Goldberg Discusses Struggles Of Coming Back After 12 Years, Vince, More

In an interview with Booker T for his Heated Conversations podcast, Goldberg spoke about returning to WWE after twelve years. Here are highlights:

On the Struggle of Being Off for 12 Years: “A twelve year layoff for any athlete is a mental struggle, but not only that it’s also a physical struggle, but I have more selfish reasons to coming back than just how I look in the ring 12 years out of it, so I was able to get my wife and son of a taste of what I used to do, so for me that is a pretty special thing.”

On His Family’s Experience with His Comeback: “Like I had said, it’s been 12 years, it was a myriad of emotions, like I said, for my son and wife to experience what I was experiencing, to stand in the ring, to look at them down there and see them having so much fun. It wasn’t in my plan to call them out through every stretch of imagination, but I did it, and I don’t know. It was tough going back emotionally, physically, I haven’t had that test yet, but I will very very soon. You know, it’s an emotional ride. Other than the signed Sin Cara mask that he won’t part with ever in this world, I just think it was cool for my son to see me in the ring. One day, I want him to look back and see that his dad was unselfish and did something for him and for his mom; granted, a piece of me always wanted to come back and do my thing, but that really fails in comparison of coming back. There is a huge risk involved in many ways. First of all, I have to hold the standard of my last match with WWE, which shouldn’t be too difficult you know, there’s a lot to take into consideration. Am I going to be able to do it physically? Am I going to be strong enough? Am I going to break something? Am I going to pull something? Am I going to be able to do things I used to do? The risk is a million things long, but hey, I don’t have a problem with obstacles. George Foreman did it at 45; Randy Couture did it when he was 42; those are more competitive endeavors than what we are doing, but most that come back don’t face Brock, but it just so happens that I am in that time and place, and am owed a rematch and needed a re-do, so here we are.”

On His Relationship with Vince McMahon: “I’ve had some issues with Vince, everybody has, but after I went through Gorilla and delivered the promo that I didn’t think I had left in me to do, with the help of a lot of people, I gave him an embrace that I never thought I would be giving. It was one of appreciation that he gave me the opportunity to be that guy.”

On Preparing Himself Against Brock: “Check my Instagram, Goldberg95. I have been training with the biggest, baddest men on the planet. I’m not messing around; it’s not like I came around the idea of saying, hey, I’m going to be 49 and let me get off my couch after 12 years of eating sweets and getting into the ring and facing this monster of a guy, I will be perfectly honest with you, if people don’t think I know how to prepare for athletic competition at the highest level then they have something wrong with them. I take this crap very seriously, and it’s the world of professional wrestling and I take everything with a grain of salt and try to be the best that I can be at what I do, and I am doing this in front of all those people in my underwear, where the last time they saw me I was 290 and was blowing fire under my ears. I was able to press a 290lb Brock Lesnar over my head and my goal is to do the same thing when I walk in there. I won’t be 280lb when I used to be, but what I bring to the ring will be a different package than before, but I will be the same guy so, you know, I’m doing a lot of cross training and footwork, a lot of boxing work. I haven’t been in the ring in a while, so out of those 12 years it’s very important to reacquaint yourself with, but I’m going into one match. I’m not going to get into the ring for 20 days straight and try to familiarize myself again with the ropes. Hopefully, the only thing that will need to be hit is my fist in Brock’s face in the match. The reality is I will be taking some suplexes during this thing, and it is what it is. I may be old, but I know what I am getting myself into. It’s not like I am not training three times a day, three days a week, and twice a day the other days. I am eating 15,000 calories a day; I am trying to gain weight, but you know, I’m Goldberg, I have a standard I have to uphold myself to. I am greatly appreciate that anyone would think I am good at anything; I just try to push myself as hard as I do and hopefully people will come away being happy with it, but the only people I care if they are happy about it is my wife and son and am able to share something with him as a gift. If I can come in and be a superhero with them in that spotlight for a short period of time then that is something I value equally as giving my family that experience so, like I said, in the ring, there aren’t many superheros in the ring. There are a lot of pieces of crap that unfortunately kids look up to, they make missteps. There needs to be a superhero again, the Rock’s, the Goldberg’s, they were around back in the day but they’re not in the forefront anymore.”

On His Place in Wrestling Today Compared to 12 Years Ago: “I’m a little older and a little more experienced and mature, but that doesn’t mean many things have changed in the 12 years since I was there, but a lot of things have changed since then. I am a husband and a father now, I can’t be that wreckless Goldberg headbutting everything. I mean, I still do that, but I think about things twice before I do it. Before I pull somebody over after they cut me off and give me the finger, I have to think twice about it now. So, now I am a completely different person. I base things on reality, not on emotionally feeling of the moment. Like I said, I look at this as a huge opportunity, period, nothing more and nothing less. I have no ill feelings for anybody or anything. I have said it a million times, I will sweep it under the table, but if you bring it up, I’m going to deal with it, I am who I am. I have a clean slate. I have a great relationship with them now. When I went there now, everyone showed me great respect. I am there for a short period of time. If they want me to impart knowledge and some big brotherhood and direction and do my job and leave, I will be as professional as can be. It is all up to them. I come and am social, at the end of the day, the camera man is just as important as the main event, because of he doesn’t get that shot in the main event where someone does a special move, and puts them in the move and isn’t caught camera then it doesn’t put that person over. It’s a team effort man, and everybody has to be involved. I can be this realistic softy-killer and be more realistic now that I am 49, but you can’t be that guy when you are in your 30’s, but now I am Terminator 2 with a heart; it’s a Kryptonite but I wear that with a badge of honor with pride.”

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