document_title: History of Colorado

question_text: where was the first post explorer settlement located in colorado

text: History of Colorado

text: Historic American Indian people[edit]

text:
Ancient Pueblo Peoples — A diverse group of peoples that lived in the valleys and mesas of the Colorado Plateau
Apache Nation — An Athabaskan-speaking nation that lived in the Great Plains in the 18th century, then migrated southward to Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, leaving a void on the plains that was filled by the Arapaho and Cheyenne from the east.
Arapaho Nation — An Algonquian-speaking nation that migrated westward to the base of the Rocky Mountains in the late 19th century and settled on the piedmont and the eastern plains. They were relocated entirely out of Colorado in 1865 following the Colorado War.
Cheyenne Nation — An Algonquian-speaking nation very closely related to the Arapaho. Like the Arapaho, they migrated westward in the 18th century to the base of the Rockies. They often lived in bands interspersed among the Arapaho, and were also relocated out of Colorado in the 1860s.
Comanche Nation — A Numic-speaking nation that lived on the High Plains of southeastern Colorado. Closely related to the Shoshone, they acquired the horse from the Spaniards and roamed the southern Great Plains. The Comanche were removed to Indian territory.
Shoshone Nation — A Numic-speaking nation that inhabited intermountain valleys along the north edge of the state, especially in the Yampa River valley, up through the late 19th century. Areas included North Park and Browns Park.
Ute Nation — A Numic-speaking nation that has lived in the Southern and the Western Rocky Mountains for many centuries. Their leaders were Chief Ouray and his wife Chipeta. They often clashed with the Arapaho and Cheyenne, and resisted the encroachment of these nations into the mountains. Until the 1880s, the Ute controlled nearly all of Colorado west of the continental divide, a situation that eroded after the silver boom of 1879. After clashing with white settlers in the 1880s in the Meeker Massacre, they were nearly entirely relocated out of the state into Utah, except for two small reservations in southwestern Colorado.

text: European settlement[edit]

text: The first Europeans to visit the region were Spanish conquistadors. Juan de Oñate who lived until 1626, founded what would become the Spanish province of Santa Fé de Nuevo México among the pueblos of the Rio Grande on July 11, 1598. In 1706 Juan de Ulibarri claimed the territory of Colorado.[citation needed] In 1787 Juan Bautista de Anza established the settlement of San Carlos near present-day Pueblo, Colorado, but it quickly failed.[1] This was the only Spanish attempt to create a settlement north of the Arkansas River. Colorado became part of the Spanish province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México as part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain.[2] The Spaniards traded with Native Americans who lived there and established the Comercio Comanchero (Comanche Trade) among the Spanish settlements and the Native Americans.[3]

text: In 1803 the United States acquired a territorial claim to the eastern flank of the Rocky Mountains by the Louisiana Purchase from France. However, the claim conflicted with Spain's claim to sovereignty over the territory. Zebulon Pike led a U.S. Army reconnaissance expedition into the disputed region in 1806. Pike and his men were arrested by Spanish cavalry in the San Luis Valley, taken to Chihuahua, then expelled from México.

text: Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla declared Mexico's independence from Spain on September 16, 1810. In 1819, the United States ceded its claim to the land south and west of the Arkansas River to Spain with the Adams-Onís Treaty, at the same time purchasing Florida. Mexico finally won its independence with the Treaty of Córdoba signed on August 24, 1821, and assumed the territorial claims of Spain. Although Mexican traders ventured north, settlers stayed south of the 37th parallel north until the United States signed a peace treaty with the Ute Nation in 1850.

text: During the period 1832 to 1856, traders, trappers, and settlers established trading posts and small settlements along the Arkansas River, and on the South Platte near the Front Range. Prominent among these were Bent's Fort and Fort Pueblo on the Arkansas and Fort Saint Vrain on the South Platte. The main item of trade offered by the Indians was buffalo robes,[4] see Early history of the Arkansas Valley in Colorado.

text: In 1846 the United States went to war with Mexico, and the defeated nation was forced to relinquish its northern territories by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. This opened the Southern Rocky Mountains to American settlement, including what is now the lower portion of Colorado. The newly gained land was divided into the Territory of New Mexico and the Territory of Utah, both organized in 1850, and the Territory of Kansas and the Territory of Nebraska, organized in 1854. Most settlers avoided the rugged Rocky Mountains and headed for Oregon, the Deseret, or California, usually following the North Platte River and the Sweetwater River to South Pass in what is now Wyoming.

text: On April 9, 1851, Hispanic settlers from Taos, New Mexico, settled the village of San Luis, then in the New Mexico Territory, but now Colorado's first permanent European settlement.

text: Pike's Peak Gold Rush[edit]

text: On June 22, 1850, a wagon train bound for California crossed the South Platte River just north of the confluence with Clear Creek, and followed Clear Creek west for six miles. Lewis Ralston dipped his gold pan in a stream flowing into Clear Creek, and found almost $5 in gold (about a quarter of a troy ounce) in his first pan. John Lowery Brown, who kept a diary of the party's journey from Georgia to California, wrote on that day: "Lay bye. Gold found." In a notation above the entry, he wrote, "We called this Ralston's Creek because a man of that name found gold here."

text: Ralston continued on to California, but returned to 'Ralston's Creek' with the Green Russell party eight years later. Members of this party founded Auraria (later absorbed into Denver City) in 1858 and touched off the gold rush to the Rockies. The confluence of Clear Creek and Ralston Creek, the site of Colorado's first gold discovery is now in Arvada, Colorado.

text: In 1858, several parties of gold seekers bound for the California Gold Rush panned small amounts of gold from various streams in the South Platte River Valley at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in then western Kansas Territory, now northeast Colorado. The gold nuggets initially failed to impress the gold seekers, but rumors of gold in the Rocky Mountains persisted, and several small parties explored the region. In the summer of 1857, a party of Spanish-speaking gold seekers from the New Mexico Territory worked a placer deposit along the South Platte River about 5 miles (8 km) above Cherry Creek (in what is today the Overland Park neighborhood of Denver.)[5]

text: The following year, William Greeneberry "Green" Russell led a party of Cherokee gold seekers from the State of Georgia to search for gold along the South Platte River. In the first week of July 1857, Green Russell and Sam Bates found a small placer deposit near the mouth of Little Dry Creek (in present-day Englewood) that yielded about 20 troy ounces (622 grams) of gold, the first significant gold discovery in the Rocky Mountain region.

text: News of this discovery soon spread and precipitated the Pike's Peak Gold Rush.[6] An estimated 100,000 gold seekers flocked to the region over the next three years. The placer gold deposits along the rivers and streams of the region rapidly played out, but miners soon discovered far more valuable seams of hard rock gold, silver, and other minerals in the nearby mountains. This gold rush helped to attract people to the state and resulted in a population boom.

text: Territory of Jefferson[edit]

text: The Provisional Government of the Territory of Jefferson was organized on October 24, 1859, but the new territory failed to secure federal sanction. The Provisional Government freely administered the region despite its lack of official status until the U.S. Territory of Colorado was organized in 1861.

text: Territory of Colorado[edit]

text: The Territory of Colorado was a historic, organized territory of the United States that existed between 1861 and 1876. Its boundaries were identical to the current State of Colorado. The territory ceased to exist when Colorado was admitted to the Union as a state on August 1, 1876. The territory was organized in the wake of the 1859 Pike's Peak Gold Rush, which had brought the first large concentration of white settlement to the region. The organic act[7] creating the territory was passed by Congress and signed by President James Buchanan on February 28, 1861, during the secessions by Southern states that precipitated the American Civil War. The organization of the territory helped solidify Union control over a mineral rich area of the Rocky Mountains.

text: Statehood was regarded as fairly imminent, as during the run-up to the 1864 presidential election the Republican–controlled Congress was actually eager to get two more Republican senators and three more electoral votes for President Lincoln's re-election bid. Territorial Governor John Evans persuaded Congress to adopt an enabling act, but a majority of the 6,192 Coloradoans who voted, in a population of around 35,000, turned down the first attempt at a state constitution and the second attempt at statehood.[8] Later, at the end of 1865, territorial ambitions for statehood were thwarted again, this time by a veto by President Andrew Johnson. Statehood for the territory was a recurring issue during the Ulysses Grant administration, with Grant advocating statehood against a less willing Congress during Reconstruction.

text: Colorado War[edit]

text: The Colorado War (1863–1865) was an armed conflict between the United States and a loose alliance among the Kiowa, Comanche, Arapaho, and Cheyenne nations of Native Americans (the last two were particularly closely allied). The war was centered on the Eastern Plains of the Colorado Territory and resulted in the removal of these four Native American peoples from present-day Colorado to present-day Oklahoma. The war included a particularly notorious episode in November 1864 known as the Sand Creek Massacre. The battle, initially hailed by the U.S. press as a great victory, was later learned to be one of genocidal brutality. The resulting hearings in the United States Congress regarding the malfeasance of the U.S. Army commander, John Chivington, were a watershed in the white views of the Indian Wars at the close of the American Civil War. In 1868 the U.S. Army, led by George Armstrong Custer, renewed the conflict against the Arapaho and Cheyenne at the Battle of Washita River.

