How does one prepare to slay the beast'"I just picked up a 420-pound guy and put him on my shoulders," says Bill Goldberg as he whips up some breakfast. It's his third meal of the day. World Wrestling Entertainment's much-anticipated Survivor Series is less than three weeks away, and Goldberg has spent the last three days training with Robert Oberst, one of the world's strongest men.At 6'8", Oberst makes Goldberg's upcoming opponent, Brock Lesnar, look like small potatoes. "I'm 49 years old, and I don't train like this guy," says Goldberg, "but that didn't stop me from trying to do everything that he did at the gym. It doesn't mean that I think I'm Godzilla and that I'm unrealistic.""It just tells you that there's a switch on certain people that you can turn on and offwhen called upon, there are certain individuals who walk this planet who just have the Neanderthal gene, and I'm one of them."Lesnar and Goldberg last met at WrestleMania XX in 2004. It's remembered as a heavily promoted match that fell short when the WWE failed to keep the two men's impending exits from the company a secret.Ding, ding, ding, the bell sounded, but nothing happened. Lesnar and Goldberg remained locked in a dramatic staredown for what felt like an eternity while the bulk of Madison Square Garden booed and chanted, "Na, na, na, na, hey, hey, hey, goodbye."Goldberg ultimately finished Lesnar with a signature spear and jackhammer, and referee Steve Austin rescued the sinking spectacle by unexpectedly hitting Goldberg with a Stone Cold Stunner and capping it off with an ice-cold beer.Fast forward 12 years and Goldberg's comeback unfolded like a well-orchestrated scene out of the WWE playbook. He appeared back on scene to promote the new video game, WWE 2K17. Meanwhile, Lesnar's loudmouthed manager Paul Heyman challenged Goldberg to a rematch.It was billed as a rivalry 12 years in the making, a chance for Lesnar to exact revenge and reclaim his rightful rule from the one wrestler who tarnished his record.Only, it wasn't as scripted as you might think. The last-minute rush was real."I only found out a couple of weeks ago," says Goldberg, who was on his way out the door to film a movie when WWE execs called. "It's not like I was training for 12 years, sitting, waiting for that day so that I could turn a switch on and go, 'OK,it's time! I got eight weeks.'"Eight weeks to make up for 12 years of being out of the game. "I'm doing whatever I can do, that I know how to do to represent my name and represent everything that I've always stood for properly," he says, acknowledging that his superhuman expectations may not be realistic given the time frame and the "reality of what aging does to you."Refreshingly, Goldberg still has the warrior mentality you'd expect from a two-time world wrestling champion. He's also the epitome of an aging athlete. He's awalking contradiction, touting a champion's spirit trapped inside an older body.He bounces between an ambitiously youthful mindset of 'I can do anything' and an acute awareness of the sobering reality that he's middle-aged."I'm not normal. So if anybody can do it, it's me. So I'm gonna give it a shot," he says. "The hell with it! As my dad would say: onward and upward."Heck, he's Goldbergdriven, determined and defiant when I playfully assume he won't be whipping out his signature backflip this time around. "I could do that! I don't give a damn, I'll do that," he screams into the phone, like a kid answering a double-dare. "I could do it, but it's ridiculous, but I could do it. I guarantee you I could do it. There's no question. There's nothing that I could do back then that I can't do now, except for step on a scale and be 280 pounds," he belly laughs.His laugh is so boisterous it sounds like it's reverberating through a megaphone."When was the last time you did a backflip'" I ask."I haven't done any of that but none of it matters, OK' Because the mindset that you have to have to be able to walk in the ring and pick up a 525-pound guy and walk around the ring with him and jackhammer him when you've never done it before, OK, that's the mindset that you have to have," he says. "I've had that my entire lifenow, am I gonna be able to do it' I don't know, but it's not gonna stop me from trying."It's a confidence so contagious it opens Survivor Series up to the realm of the divinethose iconic moments when an athlete surpasses his physical limits based on sheer strength of will and hard work. It's the type of triumph that sports fans yearn for: evolution unfolding on stage and a glimpse of the human body overcoming itself and rising to the occasioneven in the scripted world of the WWE.Ask Goldberg and he will tell you that almost anything is possible. Peak inside his head, and you'll find yourself in a scene straight out of a Marvel comic book. His strongman meditations come courtesy of his mentor: powerlifting legend and motivational speaker C.T. Fletcher."C.T. Fletcher famously says that when he was younger and he wanted to be the biggest, baddest