Amazing Goldberg facts you need to know: WWE career highlights, vintage cars and more

If you love WWE star Goldberg, then you know what you're getting when you watch one of his fights. You're going to see the wrestler spear and jackhammer his foes, then stand tall over their fallen bodies with his hands raised in triumph almost every time he steps in the ring.

Goldberg may be long past his salad days but he still captures the hearts and souls of pro-wrestling fans whenever he enters the squared circle, as he is still in top shape and retains all of his peak charisma.

Goldberg's contribution to wrestling is immeasurable. To his fans he is more than a wrestler, he is an idol who inspires them when the going gets tough.

With that in mind, here are some amazing facts you might not know about one of the most dominant wrestlers of all time.

Who is Goldberg?

Goldberg, aged 50, was raised Jewish and still practices the faith.

He originally had his sights set on an NFL career, being taken by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1990 Draft. However, injury issues forced his retirement after a few years. Turning to pro-wrestling, he joined WCW's legendary Power Plant training complex before making his full debut as a grappler on Monday Nitro in 1997.

What are Goldberg's career highlights?

• He is best remembered for his undefeated WCW streak of 173-0 between 1997 and 1998.
• On his 75th consecutive win he captured the United States Championship from Raven.
• He also won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship from New World Order (nWo) leader Hollywood Hogan on an episode of Nitro held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on 6 July 1998. The same night, before Goldberg squared off with Hogan, he won a fight against another nWo member in Scott Hall.
• Goldberg's WWE debut fight was against The Rock, which the former won at Backlash on 2 April 2003.
• He won his WrestleMania fight against Brock Lesnar in 2004.
  

  

  

  

Where did Goldberg's 'Who's Next?' catchphrase come from?

The catchphrase originated during his run with WCW.

Was Goldberg a successful football player?

Goldberg dreamed of becoming a NFL player from a young age and featured for the University of Georgia's football team, where he played defensive tackle. He then went on to play for Los Angeles Rams but left the team after the 1990 NFL season. His skills were then employed by the CFL's Sacramento Gold Miners and the Atlanta Falcons from 1992 to 1994. He was cut by Atlanta Falcons, which led to the Carolina Panthers picking him up in the 1995 NFL draft. However, he never played a single game and was later cut from the team.

What classic cars does Goldberg own?

He has over 25 vintage cars. On an episode of Jay Leno's Garage, the wrestler said that when the WCW cheques started coming in he purchased a 1968 Plymouth GTX.

"When I made it big and got the point where I could actually go into my wallet and buy the cars that I dreamed of buying when I was a kid, this was the first one that I bought," Goldberg told Leno.