title: Economy of Russia

text: The Russian economy is volatile. Since 1989 its institutional environment was transformed from a socialist command economy to a capitalistic market system. Its industrial structure dramatically shifted away from heavy investment in manufacturing and agriculture toward market services, oil, gas, and mining. Richard Connolly argues that for the last four centuries, there are four main characteristics of the Russian economy that have shaped the system and persisted despite the political upheavals. First of all the weakness of the legal system means that impartial courts do not rule and contracts are problematic. Second is the underdevelopment of modern economic activities, with very basic peasant agriculture dominant into the 1930s. Third is technological underdevelopment, eased somewhat by borrowing from the West in the 1920s. And fourth lower living standards compared to Western Europe and North America.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Beginning in 1928, the course of the Soviet Union's economy was guided by a series of five-year plans. By the 1950s, the Soviet Union had rapidly evolved from a mainly agrarian society into a major industrial power.


title: Economy of Russia

text: By the 1970s the Soviet Union was in an Era of Stagnation. The complex demands of the modern economy and inflexible administration overwhelmed and constrained the central planners. The volume of decisions facing planners in Moscow became overwhelming. The cumbersome procedures for bureaucratic administration foreclosed the free communication and flexible response required at the enterprise level for dealing with worker alienation, innovation, customers, and suppliers.


title: Economy of Russia

text: From 1975 to 1985, corruption and data fiddling became common practice among bureaucracy to report satisfied targets and quotas thus entrenching the crisis. Starting in 1986, Mikhail Gorbachev attempted to address economic problems by moving towards a market-oriented socialist economy. Gorbachev's policies of Perestroika failed to rejuvenate the Soviet economy; instead, a process of political and economic disintegration culminated in the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia underwent a radical transformation, moving from a centrally planned economy to a globally integrated market economy. Corrupt and haphazard privatization processes turned over major state-owned firms to politically connected "oligarchs", which has left equity ownership highly concentrated.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Yeltsin's program of radical, market-oriented reform came to be known as a "shock therapy". It was based on the policies associated with the Washington Consensus, recommendations of the IMF and a group of top American economists, including Larry Summers who in 1994 urged for "the three '-ations'—privatization, stabilization, and liberalization" to be "completed as soon as possible." With deep corruption afflicting the process, the result was disastrous, with real GDP falling by more than 40% by 1999, hyperinflation which wiped out personal savings, crime and destitution spreading rapidly. The jump in prices from shock therapy wiped out the modest savings accumulated by Russians under socialism and resulted in a regressive redistribution of wealth in favor of elites who owned non-monetary assets.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Shock therapy was accompanied by a drop in the standard of living, including surging economic inequality and poverty, along with increased excess mortality and a decline in life expectancy. Russia suffered the largest peacetime rise in mortality ever experienced by an industrialized country. Likewise, the consumption of meat decreased: in 1990, an average citizen of the RSFSR consumed 63 kg of meat a year; by 1999, it had decreased to 45 kg.


title: Economy of Russia

text: The majority of state enterprises were privatized amid great controversy and subsequently came to be owned by insiders for far less than they were worth. For example, the director of a factory during the Soviet regime would often become the owner of the same enterprise. Under the government's cover, outrageous financial manipulations were performed that enriched a narrow group of individuals at key positions of business and government. Many of them promptly invested their newfound wealth abroad, producing an enormous capital flight. This rapid privatization of public assets, and the widespread corruption associated with it, became widely known throughout Russia as "prikhvatizatisiya," or "grab-itization."


title: Economy of Russia

text: Difficulties in collecting government revenues amid the collapsing economy and dependence on short-term borrowing to finance budget deficits led to the 1998 Russian financial crisis.


title: Economy of Russia

text: In the 1990s Russia was "the largest borrower" from the International Monetary Fund, with loans totaling $20 billion. The IMF was criticised for lending so much, as Russia introduced little of the reforms promised for the money and a large part of these funds could have been "diverted from their intended purpose and included in the flows of capital that left the country illegally".


title: Economy of Russia

text: Russia bounced back quickly from the August 1998 financial crash, partly because of a devaluation of the ruble, which made domestic producers more competitive nationally and internationally.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Between 2000 and 2002, significant pro-growth economic reforms included a comprehensive tax reform, which introduced a flat income tax of 13%; and a broad effort at deregulation which benefited small and medium-sized enterprises.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Between 2000 and 2008, Russian economy got a major boost from rising commodity prices. GDP grew on average 7% per year. Disposable incomes more than doubled and in dollar-denominated terms increased eightfold. The volume of consumer credit between 2000 and 2006 increased 45 times, fuelling a boom in private consumption. The number of people living below poverty line declined from 30% in 2000 to 14% in 2008.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Inflation remained a problem however, as the central bank aggressively expanded money supply to combat appreciation of the ruble. Nevertheless, in 2007 the World Bank declared that the Russian economy achieved "unprecedented macroeconomic stability". Until October 2007, Russia maintained impressive fiscal discipline with budget surpluses every year from 2000.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Russian banks were hit by the global credit crunch in 2008, though no long term damage was done thanks to proactive and timely response by the government and central bank, which shielded the banking system from effects of the global financial crisis. A sharp, but brief recession in Russia was followed by a strong recovery beginning in late 2009.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Between 2000 and 2012 Russia's energy exports fueled a rapid growth in living standards, with real disposable income rising by 160%. In dollar-denominated terms this amounted to a more than sevenfold increase in disposable incomes since 2000. In the same period, unemployment and poverty more than halved and Russians' self-assessed life satisfaction also rose significantly. This growth was a combined result of the 2000s commodities boom, high oil prices, as well as prudent economic and fiscal policies. However, these gains have been distributed unevenly, as the 110 wealthiest individuals were found in a report by Credit Suisse to own 35% of all financial assets held by Russian households. Russia also has the second-largest volume of illicit money outflows, having lost over $880 billion between 2002 and 2011 in this way. Since 2008 Forbes has repeatedly named Moscow the "billionaire capital of the world".


title: Economy of Russia

text: After eighteen years of negotiations, Russia's membership to the WTO was accepted in 2011. In 2013, Russia was labeled a high-income economy by the World Bank.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Russian leaders repeatedly spoke of the need to diversify the economy away from its dependence on oil and gas and foster a high-technology sector. In 2012 oil, gas and petroleum products accounted for over 70% of total exports. This economic model appeared to show its limits, when after years of strong performance, the Russian economy expanded by a mere 1.3% in 2013. Several reasons were proposed to explain the slowdown, including a prolonged recession in the EU, which is Russia's largest trading partner, stagnant oil prices, lack of spare industrial capacity and demographic problems. Political turmoil in neighboring Ukraine added to the uncertainty and suppressed investment.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Following the annexation of Crimea in March 2014 and Russia's involvement in the ongoing War in Donbas, the United States, the European Union, Canada and Japan imposed sanctions on Russia. This led to the decline of the Russian ruble and sparked fears of a Russian financial crisis. Russia responded with sanctions against a number of countries, including a one-year period of total ban on food imports from the European Union and the United States.


title: Economy of Russia

text: According to the Russian economic ministry in July 2014, GDP growth in the first half of 2014 was 1%. The ministry projected growth of 0.5% for 2014. The Russian economy grew by a better than expected 0.6% in 2014. Russia is rated one of the most unequal of the world's major economies.


title: Economy of Russia

text: The Russian economy risked going into recession from early 2014, mainly due to falling oil prices, sanctions, and the subsequent capital flight. While in 2014 GDP growth remained positive at 0.6%, in 2015 the Russian economy shrunk by 3.7% and was expected to shrink further in 2016. By 2016, the Russian economy rebounded with 0.3% GDP growth and officially exited recession. The growth continued in 2017, with an increase of 1.5%.


title: Economy of Russia

text: In January 2016, Bloomberg rated Russia's economy as the 12th most innovative in the world, up from 14th in January 2015 and 18th in January 2014. Russia has the world's 15th highest patent application rate, the 8th highest concentration of high-tech public companies, such as internet and aerospace and the third highest graduation rate of scientists and engineers.


title: Economy of Russia

text: In 2019 Russia's Natural Resources and Environment Ministry estimated the value of natural resources to $844 billion or 60% of the country's GDP.


title: Economy of Russia

text: In 2022, there have been heavy sanctions due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine that will likely result in steep recession. Since early 2022 many official economic statistics are not published.


title: Economy of Russia

text: On June 27, 2022 Russia defaulted on part of its foreign currency, its first such default since 1918.


title: Economy of Russia

text: In November 2022 it was reported that Russia had officially entered a recession as the Federal State Statistics Service had reported a national GDP loss for the second consecutive quarter.


title: Economy of Russia

text: The following table shows the main economic indicators in 1980–2021 (with IMF staff estimates in 2022–2026). Inflation below 5% is in green.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Russia was expected to have a Government Budget deficit of $21 billion in 2016. The budget deficit narrowed to 0.6% of GDP in 2017 from 2.8% in 2016.


title: Economy of Russia

text: On 1 January 2004, the Government of Russia established the Stabilization fund of the Russian Federation as part of the federal budget to balance it if price of oil falls. On 1 February 2008 the Stabilization fund was divided into two parts. The first is a reserve fund equal to 10% of GDP (10% of GDP equals to about $200 billion now), and was to be invested in a similar way as the Stabilization Fund. The second is the National Prosperity Fund of the Russian Federation. Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak estimated it would reach 600–700 billion rubles by 1 February 2008. The National Prosperity Fund is to be invested in more risky instruments, including the shares of foreign companies.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Russia was the lowest rated European country in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index for 2020; ranking 129th out of 180 countries. Corruption is perceived as a significant problem in Russia, impacting various aspects of life, including the economy, business, public administration, law enforcement, healthcare, and education. The phenomenon of corruption is strongly established in the historical model of public governance in Russia and attributed to general weakness of rule of law in Russia. As of 2020, the percentage of business owners who distrust law enforcement agencies rose to 70% (from 45% in 2017); 75% don't believe in impartiality of courts and 79% do not believe that legal institutions protect them from abuse of law such as racketeering or arrest on dubious grounds.


