Randy Orton Tried To Duplicate Goldberg's Tribal Tattoo
"Five years later, I would be wrestling him on TV, on Monday Night RAW, with Ric Flair and Triple H.
Apr 29, 2021
Randy Orton has confessed to being a 'huge Goldberg mark' as a kid, admitting to almost copying his tribal tattoo as an 18-year-old.
Orton was the first-ever special guest on The Kurt Angle Show and spent a reasonable amount of time discussing his admiration for Goldberg, who was at the height of his winning streak in WCW when Orton was a teenager.
The future WWE and World Heavyweight Champion would even try to copy Goldberg's iconic tattoo, only to be stopped by the tattoo artist, something Orton is still thankful for to this day.
The Viper would end up working with Goldberg only a few short years later, facing him as a member of Evolution during his feud with Triple H over the World Heavyweight Championship.
Orton said: "In high school, when I was just a fan, I loved watching Goldberg, man. I have got a funny Goldberg story too. So, it was 1998. Huge Goldberg fan. I used to get together with all my buddies, and we were watching the undefeated streak as it took place and just pumped, right?
"So, I turned 18, and I wanted a tattoo. Mom said no tattoos. And you can probably guess where this is going. So, now that I'm 18 and I'm a huge Goldberg mark. I go to the tattoo spot and the tattoo artist, I tell him, I say, 'I want this tattoo', and it was a picture out of a magazine. A Goldberg tribal f****** tattoo. So, let's see. I didn't get it.
"I didn't get it, but if you look, I've got some symmetrical-looking tribal here that I've kind of messed with over the years, and what that started out as was the idea that it was going to be a duplicate of Goldberg's tattoo. And the tattoo artist was like, 'Oh, you don't want to put another guy's tattoo on your arm.' And looking back, it's like, 'Thanks, tattoo artist.' Holy s***!"
"But he put a very similar Goldberg-esque tattoo, tribal. Right on my shoulder, same position, and it was symmetrical like Bill's, but it was different enough to where you would look at it and think, 'Goldberg.'
"Over the years, I've had a little more done to it, just to make sure once I got into the professional wrestling world, that people wouldn't think it was supposed to look like Goldberg's. I think it's funny looking back that when I was 18, I was going to his tattoo on my body and then five years later, I would be wrestling him on TV, on Monday Night RAW, with Ric Flair and Triple H. You know, it's crazy how life ends up."
H/T SK Wrestling