The Night Goldberg Lost For The First Time
On the first post-Starrcade Nitro, the idea was to get Kevin Nash over as an unwitting beneficiary of interference - in other words, a babyface, who challenged Goldberg under fairer circumstances in Georgia on January 4. What a stand-up guy! Whether it was a fairly obvious swerve - or fans weren't prepared to cheer him in the overt babyface role that was passé in general and ill-fitting specifically - is unclear. WCW had further reinforced a divided fan sentiment that was already not ideal.
What is clear is that WCW absolutely f*cked it all up a week later.
They took from the fans a reason to cheer Nash, while at the same time giving them no reason to get behind Goldberg in his huge, iconic, hometown stadium. Nash gave up the title to Hollywood Hogan, ruining the cool vibe of the Wolfpac - its one other connection to the zeitgeist - and placed Goldberg in a very WWF-like scenario. He was arrested, thus forcing a change to the scheduled match - without the cathartic, pants-pissing WWF payoff.
They might have f*cked it up beforehand, too; Goldberg after first winning the title never worked a programme with a convincing antagonist. Nash diffused the one heel fans really seemed compelled by - Chris Jericho - and that Goldberg listened to this advice was a sign of his naivety.
CONT'D...(4 of 5)