text: Colorado becomes a state[edit]

text: The United States Congress passed an enabling act on March 3, 1875, specifying the requirements for the Territory of Colorado to become a state.[9] On August 1, 1876 (28 days after the Centennial of the United States), U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant signed a proclamation admitting the state of Colorado to the Union as the 38th state and earning it the moniker "Centennial State".[10] The borders of the new state coincided with the borders established for the Colorado Territory.

text: Women won the right to vote in Colorado in 1893. Colorado was the first state in the union to grant this right to women through a popular election. (Wyoming approved the right of women to vote in 1869 through a vote of the territorial legislature.)

text: Governor Davis H. Waite campaigned for the Constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote in Colorado. Governor Waite is also noted as one of the few elected officials ever to call out the state militia to protect miners from a force raised by mine owners[citation needed]. Governor Waite belonged to the Populist Party.

text: Mining in Colorado[edit]

text: Participants in the Pike's Peak Gold Rush from 1858 to 1861 were called Fifty-Niners and many of the new arrivals settled in the Denver area. Gold in paying quantities was also discovered in the Central City area. In 1879, silver was discovered in Leadville, resulting in the Colorado Silver Boom.

text: Many early mining efforts were cooperative ventures. However, as easy-to-reach surface deposits played out, miners increasingly turned to hard rock mining. Such industrial operations required greater capital, and the economic concept of mineral rights resulted in periodic conflicts between the mine owners, and the miners who increasingly sold their labor to work in the mines.

text: As the mines were dug deeper, they became more dangerous, and the work more arduous, creating the conditions for conflict. In 1880, Colorado Governor Pitkin, a Republican, declared martial law to suppress a violent mining strike at Leadville. In the 1890s many Colorado miners began to form unions in order to protect themselves. The mine operators often formed mine owners' associations in response, setting up the conditions for a conflict. Notable labor disputes between hard rock miners and the mine operators included the Cripple Creek strike of 1894 and the Colorado Labor Wars of 1903-04.

text: Coal mining in Colorado began soon after the first settlers arrived. Although the discovery of coal did not cause boom cycles as did the precious metals, the early coal mining industry also established the conditions for violent confrontations between miners and mine owners. The usual issues were wages, hours, and working conditions, but miners were also concerned about issues of fairness, and company control over their personal lives.

text: Early coal mining in Colorado was extremely dangerous, and the state had one of the highest death rates in the nation. During the three decades from 1884 to 1914, more than 1700 men died in Colorado's coal mines.[11] Coal miners also resented having to pay for safety work such as timbering the mines, and they were sometimes paid in scrip that had value only in the company store, with the cost of goods set by the company.

text: A strike in 1913 resulted in the 1914 Ludlow massacre. Another coal strike in 1927 is best known for Colorado's first Columbine massacre. In 1933, federal legislation for the first time allowed all Colorado coal miners to join unions without fear of retaliation.

text: Like all resource extraction, mining is a boom or bust industry, and over the years many small towns were established, then abandoned when the ore ran out, the market collapsed, or another resource became available. There were once more than a hundred coal mines in the area north of Denver and east of Boulder. The mines began to close when natural gas lines arrived. Coal and precious metals are still mined in Colorado, but the mining industries have changed dramatically in recent decades.

text: Reports of the revival of molybdenum mining in 2007 resulted in ambivalent responses[12] with Leadville welcoming the opening of the mine at Climax,[13][14] but strong opposition in Crested Butte over proposed operations at Mount Emmons.[15] Opinion in Rico, site of the Silver Creek stockwork Molybdenum deposit[16] is more divided. There, land slated for development is being bought up by a mining company.[17]

text: Today there are many small mining towns scattered throughout Colorado, such as Leadville, Georgetown, Cripple Creek, Victor, and Central City. Although many of the mines no longer operate, the remnants of the operations can be seen in the form of mine shafts, outbuildings, and mounds of rock extracted from the hills. Many former mining towns turned to gambling to draw visitors, with Blackhawk and Cripple Creek serving as good examples. The 19th century ended with a difficult law-and-order situation in some places, most notably, Creede, Colorado, where gunmen like Robert Ford (the assassin of Jesse James) and con men like Soapy Smith reigned. In

text: "The World's Sanitarium"[edit]

text: Starting in the 1860s, when tuberculosis (TB) was a major deadly disease, physicians in the eastern United States recommended that their patients relocate to sunny, dry climates for their lungs. As a result, the number of people with tuberculosis, called "lungers", in the state grew alarmingly and without the services or facilities to support their needs. Not knowing how to manage a population of homeless, ill people, many were taken to jail. Because of the number of people with TB and their families who came to Denver for their health, by the 1880s it was nicknamed the "World's Sanitarium". Cynthia Stout, a history scholar, asserted that by 1900 "one-third of Colorado's population were residents of the state because of tuberculosis."[18][19]

text: Twentieth century[edit]

text: In the early 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan was an important political force in Colorado, but it was unable to get any of its proposals enacted into law, and it died out by 1930.[20]

text: The 1930s saw the beginning of the ski industry in Colorado. Resorts were established in areas such as Estes Park, Gunnison, and on Loveland Pass.[21] During WWII, the 10th Mountain Division established Camp Hale to train elite ski troops.[22]

text: In the 1940s, the Republican governor of Colorado, Ralph Carr, spoke out against racial discrimination and against the federal internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.

text: In 1967, Governor John A. Love signed the nation's first liberalized abortion law.[23] The late 1960s saw violence in Denver, in the form of race riots, and college buildings being burned by radicals.

text: In 1972, Colorado became the only state to reject the award of hosting the Olympic Games after they had been granted. When Representative Lamm led a successful movement to reject a bond issue for expenses related to hosting the event, the International Olympic Committee relocated the 1976 Winter Olympics to Innsbruck, Austria. No venue had rejected the award before nor has any venue since.

text: In 1999, the Columbine High School massacre became the most devastating high-school massacre in United States history until the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting in 2018.[24]

text: Twenty-first century[edit]

text: On July 20, 2012, not far from the location of the aforementioned massacre at Columbine High School, 12 people were killed and 70 people were injured[25] in the 2012 Aurora shooting, when James Eagan Holmes, a former neuroscience doctoral student, walked into an Aurora, Colorado Cinemark movie theater with multiple firearms and tear gas grenades, and started shooting at random at people trying to escape during a midnight Thursday showing of The Dark Knight Rises, killing 12 people and injuring 70 others.[26] It was the deadliest shooting in Colorado since the Columbine High School massacre and, in terms of both the dead and wounded in the number of casualties, was the largest single mass shooting in U.S. history.[27]

text: Colorado is now 1 of 8 states[28] that have legalized both medical and recreational marijuana, allowing them to tax the product. As of July 2014, six months after recreational shops began sales of marijuana in Colorado, the state has enjoyed a tax revenue of 45 million with 98 million expected by the end of the calendar year. This is in addition to increased economic revenues from "pot tourists."


document_title: Bill Goldberg

question_text: who did bill goldberg play for in the nfl

root

text: Bill Goldberg

text: Early life

text: Goldberg was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he had a bar mitzvah at Temple Israel[14] and graduated from Tulsa Edison High School.[15] He acquired a love for football early in life and was a bouncer at age 16.[16] Goldberg's mother, Ethel, is a classical violinist, while his father, Jed, who attended Harvard University, was an obstetrician and gynecologist. They divorced, and Jed died in late 2006.[17] Ethel also breeds flowers and created an award-winning hybrid orchid, which she named after Goldberg.[18] His brother, Michael, is the owner of a music club in Aspen, Colorado.[19]

tag: p

text: Goldberg is proud of his Jewish heritage and refused to hide it in the wrestling world, including refusing to wrestle on Yom Kippur.[20][21] His Romanian great-grandfather, Marcel, emigrated from Bucharest and came to the U.S. through Ellis Island.[22] His other great-grandfather, Willie, was a Russian immigrant.

text: Football career

text:
Bill Goldberg

No. 71, 73

Position:
Defensive tackle

Personal information

Date of birth:
(1966-12-27) December 27, 1966 (age 50)

Place of birth:
Tulsa, Oklahoma

Height:
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)

Weight:
255 lb (116 kg)

Career information

High school:
Tulsa (OK) Edison

College:
Georgia

NFL Draft:
1990 / Round: 11 / Pick: 302

Career history

Los Angeles Rams (1990–1991)*
Sacramento Surge (1992)
Sacramento Gold Miners (1993)
Atlanta Falcons (1992–1994)
Carolina Panthers (1995)*

