Goldberg's streak

[Forrest]

Inspired by the DVD thread chat, here's a thread to discuss Goldberg's undefeated streak of 173-0.

 

I always thought Jerry Flynn's matches with him were brilliant. He always came out looking as if he'd cracked the code and fought the match of his life every time, but he always just came up short.

 

Here's my personal favourite:

La Parka comes out and threatens to waffle Goldberg with his chair. Goldberg dares him to. BAM! No sold. La Parka is delighted as he's seemingly scrambled DA MAN's brains, but he turns round to meet the SPEAR. Jackhammer. Ta-ta. Everything about this match just shows how massive Goldberg was during this streak.

 

Here is every victim in the streak:

<-- click on 'spoiler' to show/hide the spoiler

1. Hugh Morrus * WCW Nitro * Salt Lake City, UT * 9/22/97

2. The Barbarian * WCW Nitro * Worcester, MA * 9/29/97

3. Roadblock * WCW Saturday Night * Dalton, GA * 10/11/97

4. Scotty Riggs * WCW Nitro * Tampa, FL * 10/20/97

5. Wrath * WCW Nitro * Biloxi, MS * 10/20/97

6. Mike Anthony * WCW Thunder * Ft. Myers, FL * 10/25/97

7. Disco Inferno * WCW Thunder * San Diego, CA * 10/27/97

8. Renegade * WCW Saturday Night * San Bernardino, CA * 11/1/97

9. Bobby Eaton * WCW House Show * Salem, VA * 11/2/97

10. Bobby Eaton * WCW House Show * Norfolk, VA * 11/2/97

11. Mark Starr * WCW Worldwide * Orlando, FL * 11/8/97

12. Manny Fernandez * WCW Main Event * Orlando, FL * 12/13/97

13. Renegade * WCW Saturday Night * Gainesville, GA * 12/27/97

14. Steve McMichael * WCW Starrcade * Washington, DC * 12/28/97

15. Steve McMichael * WCW Starrcade * Washington, DC * 12/28/97

16. Glacier * WCW Nitro * Baltimore, MD * 12/29/97

17. Bobby Eaton * WCW House Show * Columbia, SC * 1/3/98

18. Brad Armstrong * WCW House Show * Columbus, GA * 1/4/98

19. Stevie Ray * WCW Nitro * Atlanta, GA * 1/5/98

20. Steve McMichael * WCW Thunder * Daytona Beach, FL * 1/8/98

21. Barry Horowitz * WCW Saturday Night * Rome, GA * 1/10/98

22. Jerry Flynn * WCW Nitro * Jacksonville, FL * 1/12/98

23. Chavo Guerrero Jr. * WCW Thunder * Lakeland, FL * 1/15/98

24. Kendall Windham * WCW Thunder * Huntsville, AL * 1/22/98

25. Mike Tolbert * WCW Saturday Night * Thibodaux, LA * 1/24/98

26. Brad Armstrong * WCW Nitro * Ft. Wayne, IN * 1/26/98

27. Yuji Nagata * WCW Thunder * Memphis, TN * 1/29/98

28. Meng * WCW Saturday Night * Thibodaux, LA * 1/31/98

29. Buddy Lee Parker * WCW Boston Brawl * Boston, MA * 1/31/98

30. Mark Starr * WCW Nitro * San Antonio, TX * 2/2/98

31. Jim Powers * WCW Thunder * Beaumont, TX * 2/5/98

32. Disco Inferno * WCW Saturday Night * Corpus Chr., TX * 2/7/98

33. Lord Steven Regal * WCW Nitro * El Paso, TX * 2/9/98

34. Glacier * WCW Thunder * Oklahoma City, OK * 2/12/98

35. Steve McMichael * WCW House Show * Springfield, MO * 2/13/98

36. Steve McMichael * WCW House Show * KC, MO * 2/14/98

37. Joey Maggs * WCW Worldwide * Orlando, FL * 2/14/98

38. Hugh Morrus * WCW Nitro * Tampa, FL * 2/16/98

39. Fit Finlay * WCW Saturday Night * Palmetto, FL * 2/21/98

40. Brad Armstrong * WCW Super Brawl VIII * SF, CA * 2/22/98

41. Rick Fuller * WCW Thunder * Cedar Rapids, IA * 2/26/98

