The Steve Austin Show: Goldberg PART ONE - SAS CLASSIC (Jan 20, 2026)
Episode Overview
Theme/Purpose:
Steve Austin sits down at Bill Goldberg’s San Diego compound for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about wrestling, training, personal values, career transitions, and life beyond the ring. Both legends share insights into physical and mental tolls of wrestling, lessons learned from fame, and their outlook on life, with plenty of humor, wisdom, and the authentic, blue-collar tone that defines Austin’s show. This is part one of their discussion, with part two focusing on Goldberg’s famed car collection.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Life at the Goldberg Compound & Personal Privacy
- Goldberg describes his self-sufficient home: Private gym on top of his garage, filled with memorabilia and classic cars (15:16).
- “Just call it the Goldberg Garage, man, with a little bit of a weight room on top of it.” – Goldberg [15:16]
- Enjoys solitude, values privacy, and prefers to relax at home with family.
- Avoids L.A. scene: “I’ve owned this house for 20 years. I go buy it when I go to the airport, but other than that, I’d rather just chill. Man, I got my cars here, man. I got my 10-year-old boy, and I got the wife that I wanted my entire life.” – Goldberg [26:25]
2. Training, Aging, and Staying Fit
- Goldberg’s daily routine: Trains most nights, focuses on circuit training and Muay Thai (16:22, 18:14).
- “When I’m in town and I have time, I’m kickboxing four days a week.” – Goldberg [18:14]
- He discusses how injuries and age changed his approach: battles with torn muscles, broken toes, and connective tissue damage.
- Discovery of cardio: “I never even knew it in football. And let’s be honest, what kind of cardio did I have to do to go out and, you know, squash guys?” [19:32]
- Comparison to Austin’s evolving training as both approach their 50s.
3. Origins, Football Background, and Entering Wrestling
- Goldberg’s first love was football; wrestling provided a new outlet after injuries ended his NFL dream (22:30).
- “I went into depression for like two years ... part of the depression is not being able to find an outlet.” – Goldberg [22:30]
- Wrestling filled the gap for physical expression and adrenaline; not initially a lifelong goal.
4. The Demands of Fame and the Importance of Being “On”
- The stress of public life, responsibility to fans, and need to be a role model for kids (24:59).
- “Every time I walk out the door to be on, to be a hero for a kid. Because that one day that I’m a dick, the one day that I don’t feel like doing something is the day that that kid needs me.” – Goldberg [25:00]
5. WCW, WWE, and the Business Side of Wrestling
- The transition from football to wrestling, negotiating contracts, and knowing one's worth (29:38).
- Goldberg’s agent background from the NFL informed smarter contract decisions (40:46, 41:00).
- “I picked up the phone before I signed with WCW. I called Jim Ross. Jim Ross gets me an appointment with Vince … but the only reason why I didn’t have my lawyer is because he’s football … but the secretary said, ‘Oh, Vince doesn’t like lawyers’. And I went, ding. I’m never doing anything in this entire business without that right guy.” – Goldberg [41:00]
- Discussion about contract structures, leveraging media commercials for better deals, and protecting locker room peers.
- Austin explains his own early pay scale: “I was making fifteen and twenty dollars a night.” [42:10]
- Goldberg’s fast rise caused locker room controversy and some resentment.
6. Locker Room Dynamics, Resentment, and Learning Experiences
- Goldberg’s meteoric rise led to tensions, notably the “Steven Regal match” as an example of internal locker room resentment (45:22).
- “There’s always the resentment. There’s always the Steven Regal match … the office didn’t tell him to go out there and try to take advantage of me and beat up a guy who had no idea what the fuck was going on.” – Goldberg [45:24]
- Learning not to blindly trust colleagues in the ring (46:31).
- “I told my son … you have to take negatives and turn them into positives … I didn’t trust every single past that point … I questioned it from that point, so in a way, it was good for me, in a way, it was the downfall of my attitude towards the business.” – Goldberg [46:35]
7. Highs and Lows: The Come-Down After the Show
- Both discuss the adrenaline after matches and struggle to “come down”.
- For Austin: “All I did was turn the volume up because I was almost Stone Cold all the time back then. I just turned the volume up a couple levels.” [50:14]
- For Goldberg: “It was just like after a football game … I just tried to get as quiet as possible.” [51:00]
- Mentions his travel crews: Hennig, Steiners, Nash, and Rick Rude (51:14).
8. Memories of Wrestling and MMA Legends
- Stories about Don Frye, Rick Rude, and Kimbo Slice – mixing MMA and wrestling circles (52:11, 53:30).
- Sadness and reflections on Kimbo’s death and impact on athletic commissions (53:50).
9. Concussions, the Toll of Sports, and Pain Management
- Both discuss dealing with concussions and chronic pain (56:00, 57:44).