 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only

Career highlights and awards

World Bowl champion (II)

Career NFL statistics

Games played:
14

Games started:
1

Player stats at NFL.com

tag: table

text: Goldberg earned a scholarship to play for the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team where he served as a defensive tackle. He was taken by the Los Angeles Rams in the 11th round, with the 302nd overall selection, in the 1990 NFL draft.

text: He played for the Los Angeles Rams in the 1990 NFL season, followed by a stint with the CFL Sacramento Gold Miners and Atlanta Falcons from 1992 to 1994. After being cut from the Falcons, in 1995 he was selected by the new expansion team, the Carolina Panthers, in the 1995 NFL expansion draft, but never played a game with the team. He was the first player to have been cut by the Panthers.

text: Goldberg's NFL career ended when he "tore his lower abdomen off his pelvis". He had hopes of returning to the league after rehabilitation but, due to his lack of success, wasn't considered a major asset. Goldberg has described playing in the NFL as "a mixed emotional experience" because, despite reaching the goal of simply playing in the NFL, he didn't obtain the level of achievement that he desired.[16]

text: Professional wrestling career

text: World Championship Wrestling

text: Training and early matches (1996–1997)

text: During the rehab following his NFL injury, Goldberg began powerlifting and mixed martial arts training. He was spotted by Lex Luger and Sting who urged him to try professional wrestling.[23] Although not a fan of professional wrestling, he saw it as an alternative to his fledgling football career and began training at the WCW Power Plant.

text: Working as Bill Gold, Goldberg made five appearances. The first was on a dark match at a Monday Nitro event on June 23, 1997 where he defeated Buddy Lee Parker.[24] He also faced and defeated Buddy Landell (Saturday Night dark match), Hugh Morrus (house show), Chip Minton (Nitro dark match) and John Betcha (house show). His final pre-televised appearance was in dark match on July 24 at Saturday Night taping, a loss to Chad Fortune.

text: Undefeated streak (1997–1998)

text: On the September 22 episode of Nitro, Goldberg defeated Hugh Morrus in his debut match. Soon afterward, he began to score quick victories over his fellow WCW wrestlers in the range of 1–2 minutes. Goldberg's succession of wins saw him quickly advance up the card, and he was pushed as a singles wrestler. The newcomer captivated fans with his monstrous yet silent charisma, brute strength, and agility that saw him vault the ropes, perform high kicks and even the occasional backflip. Goldberg made his pay-per-view debut at Starrcade defeating Steve McMichael.[1][2] In early 1998, Goldberg squashed Brad Armstrong at SuperBrawl VIII and pinned Perry Saturn at Spring Stampede.[1][2] In mid-March, WCW stopped referring to him by his full name, shortening it to simply Goldberg.[25] Around this time, WCW began counting Goldberg's consecutive wins on television as he continued to climb up the ranks. Goldberg's win over Saturn was his 74th consecutive without a loss, and the next night on Nitro he challenged Raven for the United States Heavyweight Championship that Raven had won the night before at Spring Stampede. Despite interference from Raven's Flock, Goldberg overpowered them all and defeated Raven to win his first professional wrestling championship.[26] Two days later on the April 22 episode of Thunder, he made his first successful title defense against Mike Enos.[27] Goldberg then started a feud with Raven and The Flock. At Slamboree, he ended his feud with The Flock after a successful title defense against Saturn.[2] Goldberg continued to make successful title defenses against Konnan at The Great American Bash and Curt Hennig.[2] By this time, he had adopted the catchphrase "Who's next?" in reference to his rapidly expanding winning streak.[28]

text: As Goldberg was getting over as a main eventer, he continued to defend the United States Heavyweight Championship and was slowly becoming a contender for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship that was held by New World Order (nWo) leader Hollywood Hogan. Hogan eventually promised Goldberg a title match. The match was scheduled for the July 6, 1998 episode of Nitro held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta with over 40,000 in attendance, but Hogan insisted that Goldberg first had to defeat his nWo stablemate Scott Hall. Goldberg won and later in the evening was also able to defeat Hogan to become the WCW World Heavyweight Champion, in turn vacating his United States Heavyweight Championship. At Road Wild, Goldberg won a battle royal, consisting of nWo members.[1][2] After Diamond Dallas Page became the number one contender for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, Goldberg and Page began a feud with each other. At Halloween Havoc, the feud was settled after Goldberg defeated Page to retain the title.[1][2] According to Goldberg, his match against Page was the favourite match of his career.[29][unreliable source] At Starrcade, Goldberg's undefeated streak ended at an official count of 173–0,[4][30] and after 174 days as champion when he lost the title to Kevin Nash after Scott Hall, disguised as a ringside security guard, made a run-in and shocked Goldberg with a taser gun.[1][2] Goldberg, however, got his revenge at Souled Out, when he defeated Hall in a ladder taser match. Goldberg won when he used the taser, which was hung high above the ring, requiring the ladder to obtain it.[1][2] At the same time, the WWF began mocking Goldberg with the character Gillberg, a perennial jobber who dressed similarly to Goldberg and mocked his signature entrance and mannerisms, but was small and scrawny, using the catchphrase "Who's First?" since he never won.

text: Goldberg's win–loss record at WCW events from 1997 to 1998 differed from that which was perpetuated by the company, with the official figure exaggerating the number of matches in which he won to 173.[31][32][33][34] Nick Schwartz of Fox Sports wrote: "No one really knows what Goldberg's actual record was... but it's generally accepted that 173–0 is an inflated number".[35] Some of Goldberg's industry peers have stated that the figure was exaggerated.[35] His then-WCW colleague Chris Jericho stated: "One week he'd be 42–0 and seven days later he'd be 58–0. Did stepping on bugs count?"[36] Manager Jimmy Hart, who also worked with Goldberg in WCW, regarded the level of embellishment as "kind of funny", while professional wrestler The Miz said: "The number would just go on and on and on, to where it was like, 'Wait a second. How did he get this many wins in such a short time'?"[37] This exaggeration damaged the streak's credibility among the WCW audience: upon noticing that the figure had been falsified, fans began to withdraw homemade signs trumpeting Goldberg's record.[33]

text: Championship pursuits and final feuds (1999–2001)

text: At Spring Stampede, Goldberg gained his revenge against Nash by defeating him.[1][2] Then at Slamboree the following month, Goldberg was "injured" in an attack by Rick and Scott Steiner and took some time off to prepare for his movie debut in 1999 film Universal Soldier: The Return alongside Timecop film star Jean-Claude Van Damme.[2] He returned two months later and defeated Rick Steiner at Road Wild.[2][38] Goldberg then restarted his feud with DDP also involving Page's allies, The Jersey Triad, which culminated in a match at Fall Brawl that Goldberg won.[2] After Goldberg settled his rivalry with Page, he began focusing on Sid Vicious and challenged him to a match to end Sid's winning streak.[2] The two feuded with each other, which culminated in a match at Halloween Havoc for Sid's United States Heavyweight title. Goldberg defeated Sid via referee stoppage, and thus won his second United States Heavyweight Championship.[39] Later that night, he answered an open challenge from WCW World Heavyweight Champion Sting and defeated him to win the championship.[1][2] On the next night's episode of Nitro, commissioner J.J. Dillon ruled that the match had not been sanctioned by WCW and that, therefore, Goldberg's victory was void.[2] Sting, however, was not given the title back due to his attack on a referee during the event and Dillon announced a 32-man tournament for the now-vacant title which included Goldberg.[2]

text: Goldberg wrestled Bret Hart on the same Nitro in the first round of the tournament in a match that also served as the first defense of his newly won United States Heavyweight Championship. Sid Vicious managed to interfere in the contest and cost Goldberg the match, thus giving him his second career loss, costing him the title, and eliminating him from the tournament which was eventually won by Hart at Mayhem in November.[2] Goldberg continued his rivalry with Vicious and defeated him in an "I Quit" match at Mayhem to close their feud.[2] Shortly thereafter, Goldberg joined forces with Hart, teaming with him to defeat Creative Control for the WCW World Tag Team Championship.[40] One week later, they lost the title to The Outsiders (Scott Hall and Kevin Nash).

text: At Starrcade, Goldberg challenged Hart for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship; in the course of the match, Goldberg delivered a stiff kick to Hart's head, legitimately giving him a concussion and tearing a muscle in his neck. Hart continued on, suffering what he believed to be at least one other concussion when he hit his head on the floor while executing a ringpost-assisted figure-four leglock. The match ended when Roddy Piper, the special guest referee for the contest, declared Hart the winner despite Goldberg never having submitted to the Sharpshooter.[1][2] Hart vacated the title the next night on Nitro, saying he did not want to win that way, and gave Goldberg a rematch.[41] Goldberg was defeated again due to outside interference from Hall and Nash, who came to the ring brandishing baseball bats which they used to attack Goldberg.[41] In a swerve, Hart took one of the bats from The Outsiders and began beating on Goldberg himself, doing enough damage to score the pin and regain his championship.[2][41] After the match, Hall, Nash, Hart and Jeff Jarrett reformed the nWo[41] and gave Goldberg a new target for a feud that, however, would not last long.

