Goldberg On How Much Paul Heyman Has Meant To His WWE Comeback

WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg spoke with Sports Illustrated to promote today's WWE Super ShowDown match against WWE Universal Champion "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt and said he needs this match to erase his last performance in the Kingdom, which was the Super ShowDown 2018 disaster against The Undertaker.

"I need to erase my last performance here, first and foremost," he said. "I knocked myself out 30 seconds into the match, and I performed like a school child. That's one of the reasons I'm back, and this is my opportunity to do it.

"My internal clock is ticking, and I don't know when it's going to stop in terms of my ability to put these boots on and continue to do what I used to do. And when I'm posed with a challenge, I'm a defensive lineman, I don't turn it down."

Goldberg said he still trains three times a day and besides his strong physical condition, another reason he's confident about Super ShowDown has everything to do with some of WWE's behind-the-scenes crew, including RAW Executive Director Paul Heyman.

"Paul Heyman is one of the few people on the planet that can set up a scenario for myself to fulfill and entertain everyone," Goldberg said. "In the beginning, I didn't need a Paul Heyman. I was the Mike Tyson of wrestling, I just needed people in front of me. I took wrestling back to the dark ages, like throwing Romans to the lions. I'm honored to have someone like Paul work with me creatively."

He also named Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis as being directly responsible for his success.

"Another integral part in my character in what I do is John Laurinaitis, and so is Vince McMahon," Goldberg said. "Without those people, I wouldn't be who I am today. And most importantly, I needed people to allow me to spear and jackhammer them?without them, I wouldn't be who I am now. It's a combined effort to set up a character like this."

Regarding Wyatt, Goldberg said he's grateful to re-enter the ring with an opponent like him.

"I respect Bray as an athlete and a performer," Goldberg said. "His character 'The Fiend' is an unstoppable force. I left a pretty lasting impression on the people that were watching, and Bray is a special enough athlete to do what I did back in the day.

"And I like the storyline. I never had a rematch. I'm not afraid of any human being on the planet, so that might be a difference between myself and the people he's faced before. If I'm not afraid of Brock Lesnar, I'm not afraid of anyone."