accomplishments

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1998)
  • Rookie of the Year (1998)
  • PWI ranked him 2 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1998
  • PWI ranked him 75 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
• World Championship Wrestling
  • WCW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  • WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Bret Hart
  • Fifth Triple Crown Champion1
• World Wrestling Entertainment
  • World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • Rookie of the Year (1998)

Undefeated streak statistics

Date	Location	Arena	Venue	Opponent	Result	Record
June 23, 1997	Macon, GA	Coliseum	Nitro dark match	Buddy Lee Parker	Won by pinfall	1-0
June 24, 1997	Dalton, GA	Coliseum	Saturday Night dark match	Buddy Landell	Won by pinfall	2-0
July 14, 1997	Orlando, FL	Arena	Nitro dark match	Hugh Morrus	Won by pinfall	3-0
July 17, 1997	Cincinnati, OH	The Crown
July 22, 1997	Jacksonville, FL	Coliseum	House show	John Betcha	Won by pinfall	5-0
July 24, 1997			Saturday Night dark match	Chad Fortune	Lost by pinfall	5-1
September 22, 1997	Salt Lake City, UT	E Center	Nitro	Hugh Morrus	Won by pinfall	6-1
September 29, 1997	Worcester, MA	Centrum	Nitro	The Barbarian	Won by pinfall	7-1
October 1, 1997	Dalton, GA		Saturday Night	Roadblock	Won by pinfall	8-1
October 10, 1997	Orlando, FL	Universal Studios	Worldwide	Manny Fernandez	Won by pinfall	9-1
December 13, 1997	Orlando, FL	Universal Studios	Worldwide	Frankie Lancaster	Won by pinfall	10-1
October 13, 1997	Orlando, FL	Ice Palace	Nitro	Scotty Riggs	Won by pinfall	11-1
October 14, 1997	Fort Myers, FL		Saturday Night	Mike Anthony	Won by pinfall	12-1
October 20, 1997	Biloxi, MS	Mississippi Coast Coliseum	Nitro	Wrath	Won by pinfall	13-1
October 27, 1997	San Diego, CA	Cox Arena	Nitro	Disco Inferno	No contest	13-1
October 28, 1997	San Bernardino, CA		Saturday Night	The Renegade	Won by pinfall	14-1
November 2, 1997	Norfolk, VA	Scope	House show	Bobby Eaton	Won by pinfall	15-1
November 8, 1997	Orlando, FL	Universal Studios	Worldwide	Mark Starr	Won by pinfall	16-1
December 16, 1997	Gainesville, GA	Georgia Mountains Center	Saturday Night	The Renegade	Won by pinfall	17-1
December 28, 1997	Washington, DC	MCI Center	Starrcade	Steve McMichael	Won by pinfall	18-1
December 29, 1997	Baltimore, MD	Arena	Nitro	Glacier	Won by pinfall	19-1
January 3, 1998	Columbia, SC	Township Auditorium	House show	Bobby Eaton	Won by pinfall	20-1
January 4, 1998	Columbus, GA	Civic Center	House show	Brad Armstrong	Won by pinfall	21-1
January 5, 1998	Atlanta, GA	Georgia Dome	Nitro	Stevie Ray	Won by pinfall	22-1
January 6, 1998	Rome, GA	Forum	Saturday Night	Barry Horowitz	Won by pinfall	23-1
January 8, 1998	Daytona Beach, FL	Ocean Center	Thunder	Steve McMichael	Won by pinfall	24-1
January 12, 1998	Jacksonville, FL	Coliseum	Nitro	Jerry Flynn	Won by pinfall	25-1
January 15, 1998	Lakeland, FL	Jenkins Arena	Thunder	Chavo Guerrero Jr.	No contest	25-1
January 20, 1998	Thibodaux, LA	Civic Center	Saturday Night	Mike Tolbert	Won by pinfall	26-1
January 20, 1998	Thibodaux, LA	Civic Center	Saturday Night	Meng	Won by pinfall	27-1
January 22, 1998	Huntsville, AL	Von Braun Civic Center	Thunder	Kendall Windham	Won by pinfall	28-1
January 26, 1998	Fort Wayne, IN	Allen County War Memorial Coliseum	Nitro	Brad Armstrong	Won by pinfall	29-1
January 29, 1998	Memphis, TN	Mid-South Coliseum	Thunder	Yuji Nagata	Won by pinfall	30-1
January 31, 1998	Boston, MA	Fleet Center	Boston Brawl	Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker	Won by pinfall	31-1
February 2, 1998	San Antonio, TX	AlamoDome	Nitro	Mark Starr	Won by pinfall	32-1
February 3, 1998	Corpus Christi, TX		Saturday Night	Disco Inferno	Won by pinfall	33-1
February 5, 1998	Beaumont, TX	Civic Center	Thunder	Jim Powers	Won by pinfall	34-1
February 9, 1998	El Paso, TX	Don Haskins Center	Nitro	Lord Steven Regal	Won by pinfall	35-1
February 12, 1998	Oklahoma City, OK	Myriad	Thunder	Glacier	Won by pinfall	36-1
February 13, 1998	Springfield, MO	Shrine Mosque	House show	Steve McMichael	Won by pinfall	37-1
February 14, 1998	Kansas City, KS	Memorial Hall	House show	Steve McMichael	Won by pinfall	38-1
February 14, 1998	Orlando, FL	Universal Studios	Worldwide	Joey Maggs	Won by pinfall	39-1
February 16, 1998	Tampa, FL	Fairgrounds	Nitro	High Morrus	Won by pinfall	40-1
February 17, 1998	Palmetto, FL	Manatee Civic Center	Saturday Night	Jerry Flynn	Won by pinfall	41-1
February 19, 1998	Birmingham, AL	Jefferson Civic Center	Thunder	Fit Finlay	Won by pinfall	42-1
February 22, 1998	San Francisco, CA	Cow Palace	SuperBrawl VIII	Brad Armstrong	Won by pinfall	43-1
February 26, 1998	Cedar Rapids, IA	Five Seasons Center	Thunder	Rick Fuller	Won by pinfall	44-1
March 2, 1998	Philadelphia, PA	Corestates Spectrum	Nitro	Sick Boy	Won by pinfall	45-1
March 3, 1998	Johnstown, PA	Cambria County Civic Center	Nitro	Chase Tatum	Won by pinfall	46-1
March 5, 1998	Columbus, OH	Convention Center	Thunder	Vincent	Won by pinfall	47-1
March 6, 1998	Pittsburgh, PA	Palumbo Center	House show	Yuji Nagata	Won by pinfall	48-1
March 7, 1998	Charleston, WV	Civic Center	House show	Yuji Nagata	Won by pinfall	49-1
March 7, 1998	Orlando, FL	Universal Studios	Saturday Night	Jerry Flynn	Won by pinfall	50-1
March 8, 1998	Johnson City, TN	Freedom Hall	House show	Yuji Nagata	Won by pinfall	51-1
March 9, 1998	Winston-Salem, NC	Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum	Nitro	Barry Darsow	Won by pinfall	52-1
March 16, 1998	Panama City, FL	Club La Vela	Nitro	Lodi	Won by pinfall	53-1
March 18, 1998	Terre Haute, IN	Hulman Center	Thunder	Wayne Bloom	Won by pinfall	54-1
March 19, 1998	Troy, OH	Hobart Arena	House show	Brad Armstrong	Won by pinfall	55-1
March 20, 1998	Hammond, IN		House show	Brad Armstrong	Won by pinfall	56-1
