Goldberg Says He Will Not Let Roman Reigns Steal The Torch From Him

WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg says he will not let WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns steal the torch from him.

Goldberg appeared on WWE's The Bump this week, along with another WWE Hall of Famer with a football background – Ron Simmons. Kayla Braxton asked Goldberg what it was like facing off with Reigns on last week's SmackDown when he made his return to challenge The Tribal Chief for the title match at WWE Elimination Chamber. Goldberg mentioned how he played football for Georgia State and Reigns played for rival Georgia Tech when they were younger.

"All I really had to do was remember back in the days when I'd line up against the offensive guard for Georgia Tech, and looked into his eyes, and wanted to take his soul on the first snap," Goldberg said. "It's pretty much the same thing. He [Reigns] went to Georgia Tech, I went to Georgia, it's quite easy to remember those days.

"You know, a couple years ago he got away, I don't know how he got away from me, but any time you got the opportunity to go up against a guy like Roman, a champion like him, a guy that represents the brand so well, it's an honor and a privilege, and any point in your career, you would be honored to fill that spot. So, it just so happens that now's the time, so I'm not going to miss that opportunity by any stretch of the imagination, and I do believe that when I look Roman straight in the eyes, he feels a little bit of that fear, for sure."

Goldberg was also asked if maybe part of the reason he took the match against Reigns is because The Head of The Table took a similar path through college football with Georgia Tech.

"Well, no question. I mean, as much disdain as I have for Roman and his position right now, I do ultimately respect him because he followed in the footsteps of guys like myself and The Rock," Goldberg said. "Granted he will probably be much more successful than myself, at the end of the day it's not only the physical attributes, but it's the mental aspect of the game. I'm about 10 days away from game day and right now I've already made the transition to Godzilla. It's tough to be around me at this point, in a lot of respects, but I know where I have to be and I have to be in the zone, and I have to bring 1000% of what Goldberg used to be, and what he currently is, to be able to compete against a guy like Roman right now.

"But I can do it, I have faith in myself, and truthfully, I'm doing it for guys like Ron [Simmons], I'm doing it for all the guys who stepped before me because I've got the torch right now, and one of these days I get to hand it off, but right now Roman actually wants to steal it from me, and I'm not going to let him do it."

Goldberg was originally scheduled to face Reigns two years ago at WrestleMania 36 in 2020, but the match was nixed when Reigns took time off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Goldberg was asked about this Reigns being completely different than the Reigns he was going to wrestle two years ago, and what he makes of the current Reigns vs. the guy the feud started with. Goldberg mentioned how he's undefeated against members of Reigns' family, which appears to be a reference to his 2013 wins over The Rock and Rosey.

"First and foremost, I'm batting 1000 against his family," Goldberg said. "Let's think about it. I've never lost to anybody he's related to, so that's something I want to carry on, and true, he's quite a different character-athlete than two years ago. He's progressed, he's evolved, and he's much more dangerous than he was back then, and I probably have gone the other way, but I've always said that 70% of Goldberg is 100% better than 99% of the people out there. So, I still believe that I can rip his face off, and as long as I think that here [in his head], as long as I'm prepared as much as I can be physically for it, it's still attainable."

Simmons commented that as a fan, this is the kind of match you want to see because Goldberg and Reigns are evenly matched with their athletic abilities, their backgrounds, and their in-ring knowledge.

"It don't get any better than that. So, this is something I would think the wrestling fan is looking forward to seeing. I am, I know that," Simmons added.

Goldberg vs. Reigns will take place at the WWE Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event on Saturday, February 19 at the Jeddah Super Dome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Stay tuned for more. The full interview with Goldberg on The Bump can be seen below: