"I wanted to really kill him" - Goldberg says he legitimately hated former WWE Superstar

Bill Goldberg recently admitted he “absolutely hated” Duane Gill’s Gillberg character in WWE.In the 1990s, WCW and WWE often mocked the other company’s characters on their own television shows. During the height of Goldberg’s popularity in WCW, Gill won the Light Heavyweight Championship in Vince McMahon's promotion before getting repackaged as a Goldberg parody act.

Speaking on WWE Network show Ruthless Aggression, Goldberg gave his brutally honest thoughts on Gill’s Gillberg gimmick:

“I hated the Gillberg thing in the beginning. I just absolutely hated it. I wanted to rip the guy’s face off. I wanted to really kill him. But that means it worked,” he said.

Duane Gill originally worked for WWE as an enhancement talent between 1991 and 1994. He went on to impersonate several high-profile wrestlers on the independent scene, including Goldberg and The Undertaker.

His impression of Goldberg caught the attention of The Undertaker’s former manager, Paul Bearer, who suggested that he became Gillberg on television.

Goldberg comments on his first WWE run

The WCW star joined WWE in 2003 and immediately feuded with The Rock. Their rivalry featured various comedy segments, including a moment where the latter introduced Gillberg instead of Goldberg.

The 2018 WWE Hall of Famer gave The Rock credit for helping him make the transition from WCW to WWE:

“Coming from WCW to WWE and making that splash, it had to be with the right person. He [The Rock] was instrumental in my success immediately in the WWE,” he said.

Goldberg left WWE in 2004 and returned as a part-time superstar in 2016. The 54-year-old won his most recent match against Bobby Lashley at the Crown Jewel event in October.