text: Shortly after his title match loss, Goldberg injured himself on the December 23, 1999 episode of Thunder, during a sequence where he chased the nWo limousine into the parking lot. A spot in the sequence called for Goldberg to pound on the windshield of the limousine with his hands. To ensure his safety, Goldberg had assistance from a piece of metal pipe and his hands were covered in black tape. After this, Goldberg was to break some of the vehicle's windows. There were four windows on the side of the limousine and Goldberg broke the first two with his hands. He then got aggressive, putting his forearm through the third window and immediately gashing it. Goldberg finished the sequence by pounding on the hood of the limo with his bloody arm, but immediately after it ended he was taken from the arena and rushed to a nearby hospital where the wound was patched. Goldberg lost a large amount of blood due to the accident. The injury caused Goldberg to miss the January 4, 2000 New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) Tokyo Dome show, where he was scheduled to face Manabu Nakanishi. After taking time off to recuperate, Goldberg returned to WCW on the May 29, 2000 episode of Nitro interfering in a handicap match between Kevin Nash and the team of Tank Abbott and Rick Steiner .[2] At The Great American Bash, Goldberg betrayed Nash during Nash's world championship match against Jeff Jarrett and turned into a villain for the first time in his career, aligning himself with The New Blood faction.[1][2] This did not last long, as Goldberg again was lost to injury and miss time. As a result of this betrayal, Goldberg feuded with Nash and defeated him at Bash at the Beach, with help from fellow New Blood member Scott Steiner.[2] Goldberg participated in a triangle number one contender's match against Nash and Steiner at New Blood Rising, which Nash won.[2] Goldberg walked out of the match midway through while Nash had him ready for the Jackknife Powerbomb and swore at Vince Russo as he left the ring, turning face again. He then began a rivalry with Steiner, culminating in a no disqualification match at Fall Brawl which Goldberg lost due to outside interference.[2]

text: After his loss to Steiner, Goldberg's rivalry with Russo accelerated and in October, having finally had enough, Russo gave Goldberg an ultimatum. If Goldberg was to lose another match at any point in time, unless he managed to duplicate his undefeated streak from 1997 to 1998, he would be forced to retire from professional wrestling. Goldberg defeated KroniK (Brian Adams and Bryan Clark) at Halloween Havoc in a handicap elimination match.[1][2] He then started a feud with Lex Luger.[2] This culminated in a match at Mayhem, which Goldberg won.[2] They continued their rivalry and battled in a rematch at Starrcade.[1][2] Goldberg won the match, but afterwards he was attacked by Luger's partner Buff Bagwell.[1][2] Goldberg feuded with both Luger and Bagwell, who called themselves "Totally Buffed". His streak was broken at Sin when Goldberg, teaming with his Power Plant trainer Dewayne Bruce, lost to Totally Buffed in a tag team no disqualification match after a "fan" maced him, enabling Totally Buffed to pin him.[1][2] The storyline was intended to enable Goldberg to have shoulder surgery, but WCW was sold to the WWF in March 2001, while Goldberg was still recuperating. The WWF did not buy out Goldberg's contract with Time Warner (the parent company of WCW) as they had done with several other WCW employees, so he was not involved in the WWF "Invasion" angle. Goldberg instead remained under contract to Time Warner until May 2002, when he agreed on a contract buyout.[1][2] He was WCW's highest paid athlete, alongside Bret Hart, earning 2.5 million dollars per year, a sum which would have risen to 3.5 million in the final year of his contract, due to have expired in July 2003.[42]

text: All Japan Pro Wrestling (2002–2003)

text: Goldberg had suffered an arm injury during the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race at the Long Beach Grand Prix in April 2002. In August 2002, he returned to the ring in Japan. He initially joined All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), defeating Satoshi Kojima and Taiyō Kea. He went on to defeat Rick Steiner in a match for the W-1 promotion, and teamed with Keiji Mutoh to defeat KroniK. His success in Japan led to the WWF – now renamed World Wrestling Entertainment – to begin contract negotiations with him.[1]

text: World Wrestling Entertainment (2003–2004)

text: After leaving Japan, Goldberg signed a one-year contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in March 2003, debuting on the March 31 episode of Raw (the night after WrestleMania XIX) and starting a feud with The Rock by performing a spear on him.[1] Their rivalry intensified when The Rock held a segment entitled The Rock Concert, where he taunted Goldberg along with Gillberg, but Goldberg defeated him in his debut match at Backlash on April 27, following three spears and a Jackhammer.[43] Goldberg went undefeated over the subsequent half-year, defeating 3-Minute Warning in his first match on Raw.[1] Goldberg defeated Christian the following week on Raw in a steel cage match.[1]

text: Goldberg next feuded with Chris Jericho, when during Jericho's first edition of the Highlight Reel, an interview show where Goldberg was the guest, he complained that no one wanted Goldberg in WWE and continued to insult him in the following weeks. On the May 12 episode of Raw, a mystery assailant attempted to run over Goldberg with a limousine. The following week on Raw, the Raw Co-General Manager Stone Cold Steve Austin interrogated several superstars to find out who was driving the car. One of the interrogatees was Lance Storm, who admitted that he was the assailant. Austin forced Storm into a match with Goldberg, who defeated Storm, immediately after which Goldberg forced Storm to admit that Jericho was the superstar who conspired Storm into running him over. On the May 26 episode of Raw, Goldberg was once again a guest on the Highlight Reel, where Jericho expressed jealousy towards Goldberg's success in WCW and felt that since joining WWE, he had achieved everything he had ever wanted in his career and all that was left was to defeat Goldberg and challenged him to a match. At Bad Blood on June 15, Goldberg defeated Jericho.[1]

text: Goldberg entered a rivalry with Triple H, challenging him for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam on August 23 in the second Elimination Chamber match in WWE. After eliminating Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels and Jericho, he was pinned by Triple H after Ric Flair threw a sledgehammer inside the chamber and Triple H hit Goldberg with it, meaning Triple H retained the title.[44] Goldberg continued his feud with Triple H and defeated him for the World Heavyweight Championship at Unforgiven on September 21, after agreeing to put his career on the line.[45][46] The next night on Raw, Goldberg successfully retained the title against Chris Jericho. The following week on Raw, Triple H issued a $100,000 bounty to anybody who could take Goldberg out. Steven Richards, Mark Henry, La Résistance and Tommy Dreamer all attempted to collect the bounty, but they were unsuccessful. On the October 20 episode of Raw, Batista collected the bounty after he interfered in Goldberg's title defense against Shawn Michaels and attacked Goldberg, placing a folding chair around Goldberg's ankle and jumping off the middle rope onto the chair, shattering his ankle. Furious, Goldberg demanded a match against Batista, but Triple H got involved in the match by trying to cripple Goldberg, who executed a spear on Triple H and attacked Batista with a sledgehammer. At Survivor Series on November 16, Goldberg retained the title against Triple H despite interference from Evolution.[47] On the November 17 episode of Raw, Goldberg faced Triple H, Randy Orton and Batista in a handicap match, but he was pinned following an RKO, Batista Bomb and Pedigree. After the match, Kane unexpectedly came out to seemingly assist Goldberg after Evolution continued their assault on him following the match. After scaring off Evolution, he turned on Goldberg and executed a chokeslam on him. The following week on Raw, Kane attacked Goldberg again while he was defending the championship against Triple H in a rematch from Survivor Series and expressed his desire to face Goldberg for the title. Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff scheduled Goldberg to defend the championship against both Kane and Triple H in a triple threat match at Armageddon. Goldberg teamed with Shawn Michaels and Rob Van Dam to face and defeat Kane, Batista and Orton in a six-man tag team match. On the December 8 episode of Raw, Goldberg faced Kane in a lumberjack match which ended in a disqualification when Evolution and Mark Henry entered the ring and assaulted Goldberg. At Armageddon on December 14, Goldberg lost the title when Triple H pinned him after interference from Evolution and a chokeslam from Kane, thus ending his reign at 84 days.[48]

