Customer Reviews

I'm Next: The Strange Journey of America's Most Unlikely Superhero

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This is a great book! I am a huge fan. However, I am also a "Pro Wrestling fan come lately". I didn't start watching until '99, well after Goldberg was established, and after the 175-0 streak. So it was awesome that I could catch up on all of the great stuff thatI missed!

This book was so compelling that I read it all the way through in less than 24 hours after it arrived! It was also so compelling that it prompted me to write my first ever Amazon.com book review! This book was obviously written in HIS own words, not some author's interpretation of his words. As I read it, I could almost hear Goldberg himself narrating it! It was a great, no BS book! Honest words from an honest guy.

Goldberg is a funny guy too, I never knew that! I can't count the number of times that the book made me actually laugh out loud! (The in-ring Ric Flair/Jackhammer quote is priceless!) The book is hugely informative, and sometimes over-informative! =) Everything you ever wanted to know, and then some!

I would almost give it 4 stars is because of the "then some" mentioned above. I really wasn't interested in reading about Great Great Grandma Wolfson from Russia etc, but hey, it's his book, I'm sure not gonna argue with him! Furthermore, if I ever meet him in person, I would never want him to know that I was the only chump at Aamzon.com who had the nerve to give Goldberg only 4 stars! Especially now that I know how driven he is too succeed in absolutely EVERYTHING that he does! I think he would take it too personally, and I just couldn't live with that kind of guilt! =) Goldberg is 5 star everything as far as I am concerned!

I do wish that there were a few more insights into the "behind the scenes" stuff, Pro Wrestling secrets like "The Iggy" signal that wrestlers give each other in the ring. I'd love to learn more about that stuff! But, nobody ever said that this was a Pro Wrestling expose' either =).

To sum it up, this book is the next best thing to actually being able to sit down with Da Man and talking for a few hours with him over a pitcher of Heineken. This book is about as close as many of us will ever get to William Scott Goldberg, the man. The goofy old pictures of little Billy alone are worth the price of the book! =) Lastly, too bad it didn't come out just a few weeks later. I'd love to hear his take on the latest Goldberg Vs. Ring post situation! I could have just written this review in 3 words - "Buy The Book"!

When compared with its other wrestling brethren (auto)biographies, Bill Goldberg’s “I’m Next: The Strange Journey of America’s Most Unlikely Superhero” holds up well against it’s competition. Overall, this book was pretty good. It is great for what it is, a good look into his life (as all biographies SHOULD be) and a great look into how his wrestling character and career evolved.

Here’s what we learn about Goldberg:

1. First and foremost we learn about his football career (and perhaps manhood) ending injury.

2. How he got into the wrestling business through his association with tons of WCW wrestlers whom he worked out at the gym with including Sting, Luger, DDP and Buff Bagwell.

3. A VERY comprehensive look at how he broke into the business, including negotiating with both the WWF and WCW, his training at the WCW Power Plant and the evolution of the Goldberg character including look, fighting style, etc.

4. A comprehensive look at his ENTIRE WCW career from start to (at the time) present. It’s an honest, unbiased look at how Goldberg quickly rose through the ranks. He is very honest about his capabilities and how he has been privileged. He does not have a “big head” whatsoever.

5. A look into his family background. (with Guest Chapter Authoring’s by Goldberg’s dad and brother)

6. A look at his ENTIRE football career from high school to college to WFL (World League), brush with the Canadian CFL to the NFL.

In addition to this, you also get a great look into the MIND of Goldberg. He comes off as an intelligent and a very genuine individual who has deep beliefs and deep convictions. You’ll learn his views of how to handle business, his strong feelings for his family and friends, and his thoughts on other wrestlers and other celebrities, and his thoughts on religion (including a great view of how it is to be a ... role model), football and his deep love for his animals and his girlfriend.

Also, the book contains some GREAT anecdotes and stories from Bill’s life including his childhood, GREAT college football stories and an AWESOME SuperBowl story about him and Scott Steiner.

Here’s my rundown:

Great: The anecdotes and stories about his football career and his life in the public eye

Good: Delving deep into Goldberg’s mind. He comes across as just a GREAT guy, full of convictions and strong beliefs.

