Atlanta ? In the late ’90s, when pro wrestling ruled the entertainment universe, a man called Goldberg was its biggest star.

Snarling, snorting and ripping his way through opponent after opponent for World Championship Wrestling, Bill Goldberg’s chiseled physique, bald head and “nice Jewish name” became cultural icons.

Still, he says, he never truly considered himself a wrestler.

“I’m a defensive lineman who unfortunately had to reinvent himself,” said Goldberg, 38, whose brief NFL stint was halted by a career-ending injury. “It just so happens that wrestling was where I made my hay.”

This week, the Tulsa, Okla., native takes a pair of big steps in his latest reinvention effort. On Wednesday, the self-described “gearhead” premieres as the host of Automaniac, The History Channel’s 13-part look at famous and unique vehicles.

He also appears as part of an ensemble of sports and wrestling stars in “The Longest Yard,” a remake of the 1974 Burt Reynolds classic that opened Friday.

“I’d love to be Hollywood’s next superhero; I’d love to be Hollywood’s most violent villain ever,” he said, seated in a long sleeve black T-shirt, jeans and mirrored sunglasses on a balcony at Atlanta’s Four Seasons hotel. “I’m going to do my best to try to make it happen and, like everything else, if it is to be, it’s going to happen.”

It’s been an unlikely run so far for Goldberg, the son of a concert violinist and a doctor. He wasn’t even a wrestling fan growing up.

His football dreams ended when a torn abdominal muscle forced him to retire after brief runs with the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings.

“I like to tell everybody I made more tackles on the set than I ever did in the NFL,” he said, referring to “The Longest Yard,” which is about a prison football game.

Soon after his football career ended, he found himself drifting in Atlanta when wrestlers from Ted Turner’s WCW encouraged him to sign up.

Bill Goldberg, pro wrestling star of the 90's, when pro wrestling ruled the entertainment universe, relaxes during an interview Wednesday May 25, 2005 in Atlanta (AP Photo/Gene Blythe)

On Sept. 22, 1997, he made his first televised appearance, winning a match in Salt Lake City. His appeal was immediately clear and promoters pushed him on “The Streak,” an undefeated run of 173 victories that saw him claim the WCW’s heavyweight title.

Along the way, he achieved rock star status – appearing on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” having his image plastered on everything from T-shirts to coffee mugs and being named one of the sports industry’s 100 most powerful people by The Sporting News.

But he was never comfortable with what he calls the darker side of sports entertainment.

Goldberg appeared alongside Jean Claude Van Damme in 1999’s “Universal Soldier: The Return,” in 2003’s “Looney Tunes: Back in Action” and as a demonic Santa Claus in “Santa’s Slay,” a low-budget horror flick set for release this year.

He says “The Longest Yard” is his screen highlight, calling himself a huge fan of the 1974 original.

On the set, Goldberg met Wanda Ferraton, a stunt woman who knew nothing about his wrestling or football background. The two recently married, and are still trying to find time for a honeymoon.

“You just try to be able to look in the mirror and be proud of who you are and what you do and what you stand for,” he said. “My aspirations are to be a successful human being, and that means a lot of different things.”