101 Shocking Wrestling Plans You Won't Believe Almost Happened

84. Bobby Eaton Ending Goldberg’s WCW Streak

Bobby Eaton
WWE.com

This just in: Bill Goldberg's iconic WCW winning streak almost ended before it ever really got started, and that would've been Bill's own choice. He once told Steve Austin on the fellow legend's podcast that he wanted to put Bobby Eaton over on a non-televised live event. Understandably, WCW top brass were horrified by the mere thought.

No offence intended to Eaton, but 'Earl Robert' wasn't exactly an ongoing concern by 1997. He was a dependable worker, sure, but wasn't high up the card enough to topple wrecking ball newcomers like Goldberg. Despite that, Bill really fancied thanking Eaton for being so good to him during training days at the Power Plant.

This must've been when the pair had some house show matches against one another in November 1997. They didn't really cross paths too many more times after that, at least not until Goldberg's streak had ended at Starrcade 1998. Thus, Bill's winning run on TV had only just started when he wanted to stare at the house lights for Bobby.

WCW (and indeed pro wrestling) history could've been rather different had management said: 'Sure, why not? You're only going to be top babyface in 1998, so it's no big deal if a lower card stalwart pins you'. The internet was starting to gain some steam by the end of the 90s, so fans would've been able to find out about this match result fairly easily.

Would it have destroyed Goldberg's aura? Probably not, but it would've been an unnecessary blemish on his otherwise faultless win-loss record.

Contributor

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.