“Who's next?”
That was the question sports-entertainment fans were asking in 1998 as the explosive rookie known as Goldberg smashed his way through the World Championship Wrestling roster. From September 1997 until December 1998, the former Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle went undefeated, crushing icons like Big Show and Curt Hennig en route to earning an unprecedented record of 173-0. Armed with two signature maneuvers — The Spear and The Jackhammer — Goldberg displayed a devastating mix of raw power and unbridled intensity that made him unstoppable.
With fans chanting his name in arena across the country, “Da Man” ascended to the top of WCW in record time, defeating the iconic Hulk Hogan for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in front of more than 60,000 fans in the Georgia Dome within a year of his debut. Eventually, Goldberg’s legendary run came to an end at the hands of Kevin Nash — and a stun gun — but the competitor was not deterred for long. Throughout the remainder of his WCW career, he dominated a laundry list of hard hitters, including Bam Bam Bigelow, Sid Vicious and Scott Steiner.
After WCW was purchased by WWE in 2001, WWE fans eagerly awaited the arrival of the powerhouse, but it would be two long years before Goldberg entered a WWE ring. On March 31, 2003, the wrecking machine finally made his WWE debut, spearing The Rock on Raw. This confrontation led to a showdown between the two icons at Backlash with Goldberg buzz sawing through The Great One.
In the following months, the brute continued to dominate the competition, smashing Chris Jericho, Mark Henry and many others on a warpath to the top of WWE. To get there, however, Goldberg had to get through Triple H, which is no easy feat. The big man found this out at SummerSlam in the Elimination Chamber when The Game defeated him after a vicious sledgehammer shot.
Goldberg finally defeated The Cerebral Assassin for the World Heavyweight Championship one month later at Unforgiven before deciding to leave the ring for good. His last major bout occurred at WrestleMania XX where he defeated the intimidating Brock Lesnar in impressive fashion. This final match of the former World Heavyweight Champion's WWE career cemented his legacy as one of the most dominants individuals ever witnessed in sports-entertainment.