title: Economy of Russia

text: The mineral-packed Ural Mountains and the vast fossil fuel (oil, gas, coal), and timber reserves of Siberia and the Russian Far East make Russia rich in natural resources, which dominate Russian exports. Oil and gas exports, specifically, continue to be the main source of hard currency.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Russia has been widely described as an energy superpower; as it has the world's largest natural gas reserves, the second-largest coal reserves, the eighth-largest oil reserves, and the largest oil shale reserves in Europe. It is the world's leading natural gas exporter, the second-largest natural gas producer, and the second-largest oil exporter, and producer. Fossil fuels cause most of the greenhouse gas emissions by Russia. The country is the world's fourth-largest electricity producer, and the ninth-largest renewable energy producer in 2019. Russia was also the world's first country to develop civilian nuclear power, and to construct the world's first nuclear power plant. In 2019, It was the world's fourth-largest nuclear energy producer.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Russia is also a leading producer and exporter of minerals and gold. Russia is the largest diamond-producing nation in the world, estimated to produce over 33 million carats in 2013, or 25% of global output valued at over $3.4 billion, with state-owned ALROSA accounting for approximately 95% of all Russian production.


title: Economy of Russia

text: In 2019, the country was the 3rd world producer of gold; 2nd worldwide producer of platinum; 4th worldwide producer of silver; 9th largest world producer of copper; 3rd largest world producer of nickel; 6th largest world producer of lead; 9th largest world producer of bauxite; 10th largest world producer of zinc; 2nd worldwide producer of vanadium; 2nd largest world producer of cobalt; 5th largest world producer of iron ore; 7th largest world producer of boron; 9th largest world producer of molybdenum; 13th largest world producer of tin; 3rd largest world producer of sulfur; 4th largest world producer of phosphate; 8th largest world producer of gypsum; in addition to being the world's 10th largest producer of salt. It was the world's 6th largest producer of uranium in 2018.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Russia's agriculture sector contributes about 5% of the country's total GDP, although the sector employs about one-eighth of the total labour force. It has the world's third-largest cultivated area, at . However, due to the harshness of its environment, about 13.1% of its land is agricultural, and only 7.4% of its land is arable. The main product of Russian farming has always been grain, which occupies considerably more than half of the cropland. Russia is the world's largest exporter of wheat, and is the largest producer of barley, buckwheat, oats, and rye, and the second-largest producer of sunflower seed. Various analysts of climate change adaptation foresee large opportunities for Russian agriculture during the rest of the 21st century as arability increases in Siberia, which would lead to both internal and external migration to the region.


title: Economy of Russia

text: More than one-third of the sown area is devoted to fodder crops, and the remaining farmland is devoted to industrial crops, vegetables, and fruits. Owing to its large coastline along three oceans, Russia maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets, ranking sixth in the world in tonnage of fish caught; capturing 4,773,413 tons of fish in 2018. It is also home to the world's finest caviar (the beluga), and produces about one-third of all canned fish, and some one-fourth of the world's total fresh and frozen fish.


title: Economy of Russia

text: The defense industry of Russia is a strategically important sector and a large employer in the country. Russia has a large and sophisticated arms industry, capable of designing and manufacturing high-tech military equipment, including a fifth-generation fighter jet, nuclear powered submarines, firearms, and short range/long range ballistic missiles. It is the world's second-largest exporter of arms, behind only the United States.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Aircraft manufacturing is an important industry sector in Russia, employing around 355,300 people. The Russian aircraft industry offers a portfolio of internationally competitive military aircraft such as MiG-29 and Su-30, while new projects such as the Sukhoi Superjet 100 are hoped to revive the fortunes of the civilian aircraft segment. In 2009, companies belonging to the United Aircraft Corporation delivered 95 new fixed-wing aircraft to its customers, including 15 civilian models. In addition, the industry produced over 141 helicopters. It is one of the most science-intensive hi-tech sectors and employs the largest number of skilled personnel. The production and value of the military aircraft branch far outstrips other defense industry sectors, and aircraft products make up more than half of the country's arms exports.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Automotive production is a significant industry in Russia, directly employing around 600,000 people or 1% of the country's total workforce. Russia produced 1,767,674 vehicles in 2018, ranking 13th among car-producing nations in 2018, and accounting for 1.8% of the worldwide production. The main local brands are light vehicle producers AvtoVAZ and GAZ, while KamAZ is the leading heavy vehicle producer. Eleven foreign carmakers have production operations or are constructing their plants in Russia.


title: Economy of Russia

text: As of 2013, Russians spent 60% of their pre-tax income on shopping, the highest percentage in Europe. This is possible because many Russians pay no rent or house payments, owning their own home after privatization of state-owned Soviet housing. Shopping malls were popular with international investors and shoppers from the emerging middle class. Eighty-two malls had been built near major cities including a few that were very large. A supermarket selling groceries is a typical anchor store in a Russian mall.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Russia's telecommunications industry is growing in size and maturity. As of December 2007, there were an estimated 4,900,000 broadband lines in Russia.


title: Economy of Russia

text: In 2006, there were more than 300 BWA operator networks, accounting for 5% of market share, with dial-up accounting for 30%, and Broadband Fixed Access accounting for the remaining 65%. In December 2006, Tom Phillips, chief government and regulatory affairs officer of the GSM Association stated:


title: Economy of Russia

text: The financial crisis, which had already hit the country at the end of 2008, caused a sharp reduction of the investments by the business sectors and a notable reduction of IT budget made by government in 2008–2009. As a consequence, in 2009 the IT market in Russia declined by more than 20% in ruble terms and by one-third in euro terms. Among the particular segments, the biggest share of the Russian IT market still belongs to hardware.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Railway transport in Russia is mostly under the control of the state-run Russian Railways. The total length of common-used railway tracks is the world's third-longest, and exceeds . , Russia has 1,452.2 thousand km of roads, and its road density is among the world's lowest. Russia's inland waterways are the world's second-longest, and total . Among Russia's 1,218 airports, the busiest is Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Russia's largest post is the Port of Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai along the Black Sea. It is the world's sole country to operate nuclear-powered icebreakers, which advance the economic exploitation of the Arctic continental shelf of Russia, and the development of sea trade through the Northern Sea Route.


title: Economy of Russia

text: In 2009 the Russian construction industry survived its most difficult year in more than a decade. The 0.8% reduction recorded by the industry for the first three quarters of 2010 looked remarkably healthy in comparison with the 18.4% slump recorded the previous year, and construction firms became much more optimistic about the future than in previous months. The most successful construction firms concluded contracts worth billions of dollars and planned to take on employees and purchase new building machinery. The downturn served to emphasise the importance of the government to the construction market.


title: Economy of Russia

text: According to the Central Bank of Russia 422 insurance companies operate on the Russian insurance market by the end of 2013. The concentration of insurance business is significant across all major segments except , as the top 10 companies in 2013 charged 58.1% premiums in total without compulsory health insurance (CHI). Russian insurance market in 2013 demonstrated quite significant rate of growth in operations. Total amount of premiums charged (without CHI) in 2013 is RUB 904.9 bln (increase on 11.8% compared to 2012), total amount of claims paid is RUB 420.8 bln (increase on 13.9% compared to 2012). Premiums to GDP ratio (total without CHI) in 2013 increased to 1.36% compared to 1.31 a year before. The share of premiums in household spending increased to 1.39%. Level of claims paid on the market total without CHI is 46.5%, an insufficient increase compared to 2012. The number of policies in 2013 increased on 0.1% compared to 2012, to 139.6 mln policies.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Although relative indicators of the Russian insurance market returned to pre-crisis levels, the progress is achieved mainly by the increase of life insurance and accident insurance, the input of these two market segments in premium growth in 2013 largely exceeds their share on the market. As before, life insurance and accident insurance are often used by banks as an appendix to a credit contract protecting creditors from the risk of credit default in case of borrower's death or disability. The rise of these lines is connected, evidently, with the increase in consumer loans, as the total sum of credit obligations of population in 2013 increased by 28% to RUB 9.9 trillion. At the same time premium to GDP ratio net of life and accident insurance remained at the same level of 1.1% as in 2012. Thus, if "banking" lines of business are excluded, Russian insurance market is in stagnation stage for the last four years, as premiums to GDP ratio net of life and accident insurance remains at the same level of 1.1% since 2010.


title: Economy of Russia

text: The IT market is one of the most dynamic sectors of the Russian economy. Russian software exports have risen from just $120 million in 2000 to $3.3 billion in 2010. Since the year 2000 the IT market has started growth rates of 30–40% a year, growing by 54% in 2006 alone. The biggest sector in terms of revenue is system and network integration, which accounts for 28.3% of the total market revenues. Meanwhile, the fastest growing segment of the IT market is offshore programming.


title: Economy of Russia

text: The government has launched a program promoting construction of IT-oriented technology parks (Technoparks)—special zones that have an established infrastructure and enjoy a favorable tax and customs regime, in seven different places around the country: Moscow, Novosibirsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Kaluga, Tumen, Republic of Tatarstan and St. Peterburg Regions.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Under a government decree signed in June 2013, a special "roadmap" is expected to ease business suppliers’ access to the procurement programs of state-owned infrastructure monopolies, including such large ones as Gazprom, Rosneft, Russian Railways, Rosatom, and Transneft. These companies will be expected to increase the proportion of domestic technology solutions they use in their operations. The decree puts special emphasis on purchases of innovation products and technologies. According to the new decree, by 2015, government-connected companies must double their purchases of Russian technology solutions compared to the 2013 level and their purchasing levels must quadruple by 2018.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Russia is one of the few countries in the world with a home grown internet search engine who owns a relevant marketshare as the Russian-based search engine Yandex is used by 53.8% of internet users in the country.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Known Russian IT companies are ABBYY (FineReader OCR system and Lingvo dictionaries), Kaspersky Lab (Kaspersky Anti-Virus, Kaspersky Internet Security), Mail.Ru (portal, search engine, mail service, Mail.ru Agent messenger, ICQ, Odnoklassniki social network, online media sources).