- “My short-term memory is brutal … but if you don’t think that there’s going to be some type of trauma at a sport like that, then, you know, you’re not the smartest motherfucker in the world.” – Goldberg [56:19]
- Goldberg’s ongoing pain tolerance and approach: “I tape them together and I live through the pain because at the end of the day, the good thing that I get out of it is much better than the bad things.” [57:44]
- Humorous comparison to “North Dallas Forty” as a metaphor for waking up battered each morning (58:48).
10. Disenchantment and the End of Goldberg’s Wrestling Career
- Goldberg reflects on losing the passion for pro wrestling, feeling opposition at WWE, and ultimately deciding to step away (64:46).
- “It wasn’t fun for me anymore … I always felt like there was something fighting against me … the only thing that I enjoyed was every once in a while going out there and pressing some dude and dropping him, spearing a guy and walking out of the ring, and grabbing a kid and handing him the belt.” – Goldberg [65:04]
- Tells story about “Rosie, Super Hero In Training” shirt breaking the spell on being a superhero for kids [66:04]
- “It was the straw that broke the camel’s back.” [66:34]
- Ends WWE contract and “kicking his books on the way out” [66:38].
Notable Quotes
- “I’m a separatist. I don’t like human beings too much. And so when I don’t have to work, I kind of hang out on my little island here.” – Goldberg [15:16]
- “You provide other guys … cool opportunities that they can’t get, but for you, it’s easy.” – Goldberg on helping CT Fletcher [17:12]
- “I could possibly have it just as easily been the other guy, but I was that guy. … I looked at it in the middle, more towards the business opportunity because I had a dream taken away from me.” – Goldberg on motivation for wrestling [31:00]
- “You gotta have somebody representing you, man.” – Goldberg on never negotiating without a lawyer again [42:10]
- “If you don’t have money at the end of the day, you did it wrong—whether you loved it or you didn’t.” – Austin [30:34]
- “There are lockers and doors all around the country where there wasn’t a match that I had that I didn’t headbutt something full force, just to get in the mood to go out there and go from 0 to 100 miles an hour for the people that enjoyed the violence of what I did.” – Goldberg [49:13]
- “You have to take negatives and turn them into positives.” – Goldberg [46:35]
- “I wouldn’t change anything for the world.” – Goldberg, on pain and concussions [56:56]
- “I’m moving to Canada … we’re in a really sorry-ass state, man. I just, I don’t know … it’s the word—the lesser of two evils.” – Goldberg on election/politics [60:57]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 15:16 Goldberg describes his “garage gym” and why he values privacy.
- 18:14 Goldberg details training regimen, kickboxing, and age-related adaptations.
- 22:30 Goldberg discusses the transition from NFL to wrestling and depression.
- 24:59 On the burdens of fame and always being "on" for kids.
- 29:38 "Why am I going to go to work for 50% of the money?" — Discussion on WCW contracts.
- 31:00 The duality of being a businessman and accidental wrestling star.
- 40:46, 41:00 Goldberg on having agents, lawyers, and advice for new wrestlers.
- 45:22 Locker room resentment and the Steven Regal match incident.
- 49:13 Goldberg recalling his intense pre-match rituals.
- 53:50 Memories of Kimbo Slice and discussion on MMA/commissions.
- 56:00 Talking head injuries and the “North Dallas Forty” analogy.
- 64:46 Goldberg on why he left wrestling.
Memorable Moments
- Austin and Goldberg’s mutual appreciation of privacy, family, and the peaceful life away from the camera.
- Goldberg joyfully recounts helping CT Fletcher get a spot in a movie just for fun (17:12).
- The story of how Goldberg leveraged a Little Caesars commercial for contract negotiations with WCW (32:41, 39:01).
- Goldberg’s explanation of the infamous Steven Regal match—“I’d love to scrap with him right now” (45:52).
- Austin and Goldberg poking fun at their aches and pains, likening themselves to Nick Nolte from North Dallas Forty (58:48).
- Honest, nonpartisan view of 2026’s political landscape and the “lesser of two evils” dilemma (60:57).
Final Notes
Tone & Style:
Authentic, blue-collar, no-nonsense, but also introspective and at times self-deprecating. Both legends are unfiltered, honest, and open about their struggles and successes, delivering the conversation in the trademark style fans expect.
Cliffhanger:
Stay tuned for Part Two—Goldberg’s epic car collection and more stories from two industry icons.
For listeners who’ve missed the episode:
This conversation is a revealing look not only at the world of pro wrestling but at two men figuring out life’s transitions, fatherhood, health, and what truly matters after the hype dies down. Austin and Goldberg provide laughs, lessons, and a refreshingly real glimpse behind the curtain.