Bill Goldberg is one of the biggest legends in professional wrestling. However, he could have been a mixed martial arts star if the pay was right at the time.
The sport was a ‘dream’ for Goldberg as he even owned one of the biggest MMA gyms during the late nineties and was friends with all the pioneers of the sport such as Randy Couture, Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman who trained at his gym.
However, once he learned of what they were making at the time, pro wrestling seemed a much better and lucrative option for the 54-year-old.
“If you know anything about my background when it comes to MMA, I had one of largest MMA gyms in the country back in the late ’90s,” Goldberg told TMZ. “That was a dream of mine.
“… When they were telling me how much money they were making, and I looked at the opportunity of professional wrestling — it didn’t take me but a second and a half to figure out what the right choice was.”
As for how he would have fared? Goldberg believes his striking would have been very effective. His ground game, on the other hand, not so much.
“I think my stand up skills would have played well, no question,” Goldberg said. “Because a lot of people have no idea as to what I’ve done in the past, Muay Thai-wise. But, I’d be lacking in the ground game, there’s no doubt — and the problem with a guy like myself is I’d end up hurting myself more so than getting hurt by the other person.
“I’ll break a hand on someone’s face. I’ll blow my shoulder out trying to choke somebody. At the end of the day, I’m my own worst enemy. So the long-winded answer is absolutely I would have loved to have done it, if the opportunity was such that it was comparable if not more advantageous than the world of professional wrestling. But at the time, it was a no-brainer for me.”
Goldberg Praises Poirier
Being a fan of MMA, Goldberg also keeps up with the latest events and was notably impressed by Dustin Poirier and his second-round knockout win over Conor McGregor at UFC 257 last week.
“He’s from Lafayette Louisiana, it’s a great story and I just hope people understand,” Goldberg added (via LowKick MMA). “I’ve said many times about a few people, his talents are at the top of the game but they pale in comparison to what is actually inside his heart. He’s a great person.”
You can watch the video below:
