Source: Miami Herald
BY JIM VARSALLONE
jvarsallone@MiamiHerald.com
Goldberg answered questions during a conference call Wednesday, June 21 to promote the World Fighting Alliance: King of the Streets pay-per-view July 22 from the Los Angeles Forum.
Goldberg will be the color commentator for the mixed martial arts spectacular.
The former WCW champ has been a martial arts enthusiast throughout his career in wrestling and television. He has trained most of his adult life in Muay Thai kickboxing.
He also owns and operates Extreme Power, a Muay Thai training facility for children, adults and competitive fighters in Oceanside, CA.
• How did you get involved in martial arts?
“When I was in college [as a nose guard for the University of Georgia football team], I took Aikido classes to help me get the offensive linemen’s hands off me.’
Will you ever step into the WFA ring?
“You never say never. My relationship from the beginning is color commentator. If I was to participate as a fighter, I guess we figured out where I’m going to be.”
Is color commentating enough?
“They’re [WFA] probably hoping it isn’t enough for me and want to get my juicesflowing and get in there. I’m 39-years-old, and I haven’t trained for a MMA fight.
“I would have to be totally prepared, and I just don’t know if I have that time. Not to say I haven’t considered it. I have a heck of a lot to lose compared to 99-percent of them [mixed martial artists], but I don’t think that would stop me.”
How will you serve as a color commentate?
“Just like in wrestling, I want to be my own guy. I’ve seen enough MMA fights. I tried to listen to the guys I can stand to listen to.
“I may not be the most experienced guy, but I bring something no one else brings. It’s like George Foreman.
“It will be hard for me to color commentate without getting into it as a fan.”
So will this lead to a mixed martial arts match?
“I think I’m too old to be a participant. My interest runs very deep. I own a martial arts school. I trained throughout my football and wrestling career and my normal human existence.
“There is always something more to learn. We all know I had an affiliate with Pride Network in Japan. I did a little color with them. I always looked to expand that.
“As I’m getting older, I’m redeveloping myself. I have a relationship with 90-percent of these guys. I’ve been a fan of this sport since the inception of my wrestling career. It’s the next big thing to being in there.”
Pro wrestling and MMA
“My character in wrestling was based on the MMA guys. I built my character around a number of MMA guys. I thought it could translate into wrestling, and it worked.
“I look up to these guys. They’ve got a huge set. They are idols of mine. Anyone who knows more than me I flock to.”
Will you help market the personas of the mixed martial arts fighters?
“I think that’s one of the reason they brought me in. They will be marketable and entertaining at the same time like pro wrestlers. I’m helping make them marketable.”
Can WFA succeed as the underdog?
“WCW did it, when we were the underdog.”
Do you like it better as the underdog?
“Absolutely, I love being a part of the underdog company like WCW and WFA.”
Would you join Total Nonstop Action?
“You never say never. I would love to be a part of something competing against the tyrant [Vince McMahon]. You look at Sting [in TNA]. He’s the one who opened my eyes of coming out of retirement.
“If TNA really wants to compete against the best, that’s the place to be. I don’t have plans of doing it anytime in the near future. With a little boy, it makes it tough.”
Goldberg and his wife Wanda Feraton, a stunt double who he met while filming The Longest Yard, have a son, Gage A.J. Goldberg, born May 10.
Goldberg is balancing movie making, color commentating, running his Muay Thai training facility in California and most importantly being a dad. He doesn’t have much time for anything else including pro wrestling.
“I was part of the creation of this boy. Any minute I can spend with him is special, even if that means changing his diapers or waking up at 3 at night and feeding him.”
Can TNA challenge WWE?
“In a small microcosm, it could, except for the fact you line up the roster of TNA vs. WWE, there is no comparison.
What would make you join TNA?
“The list is so long I don’t think we can go over it. It would take a commitment from TNA to compete against Vince McMahon. I’ve stomached a little bit of TNA. They definitely need some help — production, talent and/or time slot.
His final days in WWE
“I think they knew there was no way of me coming back, and I don’t think they wanted me back. That made me happy.”
Kevin Nash discussed the nWo in WWE. Your thoughts of the nWo and you in WWE.
“Kevin [Nash] can give you the booker’s perspective. I think WWE didn’t want the WCW guys to succeed because they were not WWE produced.
“WCW or not – all of that should have been put to the side. If it was purely business, it would have been better. It would have worked.”
Does TNA need a better timeslot? TNA iMPACT! is 11 p.m. Thursdays on Spike TV.
“I’d love for that to happen more than anything.”
How will WFA promote the mixed martial artists?
“It’s 1-on-1 entertainment. It’s character driven. I’m sure these guys are going to go in depth to let the people really know the fighter.”
You want to be involved in mixed martial arts?
“I would love nothing more than to be a part of it for a while. I think the downfall to wrestling as the cool thing to watch has contributed to the rise of MMA.”
How do you view pro wrestlers and mixed martial artists?
“MMA guys want to bridge over to the wrestling world than the wrestling world into MMA. There are a lot of guys like [ken] Shamrock or Mark Coleman who did it.”
Pro wrestling is scripted. WFA is not.
What do you think of the UFC: Ultimate Fighter show?
“The Ultimate Fighter does nothing but help the WFA. It’s similar to the wrestling show Tough Enough.”
What was it like in WCW?
“Guys like Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan put wrestling on the map. It was an honor for me to be there when those guys were there. I was very honored to be in the situation I was in. It’s not what you know. It’s who you know and being in the right place at the right time. I was lucky enough to be that guy.”
What did you think of David Arquette winning the WCW title?
“The Arquette thing was kind of a joke. It was a deal to get people to watch.”
Brock vs. Goldberg at WrestleMania XX in Madison Square Garden
“I was so disappointed with what was going on [in WWE]. I could tell in Brock’s eyes. It was going to be a long night. It was not good for the fans. It was not good for us. It should have been the match of the century.
“They (WWE) should have put more into it.”
You had your last pro wrestling match against Brock Lesnar. Would you fight Brock in WFA?
“He is a terrific friend of mine. For me to get in the [WFA] ring with somebody, I’m going to have dislike the human being as much as humanly possible. Brock is a good guy. I just don’t think it will ever happen.”
If you competed in WFA, who would you like to fight?
“Let’s get Vince McMahon in there. It would be one kick and good night. Guys like [McMahon] are all show and no go.”
What did you think of the way the fans treated Brock when he pursued the NFL?
“The fans turned their back on him. You have a dream. You want to follow it. You have a God given right to follow it. It was unfair to everybody.”
Would you ever work for WWE again?
“This is a fact. I would never step foot in a WWE ring again. The experience in WWE taught me there was good [WCW] and bad [entire tenure in WWE] in the wrestling business.”
The fan base for WFA
“There is cross-over from the wrestling fan to WFA MMA. I would think it’s the same fan base. These guys [WFA] know what they’re doing.”
Did you know Eddy Guerrero?
“Eddy was a very good guy. He and his family taught me a lot in the business. He was a wonderful guy, a terrific liaison to the wrestling business. It was a shame because I lost a friend.”
What did you think of Vince McMahon implementing a drug policy?
“I’m happy they are instituting a policy. It’s a gesture to the public to show that he cares. For the first time I can say I appreciate something [McMahon’s] done.”
What did you think of the travel of a pro wrestler?
“Being on the road is grind. These guys — who do it five, 10, 15 years — I don’t know how they do it. That’s not my life.
“Hogan isn’t going to be traveling as much as a kid coming up in the ranks who is working dark matches and trying to get exposure.
How do you look at your time in pro wrestling?
“I’m forever grateful with the time I spent in pro wrestling, and my wrestling experience was wonderful, but I looked at it negatively now only because that was my last experience [in WWE].
“As Goldberg, it’s a positive experience as a whole. It’s given me the ability to walk into a children’s hospital, and they are happy to see me and want to see me.”
Goldberg not only brings smiles to children’s faces at hospitals, but he is an animal rights advocate and an ASPCA spokesperson. He has addressed the United States Congress in order to raise awareness of illegal animal fighting.
• Goldberg appeared during the debut of the Spike TV series Pros vs. Joes. The second season is in the works. The series pitted sports stars like Jerry Rice, Dennis Rodman, Jim McMahon, Matt Williams and Goldberg against Pro wannabees.
“Whether they want me back remains to be seen.”
• Goldberg is set to star in a remake of the 1980s martial arts film Half Past Dead, which originally featured martial arts expert-turned film star Steven Seagal. Shooting is scheduled to begin in July in Los Angeles.
• WFA King Of The Streets:
Quinton Jackson vs. Matt Lindland. Ricco Rodriguez vs. Ron Waterman. Lyoto Machida vs. Vernon White. Ivan Salaverry vs. Art Santore. Kimo Leopoldo vs. Bas Rutten.
Also, Rob McCullough vs. Harris Sarmiento. Jason Mayhem Miller vs. Lodune Sincaid. Jorge Oliveira vs. Marvin Eastman. Plus, Jose Landi-Jons.
Waterman is a former WWE developmental talent from Ohio Valley Wrestling. Tickets available via TicketMaster.
