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Brian Gewirtz says Bill Goldberg did not want to be compared to Chris Jericho and Hulk Hogan when he made his WWE debut in 2003.
The WCW icon interrupted The Rock Appreciation Night on the March 31, 2003, episode of RAW. Gewirtz, a WWE writer at the time, spoke to both men earlier in the day about where their confrontation would take place.
He wrote about the decision-making process in his book, “There's Just One Problem...: True Tales from the Former, One-Time, 7th Most Powerful Person in WWE.” Initially, the former writer wanted the two superstars to recreate The Rock’s staredown with Hulk Hogan from the previous year:
“Harkening back to the epic Rock–Hulk Hogan promo in Chicago a year earlier, I suggested they stand face-to-face in the ring and let the tension build,” Gewirtz wrote. “Rock seemed down for that, but Bill was hesitant. ‘There’s just one problem... I ain’t Hulk Hogan.’”
Jericho famously debuted in WWE during a segment with The Rock on the August 9, 1999, episode of RAW. Gewirtz thought the former football player could make a similar arrival to Jericho, but he disagreed:
“Maybe Goldberg can say his line then slowly walk to the ring, letting the tension build, for the physicality,” Gewirtz continued. “Again, Rock was good to go but once again, Bill paused. ‘There’s just one problem... I ain’t Chris Jericho.’”
Gewirtz also wrote in his book about the time that Triple H confronted him backstage after he was told to unexpectedly lose a match.
Goldberg and The Rock eventually came to an agreement
The segment largely revolved around The Rock bragging about his win over Steve Austin the previous night at WrestleMania 19. Goldberg then marched down to the ring, declared that The Rock was “next,” and speared him to close the show.
Brian Gewirtz joked that the two-time Universal Champion may have only agreed to the idea because it could not be compared to a previous segment:
“After much discussion we landed on Rock and Goldberg circling each other in the ring. Thankfully no one could cite another example of anyone in the history of wrestling doing that.”
Watch the video above to hear Gewirtz discuss a bizarre WWE idea for Torrie Wilson that was immediately rejected.
Do you enjoy watching Goldberg in WWE? Let us know in the comments section.
Brian Gewirtz’s book, “There's Just One Problem...: True Tales from the Former, One-Time, 7th Most Powerful Person in WWE,” is available to buy on Amazon.
