Goldberg has never exactly hidden who he is, and that goes all the way back to when he first became one of wrestling’s biggest stars. Now, the WWE Hall of Famer is explaining why keeping his real name meant so much to him — and why the issue behind that decision feels even more personal today.
During an appearance on NewsNation’s BIFF podcast with Biff Poggi, Goldberg opened up about his Jewish heritage and why he never adopted a different wrestling name. Considering fans already knew him from his football career, Goldberg said creating another identity wouldn’t have made much sense anyway, but there was a much bigger reason he wanted “Goldberg” on television.
“Yeah, you know, I mean, quite obviously, I’m extremely proud of who I am and my heritage because I didn’t assume a name once I took my clothes off and ran around in front of millions of people in my underwear. Quite obviously, people knew who I was already. And it would’ve been a little difficult, you know, to come up with a new persona that fooled people because they knew who I was.”
Goldberg had already played football at the University of Georgia and for the Atlanta Falcons before wrestling took over his life. Once he had another massive platform, he wanted his name to represent something rather than hiding where he came from.
“I mean, I performed at the University of Georgia, the Falcons, so I was fairly well-known prior to that. And to me, I wanted to keep my name because of that reason. I wanted to be a pillar for the community to say, ‘Here I am. I’m not afraid of who I am, and I’m going to set an example.’”
That conversation eventually turned toward the antisemitism Goldberg says he sees today, particularly online. He called what he has witnessed “disgusting” and explained that he deliberately avoids fighting with trolls because he doesn’t see anything productive coming from it.
“So once you fast-forward from then until now, the stuff that we’re seeing out in the public and mostly on the internet, which is the devil if you ask me, I think it’s disgusting. I think it’s absolutely disgusting. And I don’t entertain the trolls online because they’re of absolutely no meaning or consequence, you know, to me whatsoever.”
Rather than getting dragged into online arguments, Goldberg said his priority is his family and trying to use his platform positively. He also expressed frustration with how openly antisemitic rhetoric can spread online.
“I could care less about somebody’s opinion. I don’t do anything for anybody else. I do it for myself and my family, and I try to be a positive voice in this space right now. And it’s extremely difficult because it seems as if antisemitism is the cool thing to be a part of.”
Goldberg also pointed to the October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel as something that changed his perspective on how Jewish people are treated. Instead of responding by screaming at people online, he said he would rather stick to facts and logic and try to change minds that way.
“October 7th put a different definition in my mind as far as how people treat us. And we’re seeing the good, the bad, and the very ugly. Unfortunately, I’m not going to go online and be part of the problem by any stretch. I’m just going to try to be part of the solution. I don’t scream. I don’t yell. I just try to say the facts and look at logic and try to open people’s eyes.”
What really bothers Goldberg is seeing that hostility reach schools and college campuses. He said students shouldn’t have to think about whether simply walking to class could put them in danger because of who they are.
“And the reality is that there should be no kid, whether it be in school, in grade school, high school, or college, that should be worried about walking to class. Once it gets to that point, I think it’s absolutely horrible.”
At 60 years old, Goldberg said he has no interest in spending his time yelling back at people. He would rather keep moving forward, work with others trying to combat hatred and focus on teaching people instead.
“I wish there was more that I could do. And there are a number of friends of mine that, you know, we’re all banding together and trying to do our part. It’s a vicious cycle that we’re in right now, and I don’t know how it’s going to change. I really don’t.”
For Goldberg, keeping his surname during his wrestling career clearly wasn’t just about branding or fans already knowing who he was. Decades later, he still views that visibility as part of the responsibility he took on when he decided that millions of people were going to know exactly who Bill Goldberg was.
What do you think about Goldberg’s explanation for keeping his real name throughout his wrestling career and what that representation meant to him? Let us know what you think in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
