The first inductee in the World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) class of 2018 Hall of Fame has recently been announced by the company, and it is none other than three-time world champion Bill Goldberg.
The former WWE Universal Champion will be headlining the Hall of Fame induction that will be taking place the night before WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans, along with several other inductees that will be announced in the weeks to come.
WWE executive vice-president for talent, live events and creative Paul Levesque, or Triple H on television, was all praises for Goldberg, with whom he had a number of exciting matches. He cited everything that makes the wrestling legend worthy of being recognized as one of the greatest in the business.
"Goldberg's unique athleticism, persona and intensity captured the imagination of sports entertainment fans around the world throughout his illustrious career," Levesque said in a report by Sky Sports. "We are honored to have Goldberg take his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame."
Goldberg rose to prominence while he was still wrestling for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1997, long before the company was purchased by the WWE. During his time in WCW, he went on his now legendary undefeated streak, winning match after match in quick fashion for over a year. It was a record that has only been broken by Asuka, one of the top female wrestlers currently working in WWE.
In 2004, years after WCW was purchased by the WWE, Goldberg decided to bring his talent overseas and the wrestler had a short but successful run in Japan. Upon his return to the United States, he signed with the WWE and dominated the competition right off the bat. He defeated the top names in the company such as The Rock, Triple H, Batista and Brock Lesnar, with whom he had his final match under the company.
He made a brief return in 2016 in the Survivor Series where he defeated Lesnar in one minute and twenty-six seconds, reigniting the bitter rivalry between the two. They eventually faced each other for one last time at WrestleMania 33 for the Universal Championship, where Lesnar emerged as the victor. He appeared on the following night's Monday Night Raw to thank the fans for their support and say goodbye to the WWE Universe.
Being an inductee in this year's Hall of Fame, there is a possibility that Goldberg will appear on the 25<sup>th anniversary of Monday Night Raw, although there has not been an official announcement so far.