42. Sick Boy * WCW Nitro * Philadelphia, PA * 3/2/98

43. Vincent * WCW Thunder * Columbus, OH * 3/5/98

44. Yuji Nagata * WCW House Show * Charleston, WV * 3/7/98

45. Yuji Nagata * WCW House Show * Johnson City, TN * 3/8/98

46. Barry Darsow * WCW Nitro * Winston-Salem, NC * 3/9/98

47. Chase Tatum * WCW Saturday Night * Johnstown, PA * 3/14/98

48. Lodi * WCW Nitro * Panama City Beach, FL * 3/16/98

49. Wayne Bloom * WCW Thunder * Terre Haute, IN * 3/19/98

50. Brad Armstrong * WCW House Show * Troy, OH * 3/20/98

51. Brad Armstrong * WCW House Show * Mannon, IN * 3/21/98

52. Brad Armstrong * WCW House Show * Cincinnati, OH * 3/22/98

53. Renegade * WCW Nitro * Louisville, KY * 3/23/98

54. Jerry Flynn * WCW House Show * Baltimore, MD * 3/25/98

55. Jerry Flynn * WCW Thunder * Fairfax, VA * 3/26/98

56. Jerry Flynn * WCW House Show * Charlottesville, VA * 3/27/98

57. Jerry Flynn * WCW House Show * Auburn Hills, MI * 3/28/98

58. Jerry Flynn * WCW House Show * Milwaukee, WI * 3/29/98

59. Ray Traylor * WCW Nitro * Chicago, IL * 3/30/98

60. Jerry Flynn * WCW Thunder * Tampa, FL * 4/2/98

61. Hammer * WCW Nitro * Miami, FL * 4/6/98

62. Fit Finlay * WCW House Show * Montgomery, AL * 4/10/98

63. Fit Finlay * WCW House Show * Chattanooga, TN * 4/11/98

64. Rocco Rock * WCW Nitro * Minneapolis, MN * 4/13/98

65. Barry Darsow * WCW Thunder * Fargo, IN * 4/16/98

66. Perry Saturn * WCW Spring Stampede * Denver, CO * 4/19/98

67. Raven * WCW Nitro * Colorado Springs, CO * 4/20/98

68. Mike Enos * WCW Thunder * Columbia, SC * 4/22/98

69. Scott Norton * WCW Nitro * Norfolk, VA * 4/27/98

70. Jerry Flynn * WCW Nitro * Norfolk, VA * 4/28/98

71. Saturn * WCW House Show * Des Moines, IA * 5/6/98

72. Saturn * WCW House Show * Wichita, KS * 5/9/98

73. Saturn * WCW House Show * Topeka, KS * 5/9/98

74. Len Denton * WCW Nitro * Kansas City, MO * 5/11/98

75. Sick Boy * WCW Thunder * Durham, NC * 5/14/98

76. Saturn * WCW House Show * Bangor, ME * 5/15/98

77. Yuji Nagata * WCW Saturday Night * Springfield, MA * 5/16/98

78. Saturn * WCW House Show * Amherst, MA * 5/16/98

79. Saturn * WCW Slamboree * Worcester, MA * 5/17/98

80. Glacier * WCW Nitro * Providence, RI * 5/18/98

81. Johnny Attitude * WCW Nitro * Evansville, IN * 5/25/98

82. Saturn * WCW House Show * Memphis, TN * 5/26/98

83. Barry Horowitz * WCW Thunder * Nashville, TN * 5/27/98

84. La Parka * WCW Nitro * Washington, DC * 6/1/98

85. Hugh Morrus * WCW Thunder * Peoria, IL * 6/4/98

86. Saturn * WCW House Show * Muncie, IN * June 5, 1998

87. Saturn * WCW House Show * Ft. Wayne, IN * 6/6/98

88. Leroy Howard * WCW Worldwide * Orlando, FL * 6/6/98

89. Saturn * WCW House Show * Grand Rapids, MI * 6/7/98

90. Chavo Guerrero Jr. * WCW Nitro * Detroit, MI * 6/8/98

91. Konnan * Dark Match, WCW Thunder * Buffalo, NY * 6/11/98

92. Konnan * WCW House Show * Erie, PA * 6/12/98

93. Konnan * WCW House Show * Pittsburgh, PA * 6/13/98

94. Sting * WCW House Show * Pittsburgh, PA * 6/13/98

95. Konnan * WCW Great American Bash * Baltimore, MD * 6/14/98

96. Reese * WCW Thunder * Philadelphia, PA * 6/18/98

97. Rick Fuller * WCW Nitro * Jacksonville, FL * 6/22/98

98. Fit Finlay * Dark Match, WCW Thunder * Orlando, FL * 6/24/98

