Bret Hart & Goldberg's Heated Relationship, Explained
At Starrcade 1999, Bret Hart faced Goldberg in a match that would end Bret Hart’s storied in-ring career. During the match, Goldberg hit an errant Thrust Kick, giving Bret Hart a very bad concussion that would force him to retire. Originally, it seemed Bret Hart held no ill will towards Goldberg. In a 2005 documentary, Bret Hart said this about Goldberg: "It's a shame, in a way, that someone as good-hearted as Bill Goldberg, is the guy that hurt me and ended my career."
Bret Hart (Seemingly) Forgives Goldberg
In his autobiography, Bret spoke nicely about the first time he saw Goldberg after his concussion, Bret said to him, "[Goldberg] hugged me and told me how sorry he was about my concussion. I have no doubt about that-Bill was a good man".
According to Pro Wrestling Stories, "Bret Hart has forgiven him, and the two get along just fine to this day."
All seemed well between the two. In an interview with Live Audio Wrestling, Goldberg was full of apologies, “That will forever go down in history as the biggest mistake that I have ever made in my entire life. For those who haven’t heard me say it, I apologize profusely. God knows I put Bret Hart up on a pedestal where very few sit. The last thing that I ever wished upon him was harm, especially by my own hand. Every time I think about Bret Hart, I feel remorseful about the kick. Though Bret and I are very good friends, and he doesn’t hold it against me, ’til the day I die, I’m gonna feel bad about it. And there’s nothing I can do to take it back.”
Bret Hart Buries Goldberg
They say time is a great healer, however that doesn’t seem to be the case with Bret Hart. As the years have gone by, Bret Hart speaks of Goldberg in much harsher tones. In an interview with Inside The Ropes, Bret Hart claims Goldberg only apologized to him 8 months after the injury. “But, you know, I got hurt by Goldberg and he called me eight months after it happened and told me that he was sorry which, you know, really was irrelevant at that point. He never once called me after it happened, or I don’t think he ever understood, or I don’t know that he even does now or even cares that he cost me, honestly, cost me 16 million dollars in, like two seconds, and ended my career. And when I hear about Bill Goldberg going to Saudi Arabia and making three million dollars for a ten-minute match in Saudi Arabia, I go… You know, you think he would have called me up and said, here, I’m going to send you something for it.”
Speaking on Stone Cold Steve Austin’s podcast, Bret buried Goldberg even more, claiming him to be one of the most unprofessional men in wrestling history. “I always knew what I was doing. I would hurt myself before I ever hurt another wrestler. And I just wish some of the wrestlers I worked with, especially at the end [of my career] like Goldberg. He was one of the most unprofessional wrestlers to ever work in the business. For Bill Goldberg to be in the Hall of Fame… he hurt everybody that he worked with. You might as well wrestle a real gorilla. He was the most dangerous guy to work with. He hurt everybody that he worked with; I remember Curt Henning being in pain all the time from the matches they had.
And even when I worked with Bill, I always think the last words I said to him before we went out and had that match where he injured me and ended my career, I said “Bill, whatever you do out there, don’t hurt me. We can do whatever you want, we can do anything. Just do not go nuts.”
While originally it seemed like Bret Hart held no ill will towards Goldberg, as the years have gone by Bret definitely blames Goldberg for what happened. Back when Bret Hart seemed to have forgiven Goldberg, it was during a time when neither man was wrestling. However, in recent years Goldberg made a very successful and very profitable return to the ring, securing a very lucrative contract from WWE, being paid millions for a very light in-ring schedule.
Now Bret sees Goldberg having big money matches and even World Championship runs, it can come as no surprise that it has awakened bitterness within Bret Hart. Had it not been for the injury at Goldberg’s hands, Bret Hart could very well be the one securing lucrative big money contracts and World Championship runs in an age when WWE was booking their part-time stars very strongly.
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