173-0. That was Bill Goldberg's record in WCW when he lost the WCW World Title to Kevin Nash at the Starrcade PPV in December 1998. Goldberg's winning streak started on the September 22, 1997 edition of Nitro. That 173 number wasn't legit, but WCW did a phenomenal job of building up this undefeated streak from the ground up. He had televised matches nearly every week that he would win in under three minutes. Every week his momentum built with the loud "Goldberg" chants growing. They ended up putting the US Title on him when he beat Raven, which was the longest match of his career at that point. It was such a big reaction when that win happened. Then they had him beat Hulk Hogan for the WCW Title on the July 6, 1998 edition of Nitro. It was another dominant win for Goldberg as the Atlanta crowd went crazy. It was one of the loudest ovations in WCW history. After his streak was over, he was still a main eventer although things were really never the same for him after that loss to Nash. Where WCW made mistakes with him was having that match with Hogan on TV instead of PPV, where they could have made a lot of money by making people pay for it. That was WCW problem, though. They cared too much about ratings and not about PPV buys. It should be other way around. Goldberg at his peak was one of the most popular wrestlers ever in any promotion. No doubt about it.
John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.
