Goldberg And Chael Sonnen Get Heated Regarding Goldberg's Past As An MMA Commentator
In 2015, former UFC star and GFW announcer Chael Sonnen hosted Vince Russo on his You're Welcome! podcast. Sonnen asked Vince Russo who was the most difficult person for him to deal with backstage, and Russo answered Goldberg. This surprised Sonnen, and he asked Russo to elaborate on his response.
"I think for a couple of reasons," said Russo. "I think there was part of Bill [Goldberg] that really started believing his own hype. And, you know, this isn't MMA, and at the end of the day, the stories are written. You know, who wins and who loses, the writer determines that. Who gets a championship belt, it's written that way. So, none of it is real. It's not real. And I think Bill had the tendency to really believe his own hype. And I basically say that because I'll never forget, one time I wanted him to a job for Scott Steiner of all people. And I'll never forget, Bill looked me in the eye, and basically said to me, he goes, 'Vince, if this were real, Scott Steiner would not beat me.'
"And I looked Bill back in the eye and I said, 'Well, you know what Bill, maybe you need to tell Scott Steiner that and see what he says.' I think he could [pin Goldberg] because Scott Steiner was a legitimate wrestler. Goldberg had a great collegiate football career, great athlete, I would never take any of that away from him. But when it comes to wrestling, Scott Steiner was all-league in college. So, I think Bill kinda let the lines get a little blurred, and he really started buying into the hype of the Goldberg character. And that made it difficult for me from a creative [standpoint] to deal with at times."
Sonnen added that Goldberg was a guy that "didn't get it," and "started to mark out on his own gimmick." Although Sonnen thought that Goldberg was a legitimate MMA announcer and trained in MMA well, he did not understand why he would look like a monster and talk like his gimmick when conducting interviews, which would not help the fighter that he was interviewing. Sonnen also claimed that Goldberg was essentially blackballed from MMA after he put his arm around former UFC middleweight Jake Shields and shook him. Sonnen said that it made Shields look so small, which "ran [Goldberg] out of the business."
A fan posted this discussion up again via Twitter last weekend, and asked Goldberg what he thought of Sonnen's remarks. Sonnen then interjected before Goldberg responded.
Your first mistake was asking Goldberg to think. If I wanted his response, I'd have beaten it out of him.
? Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) March 26, 2018
This commenced a heated discussion on who would win between Goldberg and Sonnen in a shoot fight. Goldberg did decide to respond to Sonnen's interjection, which further continued the discussion from fans on who would win in a shoot fight.
Good luck with that punk https://t.co/sWG4qa1U9a
? Bill Goldberg (@Goldberg) March 26, 2018
In the WWE 24 documentary on the WWE Network, Goldberg did admit that he was difficult to work with during most of his career, and his comeback in 2016 was the first time he ever enjoyed being a pro wrestler. Aside from this Twitter exchange, Goldberg will be headlining this year's WWE Hall of Fame. He will be joined by Jeff Jarrett, The Dudley Boyz, Mark Henry, Ivory, and Hillbilly Jim, along with Warrior Award recipient Jarrius Robertson and Celebrity Wing inductee Kid Rock.
If any portion of these quotes is used, please be sure to credit You're Welcome with Chael Sonnen via Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.