Cool: TONS of great pictures of him and his family, friends and other celebrity friends

For our wrestling fans: How he broke into the business and developed his character. It’s a great behind the scenes look.

Nice Touch: Having both his dad and brother write chapters in the book. He clearly is a strong family man.

Bad: Nothing at all

Summed up, this is just a great book to read. It may never become a “literary” classic, but it’s just a great biography about a great person and his story. Goldberg has often been harshly and sharply criticized, sometimes perhaps deservedly so. However, once you read his book he easily comes across as an honest man.

All in all, I highly recommend this to other wrestling fans. It’s a great look into the life and times of one of wrestling’s biggest contemporary stars. I also recommend this to those who want to BECOME a wrestler. It’s a good look into how one career evolved. You’ll benefit from what Bill has to say about getting into the business. Finally, I recommend this to anyone who just likes to read about other people’s lives. This is a great book to read. It’s funny and is just a great story. At about 245 pages I got through this in about 3 days, total reading time about 6 hours. This is a good book.

Recommended.

Much like the recent WWF superstars' bios (Mick Foley, The Rock), the format of this book is all about eye-candy. Callouts, "chapter" headings, and the prolific use of b&w photos (with a color photo insert) all give this book a feeling similar to an illustrated graphic novel. Certainly, we can't all write literary autobiographies like Benjamin Franklin or Mark Twain! However, this book's chapters are so much shorter and choppier than the books of the two wrestlers mentioned above -- I found the staccato pacing a bit distracting. Some "chapters" were less than one page long, so it makes the reader wonder if they'd stand better when combined with other short chapters to form a more cohesive, better-flowing narrative. Still, I found valuable information about Goldberg as the man, and as the sports entertainment superstar. Kudos to him for all the charity work he does, and for the entertainment he provides the fans. A respectable effort, even if I felt it a bit stylistically wanting.

I would rank this offering somewhere between the shameless self aggrandizing of The Rock and the very ambitious efforts of Mick Foley. This book can be read quite easily in 2 days, unlike Bret Hart's offering which takes less than 2 hours. I think the decision to start the piece with Goldberg's experiences as a pro wrestler and go into his childhood and pre-wrestling experiences later is going to appeal to the vast majority of potential buyers. As a result this book feels more like two short books offered back-to-back. There were some incidents - such as the unfriendly encounter between Goldberg and Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula at a basketball game - that were narrated twice, and I felt this could have been avoided or reduced with more careful editing. Given the relatively short length of the book one could argue it was completely unnecessary.

I was rather surprised at the frequent examples of Goldberg's undisciplined behaviour during his leisure hours prior to his wrestling career, including the admission that he failed a drug test during his senior year with the U of Georgia Bulldogs, resulting in his suspension just prior to the Gator Bowl. It is also noted that his shortened professional football career was attributable to injuries sustained in action and not to his own carelessness or recklessness - although the author perhaps went to excessive length to establish this.

I got the very strong impression the author was the black sheep of the family prior to his wrestling success, although this is never stated or implied in the book. It seems he was trying very hard to prove himself especially to his dad and older brothers in spite of his many problems, and finally succeeded.

The sections devoted to wrestling were insightful and interesting, and the author makes a refreshingly candid assessment of his own performances and those of his peers. Contrary to popular belief, as it turns out, he did have one loss during that impressive 175 - 0 streak.

I wish they had chosen a different photo for the back cover of the jacket. I have no objection whatsoever with Goldberg wearing what I assume to be a yamulka. I believe that a photo of the back of someone's head and shoulders, apart from demonstrating his strength, is rather impersonal and off-putting.

This book is recommended with some reservations.

This is a fun book that can appeal to light readers. Bill Goldberg comes accross as a basically likeable guy who shoots straight from the hip. However, the sequencing of the book is a bit shelter skelter as it starts off in the middle of his wrestling career, then cuts back to the football/wrestling transition period, fast forwards through his two or three eyars in the business and then goes back to his childhood and football career.

Its nice that Bill Goldberg has a humble attitude and is gracious for what he has experienced being in the limelight. Also, his charitable work and touching comments about others who have faced adversy show he has a good heart. He gives some good accounts of his relationship with other wrestlers although some depth would be nice. Some of his language is a little bit questionable but like I said light readers and wrestling fans will definitely appreciate this account a true super hero.

