10 Awesome Wrestling Matches That Had Harsh Consequences
3. Goldberg Vs. Kevin Nash (WCW Starrcade 1998)
Goldberg vs. Kevin Nash was an “in the moment” WCW main event that doesn’t exactly hold-up in 2016. At its core, the match is just two giant sluggers going at it, but the rabid crowd created a tremendous atmosphere, and with Goldberg’s 173-match winning streak and the WCW World Heavyweight Title on the line, the stakes couldn’t have been higher.
It proved to be one of the most disastrous matches in WCW history. Goldberg was still red hot as WCW’s resident monster face, and the fans weren’t even remotely close to growing tired of him yet. For whatever reason, WCW chose to prematurely end the streak on their biggest show of the year, with Nash, who was almost 40, winning with cattle prod attack.
The outcome was hugely detrimental to Goldberg’s momentum (losing an undefeated streak will do that), and there were dozens of more suitable candidates to break the streak. More significantly, however, this match essentially ensured that WCW would never be taken seriously again. Without it, the infamous Fingerpoke of Doom never happens, and while it’d be a stretch to say that that particularly event ran WCW out of business, it unquestionably played a role in destroying the company’s reputation.