99. John Nord * WCW Worldwide * Orlando, FL * 7/4/98

100. Scott Hall * WCW Nitro * Atlanta, GA * 7/6/98

101. Hulk Hogan * WCW Nitro * Atlanta, GA * 7/6/98

102. Scott Hall * WCW Thunder * Birmingham, AL * 7/8/98

103. Curt Hennig * WCW Melee * Los Angeles, CA * 7/10/98

104. Curt Hennig * WCW Bash at the Beach * San Diego, CA * 7/12/98

105. Curt Hennig * WCW Nitro * Las Vegas, NV * 7/13/98

106. The Giant * Dark Match, WCW Thunder * Oakland, CA * 7/16/98

107. Curt Hennig * WCW House Show * Oakland, CA * 7/17/98

108. Curt Hennig * WCW House Show * Spokane, WA * 7/18/98

109. Curt Hennig * WCW House Show * Yakima, WA * 7/19/98

110. The Giant * WCW Nitro * Salt Lake City, UT * 7/20/98

111. Curt Hennig * Goodwill Games * Manhattan, NY * 7/26/98

112. Brian Adams * WCW Nitro * San Antonio, TX * 7/27/98

113. The Giant * WCW Nitro * San Antonio, TX * 7/27/98

114. The Giant * Dark Match, WCW Thunder * Casper, WY * 8/5/98

115. Battle Royal Survivor * WCW Road Wild * Sturgis, SD * 8/8/98

116. Meng * Lumberjack Match--WCW Nitro * Rapid City, SC * 8/10/98

117. The Giant * WCW Nitro * Hartford, CT * 8/17/98

118. Al Green * WCW Nitro * Miami, FL * 8/31/98

119. Scott Putski * WCW Nitro * Pensacola, FL * 9/7/98

120. Rick Fuller * WCW Thunder * Lexington, KY * 9/10/98

121. The Giant * WCW House Show * Cincinnati, OH * 9/11/98

122. Sting * Disqualification * WCW Nitro * Greenville, SC * 9/14/98

123. Kanyon * WCW Thunder * Norfolk, VA * 9/24/98

124. The Giant * WCW House Show * Baltimore, MD * 9/25/98

125. Sting * WCW House Show * Fairfax, VA * 9/26/98

126. Raven * WCW Thunder * Norfolk, VA * 10/1/98

127. Disco Inferno * Dark Match, WCW Nitro * Columbia, SC * 10/5/98

128. The Giant * WCW House Show * Dayton, OH * 10/9/98

129. The Giant * WCW House Show * Baltimore, MD * 10/10/98

130. The Giant * WCW House Show * Milwaukee, WI * 10/11/98

131. Scott Hall * WCW House Show * Duluth, MN * 10/21/98

132. DDP * WCW Halloween Havoc * Las Vegas, NV * 10/25/98

133. The Giant * WCW House Show * Charleston, WV * 11/6/98

134. The Giant * WCW House Show * Pittsburgh, PA * 11/7/98

135. The Giant * WCW House Show * Johnstown, PA * 11/8/98

136. Meng * WCW Nitro Extra * Long Island, NY * 11/10/98

137. The Giant * Dark Match, WCW Thunder * Roanoke, VA * 11/12/98

138. The Giant * WCW Nitro * Grand Rapids, MI * 11/23/98

139. The Giant * WCW House Show * Tulsa, OK * 12/18/98

140. The Giant * WCW House Show * Springfield, MO * 12/19/98

141. Bam Bam Bigelow * WCW House Show * Kansas City, MO * 12/20/98

142. Bam Bam Bigelow * WCW House Show * KC, MO * 12/20/98

143. Scott Hall * Disqualification--Nitro * St. Louis, MO * 12/22/98

 

[close spoiler]

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Goldberg matches are my favourite matches of all time.

[Vamp]

He sure beat The Giant a lot.

[SSJLogan]

Here's my personal favourite:

La Parka comes out and threatens to waffle Goldberg with his chair. Goldberg dares him to. BAM! No sold. La Parka is delighted as he's seemingly scrambled DA MAN's brains, but he turns round to meet the SPEAR. Jackhammer. Ta-ta. Everything about this match just shows how massive Goldberg was during this streak.