title: Economy of Russia

text: According to a UNWTO report, Russia is the sixteenth-most visited country in the world, and the tenth-most visited country in Europe, as of 2018, with 24.6 million visits. Russia is ranked 39th in the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019. According to Federal Agency for Tourism, the number of inbound trips of foreign citizens to Russia amounted to 24.4 million in 2019. Russia's international tourism receipts in 2018 amounted to $11.6 billion. In 2020, tourism accounted for about 4% of country's GDP. Major tourist routes in Russia include a journey around the Golden Ring theme route of ancient cities, cruises on the big rivers like the Volga, and journeys on the famous Trans-Siberian Railway. Russia's most visited and popular landmarks include Red Square, the Peterhof Palace, the Kazan Kremlin, the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius and Lake Baikal.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Russia recorded a trade surplus of US$15.8 billion in 2013. Balance of trade in Russia is reported by the Central Bank of Russia. Historically, from 1997 until 2013, Russia balance of trade averaged US$8338.23 million reaching an all-time high of US$20647 million in December 2011 and a record low of −185 USD million in February 1998. Russia runs regular trade surpluses primarily due to exports of commodities.


title: Economy of Russia

text: In 2015, Russia main exports are oil and natural gas (62.8% of total exports), ores and metals (5.9%), chemical products (5.8%), machinery and transport equipment (5.4%) and food (4.7%). Others include: agricultural raw materials (2.2%) and textiles (0.2%).


title: Economy of Russia

text: Russia imports food, ground transports, pharmaceuticals and textile and footwear. Main trading partners are: China (7% of total exports and 10% of imports), Germany (7% of exports and 8% of imports) and Italy. This page includes a chart with historical data for Russia balance of trade. Exports in Russia decreased to US$39038 million in January 2013 from US$48568 million in December 2012. Exports in Russia is reported by the Central Bank of Russia. Historically, from 1994 until 2013, Russia Exports averaged US$18668.83 million reaching an all-time high of US$51338 million in December 2011 and a record low of US$4087 million in January 1994. Russia is the 16th largest export economy in the world (2016) and is a leading exporter of oil and natural gas. In Russia, services are the biggest sector of the economy and account for 58% of GDP. Within services the most important segments are: wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, motorcycles and personal and household goods (17% of total GDP); public administration, health and education (12%); real estate (9%) and transport storage and communications (7%). Industry contributes 40% to total output. Mining (11% of GDP), manufacturing (13%) and construction (4%) are the most important industry segments. Agriculture accounts for the remaining 2%. This page includes a chart with historical data for Russia Exports. Imports in Russia decreased to US$21296 million in January 2013 from US$31436 million in December 2012. Imports in Russia is reported by the Central Bank of Russia. Historically, from 1994 until 2013, Russia imports averaged US$11392.06 million reaching an all-time high of US$31553 million in October 2012 and a record low of US$2691 million in January 1999. Russia main imports are food (13% of total imports) and ground transports (12%). Others include: pharmaceuticals, textile and footwear, plastics and optical instruments. Main import partners are China (10% of total imports) and Germany (8%). Others include: Italy, France, Japan and United States. This page includes a chart with historical data for Russia Imports.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Foreign trade rose 34% to $151.5 billion in the first half of 2005, mainly due to the increase in oil and gas prices which now form 64% of all exports by value. Trade with CIS countries is up 13.2% to $23.3 billion. Trade with the EU forms 52.9%, with the CIS 15.4%, Eurasian Economic Community 7.8% and Asia-Pacific Economic Community 15.9%.


title: Economy of Russia

text: Between 1985 and 2018 almost 28,500 mergers or acquisitions have been announced in Russia. This cumulates to an overall value of around 984 bil. USD which translates to 5.456 bil. RUB. In terms of value, 2007 has been the most active year with 158 bil. USD, whereas the number of deals peaked in 2010 with 3,684 (964 compared to the value record year 2007). Since 2010 value and numbers have decreased constantly and another wave of M&A is expected.


title: Economy of Russia

text: The majority of deals in, into or out of Russia have taken place in the financial sector (29%), followed by banks (8.6%), oil and gas (7.8%) and Metals and Mining (7.2%).


title: Economy of Russia

text: Here is a list of the top deals with Russian companies participating ranked by deal value in mil. USD:


title: Economy of Russia

text: The majority of the top 10 deals are within the Russian Oil and Gas sector, followed by Metals and Mining.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: William Scott Goldberg (born December 27, 1966), often known mononymously as Goldberg, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and former professional football player. He is best known for his tenures in WCW and WWE.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: One of the most popular figures of the professional wrestling boom during the late 1990s and early 2000s, Goldberg is widely regarded as one of the most powerful wrestlers of all time. He is credited with inventing the spear finishing move in wrestling, which he popularized, and for which he gained a reputation for being the best at executing the move. He rose to fame in WCW with a lengthy undefeated streak in singles competition from 1997 to 1998, became the highest paid WCW wrestler, and led the company as its franchise player and public face until it was sold to WWE. During his time with WCW, he became a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, two-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion, and one-time WCW World Tag Team Champion (with Bret Hart). Along with Hart, he is the fifth WCW Triple Crown winner.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Following WCW's closure in 2001, Goldberg wrestled for AJPW between 2002 and 2003 and for WWE between 2003 and 2004, becoming a one-time World Heavyweight Champion in the latter. After 12 years away from wrestling, he returned to WWE in 2016, winning the WWE Universal Championship for the first time in 2017 and a second time in 2020. He has headlined multiple WCW and WWE pay-per-view events, including WCW's premier annual event Starrcade (in 1998 and 1999). He headlined the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018 and is a five-time world champion in his career between WWE and WCW, with WWE counting his world title win at the 1999 Halloween Havoc. He is also the only man in history to have been the WCW World Heavyweight Champion, WWE World Heavyweight Champion, and WWE Universal Champion.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Before he became a professional wrestler, Goldberg was a professional American football player. Following his first retirement from wrestling in 2004, he began working as a commentator for the MMA promotion Elite Xtreme Combat before it closed down. He hosted 26 episodes of "Garage Mahal" on the DIY Network from 2009 to 2011 and has acted in various films and television shows, including "" and "".


title: Bill Goldberg

text: William Scott Goldberg was born into a Reform Jewish family in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on December 27, 1966, the son of classical violinist Ethel and OB-GYN Jed Goldberg. He is of Russian-Jewish and Romanian-Jewish descent, with his Romanian great-grandfather having relocated to the U.S. from Bucharest through Ellis Island. His father was a graduate of both Harvard and Johns Hopkins University. His parents later divorced, and his father died in late 2006. His mother breeds flowers and created an award-winning hybrid orchid in 2000, which she named after Goldberg. His brother, Michael, later became the owner of a music club in Aspen, Colorado. Goldberg had his bar mitzvah at Temple Israel in Tulsa, and attended Tulsa Edison High School. He acquired a love for football early in his life and, due to his large stature, began working as a nightclub bouncer at the age of 16.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Goldberg earned a scholarship to attend the University of Georgia and play college football for the Georgia Bulldogs as a defensive tackle. He was taken by the Los Angeles Rams in the 11th round of the 1990 NFL draft, with the 301st overall selection. He played for the Los Angeles Rams in the 1990 NFL season, followed by a stint with the Sacramento Gold Miners of the Canadian Football League in 1992 and the Atlanta Falcons from 1992 to 1994. He was cut from the Falcons in 1995, so he was selected by the new expansion team the Carolina Panthers in the 1995 NFL expansion draft. He never played a game with the team, as he was the first player to have been cut by the Panthers.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Goldberg's NFL career ended when he "tore his lower abdomen off his pelvis". He explained that he hoped to return to the league after rehabilitation but was not considered a major asset due to his lack of success. The NFL was "a mixed emotional experience" for him because he did not attain the level of success on the field that he desired, despite reaching the goal of simply playing in the league.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: During his after-NFL rehab, Goldberg began powerlifting and mixed martial arts training when he was spotted by Lex Luger and Sting; both convinced him to try professional wrestling. He was not a fan of professional wrestling. Seeing it as an alternative to his fledgling football career, he began training at the WCW Power Plant.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Goldberg made five appearances, working as Bill Gold during this career. The first match was in a "Monday Nitro" dark match on June 23, 1997, defeating Buddy Lee Parker. He also faced and defeated Buddy Landell, Hugh Morrus, Chip Minton, and John Betcha. His final pre-televised appearance was in a dark match at a "Saturday Night" taping on July 24 when losing to Chad Fortune.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: On the September 22, 1997, episode of "Nitro", Goldberg defeated Hugh Morrus in his debut match. Soon afterward, he began to score quick victories over his fellow WCW wrestlers in a range of 1–2 minutes. Goldberg had a succession of wins, and he advanced up the card and was pushed as a singles wrestler. The newcomer captivated fans with his monstrous yet silent charisma, brute strength, and agility, and he vaulted the ropes, performed high kicks, and performed the occasional backflip. Goldberg made his first pay-per-view appearance at Halloween Havoc by helping Alex Wright defeat Steve McMichael and then received McMichael's Super Bowl XX championship ring from McMichael's wife Debra. Goldberg proceeded to attack Wright with it. Goldberg's attack on McMichael led to a match between the two in Goldberg's first pay-per-view match at Starrcade, which Goldberg won.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: In early 1998, Goldberg squashed Brad Armstrong at SuperBrawl VIII and pinned Perry Saturn at Spring Stampede. By mid-March, WCW stopped referring to him by his full name, shortening it to simply "Goldberg". WCW also began counting Goldberg's consecutive wins on television at about this time, and he continued to climb up the ranks. Goldberg's win over Saturn was his 74th consecutive without a loss. The next night on "Nitro", he challenged Raven for the United States Heavyweight Championship that Raven had won the night before at Spring Stampede. Goldberg interfered from Raven's Flock; ironically, however, he overpowered them all and defeated Raven to win his first professional wrestling championship. Two days later, on the April 22 episode of "Thunder", he made his first successful title defense against Mike Enos. Goldberg then started a feud with Raven and his Flock. At Slamboree, he ended his feud with The Flock, after a successful title defense against Saturn. Goldberg continued to make successful title defenses against Konnan at The Great American Bash and Curt Hennig. By then, he adopted the catchphrase "Who's next?", in reference to his rapidly expanding winning streak.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Goldberg was getting over as a main eventer, and he continued to defend the United States Heavyweight Championship and slowly became a contender for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship that was held by New World Order (nWo) leader Hollywood Hulk Hogan. Hogan eventually accepted a title match with Goldberg. It was scheduled for the July 6, 1998, episode of "Nitro" held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta with over 40,000 in attendance, but Hogan insisted that Goldberg first had to defeat his nWo stablemate Scott Hall. Goldberg won and also able to defeat Hogan later in the evening to become the WCW World Heavyweight Champion, in turn vacating his United States Heavyweight Championship. At Road Wild, Goldberg won a battle royal, consisting of nWo members. After Diamond Dallas Page became the number one contender for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, Goldberg and Page began a feud with each other. At Halloween Havoc, Goldberg and Page ended the feud when the guy retained the title. Goldberg states that his match against Page was his favorite match. Goldberg rose to fame with this undefeated streak; however, at Starrcade, he lost the title to Kevin Nash after 175 days as the champion and the official count of 173–0 ended, as Scott Hall disguised as a ringside security guard made a run-in and shocked Goldberg with a taser gun. Goldberg got his revenge at Souled Out, when he defeated Hall in a ladder taser match. Goldberg won when he used the taser which was hung high above the ring, requiring the ladder to obtain it.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Goldberg's win–loss record at WCW events from 1997 to 1998 differed from that which was perpetuated by the company, with the official figure exaggerating the number of matches in which he won to 173. Nick Schwartz of Fox Sports wrote that "No one really knows what Goldberg's actual record was... but it's generally accepted that 173–0 is an inflated number." Some of Goldberg's industry peers have stated that the figure was exaggerated. His then-WCW colleague Chris Jericho stated that "One week he'd be 42–0 and seven days later he'd be 58–0. Did stepping on bugs count?". Manager Jimmy Hart–who also worked with Goldberg in WCW–regarded a "kind of funny" level of embellishment, while professional wrestler The Miz said "The number would just go on and on and on, to where it was like, 'Wait a second. How did he get this many wins in such a short time'?". This exaggeration damaged the streak's credibility among the WCW audience–upon noticing that the figure had been falsified, fans made a withdrawal of homemade signs trumpeting Goldberg's record.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: At Spring Stampede, Goldberg gained his revenge against Nash by defeating him. Then at Slamboree the following month, Goldberg was "injured" in an attack by Rick and Scott Steiner and took some time off to prepare for his film debut in the 1999 film "" alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme. He returned two months later and defeated Rick Steiner at Road Wild. Goldberg then restarted his feud with DDP also involving Page's allies, The Jersey Triad, which culminated in a match at Fall Brawl that Goldberg won. After Goldberg settled his rivalry