dude in the world, he felt as though when he walked down the street, every step that he took, he broke the concrete," he says. "That's the mindset you have to have."It's the mental prowess he plans to take into the ring Sundaywhen he will face two challengers: Lesnar and himself. It's a virtual portal back to his glory days and at the same time, a look at the future for Lesnar, who now occupies Goldberg's old spot as king of the WWE."He's wrestling himself 12 years older, and I'm wrestling myself 12 years younger," Goldberg says. "It's a weird way to look at it, but it's damn true because we are molded out of the same person. We just have different skill sets."As for Lesnar's recent controversy with the UFC over two failed drug tests, Goldberg is dismissive."That has nothing to do with me or anything," he says. "What he does is his business, period, end of story."Goldberg is adamant that Lesnar's only disadvantage is the 10-year age difference, not the allegations that he was or is on steroids. But Goldberg's potential is also stifled by the quick turnaround. He admits he "never in a million years" imagined he'd be making this comeback, so he wasn't exactly preparing.If you're wondering what one of the WWE's most menacing stars has been up to for the last decade, one word: parenthood."I'd get up at 6:30 in the morning and instead of drinking half a pot of coffee and taking a two-hour training session, I'd have a waffle with my son and watch SpongeBob."In between occasional appearances as Goldbergon movie sets and TV shows, he says he's just a "normal guy" over-frequenting the grocery store in Bonsall, California, to satisfy his insatiable appetite. "It all kinda pales in comparison to this thing they call family life," he says, "and it's really awesome."He's dad to 10-year-old Gage and a doting husband to Wanda Ferraton, a former Ford model and blacksmith turned stuntwoman. The two met on the set of Santa's Slay."I help with everything. My wife and I are a team," he says fondly. "I pack my son's lunches, and she takes him to baseball practice when I gotta go train. It's hand-in-hand. There are no labels on our chores."The last 12 years have been a much-needed break from a physically strenuous career that took Goldberg from the NFL to the WCW and then the WWE. Along the way, he claimed a 173-0 undefeated wrestling streak, a statistic supported by the WCW and WWE but disputed elsewhere."I strive to be my best every time I go out, and that's very stressful," he says. "After a while of doing that it's nice to just take a deep breath, sit on a tractor."But Goldberg isn't living the simple farm life. You're more likely to spot him restoring his collection of classic cars in his sprawling mansion on 30 acres. In Goldberg's 6,800-square foot garage, amid his 20 vintage cars and motorcycles, he may be under the hood of his 1970 Dodge Challenger Convertible, squeezing his enormous body into the tiny, padded seats of a 1965 Shelby Cobra Replica or polishing his baby blue 1970 Super Boss 429 Mustang, which sports a sheriff's insignia and the words "Lawman."Despite his rocky exit from the company, he says over the years that he and WWE executives were able to "squash the hard feelings." When he randomly got the opportunity to face the Beast Incarnate, he jumped on it, despite coming off two knee surgeries."For me coming back after 12 years, it ain't like anybody coming back after 12 years," he says. "Anybody coming back after 12 years is crazy, so let's just multiply crazy times 10."So why do it'For Goldberg, it's a golden opportunity: the chance for his wife and son to see him wrestle, in the flesh, for the first time. Up until now, they've only watched him on YouTube."The main reason is my 10-year-old boy. The biggest impact that I can give him as an experience in life, when your dad used to be who I used to be in front of millions of people on television, it's empowering as a human and as a child," he says. "To be able to go back in time and kind of in a time warp take my son back to a time where he wasn't even here and I was one of the top guys...it's really a powerful feeling to be that guyI want him to experience that coolness, and I want him to be proud of his daddy."His son Gage got a taste of "that guy" during a recent Monday Night Raw. His father burst through a stream of sparkling pyrotechnics, blowing smoke, unleashing a barbaric scream and punching and kicking the air as thousands chanted "Goldberg."Feeding off the energy, he fist-pumped a young kid and then pivoted and high-fived a silver-haired, elderly woman who flung half her body over a metal fence to get his attention. One man gleefully jumped up and down, as Goldberg tenderly kissed a little girl's head.His fanbase does not discriminate.If you watch him closely, however, you will see Goldberg gravitate toward kids. Another reason for his comeback: It's a chance to be a superhero all over again."At the end of the day, it's a very powerful voice when you're able to perform on any level on any stage