March 22, 1998	Cincinnati, OH	The Crown	House show	Brad Armstrong	Won by pinfall	57-1
March 23, 1998	Louisville, KY	Freedom Hall	Nitro	The Renegade	Won by pinfall	58-1
March 25, 1998	Baltimore, MD		House show	Jerry Flynn	Won by pinfall	59-1
March 26, 1998	Fairfax, VA	Patriot Center	Thunder	Jerry Flynn	Won by pinfall	60-1
March 27, 1998	Charlottesville, VA		House show	Jerry Flynn	Won by pinfall	61-1
March 28, 1998	Orlando, FL	Universal Studios	Worldwide	Johnny Swinger	Won by pinfall	62-1
March 28, 1998	Auburn Hills, MI	Palace	House show	Jerry Flynn	Won by pinfall	63-1
March 29, 1998	Milwaukee, WI		House show	Jerry Flynn	Won by pinfall	64-1
March 30, 1998	Chicago, IL	United Center	Nitro	Ray Traylor	Won by pinfall	65-1
April 2, 1998	Tampa, FL	Ice Palace	Thunder	Jerry Flynn	Won by pinfall	66-1
April 3, 1998	Orlando, FL	Universal Studios	Worldwide	Jerry Flynn	Won by pinfall	67-1
April 4, 1998	Orlando, FL	Universal Studios	Worldwide	Terrance Black	Won by pinfall	68-1
April 4, 1998	Orlando, FL	Universal Studios	Worldwide	John Nord	Won by pinfall	69-1
April 4, 1998	Orlando, FL	Universal Studios	Worldwide	Bobby Blaze	Won by pinfall	70-1
April 4, 1998	Orlando, FL	Universal Studios	Worldwide	Jerry Flynn	Won by pinfall	71-1
April 6, 1998	Miami, FL	Miami Arena	Nitro	Van Hammer	Won by pinfall	72-1
April 10, 1998	Montgomery, AL		House show	Fit Finlay	Won by pinfall	73-1
April 11, 1998	Chattanooga, TN	UTC Arena	House show	Fit Finlay	Won by pinfall	74-1
April 13, 1998	Minneapolis, MN	Target Center	Nitro	Rocco Rock	Won by pinfall	75-1
April 14, 1998	Mankato, MN		Saturday Night	Van Hammer	Won by pinfall	76-1
April 16, 1998	Fargo, ND	FargoDome	Thunder	Barry Darsow	Won by pinfall	77-1
April 19, 1998	Denver, CO	Coliseum	Spring Stampede	Perry Saturn	Won by pinfall	78-1
April 20, 1998	Colorado Springs, CO	World Arena	Nitro	United States Heavyweight Champion Raven	Won by pinfall	79-1
April 22, 1998	Columbia, SC	Carolina Coliseum	Thunder	Mike Enous	Won by pinfall	80-1
April 27, 1998	Norfolk, VA	Scope	Nitro	Scott Norton	Won by pinfall	81-1
April 27, 1998	Norfolk, VA	Scope	Nitro	Jerry Flynn	Won by pinfall	82-1
April 28, 1998	Salisbury, MD		House show	Scott Norton	Won by pinfall	83-1
May 5, 1998	Springfield, IL		Saturday Night	Van Hammer	Won by pinfall	84-1
May 5, 1998	Springfield, IL		Saturday Night	Yuji Nagata	Won by pinfall	85-1
May 6, 1998	Des Moines, IA	Veterans Memorial Coliseum	House show	Perry Saturn	Won by pinfall	86-1
May 9, 1998	Wichita, KS		House show	Perry Saturn	Won by pinfall	87-1
May 11, 1998	Kansas City, MO	Kemper Arena	Nitro	Len Denton	Won by pinfall	88-1
May 14, 1998	Durham, NC	Whittemore Center Arena	Thunder	Sick Boy	Won by pinfall	89-1
May 15, 1998	Bangor, ME		House show	Perry Saturn	Won by pinfall	90-1
May 16, 1998	Amherst, MA	Mullins Center	House show	Perry Saturn	Won by pinfall	91-1
May 17, 1998	Worcester, MA	Centrum	Slamboree	Perry Saturn	Won by pinfall	92-1
May 18, 1998	Providence, RI	Civic Center	Nitro	Glacier	Won by pinfall	93-1