title: Bill Goldberg

text: with Page, he began focusing on Sid Vicious and challenged him to a match to end Sid's winning streak. The two feuded with each other, which culminated in a match at Halloween Havoc for Sid's United States Heavyweight title. Goldberg defeated Sid via referee stoppage and thus won his second United States Heavyweight Championship. Later that night, he answered an open challenge from WCW World Heavyweight Champion Sting and defeated him to win the championship. On the next night's episode of "Nitro", commissioner J. J. Dillon ruled that the match had not been sanctioned by WCW and that, therefore, Goldberg's victory was void. Sting, however, was not given the title back due to his attack on a referee during the event and Dillon announced a 32-man tournament for the now vacant title which included Goldberg.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Later that night, Goldberg wrestled against and lost to Bret Hart on the same "Nitro" in the first round of the tournament in a match that also served as the first defense of his newly won United States Heavyweight Championship. Sid Vicious and The Outsiders managed to interfere in the contest and cost Goldberg the title match, thus giving him his second career loss, and eliminating him from the tournament which was eventually won by Hart at Mayhem in November. Goldberg continued his rivalry with Vicious and defeated him in an "I quit" match at Mayhem to close their feud. Shortly thereafter, Goldberg joined forces with Hart, teaming with him to defeat Creative Control for the WCW World Tag Team Championship. One week later, they lost the title to The Outsiders (Scott Hall and Kevin Nash).


title: Bill Goldberg

text: At Starrcade, Goldberg challenged Hart for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship; in the course of the match, Goldberg delivered a stiff kick to Hart's head, legitimately giving him a concussion and tearing a muscle in his neck. Hart continued on, suffering what he believed to be at least one other concussion when he hit his head on the floor while executing a ringpost-assisted figure-four leglock. The match ended when Roddy Piper, the special guest referee for the contest, declared Hart the winner despite Goldberg never having submitted to the Sharpshooter. Hart vacated the title the next night on "Nitro", saying he did not want to win that way and gave Goldberg a rematch. Goldberg was defeated again due to outside interference from Hall and Nash, who came to the ring brandishing baseball bats which they used to attack Goldberg. In a swerve, Hart took one of the bats from The Outsiders and began beating on Goldberg himself, doing enough damage to score the pin and regain his championship. After the match, Hall, Nash, Hart and Jeff Jarrett reformed the nWo and gave Goldberg a new target for a feud that, however, would not last long.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Shortly after his title match loss, Goldberg injured himself on the December 23, 1999 episode of "Thunder", during a sequence where he chased the nWo limousine into the parking lot. A spot in the sequence called for Goldberg to pound on the windshield of the limousine with his hands. To ensure his safety, Goldberg had assistance from a piece of metal pipe and his hands were covered in black tape. After this, Goldberg was to break some of the vehicle's windows with the pipe. There were four windows on the side of the limousine and Goldberg used the pipe on two of them. He then got aggressive, dropping the pipe and putting his forearm through the third window. A shard of glass sliced an artery in his arm and he began bleeding profusely. The show concluded with Goldberg pounding on the limousine's hood, with the television audience able to see the massive amount of blood gushing from his arm as it covered the hood. Immediately after the cameras stopped rolling, medical personnel rushed in to assist the injured Goldberg, who was eventually transported to the hospital for emergency surgery. He lost copious amounts of blood due to the injury and was told that his injury nearly resulted in the amputation of his forearm. The injury caused Goldberg to miss the January 4, 2000 New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) Tokyo Dome show, where he was scheduled to face Manabu Nakanishi. After taking time off to recuperate, Goldberg returned to WCW on the May 29, 2000 episode of "Nitro" interfering in a handicap match between Kevin Nash and the team of Tank Abbott and Rick Steiner. At The Great American Bash, Goldberg betrayed Nash during Nash's world championship match against Jeff Jarrett and turned into a villain for the first time in his career, aligning himself with The New Blood faction. This did not last long, as Goldberg again was lost to injury and had to miss time. As a result of this betrayal, Goldberg feuded with Nash and defeated him at Bash at the Beach, with help from fellow New Blood member Scott Steiner. Goldberg participated in a triangle number one contender's match against Nash and Steiner at New Blood Rising, which Nash won. Goldberg walked out of the match midway through while Nash had him ready for the "Jackknife Powerbomb" and swore at Vince Russo as he left the ring, turning face again. He then began a rivalry with Steiner, culminating in a no disqualification match at Fall Brawl which Goldberg lost due to outside interference.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: After his loss to Steiner, Goldberg's rivalry with Russo accelerated and in October, having finally had enough, Russo gave Goldberg an ultimatum. If Goldberg was to lose another match at any point in time, unless he managed to duplicate his undefeated streak from 1997 to 1998, he would be forced to retire from professional wrestling. Goldberg defeated KroniK (Brian Adams and Bryan Clark) at Halloween Havoc in a handicap elimination match. He then started a feud with Lex Luger. This culminated in a match at Mayhem, which Goldberg won. They continued their rivalry and battled in a rematch at Starrcade. Goldberg won the match, but afterwards he was attacked by Luger's partner Buff Bagwell. Goldberg feuded with both Luger and Bagwell, who called themselves "Totally Buffed". His streak was broken at Sin when Goldberg, teaming with his Power Plant trainer DeWayne Bruce, lost to Totally Buffed in a tag team no disqualification match after a "fan" maced him, enabling Totally Buffed to pin him. The storyline was intended to enable Goldberg to have shoulder surgery, but WCW was sold to the WWF in March 2001, while Goldberg was still recuperating. The WWF did not buy out Goldberg's contract with AOL Time Warner (the parent company of WCW) as they had done with several other WCW wrestlers, due to Goldberg still being paid out a significant amount of money by AOL Time Warner that he was owed, so he was not involved in the WWF "Invasion" angle. Goldberg instead remained under contract to AOL Time Warner until May 2002, when he agreed on a contract buyout. He was WCW's highest paid athlete, alongside Bret Hart, earning $2.5 million per year, a sum which would have risen to $3.5 million in the final year of his contract, due to have expired in July 2003.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Goldberg had suffered an arm injury during the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race at the Long Beach Grand Prix in April 2002. In August 2002, he returned to the ring in Japan. He initially joined All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), defeating Satoshi Kojima and Taiyō Kea. He went on to defeat Rick Steiner in a match for the W-1 promotion and teamed with Keiji Mutoh to defeat KroniK. His success in Japan led to the WWF – now renamed World Wrestling Entertainment – to begin contract negotiations with him.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: After leaving Japan, Goldberg signed a one-year contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in March 2003, debuting on the March 31 episode of "Raw" (the night after WrestleMania XIX) and starting a feud with The Rock by performing a spear on him. Their rivalry intensified when The Rock held a segment entitled "The Rock Concert", where he taunted Goldberg along with Gillberg, but Goldberg defeated The Rock in his debut match at Backlash on April 27, following three spears and a "Jackhammer". Goldberg went undefeated over the subsequent half-year, defeating 3-Minute Warning in his first match on "Raw" on May 5. Goldberg defeated Christian the following week on "Raw" in a steel cage match. Goldberg next began a feud with Chris Jericho, culminating in a match between the two at Bad Blood on June 15, which Goldberg won.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Goldberg entered a rivalry with Triple H, challenging him for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam on August 24 in the second Elimination Chamber match in WWE. After eliminating Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho, he was pinned by Triple H after Ric Flair threw a sledgehammer inside the chamber and Triple H hit Goldberg with it, meaning Triple H retained the title. Goldberg continued his feud with Triple H and defeated him for the World Heavyweight Championship at Unforgiven on September 21, after agreeing to put his career on the line. The next night on "Raw", Goldberg retained the title against Chris Jericho. The following week on "Raw", Triple H issued a $100,000 bounty to anybody who could take Goldberg out. Steven Richards, Mark Henry, La Résistance and Tommy Dreamer all attempted to collect the bounty, but they were unsuccessful. On the October 20 episode of "Raw", Batista collected the bounty after he interfered in Goldberg's title defense against Shawn Michaels and attacked Goldberg, placing a folding chair around Goldberg's ankle and jumping off the middle rope onto the chair, shattering his ankle. Furious, Goldberg demanded a match against Batista, but Triple H got involved in the match by trying to cripple Goldberg, who executed a spear on Triple H and attacked Batista with a sledgehammer. At Survivor Series on November 16, Goldberg retained the title against Triple H despite interference from Evolution. On the November 17 episode of "Raw", Goldberg faced Triple H, Randy Orton and Batista in a handicap match, but he was pinned following an "RKO", "Batista Bomb" and "Pedigree". After the match, Kane unexpectedly came out to seemingly assist Goldberg after Evolution continued their assault on him following the match. After scaring off Evolution, he turned on Goldberg and executed a chokeslam on him. The following week on "Raw", Kane attacked Goldberg again while he was defending the championship against Triple H in a rematch from Survivor Series and expressed his desire to face Goldberg for the title. Raw general manager Eric Bischoff scheduled Goldberg to defend the championship against both Kane and Triple H in a triple threat match at Armageddon. The following week on "Raw", Goldberg teamed with Shawn Michaels and Rob Van Dam to face and defeat Kane, Batista and Orton in a six-man tag team match. On the December 8 episode of "Raw", Goldberg faced Kane in a lumberjack match which ended in a disqualification when Evolution and Mark Henry entered the ring and assaulted Goldberg. At Armageddon on December 14, Goldberg lost the World Heavyweight Championship when Triple H pinned him after interference from Evolution and a chokeslam from Kane, thus ending his reign at 84 days.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Survivor Series also marked the first time Goldberg met the WWE Champion Brock Lesnar by interrupting Lesnar after the latter remarked that he could beat anyone in the world. The feud escalated at the 2004 Royal Rumble on January 25, when Goldberg was in the midst of dominating the Royal Rumble match (he eliminated Charlie Haas, Billy Gunn and Nunzio) as the 30th entrant until Lesnar interfered in the match and executed an "F-5" on Goldberg. Angrily distracted at Lesnar's attack, Goldberg was eliminated by Kurt Angle. Vowing revenge after defeating Mark Henry and Jonathan Coachman in a no disqualification handicap match the following "Raw", Goldberg declared Lesnar his next victim. On the February 2 episode of "Raw", Goldberg was given a front row ticket to No Way Out by Stone Cold Steve Austin. SmackDown! general manager Paul Heyman appeared the following week on "Raw" and along with Mr. McMahon attempted to get Goldberg to leave Lesnar alone, but Goldberg executed a spear on Heyman and accidentally executed a spear on Austin when he was aiming for McMahon. Goldberg attended No Way Out as a fan, confronting Lesnar and after several insults by Lesnar, entered the ring and countered an "F-5" from Lesnar with a "Jackhammer", before being detained and escorted out of the arena by security guards. During the main event between Lesnar and Eddie Guerrero on February 15, Goldberg reemerged from the crowd and cost Lesnar the WWE Championship. Lesnar then demanded a match with Goldberg at WrestleMania XX on March 14, with Austin serving as special guest referee. Fans knew this would be the final WWE match for both Goldberg and Lesnar and thus gave largely negative reactions throughout the performance. Goldberg won the match, causing Lesnar to show Austin and the crowd a middle finger, but he instead received a "Stone Cold Stunner" in return and as Goldberg celebrated his victory with Austin, he also received a "Stone Cold Stunner".


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Goldberg made his return to professional wrestling on June 7, 2015, at the Legends of Wrestling show at Citi Field in New York. While he was not scheduled to wrestle at the event, Goldberg came to the aid of Rob Van Dam after his match with Scott Steiner. He performed a spear on Steiner and a "Jackhammer" on Doc Gallows.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: On January 23, 2016, Goldberg made a second return for the Legends of Wrestling event in Miami, where he delivered another spear to Steiner after his match with Chavo Guerrero.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: On May 31, 2016, Goldberg was announced as the pre-order bonus for the upcoming "WWE 2K17" video game. Throughout the summer, Goldberg and "WWE 2K17" cover star and former rival Brock Lesnar traded insults with each other through social media and WWE 2K events such as Gamescom. Goldberg would also appear at the WWE 2K SummerSlam event the weekend before the pay-per-view event took place, fueling speculation he would be appearing at the event to confront Lesnar. This led to Paul Heyman challenging Goldberg to face Lesnar on the October 10 episode of Raw, with Heyman stating that Goldberg was the one blemish on Lesnar's WWE career, as Goldberg had defeated Lesnar at WrestleMania XX in 2004. The following week on "Raw", Goldberg returned to WWE for the first time in twelve years, accepting Heyman's challenge. The match took place at Survivor Series, where Goldberg defeated Lesnar in 1 minute and 26 seconds. Months later, Goldberg would participate in the Royal Rumble match on January 29, 2017, where he entered at number 28 and eliminated Lesnar following a brief confrontation and a spear, as well as eliminating Rusev and Luke Harper before being eliminated by The Undertaker.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Lesnar then appeared on the following night's episode of "Raw" and challenged Goldberg to one final match at WrestleMania 33. Goldberg would go on to accept Lesnar's challenge on the February 6 episode of "Raw" and, on the same episode, also earned a match against Kevin Owens for the WWE Universal Championship. At Fastlane, Goldberg would defeat Owens for the Universal Championship. This led to a match against Lesnar at WrestleMania where Goldberg put his title on the line. At WrestleMania, Goldberg lost the title to Lesnar in what was also his first clean singles loss in his entire career. Goldberg appeared the following night on "Raw Talk" (which aired on the WWE Network after the "Raw" broadcast) to wish the fans farewell, but ultimately did not rule out a return in the future.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: On January 15, 2018, ESPN announced that Goldberg would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. This was then confirmed on "Raw" when it was announced by WWE. On March 25, Paul Heyman was announced to induct Goldberg into the Hall of Fame; the event occurred on April 6. Despite his Hall of Fame induction, Goldberg continued to wrestle for WWE. His next match was against The Undertaker at the Super ShowDown event on June 7, 2019. During the match, Goldberg suffered a concussion a few minutes into the match, which severely affected his performance, botching several moves, including the failed Jackhammer on the Undertaker, until the latter finally won the match. His next match was at SummerSlam, where he defeated Dolph Ziggler.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: After six months of inactivity, Goldberg returned to WWE on the February 7, 2020 episode of "SmackDown", when he appeared via satellite and challenged "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt to a match for the Universal Championship, which Wyatt accepted, setting up a match between the two for Super ShowDown. At Super ShowDown on February 27, Goldberg defeated The Fiend to win the Universal Championship for the second time, becoming the first wrestler to win a world championship after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. During the following weeks, WWE scheduled a match between Goldberg and Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 36 for the Universal Championship, but after Reigns opted to pull out amid concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, Goldberg's opponent was changed to Braun Strowman. At WrestleMania, Goldberg lost the Universal Championship to Strowman.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: After a 9-month hiatus, Goldberg faced Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble on January 31, 2021, but was unsuccessful in winning the championship. Goldberg returned on the July 19 episode of "Raw", its first episode in front of a live audience in over a year, to confront WWE Champion Bobby Lashley, teasing a potential match between the two. On the August 2 episode of "Raw", Lashley would accept Goldberg's challenge, making their match at SummerSlam for the WWE Championship, official. At SummerSlam, Goldberg lost due to not being able to continue after incurring a knee injury. When Lashley continued to attack him after the end of the match, Goldberg's son Gage intervened but ended up being attacked himself.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: On the August 30 episode of "Raw", an interview with Goldberg was shown, during which he revealed needing surgery to his knee and vowed to return to get revenge on Lashley for attacking his son. On the September 27 episode of "Raw", he appeared via satellite to again call out Lashley for having attacked his son, vowing that we he would come after Lashley in retaliation. On the October 4 episode of "Raw", Goldberg would call out Lashley and in response, Lashley would challenge Goldberg to a no holds barred match at Crown Jewel. At Crown Jewel, Goldberg defeated Lashley to end their feud.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: On the February 4 episode of Smackdown, Goldberg would make his return to challenge Universal Champion Roman Reigns to a match at Elimination Chamber, a match 2 years in the making after their match at WrestleMania 36 was called off due to Reigns taking a hiatus. At Elimination Chamber, Goldberg lost to Reigns via technical submission.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin described Goldberg as one of the strongest wrestlers in history. Notably, Mark Henrywho himself is regarded as one of the world's strongest menalso described Goldberg as one of the strongest people in wrestling. WWE describes Goldberg as "one of the most dominant Superstars to ever set foot inside the squared circle". WWE Hall of Famer and industry veteran Arn Anderson likened Goldberg's popularity at his late 1990s peak to that of Hulk Hogan, The Rock, and Austin, saying that he "was as hot as anybody has ever been in the history of this business". Diamond Dallas Page and Bobby Lashley also claimed that Goldberg was the most popular wrestler at one point in time. Kevin Owens has said that Goldberg was the "figurehead" and "poster boy" of WCW, while "Sports Illustrated" noted that he "reached the highest point of popularity in pro wrestling". He has been named as the favorite wrestler of figures such as Big E, Randy Orton, Madcap Moss, and Bron Breakker.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Due to his extremely masculine wrestling character, Goldberg has been credited with battling Jewish stereotypes, especially the "nice Jewish boy" stereotype which sees Jewish men portrayed as weak and effeminate. In 1999, "Jewish News of Northern California" stated that he had "turned the notion of Jew as victim on its head". He told the publication, "I wanted to give the Jewish public someone to hold onto, someone as a positive role model that didn't go out and cuss, didn't go out and cheat, someone to look up to." In a 2005 interview with the "San Diego Jewish Journal", he said, "It's been a blessing to be a role model for those Jewish kids who never had a Jewish sports hero to look up to, especially those who were too young to remember Koufax or aren't into baseball and don't follow the career of Shawn Green. [...] [Being Jewish] doesn't mean I have to read the Torah every day, but hell, I wrestled in front of millions of people and called myself by my real name. That's a testament to myself that I'm proud of."


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Goldberg's rapid rise to popularity in WCW led the WWF to parody him during the Attitude Era with longtime jobber Duane Gill being repackaged as Gillberg. Goldberg was initially unhappy with the parody, but later embraced the character and was happy that Gill was able to have a more substantial run during his career. The two would eventually confront each other on "Raw" in 2003, in which Goldberg quickly dispatched Gillberg.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Trying to replicate WCW's success with Goldberg, WWE began pushing Ryback in 2012 in a similar manner to Goldberg, leading to the portmanteau of "Ryberg" to be devised by fans and commentators for Ryback. In October 2012, after Ryback used Goldberg's "Jackhammer" move during a match against Kofi Kingston, Goldberg tweeted, "NOW comparisons offend me." Spectators at WWE events had been chanting "Goldberg" during Ryback's matches from 2012, which Ryback said "never bothered [him] because fans were very loyal to Goldberg as Goldberg was the top star at WCW and also had a good run in WWE". In response to Chael Sonnen's confusion about Ryback's appeal in late 2014, former WWE writer Jon Piermarini noted on an episode of Sonnen's podcast that the creative staff were doing "essentially the exact same thing they did with the character when it did not work or catch on the first time" and would only continue to get Goldberg's character over as Ryback. Goldberg would return to WWE around the same time Ryback asked for and was granted his release from the company in 2016.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Many promotions would parody Goldberg's infamous streak, including WWE on multiple occasions, albeit with a "losing" streak such as with the aforementioned Gillberg as well as Curt Hawkins. In 2014, Ring of Honor started a gimmick for R. D. Evans, where he began gloating about his win streak, which he dubbed the "New Streak", although all of his wins came over jobbers or by disqualification over serious wrestlers like Michael Elgin and Roderick Strong. His streak eventually ended later that year.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Bret Hart has been highly critical of Goldberg's work and said, "His wrestling, his work rate, was 0 out of 10." Goldberg's later career run has also been criticized; former WCW executive Eric Bischoff stated it is due to his lack of in-ring talent, while WWE wrestler Riddle has been critical of Goldberg's Universal Championship run and accused him of steroid use. In response to fans complaining about Goldberg being put over younger talent, Goldberg responded, "They can complain all they want. I was brought in for a reason. I'm a relief pitcher." He reiterated that he is just a performer and does not book the matches.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Goldberg began acting while working for WCW in 1999. His appearance in "" corresponded with him being featured in the music video. He was a special guest star on "Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling". On the show he showed the contestants his various power moves and also how to hit an opponent with a steel chair. He went on to host three seasons of the Speed Channel show "Bullrun".


title: Bill Goldberg

text: In 2005, Goldberg also starred in the Happy Madison produced Adam Sandler movie "The Longest Yard", as an inmate, along with fellow wrestlers Kevin Nash, The Great Khali and Stone Cold Steve Austin, as well as actors Chris Rock and Burt Reynolds among others. In the same year he was also the host of The History Channel documentary series "Auto-Maniac" and later starred in the movie "Santa's Slay" where he plays a homicidal Santa Claus who goes on a killing spree on Christmas. In 2007, Goldberg starred in the thriller/drama film "Half Past Dead 2" alongside rapper Kurupt.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: In March 2010, Goldberg appeared on the ninth season of Donald Trump's reality series "The Celebrity Apprentice" and was eliminated in the sixth episode. In 2016, Goldberg starred in the documentary film Nine Legends alongside other notable wrestlers, former boxing star Mike Tyson and UFC fighter Randy Couture.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: In 2017, Goldberg made his first appearance in the fifth season of "The Goldbergs" as Coach Nick Mellor, the brother of recurring character Coach Rick Mellor.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: In 2018, Goldberg started hosting a knife-based reality show called "" on the History Channel. He appeared in Season 10 Episode 7 () of as Special Agent Lance Hamilton.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: He also starred in the film "American Satan" (2017) as the tour manager/bodyguard for a heavy metal band called The Relentless.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Goldberg is a playable character in numerous video games, including "WCW Nitro", "WCW/nWo Revenge", "WCW/nWo Thunder", "WCW Mayhem", "WCW Backstage Assault", "WWE WrestleMania XIX", "WWE Raw 2", "WWE SuperCard", "WWE Champions", "Fire Pro Wrestling", "WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain", "WWE 2K14", "WWE 2K17" (for which he was the pre-order bonus), "WWE 2K18", "WWE 2K19". "WWE 2K20, WWE 2K Battlegrounds and WWE 2K22"


title: Bill Goldberg

text: In August 2002, during his professional wrestling tenure in Japan, Goldberg served as color commentator in mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion Pride Fighting Championship. He also participated in MMA training sessions, though without intention to compete himself. Around this time, Goldberg was challenged by Bob Sapp to either a professional wrestling match or a mixed martial arts fight, but nothing came from it. On July 22, 2006, Goldberg served again as color commentator, this time in World Fighting Alliance (WFA) "King of the Streets"s pay-per-view in Los Angeles, California. When asked whether he was interested in becoming a mixed martial artist, Goldberg stated, "I'd love to, especially if I was 21 or even 29, but these guys are so far ahead of me in terms of experience. I never say never, though. But I don't see myself stopping my movies, my shows, my commentating, or being a dad to do that". On June 2, 2007, Goldberg also commentated on K-1 Dynamite USA.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Goldberg became a color commentator for the EliteXC organization during their inaugural event. The event, , was broadcast live on Showtime, on February 10, 2007. He continued in this role through all of EliteXC's showcase and combined cards, including Dynamite!! USA, , and , until the organization was defunct in 2008.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Goldberg sponsored the Monster Jam truck "Goldberg", which was driven by Tom Meents from 2000 to 2001 as part of a deal between WCW and FELD Motorsports. The truck was very successful winning the Monster Jam World Finals Racing championship in both 2000 and 2001 and the Freestyle championship in 2001. The partnership ended after WCW was bought by WWE and the truck was renamed to "Team Meents" which later became "Maximum Destruction".


title: Bill Goldberg

text: In November 2000, Goldberg and his brother Steve co-authored Goldberg's autobiography "I'm Next: The Strange Journey of America's Most Unlikely Superhero".


title: Bill Goldberg

text: In 2014, Goldberg started his own podcast entitled "Who's Next?! With Bill Goldberg", which includes weekly guest interviews.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: In January 2016, Goldberg and entertainment impresario Uncle Louie started a joint venture with disabled Air Force veteran Reinaldo Horday called Combat Crate, which offers a crate of exclusive memorabilia with 100% of the profits from its inaugural crate going to the to Wounded Warriors' South Florida branch.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: A long-time animal welfare advocate and an American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) spokesman, Goldberg addressed Congress in 1999 to raise awareness of illegal animal fighting.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Goldberg regularly participated in the now-defunct Jimmy V Golf Classic, a golf tournament with the profits going towards cancer research, and often visits children in hospitals who are undergoing cancer treatment.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Goldberg has been noted for being open about his Jewishness, which was uncommon in the professional wrestling world, especially during his prime. He famously refused to wrestle on Yom Kippur. He celebrates the Jewish holidays but has downplayed the religious aspects of his Jewishness, admitting in 2005 that he is "so far from religious it's not even funny". Despite this, he added, "I guarantee when my girlfriend and I get married, I'll have a rabbi marry us and I'll be breaking the glass right next to her."


title: Bill Goldberg

text: On April 10, 2005, Goldberg married Wanda Ferraton, a stunt double he had met while filming "Santa's Slay". From 2001 to 2019, they lived in Bonsall, California, before moving to Boerne, Texas. Their son, Gage, was born in 2006.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Goldberg co-owns and operates the Extreme Power Gym Muay Thai and amateur boxing training facility in Oceanside, California. He also owns over 25 vintage cars, including a Plymouth Barracuda, AC Cobra, and Boss 429 Mustang.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Goldberg owned one of the biggest MMA gyms in the world during the early 90s where he trained MMA with the likes of Mark Coleman, Randy Couture, Kevin Randleman, and Don Frye, among others, but after realizing how much money they made in MMA, he chose to follow a pro-wrestling career. He still actively practices Muay Thai and holds the rank of black belt in jiu-jitsu.


title: Bill Goldberg

text: Goldberg has a long scar on the right side of his torso from a tear suffered during a college football game that had required surgery to repair. He also acquired a scar on his right forearm from an altercation in WCW, which kept him out of action for an extended amount of time due to the surgery needed to fix it. He has a large tribal tattoo on his left shoulder, which became his professional wrestling logo, and a skull tattoo on the inside of his right biceps.


title: Adam

text: Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, "adam" is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as "mankind". tells of God's creation of the world and its creatures, including "adam", meaning humankind; in God forms "Adam", this time meaning a single male human, out of "the dust of the ground", places him in the Garden of Eden, and forms a woman, Eve, as his helpmate; in Adam and Eve eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge and God condemns Adam to labour on the earth for his food and to return to it on his death; deals with the birth of Adam's sons, and lists his descendants from Seth to Noah.


title: Adam

text: The Genesis creation myth was adopted by both Christianity and Islam, and the name of Adam accordingly appears in the Christian scriptures and in the Quran. He also features in subsequent folkloric and mystical elaborations in later Judaism, Christianity, and gnosticism.


title: Adam

text: In the entire Hebrew Bible, Adam appears only in chapters 1–5 of the Book of Genesis, with the exception of a mention at the beginning of the Books of Chronicles where, as in Genesis, he heads the list of Israel's ancestors. The majority view among scholars is that the final text of Genesis dates from the Persian period (the 5th and 4th centuries BCE), but the absence of all the other characters and incidents mentioned in chapters 1–11 of Genesis from the rest of the Hebrew Bible has led a sizeable minority to the conclusion that these chapters were composed much later than those that follow, possibly in the 3rd century BCE.


title: Adam

text: The Bible uses the word (" 'adam ") in all of its senses: collectively ("mankind", ), individually (a "man", ), gender nonspecific ("man and woman", ), and male (). In Genesis 1:27 "adam" is used in the collective sense, and the interplay between the individual "Adam" and the collective "humankind" is a main literary component to the events that occur in the Garden of Eden, the ambiguous meanings embedded throughout the moral, sexual, and spiritual terms of the narrative reflecting the complexity of the human condition. Genesis 2:7 is the first verse where "Adam" takes on the sense of an individual man (the first man), and the context of sex is absent; the gender distinction of "adam" is then reiterated in Genesis 5:1–2 by defining "male and female".


title: Adam

text: A recurring literary motif is the bond between Adam and the earth ("adamah"): God creates Adam by molding him out of clay in the final stages of the creation narrative. After the loss of innocence, God curses Adam and the earth as punishment for his disobedience. Adam and humanity are cursed to die and return to the earth (or ground) from which he was formed. This "earthly" aspect is a component of Adam's identity, and Adam's curse of estrangement from the earth seems to describe humankind's divided nature of being earthly yet separated from nature.


title: Adam

text: Genesis 1 tells of God's creation of the world and its creatures, with humankind as the last of his creatures: "Male and female created He them, and blessed them, and called their name Adam ..." (). God blesses mankind, commands them to "be fruitful and multiply", and gives them "dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth" ().


title: Adam

text: In , God forms "Adam", this time meaning a single male human, out of "the dust of the ground" and "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life" (). God then places this first man in the Garden of Eden, telling him that "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (). God notes that "It is not good that the man should be alone" () and brings the animals to Adam, who gives them their names, but among all the animals there was not found a companion for him (). God causes a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and forms a woman (), and Adam awakes and greets her as his helpmate.


title: Adam

text: , the story of the Fall: A serpent persuades the woman to disobey God's command and eat of the tree of knowledge, which gives wisdom. Woman convinces Adam to do likewise, whereupon they become conscious of their nakedness, cover themselves, and hide from the sight of God. God questions Adam, who blames the woman. God passes judgment, first upon the serpent, condemned to go on his belly, then the woman, condemned to pain in childbirth and subordination to her husband, and finally Adam, who is condemned to labour on the earth for his food and to return to it on his death. God then expels the man and woman from the garden, lest they eat of the Tree of Life and become immortal.


title: Adam

text: The chiastic structure of the death oracle given to Adam in forms a link between man's creation from "dust" () to the "return" of his beginnings.


title: Adam

text: God himself took dust from all four corners of the earth, and with each color (red for the blood, black for the bowels, white for the bones and veins, and green for the pale skin), created Adam. The soul of Adam is the image of God, and as God fills the world, so the soul fills the human body: "as God sees all things, and is seen by none, so the soul sees, but cannot be seen; as God guides the world, so the soul guides the body; as God in His holiness is pure, so is the soul; and as God dwells in secret, so doth the soul." According to Jewish literature, Adam possessed a body of light, identical to the light created by God on the first day, and the original glory of Adam can be regained through mystical contemplation of God.


title: Adam

text: The rabbis, puzzled by fact that Genesis 1 states that God created man and woman together while Genesis 2 describes them being created separately, told that when God created Adam he also created a woman from the dust, as he had created Adam, and named her Lilith; but the two could not agree, for Adam wanted Lilith to lie under him, and Lilith insisted that Adam should lie under her, and so she fled from him, and Eve was created from Adam's rib. Her story was greatly developed, during the Middle Ages, in the tradition of Aggadic midrashim, the Zohar and Jewish mysticism. Other rabbis explained the same verse as meaning that Adam was created with two faces, male and female, or as a single hermaphrodite being, male and female joined back to back, but God saw that this made walking and conversing difficult, and so split them apart.


title: Adam

text: The serpent approached Eve rather than Adam because Adam had heard the word of God with his own ears, whereas Eve had only his report; Eve tasted the fruit and knew at once that she was doomed to death, and said to herself that it was better she trick Adam into eating so that he too would die, and not take another woman in her place. Adam ate the fruit unaware of what he was doing, and was filled with grief. When Adam blamed Eve after eating the forbidden fruit, God rebuked him that Adam as a man should not have obeyed his wife, for he is the head, not her.


title: Adam

text: An Aggadic legend found in tractate Avodah Zarah 8a contains observations regarding the Roman mid-winter holidays and, the talmudic hypothesis that Adam the first established the tradition of fasting before the winter solstice, and rejoicing afterward, which festival later devolved into the Roman Saturnalia and Calenda.


title: Adam

text: Adam withdrew from Eve for 130 years after their expulsion from Eden, and in this time both he and Eve had sex with demons, until at length they reunited and Eve gave birth to Seth. A 2nd-century BCE Jewish religious work, the Book of Jubilees, tells how Adam had a daughter, Awân, born after Cain and Abel, and another daughter, Azura, born after Seth, and they had nine other sons; Cain married Awân and Seth married Azûrâ, thus accounting for their descendants. The "Life of Adam and Eve" and its Greek version the "Apocalypse of Moses" recount how Adam repented his sin in exile and was rewarded by being transported to the heavenly paradise, foreshadowing the destiny of all the righteous at the end of time.


title: Adam

text: The Archangel Michael attended Adam's death, together with Eve and his son Seth, still living at that time, and he was buried together with his murdered son Abel. Because they repented, God gave Adam and Eve garments of light, and similar garments will clothe the Messiah when he comes.


title: Adam

text: According to the Apocalypse of Moses, which probably originates in first-century CE Jewish literature, the altar of the Temple of Solomon was the centre of the world and the gateway to God's Garden of Eden, and it was here that Adam was both created and buried.


title: Adam

text: In the 17th-century book Kav ha-Yashar, the author warns not to talk negatively about Adam, and writes that those who talk positively about Adam will be blessed with a long life. A similar warning can be found in The Zohar.


title: Adam

text: The Sefer Raziel HaMalakh (רזיאל המלאך) ("Raziel the Angel") is a collection of esoteric writings, probably compiled and edited by the same hand, but originally not the work of one author, which according to tradition was revealed to Adam by the angel Raziel. The book cannot be shown to predate the 13th century, but may in parts date back to Late Antiquity, and like other obscure ancient texts such as the Bahir and "Sefer Yetzirah", it has been extant in a number of versions. Zunz ("G. V." 2d ed., p. 176) distinguishes three main parts: (1) the Book Ha-Malbush; (2) the Great Raziel; (3) the Book of Secrets, or the Book of Noah. These three parts are still distinguishable—2b–7a, 7b–33b, 34a and b. After these follow two shorter parts entitled "Creation" and "Shi'ur Ḳomah", and after 41a come formulas for amulets and incantations.


title: Adam

text: The idea of original sin is not found in Judaism nor in Islam, and was introduced into Christianity by the Apostle Paul, drawing on currents in Hellenistic Jewish thought which held that Adam's sin had introduced death and sin into the world. Sin, for Paul, was a power to which all humans are subject, but Christ's coming held out the means by which the righteous would be restored to the Paradise from which Adam's sin had banished mankind. He did not conceive of this original sin of Adam as being biologically transmitted or that later generations were to be punished for the deeds of a remote ancestor. It was Augustine who took this step, locating sin itself in male semen: when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit they were ashamed and covered their genitals, identifying the place from which the first sin was passed on to all succeeding generations. Only Jesus Christ, who was not conceived by human semen, was free of the stain passed down from Adam. (Augustine's idea was based on the ancient world's ideas on biology, according to which male sperm contained the entire unborn baby, the mother's womb being no more than a nurturing chamber in which it grew.)


title: Adam

text: As mentioned above, the Apocalypse of Moses, a Jewish writing containing material probably originating from the first century CE, places both Adam's place of creation and his burial at the altar of the Temple of Solomon, seen as the centre of the world and the gateway to the Garden of Eden. The early Christian community adapted this to their own legend of Golgotha, replacing the altar with the place of Jesus's crucifixion. According to this Christian legend, current in the time of Origen (early 3rd century CE), the holy blood of Christ trickled down and restored to life the father of the human race, who then led the saints who appeared to many in Jerusalem on that day as described in Scripture.


title: Adam

text: In Mandaeism, Adam is considered the founder of the religion and the first prophet. He heralds "manda" (knowledge) and the true path of enlightenment. He is viewed as the propagator of "kushta" or divine truth. According to the Mandaean calendar, 2021–2022 CE in the Gregorian calendar would correspond to the Mandaean year 445391 AA (AA = after the creation of Adam).


title: Adam

text: In the ancient Gnostic text On the Origin of the World, Adam originally appears as a primordial being born from light poured out by the aeon known as forethought. Accordingly, his primordial form is called Adam of Light. But when he desired to reach the eighth heaven, he was unable to because of the corruption mixed with his light. Thus he creates his own realm, containing six universes and their worlds which are seven times better than the heavens of Chaos. All these realms exist within the region between the eighth heaven and the Chaos beneath it. But when the archons saw him, they realize the chief creator of the material world (Yaldabaoth) had lied to them by claiming he was the only god. However, they decide to create a physical version of Adam in the image of the spiritual Adam. But Sophia later sends her daughter Zoe (the spiritual Eve) to give the physical Adam life before leaving the physical Eve with Adam and entering the Tree of Knowledge. However, according to the Hypostasis of the Archons, a spirit descends on the physical Adam and gives him a living soul.


title: Adam

text: In Islam, God created Adam (Arabic: آدم) from a handful of earth taken from the entire world, which explains why the peoples of the world are of different colours. According to the Islamic creation myth, he was the first prophet of Islam and the first Muslim. The Quran says that all the prophets preached the same faith of submission to God. When God informed the angels that he would create a vice-regent (a "khalifa") on Earth, the angels enquired, saying, "will You place therein such that will spread corruption and bloodshed?" So God showed the angels, saying, "Tell Me the names of these?" The angels had no knowledge of these, as God had not taught them. Then God allowed Adam to reveal these names to them, saying, "Did I not say to you (angels) that I know what is unseen in the heavens and the earth and I know what you (angels) reveal and what you (Satan) conceal;" the scholar Al-Tabari explained that God was referring to Iblis (Satan) of his evil plans and to the angels of their honesty.


