Goldberg Reveals Reason Behind Short-Lived Heel Turn

Goldberg spent most of his career as a babyface, with fans cheering him on as he dominated opponents in both WCW and WWE. However, he did have a brief stint as a heel in WCW, and now he has explained why that run ended so abruptly.

While speaking to Inside the Ropes, Goldberg was asked about his brief heel turn during WCW The Great American Bash back in 2000. The WWE Hall of Famer explained that it felt nearly as bad watching it as it did when he was actually doing it.

For years, Goldberg noted that he had taken criticism, and he understood why because good wrestlers are willing to take risks to keep fans engaged, often doing things that defy expectations. Goldberg shared that he could have been the biggest, baddest, meanest heel, but it wouldn’t have allowed him to be the superhero for kids, which was his main reason for entering the business.

“It felt nearly as bad watching it as it did doing it. For years, I’ve taken a bad rap, and justifiably so, because the good professional wrestlers are willing to do things to keep the fans on their seat, to be the antithesis of what they thought was going to happen. Man, I’m telling you, and I’ve said it before, I would have been the biggest, baddest, meanest son of a bitch heel that ever walked the planet, I guarantee you. But that wouldn’t have allowed me to be the superhero for kids, and that was the most important thing—the reason why I got into the business, and the biggest thing I took out of it.”

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Goldberg’s heel turn lasted just one night because he decided to stand his ground and told creative to “shove it.” He wasn’t going to go down that path again. Despite being labeled a bad wrestler, Goldberg said he would rather be known for having a big heart than for doing things just to get a reaction from the crowd.

“So my heel turn lasted one night because I told them to shove it. I wasn’t going to do it again. So, it is what it is. You can call me a bad wrestler, but I’d rather have a big heart than be a guy who did things just for the pop.”

The WWE Hall of Famer is currently getting ready for his retirement match next year and that remains his focus at the moment, but fans certainly wonder whether Goldberg would have been an effective heel had he stuck with it in WCW.

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