and have the audience, have the attention of children. It's a gift. It's not to be taken lightly and it can be used for good or for bad," he says. "So if I have to sacrifice my body and I have to sacrifice my legacy for coming back after 12 years of inactivity to be able to step into the phone booth and come out as Superman, and if it changes one kidit's a valuable deal."Charity is a hallmark of Goldberg's life, from fighting world hunger to raising money for Wounded Warriors through his charity,Combat Crate.He's using his newfound spotlight to draw attention to his latest endeavor: fighting bullies. Goldberg recently teamed up withLegends of the Cage, an organization that connects fans with their favorite fighters, and that's how he learned about Jayden Clark. The 12-year-old from West Jefferson, Ohio, has Duchenne muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair.Last September, bullies vandalized Clark's home, spray-painting slurs on his garage."It crushes you as an adult that people would not have the heartto do something as cruel as that to a kid like that who absolutely did nothing to them whatsoever and who never would deserve any kind of treatment like that," says Goldberg.Goldberg was on his way back from Germany promoting the WWE 2K17 video game when he found out, and he immediately called Clark to pump up his spirit. He also had 2K send Clark a care package."That's the example right there," Goldberg says. "Being a superhero for kids. It's just the ability to hook good people up together for a common cause, and my common cause is to put a smile on a kid's face."Victims of bullying are close to Goldberg's heart because he was one. The 6'4" former NFL defensive tackle didn't always answer to the mononym "Goldberg." As a kid, he was William Goldberg, the son of a Harvard-educated gynecologist and a classically trained violinist growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His mom, a traveling orchid judge, named a special orchid breed after him, but he swears not to know the official genus."I grew up in the Midwest, and I was a short, fat, little Jewish kidbut it was just different. People didn't understand so I had to deal with it, " he says."One day I physically dealt with it, and it never happened again. I'm not saying that's the way to do it, but you have to stand up for yourself, period, end of story. Whether it's opening your mouth and letting people know about it so they can help you with the situation or you have to go take martial arts. Go empower yourself. You need confidence, because the one thing that bullying does is it belittles you and it takes away your confidence, and nobody deserves that."Goldberg has been incorporating martial arts into his training and philosophy for more than two decades and promises to bring muay thai moves to Survivor Series. For the bullies out there, he has a straightforward message: "Come find me."His mantra is altruistically endearing. "You try to treat people how you want to be treated," he says. It's also insanely paradoxical coming from a man who admits "all I've ever done my whole life is compete, lift weights and bang my head against things and throw people around."He claims wrestling kept him from getting arrested.But behind the muscle, there's big heart, resolve and strength of character. He says he has grown exponentially since becoming a father."Here's the deal. My character, my adage in life, my motto is: Less is more. So in a microcosm, if you bring every single thing down in life to doing the right thing and treating people how you want to be treated, boy, that's pretty simple. It can apply to everything."As for his legacy, Survivor Series will be a big part of it. He's grateful for it and hopes his journey sends this message to fans and most importantly his son. "Don't be afraid to put yourself out there," he says. "Don't be afraid to take chances."Win or lose, this time around it's about taking the bull by the horns. "My whole philosophy with him and sports is that I don't care whether you win or lose, whether you come in first or last but as long as you can look yourself in the mirror and know that you gave 100 percent. ... Then man, I'm just so proud of you. ... That's all that matters. So I'm gonna do the same thing. "It could be the last time he steps inside the ring. "They offered me one fight and one fight only," Goldberg says. But for him, Sundaymarks a monumental first: the night his son gets to see the mighty Goldberg throw a spear and a jackhammer before a roaring crowd."So you do things to get your confidence level to a place to where it's realistic for you to call upon your body to do certain things," he says before running to another training session with Oberst."When that time comes, I'm not asking it to do it 50 times, I'm asking it to do it once.Now I'm not Godzilla, I'm not Superman, but I've got a lot of heart, and I've got a hell of a drive, and I'm Goldberg, and I'm gonna give it my damn best."
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