May 25, 1998	Evansville, IN	Roberts Municipal Auditorium	Nitro	Johnny Attitude	Won by pinfall	94-1
May 26, 1998	Memphis, TN	Mid-South Coliseum	House show	Perry Saturn	Won by pinfall	95-1
May 27, 1998	Nashville, TN	Municipal Auditorium	Thunder	Barry Horowitz	Won by pinfall	96-1
June 1, 1998	Washington, DC	MCI Center	Nitro	La Parka	Won by pinfall	97-1
June 4, 1998	Peoria, IL	Civic Center	Thunder	Hugh Morrus and Barbarian	Won by pinfall	98-1
June 5, 1998	Muncie, IN		House show	Perry Saturn	Won by pinfall	99-1
June 6, 1998	Fort Wayne, IN		House show	Perry Saturn	Won by pinfall	100-1
June 7, 1998	Grand Rapids, MI	Van Andel Arena	House show	Perry Saturn	Won by pinfall	101-1
June 8, 1998	Auburn Hills, MI	The Palace	Nitro	Chavo Guerrero Jr.	Won by pinfall	102-1
June 9, 1998	Saginaw, MI	Civic Center	Saturday Night	Raven	Won by pinfall	103-1
June 13, 1998	Pittsburgh, PA		House show	Konnan	Won by pinfall	104-1
June 13, 1998	Pittsburgh, PA		House show	Sting	Won by pinfall	105-1
June 14, 1998	Baltimore, MD	Arena	The Great American Bash	Konnan	Won by pinfall	106-1
June 17, 1998	Philadelphia, PA	Corestates Spectrum	Thunder	Reese	Won by pinfall	107-1
June 22, 1998	Jacksonville, FL	Coliseum	Nitro	Rick Fuller	Won by pinfall	108-1
June 24, 1998	Orlando, FL		Thunder dark match	Fit Finlay	Won by pinfall	109-1
June 29, 1998	Tampa, FL	Ice Palace	Nitro	Glacier	Won by pinfall	110-1
July 6, 1998	Atlanta, GA	Georgia Dome	Nitro	Scott Hall	Won by pinfall	111-1
July 6, 1998	Atlanta, GA	Georgia Dome	Nitro	WCW World Heavyweight Champion Hollywood Hogan	Won by pinfall	112-1
July 7, 1998	Macon, GA	Coliseum	Saturday Night	Scott Hall	Won by pinfall	113-1
July 8, 1998	Birmingham, AL	BJCC	Thunder dark match	Scott Hall	Won by pinfall	114-1
July 10, 1998	Inglewood, CA	Great Western Forum	LA Melee	Curt Hennig	Won by pinfall	115-1
July 12, 1998	San Diego, CA	Cox Arena	Bash at the Beach	Curt Hennig	Won by pinfall	116-1
July 13, 1998	Las Vegas, NV	MGM Grand	Nitro	Curt Hennig	Won by pinfall	117-1
July 16, 1998	Oakland, CA	Coliseum	Thunder dark match	The Giant	Won by pinfall	118-1
July 17, 1998	Sacramento, CA		House show	Curt Hennig	Won by pinfall	119-1
July 18, 1998	Spokane, WA		House show	Curt Hennig	Won by pinfall	120-1
July 19, 1998	Yakima, WA	Sun Dome	House show	Curt Hennig	Won by pinfall	121-1
July 20, 1998	Salt Lake City, UT	E Center	Nitro dark match	The Giant	Won by pinfall	122-1
July 26, 1998	New York City, NY	Goodwill Games	House show	Curt Hennig	Won by pinfall	123-1
July 27, 1998	San Antonio, TX	AlamoDome	Nitro	Brian Adams	Won by pinfall	124-1
July 27, 1998	San Antonio, TX	AlamoDome	Nitro dark match	The Giant	Won by pinfall	125-1
August 3, 1998	Denver, CO	Coliseum	Nitro dark match	The Giant	Won by pinfall	126-1
August 5, 1998	Casper, WY	Events Center	Thunder dark match	The Giant	Won by pinfall	127-1
August 8, 1998	Sturgis, SD	Sturgis Rally & Race	Road Wild	The Giant	Won by pinfall	128-1
August 10, 1998	Rapid City, SD	Rushmore Plaza Civic Center	Nitro	Meng	Won by pinfall	129-1
August 13, 1998	Fargo, ND	FargoDome	Thunder dark match	The Giant	Won by pinfall	130-1
August 17, 1998	Hartford, CT	Civic Center	Nitro	The Giant	Won by disqualification	131-1
August 26, 1998	Peoria, IL	Civic Center	Thunder dark match	The Giant	Won by pinfall	132-1
August 31, 1998	Miami, FL	Miami Arena	Nitro	AL Green	Won by pinfall	133-1
September 7, 1998	Pensacola, FL		Nitro	Scott Putski	Won by pinfall	134-1
September 10, 1998	Lexington, KY	Rupp Arena	Thunder	Rick Fuller	Won by pinfall	135-1
September 11, 1998	Cincinnati, OH		House show	The Giant	Won by pinfall	136-1
September 14, 1998	Greensville, SC	BiLo Center	Nitro	Sting	Won by pinfall	137-1
September 24, 1998	Norfolk, VA	Scope	Thunder	Chris Kanyon	Won by pinfall	138-1
September 24, 1998	Norfolk, VA	Scope	Thunder	Raven	Won by pinfall	139-1
September 25, 1998	Baltimore, MD	Arena	House show	The Giant	Won by pinfall	140-1
September 26, 1998	Fairfax, VA	Patriot Center	House show	Sting	Won by pinfall	141-1
October 1, 1998	Norfolk, VA		Thunder	Raven	Won by pinfall	142-1
October 5, 1998	Columbia, SC	Carolina Coliseum	Nitro	Disco Inferno	Won by pinfall	143-1
October 10, 1998	Dayton, OH		House show	The Giant	Won by pinfall	144-1
October 10, 1998	Columbus, OH		House show	The Giant	Won by pinfall	145-1
October 11, 1998	Milwaukee, WI		House show	The Giant	Won by pinfall	146-1
October 12, 1998	Chicago, IL	United Center	Nitro	The Giant	Won by countout	147-1
October 20, 1998	Mankato, MN		Thunder dark match	Meng	Won by pinfall	148-1
October 21, 1998	Duluth, MN	DECC	House show	Scott Hall	Won by pinfall	149-1
October 25, 1998	Las Vegas, NV	MGM Grand	Halloween Havoc	Diamond Dallas Page	Won by pinfall	150-1
November 6, 1998	Charleston, WV	Civic Center	House show	The Giant	Won by pinfall	151-1
November 7, 1998	Pittsburgh, PA	Palumbo Center	House show	The Giant	Won by pinfall	152-1
November 8, 1998	Johnstown, PA		House show	The Giant	Won by pinfall	153-1
November 9, 1998	Long Island, NY	Nassau Coliseum	Nitro	Meng	Won by pinfall	154-1
November 12, 1998	Roanoke, VA	Roanoke Civic Center	Thunder dark match	The Giant	Won by pinfall	155-1
November 23, 1998	Grand Rapids, MI	Van Andel Arena	Nitro	The Giant	Won by pinfall	156-1
December 7, 1998	Houston, TX	AstroDome	Nitro	Bam Bam Bigelow	No contest	156-1
December 14, 1998	Tampa, FL	Ice Palace	Nitro	Kevin Nash and Bam Bam Bigelow	No contest	156-1
December 18, 1998	Tulsa, OK		House show	The Giant	Won by pinfall	157-1
December 19, 1998	Springfield, MO	Shrine Mosque	House show	The Giant	Won by pinfall	158-1
December 20, 1998	Kansas City, MO	Kemper Arena	House show	Bam Bam Bigelow	Won by pinfall	159-1
December 21, 1998	St Louis, MO	TWA Dome	Nitro	Scott Hall	Won by pinfall	160-1
December 27, 1998	Washington, DC	MCI Center	Starrcade	Kevin Nash	Lost by pinfall	160-2

[ Source: Wikipedia ]