text: Survivor Series also marked the first time Goldberg met the WWE Champion Brock Lesnar by interrupting Lesnar after the latter remarked that he could beat anyone in the world. The feud escalated at the 2004 Royal Rumble on January 25, when Goldberg was in the midst of dominating the Royal Rumble match (he eliminated Charlie Haas, Billy Gunn and Nunzio) as the 30th entrant until Lesnar interfered in the match and executed the F-5 on Goldberg that, angrily distracted at Lesnar's attack, was eliminated by Kurt Angle.[1] Vowing revenge after defeating Mark Henry and Jonathan Coachman in a no disqualification handicap match the following Raw, Goldberg declared Lesnar his next victim. On February 2, Goldberg was given a front row ticket to No Way Out by Stone Cold Steve Austin. SmackDown! General Manager Paul Heyman appeared on Raw, and along with Mr. McMahon attempted to get Goldberg to leave Lesnar, but Goldberg executed a spear on Heyman and accidentally executed a spear on Austin when he was aiming for McMahon. Goldberg attended No Way Out as a fan, confronting Lesnar at the event and, after several insults by Lesnar, entered the ring and countered a F-5 from Lesner with a Jackhammer, before being detained and escorted out of the arena by security guards. During the main event between Lesnar and Eddie Guerrero on February 15, Goldberg reemerged from the crowd and cost Lesnar the title.[49] Lesnar then demanded a match with Goldberg at WrestleMania XX on March 14, with Austin serving as special guest referee. Fans knew this would be the final WWE match for both Goldberg and Lesnar, and thus gave largely negative reactions throughout the performance.[50][51] Goldberg won the match, causing Lesnar to show Austin a middle finger, but he instead received a Stone Cold Stunner in return, and as Goldberg celebrated his victory with Austin, he also received a Stone Cold Stunner.[50]

text: Legends of Wrestling (2015–2016)

text: Goldberg made his return to professional wrestling on June 7, 2015 at the Legends of Wrestling show at Citi Field in New York. While he was not scheduled to wrestle at the event, Goldberg came to the aid of Rob Van Dam after his match with Scott Steiner. He performed a spear on Steiner and a Jackhammer on Doc Gallows.[52]

text: On January 23, 2016, Goldberg made a second return for the Legends of Wrestling event in Miami, where he delivered another spear to Steiner after his match with Chavo Guerrero.[53]

text: Return to WWE (2016–2017)

text: On May 31, 2016, Goldberg was announced as the pre-order bonus for the upcoming WWE 2K17 video game.[54][55] Throughout the summer, Goldberg and WWE 2K17 cover star and former rival Brock Lesnar traded insults with each other through social media and WWE 2K events such as Gamescom.[56] Goldberg would also appear at the WWE 2K SummerSlam event the weekend before the pay-per-view event took place, fueling speculation he would be appearing at the event to confront Lesnar.[57] Goldberg then appeared on the October 10 episode of SportsCenter, where he contemplated a return to WWE.[58] This led to Paul Heyman challenging Goldberg to face Lesnar on the October 10 episode of Raw,[56] with Heyman stating that Goldberg was the one blemish on Lesnar's WWE career, as Goldberg had defeated Lesnar at WrestleMania XX in 2004.[59] The following week on Raw, Goldberg returned to WWE for the first time in twelve years, accepting Heyman's challenge and signaling that Lesnar would be next and last.[60] On the October 24 episode of Raw, Lesnar returned with Heyman, who insulted Goldberg.[61] It was then announed that their match was scheduled for Survivor Series.[62] On the October 31 episode of Raw, Goldberg returned to address Lesnar's comments from the previous week, only to be interrupted by Heyman, who teased that Lesnar was there, but Rusev came out instead.[63] Goldberg executed a Jackhammer on Rusev and a spear on Heyman, who was rushed to hospital with bruised ribs.[64] On the final Raw before Survivor Series, Goldberg and Lesnar had a face off, resulting in a brawl with security after Heyman insulted Goldberg's family.[65] At Survivor Series on November 20, Goldberg defeated Lesnar after two consecutive spears and a Jackhammer in 1 minute and 26 seconds.[66][67]

text: The next night on Raw, Goldberg thanked the fans and his family before saying he has one more title run left in him while also declaring himself as the first participant in the 2017 Royal Rumble match.[68] The following week on Raw, Heyman addressed the Survivor Series match, stating that they underestimated Goldberg and that the match was a humiliation and embarrassment for him and Lesnar, who would also be in the Royal Rumble match as he has something to prove.[69] Goldberg returned on the January 2, 2017 episode of Raw as the first guest on The Kevin Owens Show where he confronted Chris Jericho and WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens, stating that he would win the Royal Rumble match and challenge for the world championship at WrestleMania 33.[70] However, Heyman on behalf of Lesnar, Braun Strowman and United States Champion Roman Reigns then came out to announce their intentions at the Royal Rumble, and after a stare down, Goldberg and Reigns performed a double-spear on Strowman.[71] Goldberg appeared once more on the January 23 episode of Raw, where he was confronted by Lesnar and another Royal Rumble participant The Undertaker.[72] During the Royal Rumble match on January 29, Goldberg entered at number 28 and he confronted Lesnar, before delivering a spear and eliminating him.[73] After taking out multiple opponents, Goldberg was confronted by the number 29 entrant, The Undertaker, and after Goldberg eliminated Rusev and Luke Harper, he was eliminated by The Undertaker himself.[74][75]

text: Lesnar then appeared on the following night's episode of Raw and challenged Goldberg to one final match at WrestleMania 33.[76] Goldberg would go on to accept Lesnar's challenge on the February 6 episode of Raw whilst interrupting WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens and United States Champion Chris Jericho in the process.[77] Goldberg would challenge Owens to a WWE Universal Championship match at Fastlane with Jericho accepting on Owens' behalf and the match was made official later that night.[78] On the February 27 episode of Raw, Goldberg and Owens had one final confrontation with Goldberg claiming that if he would win the WWE Universal Championship, he would defend it against Lesnar at WrestleMania 33.[79] At Fastlane on March 5, after a distraction from Jericho (who Owens turned on for accepting Goldberg challenge on Owens' behalf since the February 13 episode of Raw),[80] Goldberg defeated Owens after a Spear and a Jackhammer to win the WWE Universal Championship in 22 seconds.[81][82] At WrestleMania 33 on April 2, despite performing three spears and a Jackhammer, Goldberg lost the title to Lesnar (marking his first loss to Lesnar) in what was also his first clean singles loss.[83][84] Goldberg appeared the following night on Raw Talk (which aired on the WWE Network after the Raw broadcast) to wish the fans farewell, but ultimately did not rule out a return in the future.[85]

text: Mixed martial arts

text: On July 22, 2006, Goldberg served as color commentator in mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion World Fighting Alliance (WFA) King of the Streets pay-per-view in Los Angeles, California. When asked whether he was interested in becoming a mixed martial artist, Goldberg stated, "I'd love to, especially if I was 21 or even 29, but these guys are so far ahead of me in terms of experience. I never say never, though. But I don't see myself stopping my movies, my shows, my commentating, or being a dad to do that". On June 2, 2007, Goldberg also commentated on K-1 Dynamite USA.

text: Goldberg became a color commentator for the EliteXC organization during their inaugural event. The event, EliteXC Destiny, was broadcast live on Showtime, on February 10, 2007. He continued in this role through all of EliteXC's showcase and combined cards, including Dynamite!! USA, Strikeforce Shamrock vs. Baroni, EliteXC: Renegade, and EliteXC: Street Certified.

text: Other media

text: Goldberg sponsored the Monster Jam truck "Goldberg", which was driven by Tom Meents from 2000 to 2001 as part of a deal between WCW and FELD Motorsports. The truck was very successful winning the Monster Jam World Finals Racing championship in both 2000 and 2001 and the Freestyle championship in 2001. The truck was retired after WCW was bought by WWE, thus ending the partnership.

text: In 2014, Goldberg started his own podcast entitled Who's Next?! With Bill Goldberg, which includes weekly guest interviews.

text: Film and television

text: Goldberg began acting while working for WCW in 1999. His appearance in Universal Soldier: The Return corresponded with him being featured in the music video.[86][87] He was a special guest star on Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling. On the show he showed the contestants his various power moves and also how to hit an opponent with a steel chair. He went on to host three seasons of the Speed Channel show Bullrun.

text: In 2005, Goldberg also starred in the Happy Madison produced Adam Sandler movie The Longest Yard, as an inmate, along with fellow wrestlers Kevin Nash, The Great Khali, and Stone Cold Steve Austin, as well as actors Chris Rock and Burt Reynolds among others. In the same year he was also the host of The History Channel documentary series Auto-Maniac and later starred in the movie Santa's Slay where he plays a homicidal Santa Claus who goes on a killing spree on Christmas.