title: Adam

text: Adam and Eve both ate of the Tree of Immortality, and both shared guilt equally, for Eve neither tempted Adam or ate before him; nor is Eve to blame for the pain of childbirth, for God never punishes one person for the sins of another. The Shia school of Islam does not even consider that their action was a sin, for obedience and disobedience are possible only on Earth, and not in heaven where the paradise is located.


title: Adam

text: Adam fell on an Adam's Peak mountain located in central Sri Lanka, the tallest in the world and so the closest to Heaven, and from there God sent him to Mecca, where he repented and was forgiven. At Mecca he built the first Sanctuary (the Kaabah – it was later rebuilt by Ibrahim) and was taught the ritual of the Hajj, and wove the first cloak for himself and the first veil and shift for Eve, and after this returned to India where he died at the age of 930, having seen the sons of the sons of his children, 1400 in all.


title: Adam

text: According to the Ahmadiyya sect Adam was not the first human being on earth, but when the human race came into existence, and spread all over the world and developed the ability to receive revelation, God sent Adam to each and every branch of civilization. According to a revelation received by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the community, the Adam mentioned in the Quran was born 4,598 years before Muhammad.


title: Adam

text: The Muslim thinker Nasir Khusraw offers another interpretation of Adam's significance to the Islamic religious tradition. He writes that Adam was the first enunciator of divine revelation ("nāṭiq") and Seth was his legatee ("wasī"). He argues that the descendants of Seth are Imams, culminating in the seventh Imam, Nuh/Noah who, in addition to holding the Imamate, would also hold the position of enunciator.


title: Adam

text: In the Islamic traditions (hadith), Adam is given the name by God known as the (Adam-I-Safi) or The Chosen One.


title: Adam

text: The Druze regard Adam as the first spokesman ("natiq"), who helped to transmit the foundational teachings of monotheism ("tawhid") intended for a larger audience. He is also considered an important prophet of God in Druze faith, being among the seven prophets who appeared in different periods of history.


title: Adam

text: While a traditional view was that the Book of Genesis was authored by Moses and has been considered historical and metaphorical, modern scholars consider the Genesis creation narrative as one of various ancient origin myths.


title: Adam

text: Analysis like the documentary hypothesis also suggests that the text is a result of the compilation of multiple previous traditions, explaining apparent contradictions. Other stories of the same canonical book, like the Genesis flood narrative, are also understood as having been influenced by older literature, with parallels in the older "Epic of Gilgamesh".


title: Adam

text: With scientific developments in paleontology, biology, genetics and other disciplines, it was discovered that humans, and all other living things, share a common ancestor and evolved through natural processes, over billions of years to diversify into the life forms we know today.


title: Adam

text: In biology, the most recent common ancestors of humans, when traced back using the Y-chromosome for the male lineage and mitochondrial DNA for the female lineage, are commonly called the Y-chromosomal Adam and Mitochondrial Eve, respectively. These do not fork from a single couple at the same epoch even if the names were borrowed from the Tanakh.


title: Florence and the Machine

text: Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2007, consisting of lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, harpist Tom Monger, and a collaboration of other musicians. The band's music has received acclaim across the media, especially from the BBC, which played a large part in their rise to prominence by promoting Florence and the Machine as part of "BBC Music Introducing". At the 2009 Brit Awards they received the Brit Awards "Critics' Choice" award. The band's music is renowned for its dramatic, eccentric production and Welch's powerful vocals.


title: Florence and the Machine

text: The band's debut studio album, "Lungs", was released on 6 July 2009, and held the number-two position for its first five weeks on the UK Albums Chart. On 17 January 2010, the album reached the top position, after being on the chart for twenty-eight consecutive weeks. As of October 2010, the album had been in the top forty in the United Kingdom for sixty-five consecutive weeks, making it one of the best-selling albums of 2009 and 2010. The group's second studio album, "Ceremonials", released in October 2011, entered the charts at number one in the UK and number six in the US. The band's third studio album, "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful", was released on 2 June 2015. It topped the UK charts, and debuted at number one on the US "Billboard" 200, their first to do so. The album reached number one in a total of eight countries and the top ten of twenty. Also in 2015, the band was the headlining act at Glastonbury Festival, making Welch the first British female headliner of the 21st century.


title: Florence and the Machine

text: Florence and the Machine's sound has been described as a combination of various genres, including rock and soul. "Lungs" (2009) won the Brit Award for Best British Album in 2010. Florence and the Machine have been nominated for six Grammy Awards including Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album. Additionally, the band performed at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards and the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Concert.


title: Florence and the Machine

text: The name of Florence and the Machine is attributed to Florence Welch's teenage collaboration with Isabella "Machine" Summers. Welch and Summers performed together for a time under the name Florence Robot/Isa Machine. According to Welch, "The name Florence and the Machine started off as a private joke that got out of hand. I made music with my friend, who we called Isabella Machine to which I was Florence Robot. When I was about an hour away from my first gig, I still didn't have a name, so I thought 'Okay, I'll be Florence Robot/Isa Machine', before realising that name was so long it'd drive me mad."


title: Florence and the Machine

text: In addition to Summers (keyboards and backing vocals), the current band members include musicians Robert Ackroyd (guitar and backing vocals), Chris Hayden (drums, percussion and backing vocals), Mark Saunders (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Tom Monger (harp). In the past, Welch has praised her band for understanding her creative process, claiming, "I've worked with most of them for a long time and they know my style, know the way I write, they know what I want."


title: Florence and the Machine

text: In 2007, Welch recorded with a band named Ashok, who released an album titled "Plans" on the Filthy Lucre/About Records label. This album included the earliest version of her later hit "Kiss with a Fist", which at this point was titled "Happy Slap".


title: Florence and the Machine

text: Florence and the Machine released their first album "Lungs" in the United Kingdom on 6 July 2009. The album was produced by James Ford, Paul Epworth, Steve Mackey, Isabella Summers and Charlie Hugall. The album was officially launched with a set at the Rivoli Ballroom in Brockley, south-east London. It peaked at number one in the UK and number two in Ireland. As of 6 August 2009, the album had sold over 100,000 copies in the UK and by 10 August it had been at number two for five consecutive weeks. Following its 25 July 2009 release for download in the United States, the album entered the charts at number seventeen on the "Billboard" Heatseekers Albums chart, ultimately peaking at number one. The album was released physically in the US on 20 October by Universal Republic.


title: Florence and the Machine

text: "Kiss with a Fist" was released as the album's lead single on 9 June 2008. The track was featured on the soundtrack to the films "Wild Child" (2008), "Jennifer's Body" (2009), and "" (2009), as well as in the television series "90210", "Community" and "Saving Grace". Follow-up single "Dog Days Are Over", released on 1 December 2008, was recorded with no instruments in a studio the "size of a loo". The song was used in the American television series "Gossip Girl", "Covert Affairs", in the British television series "Skins", and in the theatrical trailer for the 2010 comedy-drama film "Eat Pray Love", starring Julia Roberts. "Dog Days Are Over" was also featured in the "Glee" episode "Special Education", where it was covered by Jenna Ushkowitz and Amber Riley. "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" was released on 22 June 2009 as the third single from the album.


title: Florence and the Machine

text: After the release of "Lungs", "Drumming Song" and a cover of the Source and Candi Staton's 1986 song "You've Got the Love" were released as singles.


title: Florence and the Machine

text: "Cosmic Love" was released on 5 July 2010 as the sixth and final single from "Lungs", with a music video having already been shot. The song was featured in several American television shows, including "Grey's Anatomy", "The Vampire Diaries", "V", "Nikita" and "So You Think You Can Dance". The band also made a guest appearance on 7 February 2011 episode of "Gossip Girl", titled "Panic Roommate", where they performed an acoustic rendition of "Cosmic Love". On 12 May 2010, it was announced that Florence and the Machine would provide a track called "Heavy in Your Arms" for the , the third film of "The Twilight Saga". "" was released in cinemas on 30 June 2010, with "Heavy in Your Arms" playing during the end credits. The music video followed on 7 July 2010. An exclusive remix of "I'm Not Calling You a Liar" is featured in the 2011 video game "Dragon Age II" as "I'm Not Calling You a Liar (Dragon Age II: Varric's Theme)", produced by the game's composer Inon Zur.


title: Florence and the Machine

text: The first demo session occurred in January 2010 with Welch and Paul Epworth at a small London studio. Numerous producers expressed an interest in working on the album but Welch rejected the offers because she wanted "Ceremonials" to be a better version of "Lungs" with a "more dark, more heavy, bigger drum sounds, bigger bass, but with more of a whole sound". For the rest of the year work on the album continued only intermittently as the band concentrated on an extensive tour of the US, where "Lungs" had become popular. The majority of the writing for the album was done between January and April 2011, with recording taking place in April at Abbey Road Studios. Refinement took place at Epworth's own London studios while Welch recorded vocal tracks in various US studios, during days off from touring. The final recording session took place in July at Epworth's studio. Epworth co-wrote seven tracks. Several other British writers share credits on the album, including Summers, Kid Harpoon, James Ford and composer Eg White.


title: Florence and the Machine

text: In June 2011, a cover of the Buddy Holly song "Not Fade Away", which Florence and the Machine recorded for the tribute album "Rave On Buddy Holly" tied to Holly's seventy-fifth birthday year, was released and they performed "Ceremonials" setup track "What the Water Gave Me" at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California. In August 2011, the single "What the Water Gave Me" was released on iTunes along with an accompanying video on the band's website and YouTube channel. The video drew 1.5 million YouTube views in two days and the track received play on US alternative radio with strong support from Los Angeles radio station KROQ. The single "Shake It Out" was released over the internet in September 2011, with standard release 11 October. In Australia, the song was playlisted at Triple J and Nova radio networks and received strong airplay in Scandinavia, Italy and Canada.