 

That was a great watch. Fans went fucking bonkers for him. I also enjoyed the 'I EAT SPAM' sign during Goldbergs entrance.

[CTXRussomark]

Absolutely crazy to think (and a good sign of how little they had thought out Goldberg's title reign) that two months after winning the title from Hogan he was still fighting scrubs like Scott Putski and Al Green on Nitro. That would have been like Austin winning the belt from Michaels at WM14 and working with Dick Togo on Raw.

 

Goldberg's streak will forever hold a place in my heart. It came at a time where everything in wrestling just seemed perfect. You can look back and point out all the flaws that are obvious in hindsight and the numerous things that haven't stood the test of time, but to be a wrestling fan at this exact point in time was just something really special and something that will never ever be replicated. And in a way Goldberg's streak is the perfect example of that. I just posted in another thread about the Goldberg/Raven match and how people were literally jumping up and down at the end of the match because Goldberg won. The end of the match with Hogan is that times ten. As a pure babyface who the fans were just desperate to see win I don't think anyone outside of 80's-era Hogan even comes close.

[TheShowOff]

The end of the match with Hogan is that times ten. As a pure babyface who the fans were just desperate to see win I don't think anyone outside of 80's-era Hogan even comes close.

 

Agreed. Goldberg's star was something that shone fierce. He really was the biggest star in wrestling for a while and it was completely organic. From 1998 - 2001 the biggest dream match for me, without doubt was Austin vs Goldberg. Remember when Goldberg challenged Austin on Leno? It was a magic time.

[bono]

Goldberg beating hogan maybe the biggest pop in wrestling history.

 

I remember going to Florida in 98 and every shop you went in had something Goldberg in,he was huge. Goldberg, nwo, wcw, Austin and wwf that was the order of the popularity.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Goldberg's match with Raven is the closet wrestling will ever come to the scene in Terminator where Arnie is walking through the station murdering the whole police force to get to Sarah Connor. I will never forget watching it on a Friday night. They kept coming at him and he kept ploughing through them. One of the matches I still get the dodgy feeling on my neck over. The fans had found a new hero that night. There's no better thing in wrestling when you can actually see the next big star coming alive in front of your eyes on telly.

 

If they'd have done a rematch at Fall Brawl or whatever PPV was next between Hogan and Goldberg, that might have out done Sting vs Hogan. Doing a rematch on PPV might have done better than if it was built up as their first meeting. A lot of people (myself including) would have thought there's no way Hogan was doing two jobs (probably why they didn't do a 2nd Goldberg match). Doing the match on Nitro never bothered me. Not doing a 2nd match on PPV did. Goldberg was a classic case of them shitting themselves when they had something good. They gave away Sting vs Goldberg for free. Built corrected that was have done insane buys. The Franchise vs the undefeated new boy in town. Goldberg had a million challengers that year. But I think he wrestled the likes of Konnan and Curt Hennig following his title win. Strange.

[Dr.PeterVenkman]

Mental that his match before the world title winning Nitro was against John Nord, deffo shows how short term the planning was

 

Agreed about it never replicated again though, I wasn't watching WCW at the time but I remember the stretch when WWE kept giving people undefeated streaks, none of them got over except Lesnar and even he lost before won the title

[Mr.Wrestling]

Goldberg had a million challengers that year. But I think he wrestled the likes of Konnan and Curt Hennig following his title win. Strange.

 

From interviews I've read (from the likes of Eric Bischoff et al) the feeling around Goldberg, at the time, was whilst he was insanely over he wasn't "seasoned" enough in the ring at the height of his popularity. Especially when you consider his massive popularity in 1998, he only debut on Nitro on the September of the previous year in 1997 (I know he spent time training in WCW's power plant but he was still, basically, a rookie). Hence why guys like Hennig (during his title reign) and Regal (who IIRC deliberately tried to show up Goldberg during a match on Nitro and then got fired afterwards) were put in with Goldberg. Seasoned veterans who could help make Goldberg look good without showing up his flaws.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

From interviews I've read (from the likes of Eric Bischoff et al) the feeling around Goldberg, at the time, was whilst he was insanely over he wasn't "seasoned" enough in the ring at the height of his popularity. Especially when you consider his massive popularity in 1998, he only debut on Nitro on the September of the previous year in 1997 (I know he spent time training in WCW's power plant but he was still, basically, a rookie). Hence why guys like Hennig and Regal (who IIRC deliberately tried to show up Goldberg during a match on Nitro and caught fired afterwards) were put in with Goldberg. Seasoned veterans who could help make Goldberg look good without show his flaws.

