This week on Talk Is Jericho, Chris Jericho interviewed WWE Hall Of Famer Goldberg. The former WCW/WWE Champion talked about his rise in WCW, backstage politics, the road bumps during his first WWE run, the backstage fight with Jericho, his return to the company, and being a family man, among other topics.
Goldberg talking about his initial meetings with Vince McMahon during his first run in WWE:
“It was not warm and fuzzy by any stretch of the imagination. The first year that I was at the WWE, from what I can remember, was one of the most stressful years of my entire life. Some of the things may have been fabricated in my own mind to lobotomize me, but I felt as though I was still the enemy walking in the locker room and everybody going, 'What the hell is this guy doing here?' I've always felt like an outsider, but never as much as I did then.'”
Jericho and Goldberg talking about the heat they had against each other in WWE:
Jericho said, "I firmly believe that when we had our backstage brouhaha scuffle backstage, that was manipulated, I think, by other people to kind of pit us against each other."
Goldberg responded: "100%. You know, things in life happen for a reason, and I believe that was because of the true animosity you and I had for each other. It was a stage that was set by other people and we just followed out the storyline. I will apologize to the end of my days for that."
Jericho: "Me too, man, once again, face to face, that caused a lot of issues. But actually, once we got that out of our system, we did work together that summer quite a few times. We even had a pay-per-view. But yeah, that was not something I was really very proud about either, especially the fact that it was online 20 minutes later. That sounds like this was all a setup and we fell for it 1,000%."
Goldberg: "There's no question about it. Like I said, things happen for a reason. Life's too short to hold grudges by any stretch, and I like to think that it happened so that you and I can get closer as friends and closer as human beings."
Goldberg on his relationship with WWE is today:
"My role quite obviously has changed exponentially. At this point, I look at it like I’m a cast member, and however I need to be used, I'm pretty much okay with it because it's the debt that I owe to the business. If I can help in any way, shape, or form, then that's what I'm here for. Vince McMahon has treated me very well throughout the years. It's a relationship that changed 180 degrees from my first departure to my existing relationship with him now. I owe that man and that company a lot because it gave me the opportunity to come back and put something on tape for my son. So the way that they use the Goldberg character, you know, granted yeah, I don't want to be choked out in the middle of the ring by Roman Reigns, but it lends itself to the storyline to ultimately tell the big picture, and in the big picture, I'm not the number one main character in it anymore. But if I can be used in the proper way to elevate or to destroy somebody, then I'm all for it."
Click below to listen to the entire interview.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Talk Is Jericho with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
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