10 Things You Didn't Know About Goldberg

9. Lex Luger And Sting Got Him Into Wrestling

Bill Goldberg Nitro
WWE.com

Goldberg wasn't a fan of wrestling growing up, but living in the Atlanta area as an adult put him in close proximity to the headquarters of World Championship Wrestling. During his injury rehabilitation, he began training in powerlifting and mixed martial arts, and while doing just that, he came to the attention of two of WCW's top stars - Lex Luger and Sting.

Recognizing Goldberg's size, presence, and athleticism, both men suggested that the football player give pro wrestling a try. Initially, Goldberg was skeptical, but realizing that he needed a fallback career with football not panning out, he decided to listen to the veterans' advice.

He entered the WCW Power Plant, the official training school of the erstwhile organization. The Power Plant was very controversial in its time, with reports surfacing that the trainers placed an emphasis on physical conditioning (weeding out recruits they felt couldn't "cut it") at the expense of good - or even safe - ring work. Nevertheless, Goldberg impressed in the camp, and he soon found his way to the WCW roster.

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Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried. *Best Crowd of the Year, 2013