4. WCW Thought Goldberg Heel Turn Would Save Things
At The Great American Bash show in June, Bill Goldberg did the unthinkable, turning heel and joining up with both Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff. Realistically speaking, few fans wanted to see this, and even Goldberg himself later admitted that he never really wanted to go along with the turn, feeling he had a lot more mileage as a top babyface. WCW's fans had been crying out for the Goldberg of old, a killer who would simply mow through the competition. This had given people something to believe in, and was a role well-suited the wrestler, who was never the most accomplished inside the ring. Short bouts laden with power moves were right up Goldberg's street, so of course WCW tried to move away from that. The heel turn didn't work out very well, mainly because fans didn't want to boo Goldberg, but those in charge thought it was exactly what was needed to freshen up his character. At the time, Russo explained that WCW now had a new wrestler, almost like they'd signed the top bad guy in the business. It was theorised that Goldberg turning heel would completely turn the ailing fortunes of WCW around.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.