I've only gotten through the first 5 chapters and I'm already in love with the book. So many questions that ponder Goldberg fans' minds are answered by the only person that can answer them. There are many excerpts from other wrestlers and several amazing photos from throughout his life. I would've given it 10 stars but I was only allowed 5. Being the extreme Goldberg fan I am and webmaster of BGoldberg.com, I highly recommend this book to practically any sports fan because it's not just about wrestling. It's about hard work, dedication, and the suffering it takes to be the best at what you do.

In the book I'm Next: The Strange Journey of America's Most Unlikely Superhero, Bill Goldberg gives us a very honest look into his life. This book was co-written by Goldberg's older brother, Steve Goldberg. Divided into three sections, I'm Next does a great job of giving the reader wonderful insight into how this young boy grew up to be a wrestling superstar.
The first part of this book is about Goldberg, the wrestler. Being a WWE fan, this was the part of his life I was most familiar with. But, Bill Goldberg does a great job of taking the average wrestling fan on a journey behind the scenes to let us know what really goes on in and out of the ring. Wresting, it seems, is much more of a business, at times, than it is a sport.
The next part of the book includes one chapter written entirely by Steve Goldberg, and another chapter written by their father, Jed. Bill's family members give us insight into their private lives so that we can share in the closeness that they have enjoyed. The Goldberg men have always been extremely supportive of one another. This section includes the pre-wrestling days: birth through college. The Goldberg's were a rich family but despite this, life wasn't perfect. His parents divorced when Bill was young, and this created problems for him throughout his life. Bill was spoiled and was used to getting his own way. It was clear by reading the book that Bill Goldberg's one goal while growing up was to play NFL football. This dream did eventually come true but only lasted a short time. He suffered many injuries, which brought his football career to an end. It was while Bill was trying to recuperate from his football injuries that he worked out in the same gym with many WCW superstars. Since his dream of football was over, they convinced him to give professional wrestling a shot.
In the last part of the book, Goldberg sounds bitter towards the wrestling industry as he talks about his final days in the WCW and WWE. During these final days, he became reckless and continued acting immature and spoiled. He even jeopardized his own health when he punched through a car window instead of using a prop. There was no permanent damage, but he required 196 stitches. Bill also talks about all the politics behind-the-scenes and the wrongs of the wrestling world.
After reading this book, it is no secret that Bill Goldberg never liked the business that made him very famous and paid him a lot of money. It is clear that he holds a lot of resentment towards this wrestling industry.
If you are a Goldberg fan, this book is worth reading. It will give you a new perspective on the man that you have only known as a wrestler. If you are not a fan, I think you should pass on this book.

I write wrestling columns for two websites. We see wrestlers come and go with little or no fanfare. When Bill Goldberg burst on the wrestling scene, nobody had every created that much notice in that short length of time. In the book, Goldberg discusses the "positives" that this brought, and he pulls no punches (pun intended) talking about the negatives that he is learning from. If you are a wrestling fan, add this one to your library!

Former NFL/CFL/NFL E D-Lineman Bill
Goldberg is as colourful in these
pages as his name was dull as a muscle-
headed D-Lineman in Pro Football. Tell
me this guy didn't get pumped up on ster-
oids after being a 257-lb mouse of a too
small Def. Tackle/NG in Pro Football, and
I'll call you a liar to your face. Gold-
berg's main problem in here is his stupid
'persecution' complex that he lays out
every three pages. Gee Bill, if you hadn't
got drunk so much, et, al, and worked our
more WHEN YOU WERE in the NFL, maybe I could
like you more now that you are doing cool
muscle car shows and involved in the phoney
wrestling scam-business. Goldberg's stupid
remarks about the very good CFL and about
RE-breaking Joe Thiesmann's leg are not go-
ing win him many friends and influence too
many people, jewish or otherwise. Neither
is his alledged acting 'career'. Naw, I'll
take the Rock as the former wrestler that
made good in life beyond the gridiron. Sorry
Bill...

If you are a fan of Bill Goldberg, more than a wrestling fan, read this book. You will probably enjoy his biography. However, if you are a wrestling fan, more than a Bill Goldberg fan, you may not want to bother with this one. You can get a (used) copy from Amazon for less than $2.00. Doesn't that say a lot?