Goldberg win streak

The Goldberg win streak was a lengthy series of victories that established the character of American professional wrestler Goldberg, following his debut on WCW Monday Nitro on September 22, 1997. The unprecedented win streak proved to be essential in making Goldberg the breakout star of World Championship Wrestling (WCW), propelling the rookie wrestler to main event status within a year of his first match,[1] and would become a tool used by other promotions to build young stars into main event players.

Background

Beginnings

During the rehab following his NFL injury, Goldberg began powerlifting and mixed martial arts training. He was spotted by Lex Luger and Sting who urged him to try professional wrestling.[2] Although not a fan of professional wrestling, he saw it as an alternative to his fledgling football career and began training at the WCW Power Plant.

Training under the tutelage of DeWayne Bruce, he made his debut as Bill Gold on a dark match at a Monday Nitro event on June 23, 1997 where he defeated Bruce (wrestling as Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker).[3] He also faced and defeated Buddy Landell (Saturday Night dark match), Hugh Morrus (house show), Chip Minton (Nitro dark match) and John Betcha (house show). His final pre-televised appearance was in a dark match on July 24 at a Saturday Night taping in a loss to Chad Fortune.[4][5][6]

The streak begins

Now 5–1, Bill Goldberg had yet to be seen on television. As such, he was "undefeated" when he made his televised debut on Monday Nitro on September 22, 1997. Behind the scenes it was WCW announcer Mike Tenay who came up with the concept of the Goldberg Win Streak.[7] Goldberg was booked to win over Morrus, and thus began a win streak that carried over onto WCW Saturday Night and non-televised house shows. The longer the streak became, the more popular the Goldberg character became.

After rampaging through most of WCW's undercard of wrestlers, Goldberg faced Raven on April 20 edition of Monday Nitro and captured the United States Heavyweight Championship.[8] By June he had eclipsed 100 wins, and was getting over as a main eventer. Hulk Hogan eventually granted Goldberg a title match, which would take place on the July 6, 1998 episode of Nitro held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta with over 40,000 in attendance, but Hogan insisted that Goldberg first had to defeat his nWo stablemate Scott Hall. Goldberg won and later in the evening was also able to defeat Hogan to become the WCW World Heavyweight Champion, in turn vacating his United States Heavyweight Championship.

Conclusion of the streak

"We had been talking about it, from what I can recall, for a couple of months. As I have touched on in previous shows… we were just running out of guys for Goldberg to go through. Once we got to point of whatever it was 173–0 or whatever it was (laughs). It was that point where we had to start telling stories. We had to expand the storytelling process with Bill. We knew it had to be done"

Eric Bischoff on his podcast Bischoff on Wrestling [9]

Now WCW Champion, Goldberg found himself the cornerstone of the company's efforts to stave off the WWF. The former number two promotion was now running neck and neck with WCW, and Goldberg was programmed into a feud with Diamond Dallas Page. At Halloween Havoc, the feud was settled after Goldberg defeated Page to retain the title.[10] According to Goldberg, his match against Page was the favorite match of his career.[11] Following technical issues with the PPV the match was aired for free on the following Monday Nitro; the huge rating that it garnered was the final time that Monday Nitro defeated Monday Night Raw.[12]

As Goldberg moved on to a feud with The Giant, WCW management resorted to embellishing the win streak with fictional victories. Wrestling fans who followed match results online began to catch on as Goldberg's streak grew exponentially, and he began to incur the first backlash of his career.[7]

At Starrcade, Goldberg's undefeated streak ended at an official approximate count of 173–0,[13][14] and after 174 days as champion when he lost the title to Kevin Nash, after Scott Hall, disguised as a ringside security guard, made a run-in and shocked Goldberg with a taser gun.[10]

