Gage talks pressure of following Bill Goldberg’s legacy
Bill Goldberg and his son, Gage Goldberg talked about the veteran’s legacy in wrestling and football. Gage discussed embracing the pressure that went along with the Goldberg name.
In an interview with Memphis in May, Gage Goldberg says he wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and potentially surpass Bill Goldberg’s legacy.
“I’ve always wanted to continue his legacy. I feel like there’s always been the shadow of it. So, I’m just trying to do exactly what he did and maybe do it even better.”
“I’ve been having to deal with it my whole life. I mean, I’ve just been overcoming it and just trying to do exactly what he’s been doing and live up to that legacy and then hopefully get over the shadow and become a better badass than he was.”
Bill Goldberg discussed the hardships in transitioning from football to pro wrestling.
“I think the hardest part was two very difficult things for me. First and foremost, it was not to hurt people. Because you go from a sport that’s 100% full contact to more of a drama-filled because you go from a sport that’s 100% full contact to more of a drama-filled the existing wrestlers because it it it I’m coming in from a professional background trying to take the job of one of these guys who have aspired to do that their entire lives. For me, I was born in a football helmet and I’ve wanted to be a football player my entire life. And I transitioned to wrestling because I had to retire from football ‘cause I got hurt.”
“It’s tough to enter a profession as an outsider and there was a lot of pressure on me. But the reality is I came from a sport where I got two guys that are 320 lbs trying to kill me at the same time. So for me, anything beyond the football field was easy.”
When asked about the toughest obstacle faced as a pro wrestler, Goldberg reflected on a match with Paul Wight. He had to lift him up for a jackhammer, a move Wight significantly hated for being upside down.
Goldberg officially retired from wrestling in July 2025. He lost to Gunther at SNME that month, and it also kicked off his career killer persona in WWE.
Meanwhile, Gage plays linebacker for the University of Colorado and has expressed interest to pursue a career in wrestling.
In the same interview, Bill teased a reality show with his son, Gage for the Discovery Channel.
Rosanne Raphael is a wrestling writer with over three and a half years of experience covering all things related to the industry. From a kindergarten teacher to PR Associate to turning her lifelong passion for the industry into a career, Rosanne is currently writing for F4W Online where she focuses on wrestling news, analysis, and storytelling.
Rosanne previously contributed to Sportskeeda as an Assistant Content Manager.
When not consumed by wrestling, Rosanne is a musician and an aspiring artist.