text: In 2007, Goldberg starred in the thriller/drama film Half Past Dead 2 alongside rapper Kurupt.[citation needed]

text: In March 2010, Goldberg appeared on the ninth season of Donald Trump's reality series The Celebrity Apprentice and was eliminated in the sixth episode.[88] In 2016, Goldberg starred in the documentary film Nine Legends alongside other notable wrestlers, former boxing star Mike Tyson and UFC fighter Randy Couture.[89]

text: Video games

text: Goldberg is a playable character in numerous video games, including WCW Nitro,[90] WCW/nWo Revenge,[91] WCW/nWo Thunder,[92] WCW Mayhem,[93] WCW Backstage Assault,[94] WWE WrestleMania XIX, WWE Raw 2,[95] WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain,[96] WWE 2K14[97] and is the pre-order bonus for the WWE 2K17 game.[98]

text: Personal life

text: On April 10, 2005, Goldberg married Wanda Ferraton, a stunt double whom he met while filming Santa's Slay.[99] They reside in Bonsall, California, and have one son together named Gage.[100]

text: Goldberg co-owns and operates the Extreme Power Gym Muay Thai and amateur boxing training facility in Oceanside, California.[101] He also owns over 25 vintage cars,[20] including a Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertible, Shelby Cobra 427, and a Mustang Boss 429 "Lawman" (one of the two cars used in the Vietnam War to entertain the U.S. Army).

text: Goldberg has a long scar on the right side of his torso from a tear suffered during a college football game that required surgery to repair. He also acquired a scar on his right forearm from an altercation in WCW which kept him out of action for quite some time due to the surgery needed to fix.[102] He has a large tribal tattoo on his left upper shoulder (which became his professional wrestling logo) and a skull on the inside of his right biceps.

text: Philanthropy

text: In January 2016, Goldberg and entertainment impresario Uncle Louie started a joint venture with disabled Air Force veteran Reinaldo Horday called "Combat Crate", offering a crate of exclusive memorabilia with 100% of the profit from the inaugural crate going to Wounded Warriors of South Florida.[103]

text: Goldberg is an animal welfare advocate and an American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) spokesman, and has addressed the United States Congress in order to raise awareness of illegal animal fighting.[104] Goldberg participated regularly in the Jimmy V Golf Classic, and visits with children in local hospitals who are undergoing cancer treatment.[105][106][107][108] [109]

text: Filmography

text: Film

text:
Year
Title
Role

1999
The Jesse Ventura Story
Luger

Universal Soldier: The Return
Romeo

2000
Ready to Rumble
Himself

2003
Looney Tunes: Back in Action
Mr. Smith

2005
The Longest Yard
Battle

The Kid & I
Himself

Santa's Slay
Santa Claus

2007
Half Past Dead 2
William Burke

2010
Kill Speed
Big Bad John

Minkow
Sax

Holly, Jingles and Clyde 3D
Gus

2016
Nine Legends
Himself

2017
American Satan
Hawk

text: Television

text:
Year
Title
Role
Notes

1998
The Love Boat: The Next Wave
Lou "The Pariah" Maguire
Episode: "Captain Courageous"

1999
Dennis Miller Live
Himself

Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends
Episode: "Wrestling"

E! True Hollywood Story
Episode: "Hulk Hogan"

2000
The Daily Show

The Man Show
Episode: "Holiday Show 2"

2002
Yes, Dear
Big Guy
Episode: "Walk Like a Man"

Family Guy
Angry bus passenger
Episode: "Family Guy Viewer Mail 1"

Arliss

Episode: "In with the New"

Kim Possible
Pain King
Episode: "Pain King vs. Cleopatra"

2003
Punk'd
Himself

2004
Monster Garage
Santa Claus
Episode: "Box-Truck Wrestling Ring"

2005
Modern Marvels

Episode: "Private Collections"

Desperate Housewives
Inmate
Episode: "My Heart Belongs to Daddy"

Biker Build-Off
Host

Automaniac

The Contender

Episode: "Who's Playing The Game?"

2006
Pros vs. Joes

Episodes: "Can You PVJ Champ?" and "Can You Cover Jerry Rice?"

2007
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Cupid
Episode: "Loophole"

2007–2010
Bullrun
Host

2008
Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling
Himself
Episode: "In-Ring Psychology"

2009
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

2009–2011
Garage Mahal
Host

2010
The Celebrity Apprentice
Himself

text: In wrestling

text:
Finishing moves

Jackhammer[1] (Delayed vertical suplex powerslam)[110]
Spear[1][111]

Signature moves

Ankle lock[112][113]
Cross armbreaker[114][115][116][117][118]
Dragon screw[119]
Fireman's carry slam[116]
Full nelson slam[120]
Kneebar[121][122][123][124][125][126][127]
Multiple kick variations

Big boot[122][128][129]
Drop[116][123][130]
Hook[124]
Super[1][116][131][132][133]

Multiple military press variations, sometimes preceded by a left hand choke lifted into a[134]

Drop[135][136][137]
Flapjack[138][139]
Gutbuster[122]
Slam[134]
Spinebuster[1]

Multiple powerslam variations

Belly-to-back side[131][135]
Front[140][141][142][143]
Military press[144][145][146][147]
Scoop[131][148]
Ura-nage[149]

Multiple suplex variations

Belly-to-belly[114][121][150]
Pumphandle[112][151]
Underhook[128][129][131][149][152]

Pumphandle into either a slam[120][153] or a fallaway slam[126][154][155]
Shoulder block, sometimes from the top rope[116][129][152]
Snap rolling neckbreaker[118][152][156][157][158]

Nicknames

"Da Man"[117][129][132][159]
"The Myth"[160]
"The Iconic"[161][162]

Entrance themes

World Championship Wrestling

"Twisted" by Bobby Keyes (September 29, 1997)[citation needed]
"Invasion" by Christian Poulet and Jean-Yves Rigo (October 13, 1997 – May 9, 1999; September 6, 1999 – January 14, 2001)[163]
"Crush 'Em" by Megadeth (July 26, 1999 – August 30, 1999)[163][164]

Legends of Wrestling

"Invasion" by Christian Poulet and Jean-Yves Rigo (June 7, 2015; January 23, 2016)[163]

World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE

"Invasion" by Christian Poulet and Jean-Yves Rigo (March 31, 2003 – April 21, 2003; October 17, 2016 – present)[163]
"Who's Next?"' by Jim Johnston[163] (April 27, 2003 – March 14, 2004)[163]

tag: ul

text: Championships and accomplishments

text:
Pro Wrestling Illustrated

Comeback of the Year (2016)
Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1998)[165]
Rookie of the Year (1998)[165]
Ranked No. 2 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1998[166]
Ranked No. 75 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003[167]

World Championship Wrestling

WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[168][169]
WCW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[170]
WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bret Hart[40]
Fifth Triple Crown Champion1 – with Bret Hart[40]

World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE

World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[171]
WWE Universal Championship (1 time)[172]

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Rookie of the Year (1998)[citation needed]

text: 1 ^ Goldberg and Hart both became Triple Crown Champions upon winning the WCW World Tag Team Championship.

text: 1997–1998 undefeated streak statistics

text:
Date
Location
Arena
Event
Opponent
Result
Record

September 22, 1997
Salt Lake City, Utah
E Center
Nitro
Hugh Morrus[24]
Won by pinfall
1–0

September 29, 1997
Worcester, Massachusetts
Centrum
Nitro
The Barbarian[24]
Won by pinfall
2–0

October 1, 1997
Dalton, Georgia

Saturday Night
Roadblock[24]
Won by pinfall
3–0

October 10, 1997
Orlando, Florida
Universal Studios
WorldWide
Manny Fernandez[24]
Won by pinfall
4–0

October 13, 1997
Tampa, Florida
Ice Palace
Nitro
Scotty Riggs[24]
Won by pinfall
5–0

October 14, 1997
Fort Myers, Florida

Saturday Night
Mike Anthony[173]
Won by pinfall
6–0

October 20, 1997
Biloxi, Mississippi
Mississippi Coast Coliseum
Nitro
Wrath[24]
Won by pinfall
7–0

October 27, 1997
San Diego, California
Cox Arena
Nitro
WCW Television Champion Disco Inferno[24]
No contest
7–0

October 28, 1997
San Bernardino, California

Saturday Night
The Renegade[24]
Won by pinfall
8–0

November 2, 1997
Norfolk, Virginia
Scope
House show
Bobby Eaton[24]
Won by pinfall
9–0

November 8, 1997
Orlando, Florida
Universal Studios
WorldWide
Mark Starr[173]
Won by pinfall
10–0

December 13, 1997
Orlando, Florida
Universal Studios
WorldWide
Frankie Lancaster[174]
Won by pinfall
11–0

December 16, 1997
Gainesville, Georgia
Georgia Mountains Center
Saturday Night
The Renegade[24]
Won by pinfall
12–0

December 28, 1997
Washington, D.C.
MCI Center
Starrcade
Steve McMichael[24]
Won by pinfall
13–0

December 29, 1997
Baltimore, Maryland
Arena
Nitro
Glacier[24]
Won by pinfall
14–0

January 3, 1998
Columbia, South Carolina
Township Auditorium
House show
Bobby Eaton[175]
Won by pinfall
15–0

January 4, 1998
Columbus, Georgia
Civic Center
House show
Brad Armstrong[175]
Won by pinfall
16–0

January 5, 1998
Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia Dome
Nitro
Stevie Ray[175]
Won by pinfall
17–0