List of matches
Matches in Goldberg's win streak
Date Location Arena Venue Opponent Result Record
June 23, 1997 Macon, GA Coliseum WCW Nitro dark match Buddy Lee Parker[15] Won by pinfall 1–0
June 24, 1997 Dalton, GA Coliseum WCW Saturday Night dark match Buddy Landell[15] Won by pinfall 2–0
July 14, 1997 Orlando, FL Arena WCW Nitro dark match Hugh Morrus[15] Won by pinfall 3–0
July 17, 1997 Cincinnati, OH The Crown WCW Nitro dark match Chip Minton[15] Won by pinfall 4–0
July 22, 1997 Jacksonville, FL Coliseum house show John Betcha[15] Won by pinfall 5–0
July 24, 1997 WCW Sat Night taping Arena WCW Saturday Night dark match Chad Fortune[4] Lost by pinfall 5–1
September 22, 1997 Salt Lake City, UT E Center WCW Nitro Hugh Morrus[15] Won by pinfall 6–1
September 29, 1997 Worcester, MA Centrum WCW Nitro The Barbarian[15] Won by pinfall 7–1
October 1, 1997 Dalton, GA WCW Saturday Night Roadblock[15] Won by pinfall 8–1
October 10, 1997 Orlando, FL Universal Studios WCW WorldWide Manny Fernandez[15] Won by pinfall 9–1
October 13, 1997 Orlando, FL Universal Studios WCW Worldwide Frankie Lancaster[4] Won by pinfall 10–1
October 13, 1997 Orlando, FL Ice Palace WCW Nitro Scotty Riggs[15] Won by pinfall 11–1
October 14, 1997 Fort Myers, FL WCW Saturday Night Mike Anthony[16] Won by pinfall 12–1
October 20, 1997 Biloxi, MS Mississippi Coast Coliseum WCW Nitro Wrath[15] Won by pinfall 13–1
October 28, 1997 San Bernardino, CA WCW Saturday Night The Renegade[15] Won by pinfall 14–1
November 2, 1997 Norfolk, VA Scope WCW house show Bobby Eaton[15] Won by pinfall 15–1
November 8, 1997 Orlando, FL Universal Studios WCW Worldwide Mark Starr[16] Won by pinfall 16–1
December 16, 1997 Gainesville, GA Georgia Mountains Center WCW Saturday Night The Renegade[15] Won by pinfall 17–1
December 28, 1997 Washington, DC MCI Center WCW Starrcade 97 Steve McMichael[15] Won by pinfall 18–1
December 29, 1997 Baltimore, MD Arena WCW Nitro Glacier[15] Won by pinfall 19–1
January 3, 1998 Columbia, SC Township Auditorium WCW house show Bobby Eaton[8] Won by pinfall 20–1
January 4, 1998 Columbus, GA Civic Center WCW house show Brad Armstrong[8] Won by pinfall 21–1
January 5, 1998 Atlanta, GA Georgia Dome WCW Nitro Stevie Ray[8] Won by pinfall 22–1
January 6, 1998 Rome, GA Forum WCW Saturday Night Barry Horowitz[8] Won by pinfall 23–1
January 8, 1998 Daytona Beach, FL Ocean Center WCW Thunder Steve McMichael[8] Won by pinfall 24–1
January 12, 1998 Jacksonville, FL Coliseum WCW Nitro Jerry Flynn[8] Won by pinfall 25–1
January 15, 1998 Lakeland, FL Jenkins Arena WCW Thunder Chavo Guerrero Jr.[8] No contest 25–1
January 20, 1998 Thibodaux, LA Civic Center WCW Saturday Night Mike Tolbert[8] Won by pinfall 26–1
January 20, 1998 Thibodaux, LA Civic Center WCW Saturday Night Meng[8] Won by pinfall 27–1
January 22, 1998 Huntsville, AL Von Braun Civic Center WCW Thunder Kendall Windham[8] Won by pinfall 28–1
January 26, 1998 Fort Wayne, IN Allen County War Memorial Coliseum WCW Nitro Brad Armstrong[8] Won by pinfall 29–1