I think that's bollocks to be honest. It was more of a case of big stars wanted to position themselves above him. They had fucking Warrior, a crippled Savage, Piper, Jay Leno and Dennis Rodman in main events during that 18 month period. WCW's quality control was on its arse. Goldberg would have been an improvement over that shower.

 

Also Regal didn't try and show him up. Regal was told to work with him and Regal wrestled the match he always has with everyone and that's not what they wanted. It was a lack of communication from clueless road agents and a drugged up Regal not knowing what was going on. And Hennig was rotten in 1998. He wasn't making anyone look good.

[Vamp]

I said this somewhere else, but Goldberg is someone who had to be booked right. He had an incredible look, could wrestle intense, had a certain kind of charisma, and when he was booked right he looked like the biggest star imaginable. The problem is you could never maintain that in the long run. The longer Goldberg wrestles in matches and the longer he's about, the more chance he'll get exposed. You can't really avoid it. The thing is you want to exploit (or use, whatever) as much out of these guys as you can. Neither WCW nor the WWE managed to do that. Both seemed to shit themselves about what they had. Both companies seemed intent on trying to make his character more rounded, as if they realized that he couldn't just stay as he was forever. WWE shit themselves as soon as they got him, people talk about them going out of their way to damage him because he was ex-WCW stock, but again I think its more of a case of them trying to make Goldberg a more rounded character to fit their product and not booking him to his strengths. Goldberg was great at what he was great at, he wasn't right to be the guy in wigs or doing promos over a minute.

 

The other thing with Regal vs. Goldberg is its too people (with all the respect in the world to both) who are a bit limited at certain things. Goldberg was superb at smashing people or looking like a monster and that was pretty much it at that point, Regal himself has admitted to not really getting TV wrestling, its a danger to put them two together in anything longer than three minutes. They clash.

[CTXRussomark]

Goldberg had a million challengers that year. But I think he wrestled the likes of Konnan and Curt Hennig following his title win. Strange.

 

From interviews I've read (from the likes of Eric Bischoff et al) the feeling around Goldberg, at the time, was whilst he was insanely over he wasn't "seasoned" enough in the ring at the height of his popularity. Especially when you consider his massive popularity in 1998, he only debut on Nitro on the September of the previous year in 1997 (I know he spent time training in WCW's power plant but he was still, basically, a rookie). Hence why guys like Hennig (during his title reign) and Regal (who IIRC deliberately tried to show up Goldberg during a match on Nitro and then got fired afterwards) were put in with Goldberg. Seasoned veterans who could help make Goldberg look good without showing up his flaws.

Yeah that's pretty much shit. Goldberg had handled himself just fine every time he was given the opportunity to have a proper competitive match with someone (Saturn, Raven, Hogan). Yes of course he still needed to be in there with someone who could carry him, but there was no shortage of guys at a higher level than Hennig and Konnan who could have done that. In fact when they finally gave him his first proper feud (MONTHS after he won the title) he and DDP ended up having the companies match of the year. It was just a case of WCW having something truly extraordinary on their hands and not knowing what to do with it.

[pgi86]

DDP vs. Goldberg was indeed brilliant. Best match of Goldberg's career and one of DDP's best too.

 

And speaking of Goldberg having great matches, Steiner vs. Goldberg from Fall Brawl 2000 was another great one and one that you could make a case for it being one of WCW's best matches that year.

[d-d-d-dAz]

I loved that Raven/Goldberg match, especially the previously mentioned STOP! sign spot but I'd be amazed if anyone could explain the rolling heel hook spot to me.

 

He spent a couple of minutes chucking Raven into barricades and then went for an intricate leg submission. Odd.

[CTXRussomark]

I loved that Raven/Goldberg match, especially the previously mentioned STOP! sign spot but I'd be amazed if anyone could explain the rolling heel hook spot to me.

 

He spent a couple of minutes chucking Raven into barricades and then went for an intricate leg submission. Odd.

Goldberg used to throw loads of cool stuff like that into his matches during the early days. It was usually incredibly smooth as well, if not a little out of place looking back. He stopped doing it once he realised he only really needed (and the fans only really wanted) the Spear/Jackhammer combo.