10 Great Matches That Inadvertently Ruined Wrestling

10. Goldberg Vs. Hulk Hogan - WCW Monday Nitro (July 6, 1998)

You can almost - almost - forgive WCW for giving away the first-time meeting between Goldberg and Hulk Hogan on free television.

Goldberg was white hot at the time. The ceiling on his undefeated streak had lowered; much more of undercard and midcard squashes would have adhered to the law of diminishing returns. The July 6, 1998 edition of Monday Nitro took place at the Georgia Dome. The epic stage was set by a confluence of irresistable factors.

WCW got it half-right. In order to install Goldberg as number one contender, he first ran through Scott Hall. This should have acted as the main event. It was certainly a big enough attraction in its own right. Instead, this virtual number one contendership bout was a precursor to the biggest match WCW had at its disposal. That match was easily one of Hogan's greatest ever, and the euphoria surrounding Goldberg's win was a fantastic moment. But momentary it was; the success was all but forgotten the very next week, when the cycle began anew.

The objective was achieved - WCW won the ratings war that week - but the idea of attracting viewers, ultimately, was to persuade them to purchase pay-per-view events. WCW squandered millions by giving this away for free, and everything presented on pay-per-view after the fact paled in comparison. The audience had been conditioned not to bother with paying.

It wasn't the death rattle, but the first sign of a tumour.