10 Lies About Famous Wrestling Matches That You Probably Believe
7. "WCW Botched Goldberg At Starrcade 1998"
Goldberg had to lose at some point.
He could not go undefeated forever because there would be no drama in that whatsoever.
But did he have to lose to Kevin Nash?
Actually, yes.
If he was going to lose to somebody, that somebody had to be a massive star, and Nash was arguably at his most over deep into 1998 as the über-cool nWo Wolfpac leader. The Starrcade match - an overlooked, super-noisy bomb blast - unfolded to a split reaction. Nash was super over. He wasn't the reviled booker situating himself as the top star. He felt like the A to Goldberg's 1, even if he had booked himself into a favourable position. If the crowd reacted favourably, what's the difference?
The issue wasn't necessarily in the wrestler who defeated Goldberg, but the role into which he was cast. Nash beat Goldberg via heel finish, which didn't generate mass outrage and a thirst for vengeance because fans liked him too much. The real f*ck-up was turning Nash heel and realigning him with Hollywood Hogan. The reality is that Goldberg was a one-dimensional character fated to burn out just as quickly as he tore through the WCW roster.
This wasn't the wrong guy; it was right guy, wrong finish, piss-poor follow-up.
But Eric Bischoff knows the value of long-term storytelling, so that can't be right.