January 6, 1998
Rome, Georgia
Forum
Saturday Night
Barry Horowitz[175]
Won by pinfall
18–0

January 8, 1998
Daytona Beach, Florida
Ocean Center
Thunder
Steve McMichael[175]
Won by pinfall
19–0

January 12, 1998
Jacksonville, Florida
Coliseum
Nitro
Jerry Flynn[175]
Won by pinfall
20–0

January 15, 1998
Lakeland, Florida
Jenkins Arena
Thunder
Chavo Guerrero Jr.[175]
No contest
20–0

January 20, 1998
Thibodaux, Louisiana
Civic Center
Saturday Night
Mike Tolbert[175]
Won by pinfall
21–0

January 20, 1998
Thibodaux, Louisiana
Civic Center
Saturday Night
Meng[175]
Won by pinfall
22–0

January 22, 1998
Huntsville, Alabama
Von Braun Civic Center
Thunder
Kendall Windham [175]
Won by pinfall
23–0

January 26, 1998
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
Nitro
Brad Armstrong[175]
Won by pinfall
24–0

January 29, 1998
Memphis, Tennessee
Mid-South Coliseum
Thunder
Yuji Nagata[175]
Won by pinfall
25–0

January 31, 1998
Boston, Massachusetts
Fleet Center
Boston Brawl
Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker[175]
Won by pinfall
26–0

February 2, 1998
San Antonio, Texas
AlamoDome
Nitro
Mark Starr[175]
Won by pinfall
27–0

February 3, 1998
Corpus Christi, Texas

Saturday Night
Disco Inferno[175]
Won by pinfall
28–0

February 5, 1998
Beaumont, Texas
Civic Center
Thunder
Jim Powers[175]
Won by pinfall
29–0

February 9, 1998
El Paso, Texas
Don Haskins Center
Nitro
Lord Steven Regal[175]
Won by pinfall
30–0

February 12, 1998
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Myriad
Thunder
Glacier[175]
Won by pinfall
31–0

February 13, 1998
Springfield, Missouri
Shrine Mosque
House show
Steve McMichael[175]
Won by pinfall
32–0

February 14, 1998
Kansas City, Kansas
Memorial Hall
House show
Steve McMichael[175]
Won by pinfall
33–0

February 14, 1998
Orlando, Florida
Universal Studios
WorldWide
Joey Maggs[175]
Won by pinfall
34–0

February 16, 1998
Tampa, Florida
Fairgrounds
Nitro
Hugh Morrus[175]
Won by pinfall
35–0

February 17, 1998
Palmetto, Florida
Manatee Civic Center
Saturday Night
Jerry Flynn[175]
Won by pinfall
36–0

February 19, 1998
Birmingham, Alabama
Jefferson Civic Center
Thunder
Fit Finlay[175]
Won by pinfall
37–0

February 22, 1998
San Francisco, California
Cow Palace
SuperBrawl VIII
Brad Armstrong[175]
Won by pinfall
38–0

February 26, 1998
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Five Seasons Center
Thunder
Rick Fuller[175]
Won by pinfall
39–0

March 2, 1998
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Corestates Spectrum
Nitro
Sick Boy[175]
Won by pinfall
40–0

March 3, 1998
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Cambria County Civic Center
Nitro
Chase Tatum[175]
Won by pinfall
41–0

March 5, 1998
Columbus, Ohio
Convention Center
Thunder
Vincent[175]
Won by pinfall
42–0

March 6, 1998
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Palumbo Center
House show
Yuji Nagata[175]
Won by pinfall
43–0

March 7, 1998
Charleston, West Virginia
Civic Center
House show
Yuji Nagata[175]
Won by pinfall
44–0

March 7, 1998
Orlando, Florida
Universal Studios
Saturday Night
Jerry Flynn[175]
Won by pinfall
45–0

March 8, 1998
Johnson City, Tennessee
Freedom Hall
House show
Yuji Nagata[175]
Won by pinfall
46–0

March 9, 1998
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum
Nitro
Barry Darsow[175]
Won by pinfall
47–0

March 16, 1998
Panama City, Florida
Club La Vela
Nitro
Lodi[175]
Won by pinfall
48–0

March 18, 1998
Terre Haute, Indiana
Hulman Center
Thunder
Wayne Bloom[175]
Won by pinfall
49–0

March 19, 1998
Troy, Ohio
Hobart Arena
House show
Brad Armstrong[175]
Won by pinfall
50–0

March 20, 1998
Hammond, Indiana

House show
Brad Armstrong[175]
Won by pinfall
51–0

March 22, 1998
Cincinnati, Ohio
The Crown
House show
Brad Armstrong[175]
Won by pinfall
52–0

March 23, 1998
Louisville, Kentucky
Freedom Hall
Nitro
The Renegade[175]
Won by pinfall
53–0

March 25, 1998
Baltimore, Maryland

House show
Jerry Flynn[175]
Won by pinfall
54–0

March 26, 1998
Fairfax, Virginia
Patriot Center
Thunder
Jerry Flynn[175]
Won by pinfall
55–0

March 27, 1998
Charlottesville, Virginia

House show
Jerry Flynn[175]
Won by pinfall
56–0

March 28, 1998
Orlando, Florida
Universal Studios
WorldWide
Johnny Swinger [174]
Won by pinfall
57–0

March 28, 1998
Auburn Hills, Michigan
Palace
House show
Jerry Flynn[175]
Won by pinfall
58–0

March 29, 1998
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

House show
Jerry Flynn[175]
Won by pinfall
59–0

March 30, 1998
Chicago, Illinois
United Center
Nitro
Ray Traylor[175]
Won by pinfall
60–0

April 2, 1998
Tampa, Florida
Ice Palace
Thunder
Jerry Flynn[175]
Won by pinfall
61–0

April 3, 1998
Orlando, Florida
Universal Studios
WorldWide
Jerry Flynn[175]
Won by pinfall
62–0

April 4, 1998
Orlando, Florida
Universal Studios
WorldWide
Terrance Black[175]
Won by pinfall
63–0

April 4, 1998
Orlando, Florida
Universal Studios
WorldWide
John Nord[175]
Won by pinfall
64–0

April 4, 1998
Orlando, Florida
Universal Studios
WorldWide
Bobby Blaze[174]
Won by pinfall
65–0

April 4, 1998
Orlando, Florida
Universal Studios
WorldWide
Jerry Flynn[174]
Won by pinfall
66–0

April 6, 1998
Miami, Florida
Miami Arena
Nitro
Van Hammer[175]
Won by pinfall
67–0

April 10, 1998
Montgomery, Alabama

House show
Fit Finlay[175]
Won by pinfall
68–0

April 11, 1998
Chattanooga, Tennessee
UTC Arena
House show
Fit Finlay[175]
Won by pinfall
69–0

April 13, 1998
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Target Center
Nitro
Rocco Rock[175]
Won by pinfall
70–0

April 14, 1998
Mankato, Minnesota

Saturday Night
Van Hammer[175]
Won by pinfall
71–0

April 16, 1998
Fargo, North Dakota
FargoDome
Thunder
Barry Darsow[175]
Won by pinfall
72–0

April 19, 1998
Denver, Colorado
Coliseum
Spring Stampede
Perry Saturn[175]
Won by pinfall
73–0

April 20, 1998
Colorado Springs, Colorado
World Arena
Nitro
WCW United States Heavyweight Champion Raven[175]
Won by pinfall
74–0

April 22, 1998
Columbia, South Carolina
Carolina Coliseum
Thunder
Mike Enos[175]
Won by pinfall
75–0

April 27, 1998
Norfolk, Virginia
Scope
Nitro
Scott Norton[175]
Won by pinfall
76–0

April 27, 1998
Norfolk, Virginia
Scope
Nitro
Jerry Flynn[175]
Won by pinfall
77–0

April 28, 1998
Salisbury, Maryland

House show
Scott Norton[175]
Won by pinfall
78–0

May 5, 1998
Springfield, Illinois

Saturday Night
Van Hammer[175]
Won by pinfall
79–0

May 5, 1998
Springfield, Illinois

Saturday Night
Yuji Nagata[175]
Won by pinfall
80–0

May 6, 1998
Des Moines, Iowa
Veterans Memorial Coliseum
House show
Perry Saturn[175]
Won by pinfall
81–0

May 9, 1998
Wichita, Kansas

House show
Perry Saturn[175]
Won by pinfall
82–0

May 11, 1998
Kansas City, Missouri
Kemper Arena
Nitro
Len Denton[175]
Won by pinfall
83–0

May 14, 1998
Durham, North Carolina
Whittemore Center Arena
Thunder
Sick Boy[175]
Won by pinfall
84–0

May 15, 1998
Bangor, Maine

House show
Perry Saturn[175]
Won by pinfall
85–0

May 16, 1998
Amherst, Massachusetts
Mullins Center
House show
Perry Saturn[175]
Won by pinfall
86–0

May 17, 1998
Worcester, Massachusetts
Centrum
Slamboree
Perry Saturn[175]
Won by pinfall
87–0

May 18, 1998
Providence, Rhode Island
Civic Center
Nitro
Glacier[175]
Won by pinfall
88–0

May 25, 1998
Evansville, Indiana
Roberts Municipal Auditorium
Nitro
Johnny Attitude[175]
Won by pinfall
89–0

May 26, 1998
Memphis, Tennessee
Mid-South Coliseum
House show
Perry Saturn[175]
Won by pinfall
90–0

May 27, 1998
Nashville, Tennessee
Municipal Auditorium
Thunder
Barry Horowitz[175]
Won by pinfall
91–0

June 1, 1998
Washington, D.C.
MCI Center
Nitro
La Parka[175]
Won by pinfall
92–0

June 4, 1998
Peoria, Illinois
Civic Center
Thunder
The Barbarian and Hugh Morrus[175]
Won by pinfall
93–0

June 5, 1998
Muncie, Indiana

House show
Perry Saturn[175]
Won by pinfall
94–0

June 6, 1998
Fort Wayne, Indiana

House show
Perry Saturn[175]
Won by pinfall
95–0

June 7, 1998
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Van Andel Arena
House show
Perry Saturn[175]
Won by pinfall
96–0

June 8, 1998
Auburn Hills, Michigan
The Palace
Nitro
Chavo Guerrero Jr.[175]
Won by pinfall
97–0

June 9, 1998
Saginaw, Michigan
Civic Center
Saturday Night
Raven[175]
Won by pinfall
98–0

June 13, 1998
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

House show
Konnan[175]
Won by pinfall
99–0

June 13, 1998
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

House show
Sting[175]
Won by pinfall
100–0

June 14, 1998
Baltimore, Maryland
Arena
The Great American Bash
Konnan[175]
Won by pinfall
101–0

June 17, 1998
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Corestates Spectrum
Thunder
Reese[175]
Won by pinfall
102–0

June 22, 1998
Jacksonville, Florida
Coliseum
Nitro
Rick Fuller[175]
Won by pinfall
103–0

June 24, 1998
Orlando, Florida

Thunder dark match
Fit Finlay[175]
Won by pinfall
104–0

June 29, 1998
Tampa, Florida
Ice Palace
Nitro
Glacier[175]
Won by pinfall
105–0

July 6, 1998
Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia Dome
Nitro
Scott Hall[175]
Won by pinfall
106–0

July 6, 1998
Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia Dome
Nitro
WCW World Heavyweight Champion Hollywood Hogan[175]
Won by pinfall
107–0

July 7, 1998
Macon, Georgia
Coliseum
Saturday Night
Scott Hall[175]
Won by pinfall
108–0

July 8, 1998
Birmingham, Alabama
BJCC
Thunder dark match
Scott Hall[175]
Won by pinfall
109–0

July 10, 1998
Inglewood, California
Great Western Forum
LA Melee
Curt Hennig[175]
Won by pinfall
110–0

July 12, 1998
San Diego, California
Cox Arena
Bash at the Beach
Curt Hennig[175]
Won by pinfall
111–0

July 13, 1998
Las Vegas, Nevada
MGM Grand
Nitro
Curt Hennig[175]
Won by pinfall
112–0

July 16, 1998
Oakland, California
Coliseum
Thunder dark match
The Giant[175]
Won by pinfall
113–0

July 17, 1998
Sacramento, California

House show
Curt Hennig[175]
Won by pinfall
114–0

July 18, 1998
Spokane, Washington

House show
Curt Hennig[175]
Won by pinfall
115–0

July 19, 1998
Yakima, Washington
Sun Dome
House show
Curt Hennig[175]
Won by pinfall
116–0

July 20, 1998
Salt Lake City, Utah
E Center
Nitro dark match
The Giant[175]
Won by pinfall
117–0

July 26, 1998
New York City, New York
Goodwill Games
House show
Curt Hennig[175]
Won by pinfall
118–0

July 27, 1998
San Antonio, Texas
AlamoDome
Nitro
Brian Adams[175]
Won by pinfall
119–0

July 27, 1998
San Antonio, Texas
AlamoDome
Nitro dark match
The Giant[175]
Won by pinfall
120–0

August 3, 1998
Denver, Colorado
Coliseum
Nitro dark match
The Giant[175]
Won by pinfall
121–0

August 5, 1998
Casper, Wyoming
Events Center
Thunder dark match
The Giant[175]
Won by pinfall
122–0

August 8, 1998
Sturgis, South Dakota
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
Road Wild
The Giant[175]
Won by pinfall
123–0

August 10, 1998
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rushmore Plaza Civic Center
Nitro
Meng[175]
Won by pinfall
124–0

August 13, 1998
Fargo, North Dakota
FargoDome
Thunder dark match
The Giant[175]
Won by pinfall
125–0

August 17, 1998
Hartford, Connecticut
Civic Center
Nitro
The Giant[175]
Won by DQ
126–0

August 26, 1998
Peoria, Illinois
Civic Center
Thunder dark match
The Giant[175]
Won by pinfall
127–0

August 31, 1998
Miami, Florida
Miami Arena
Nitro
Al Green[175]
Won by pinfall
128–0

September 7, 1998
Pensacola, Florida

Nitro
Scott Putski[175]
Won by pinfall
129–0

September 10, 1998
Lexington, Kentucky
Rupp Arena
Thunder
Rick Fuller[175]
Won by pinfall
130–0

September 11, 1998
Cincinnati, Ohio

House show
The Giant[175]
Won by pinfall
131–0

September 14, 1998
Greensville, South Carolina
BiLo Center
Nitro
Sting[175]
Won by pinfall
132–0

September 24, 1998
Norfolk, Virginia
Scope
Thunder
Chris Kanyon[175]
Won by pinfall
133–0

September 24, 1998
Norfolk, Virginia
Scope
Thunder
Raven[175]
Won by pinfall
134–0

September 25, 1998
Baltimore, Maryland
Arena
House show
The Giant[175]
Won by pinfall
135–0

September 26, 1998
Fairfax, Virginia
Patriot Center
House show
Sting[175]
Won by pinfall
136–0

October 1, 1998
Norfolk, Virginia

Thunder
Raven[173]
Won by pinfall
137–0

October 5, 1998
Columbia, South Carolina
Carolina Coliseum
Nitro
Disco Inferno[175]
Won by pinfall
138–0

October 10, 1998
Dayton, Ohio

House show
The Giant[175]
Won by pinfall
139–0

October 10, 1998
Columbus, Ohio

House show
The Giant[175]
Won by pinfall
140–0

October 11, 1998
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

House show
The Giant[175]
Won by pinfall
141–0

October 12, 1998
Chicago, Illinois
United Center
Nitro
The Giant[175]
Won by countout
142–0

October 20, 1998
Mankato, Minnesota

Thunder dark match
Meng[175]
Won by pinfall
143–0

October 21, 1998
Duluth, Minnesota
DECC
House show
Scott Hall[175]
Won by pinfall
144–0

October 25, 1998
Las Vegas, Nevada
MGM Grand
Halloween Havoc
Diamond Dallas Page[175]
Won by pinfall
145–0

November 6, 1998
Charleston, West Virginia
Civic Center
House show
The Giant[175]
Won by pinfall
146–0

November 7, 1998
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Palumbo Center
House show
The Giant[175]
Won by pinfall
147–0

November 8, 1998
Johnstown, Pennsylvania

House show
The Giant[175]
Won by pinfall
148–0

November 9, 1998
Long Island, New York
Nassau Coliseum
Nitro
Meng[175]
Won by pinfall
149–0

November 12, 1998
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke Civic Center
Thunder dark match
The Giant[173]
Won by pinfall
150–0

November 23, 1998
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Universal Championship

Van Andel Arena
Nitro
The Giant[175]
Won by pinfall
151–0

December 7, 1998
Houston, Texas
AstroDome
Nitro
Bam Bam Bigelow[175]
No contest
151–0

December 14, 1998
Tampa, Florida
Ice Palace
Nitro
Bam Bam Bigelow and Kevin Nash[175]
No contest
151–0

December 18, 1998
Tulsa, Oklahoma

House show
The Giant[175]
Won by pinfall
152–0

December 19, 1998
Springfield, Missouri
Shrine Mosque
House show
The Giant[175]
Won by pinfall
153–0

December 20, 1998
Kansas City, Missouri
Kemper Arena
House show
Bam Bam Bigelow[175]
Won by pinfall
154–0

December 21, 1998
St Louis, Missouri
TWA Dome
Nitro
Scott Hall[175]
Won by DQ
155–0

December 27, 1998
Washington, D.C.
MCI Center
Starrcade
Kevin Nash[175]
Lost by pinfall
155–1