WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg recently joined Talk Is Jericho for an in-depth conversation about all things pro-wrestling, including how proud he is of his Jewish heritage and why he wore it like a badge of honor during his run as the top man in WCW and WWE. Highlights from the interview are below.
How proud he is of his Jewish heritage:
“I put up a smokescreen, man. [laughs] The main reason I did it was because I am proud of who I am. I am proud of my Jewish heritage and growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma where there weren’t many prominent Jewish sports figures walking around — let alone in the national spotlight — I just wanted to give little kids something to look forward to. Something against the grain, something different than the norm. I wore it on my heart like a shield and I’m extremely proud of the decision I made.”
How he didn’t have the best backstage reputation:
“You’re hilarious because you could answer all of these questions, you were there. [laughs] You’re just teeing me up. The best analogy I could give you is that I was like a college football player walking into a frat party. Nobody wanted me there, at least that’s how I felt. At the end of the day, football is a ‘big team, little me’ sport, and that’s all I ever knew. Wrestling is a business and whether you see people coming in as attributes to your roster or you see them as detriments to your career, they are taking a spot of yours,” Goldberg explained. “There are a lot of things that are held back. There are a lot of attitudes that are put forth and I felt like my back was always up against a wall. Maybe because I did that to myself a lot of times, but I don’t think everybody was very happy that I was there.”
(H/T and transcribed by WrestleZone)