In a recent interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg opened up about one of his biggest regrets from his wrestling career. The incident in question? A notorious moment from WCW in late 1999, where Goldberg’s attempt to intimidate his rivals went horribly wrong.
Goldberg recalled the fateful night when he slammed his forearm into an nWo limo window.
I wish I would have picked up the sledgehammer walking out the door at WCW to smash the limousine instead of using my hand.
The impulsive act resulted in severe consequences for the wrestling superstar. The incident took place on the December 23rd, 1999 episode of WCW Thunder and saw the former multi-time world champion slam his forearm into an nWo limo window, which resulted in an artery in his hand being slashed open and put him on the shelf for much of the year 2000.
The injury was far from minor, requiring 199 stitches to Goldberg’s arm and derailing his career momentum. More significantly, it killed any future planned storylines for Goldberg to get revenge on the nWo over their constant actions to prevent his winning back the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
Nobody is perfect. You live your life and live with the trials and tribulations and try to be a better person and learn from it all. I would have changed a lot, there is no question about it.
The limo incident wasn’t the only regret Goldberg shared during the interview. He also mentioned missed opportunities in his career.
I wish I would have let [Chris] Jericho have a program with me before I did.
Chris Jericho had tried to work a program with Goldberg almost two years earlier in 1998. But despite Jericho mocking him on TV, a match never materialised.
This moment is one of several things that contributed to WCW’s continued decline in the year 2000 before it was ultimately shut down and sold to WWE in March of 2001. The moment serves as a stark reminder of how a split-second decision can have far-reaching consequences in the high-stakes world of pro wrestling.
H/t to Fightful
Goldberg Makes Surprising Admission About His Career
Also during his interview with Ariel Helwani, Goldberg looked back on one of his most famous matches in WCW against Diamond Dallas Page at Halloween Havoc 1998. Goldberg recalled DDP coming to him with pages of notes for their match, admitting that he shouldn’t have been so protective over his own character.