Goldberg Recounts His Challenging Transition From WCW To WWE

In an interview with Inside the Ropes in May 2017, WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg opened up about the formidable transition from WCW to WWE, shedding light on the challenges and awkwardness he experienced upon joining the rival promotion in 2003.

Having been a prominent figure in WCW during the Monday Night Wars, Goldberg faced a daunting shift when he made the decision to join WWE.

It was like jumping into a fire pit with no way out because I was their competition, along with everyone else, for a long time and we didn’t look favourably upon our competition a lot of times and we did anything we could to get out in front. And now we find ourselves working with the competition and everything we did will be held against us.

Not long after his arrival, Goldberg found himself in an uncomfortable situation when WWE sought to embarrass him in a skit with Dustin Rhodes, also known as Goldust.

And so after two weeks, they put a wig on me, figure that. You think it might have had something to do with the fact that we were neck and neck with them and I might have been one of the guys who helped, and they had some feelings about that, and they wanted to diminish the character? I don’t know, at the end of the day it was what it was and if it wasn’t Dustin then I never would have done it because he’s a buddy of mine.

Furthermore, Goldberg emphasised the challenges he faced in WWE, particularly in establishing relationships with a new set of colleagues who viewed him as a former rival.

It was tough, it was a totally different deal. Before WCW I played football in the area, I played college football, I played pro football, and I knew most of the guys for a long period of time prior to wrestling. That was not the case in WWE. Totally different. Not only was the office in Stamford, Connecticut, 1200 miles away from me but it was run by people that I didn’t know, it was filled with people that were working as wrestlers I had no clue who they were and I just thought it was the enemy. And so how good could it be going up there? They wanted to hang us at one point, as we wanted to hang them, you do whatever you could do to bury your competition. And we resorted and they resorted to some really goofy stuff. And now that’s who I’m working for. So it was tough. It was a really tough decision.

Ultimately, Goldberg’s tenure in WWE lasted only for the duration of his one-year contract, culminating in his final appearance at WrestleMania XX in March 2004. His return to the company over 12 years later in 2016 marked a significant chapter in his career, offering the opportunity to engage in a series of dream matches and redeem his legacy.

Goldberg Says He Won’t Work For WWE’s Rival Promotion Today

Goldberg recently shared how he had talks with AEW owner Tony Khan, but ultimately wouldn’t consider working for them, describing their product as too “cheesy”.

H/t to ITRwrestling.com