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Eric Bischoff opened up about the relationship between Hulk Hogan and Goldberg at WCW during this week's episode of his 83 Weeks podcast.
It's been insinuated for years that Hulk Hogan 'manipulated' Goldberg to his advantage backstage in WCW. Eric Bischoff debunked the claims and stated that The Hulkster had been a significant supporter of Goldberg since day one.
Bischoff admitted that Hogan was in Goldberg's ears and constantly guided the star, who went on to have one of the most incredible undefeated streaks in wrestling history:
"I know Hulk was a very, very big supporter of Bill Goldberg. In fact, you know, it was what it was. One of the reasons why I ultimately had such a difficult time with Goldberg was due in no small part to the fact that Hulk was in his ear and kind of guiding him. I understand that you know. Hulk knew that Goldberg was special. He also knew that Goldberg was inexperienced in the wrestling industry. Never been in it, he was still new and unsure of himself in some respects. Not when it came to physicality, of course; he was very confident in himself," noted Eric Bischoff.
He said the wrestling business was incredibly challenging for newcomers as the industry, unfortunately, featured a lot of backstage politics:
"But the business of the wrestling business is a treacherous one," Bischoff added, "There's a lot of politics, a lot of gamesmanship, there's a lot of maneuvering, always has been that way."
Bischoff stated that Hulk Hogan took Goldberg under his wing and mentored him during his WCW run in the late 1990s. Hogan backed Goldberg all the way in the company as they were both even represented by the same attorney.
Eric Bischoff added that Hulk Hogan would never negatively influence Goldberg's career as he wanted the superstar to succeed on the big stage:
"And, Hulk kind of took, I would say, to a degree, under his wing, including getting Bill the same attorney that Hulk had, Henry Halls. And once Henry started managing Bill or representing Bill, I must say, things got really tricky real fast, and that's in no small part due to Hulk Hogan's influence on Bill Goldberg to help protect him. So this nefarious kind of scheming and planning as it relates to Bill Goldberg, at least by Hulk, I don't think so. Hulk would have never manipulated Goldberg into a situation that was not a good situation for Bill. I wouldn't buy that," Eric Bischoff concluded.
Updates on Goldberg and Hulk Hogan's statuses
As confirmed by the man himself, Goldberg has one more match left on his current WWE contract.
The former Universal Champion put on a memorable performance when he defeated Bobby Lashley at Crown Jewel. Goldberg is a special attraction talent for WWE, who had inked a deal to work only two matches per year until 2023.
While Goldberg's final match could happen in 2022, Hulk Hogan has been retired for several years and continues to be on a WWE Legends contract. The WWE Hall of Famer has been dealing with serious health issues as he was recently even spotted with a walking stick.
Sportskeeda Wrestling sends its best wishes to Hulk Hogan, and as always, we'll keep you updated about his condition.
If any quotes are used from this article, please credit "83 Weeks" on AdFreeShows.com and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling.