January 29, 1998 Memphis, TN Mid-South Coliseum WCW Thunder Yuji Nagata[8] Won by pinfall 30–1
January 31, 1998 Boston, MA Fleet Center WCW Boston Brawl Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker[8] Won by pinfall 31–1
February 2, 1998 San Antonio, TX AlamoDome WCW Nitro Mark Starr[8] Won by pinfall 32–1
February 3, 1998 Corpus Christi, TX WCW Saturday Night Disco Inferno[8] Won by pinfall 33–1
February 5, 1998 Beaumont, TX Civic Center WCW Thunder Jim Powers[8] Won by pinfall 34–1
February 9, 1998 El Paso, TX Don Haskins Center WCW Nitro Lord Steven Regal[8] Won by pinfall 35–1
February 12, 1998 Oklahoma City, OK Myriad WCW Thunder Glacier[8] Won by pinfall 36–1
February 13, 1998 Springfield, MO WCW house show Steve McMichael[8] Won by pinfall 37–1
February 14, 1998 Kansas City, KS Memorial Hall WCW house show Steve McMichael[8] Won by pinfall 38–1
February 14, 1998 Orlando, FL Universal Studios WCW Worldwide Joey Maggs[8] Won by pinfall 39–1
February 16, 1998 Tampa, FL Fairgrounds WCW Nitro Hugh Morrus[8] Won by pinfall 40–1
February 17, 1998 Palmetto, FL Manatee Civic Center WCW Saturday Night Jerry Flynn[8] Won by pinfall 41–1
February 19, 1998 Birmingham, AL Jefferson Civic Center WCW Thunder Fit Finlay[8] Won by pinfall 42–1
February 22, 1998 San Francisco, CA Cow Palace WCW SuperBrawl VIII Brad Armstrong[8] Won by pinfall 43–1
February 26, 1998 Cedar Rapids, IA Five Seasons Center WCW Thunder Rick Fuller[8] Won by pinfall 44–1
March 2, 1998 Philadelphia, PA Corestates Spectrum WCW Nitro Sick Boy[8] Won by pinfall 45–1
March 3, 1998 Johnstown, PA Cambria County Civic Center WCW Nitro Chase Tatum[8] Won by pinfall 46–1
March 5, 1998 Columbus, OH Convention Center WCW Thunder Vincent[8] Won by pinfall 47–1
March 6, 1998 Pittsburgh, PA Palumbo Center WCW house show Yuji Nagata[8] Won by pinfall 48–1
March 7, 1998 Charleston, WV Civic Center WCW house show Yuji Nagata[8] Won by pinfall 49–1
March 7, 1998 Orlando, FL Universal Studios WCW Saturday Night Jerry Flynn[8] Won by pinfall 50–1
March 8, 1998 Johnson City, TN Freedom Hall WCW house show Yuji Nagata[8] Won by pinfall 51–1
March 9, 1998 Winston-Salem, NC Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum WCW Nitro Barry Darsow[8] Won by pinfall 52–1
March 16, 1998 Panama City, FL Club La Vela WCW Nitro Lodi[8] Won by pinfall 53–1
March 18, 1998 Terre Haute, IN Hulman Center WCW Thunder Wayne Bloom[8] Won by pinfall 54–1
March 19, 1998 Troy, OH Hobart Arena WCW house show Brad Armstrong[8] Won by pinfall 55–1
March 20, 1998 Hammond, IN WCW house show Brad Armstrong[8] Won by pinfall 56–1
March 22, 1998 Cincinnati, OH The Crown WCW house show Brad Armstrong[8] Won by pinfall 57–1
March 23, 1998 Louisville, KY Freedom Hall WCW Nitro The Renegade[8] Won by pinfall 58–1
March 25, 1998 Baltimore, MD WCW house show Jerry Flynn[8] Won by pinfall 59–1
March 26, 1998 Fairfax, VA Patriot Center WCW Thunder Jerry Flynn[8] Won by pinfall 60–1
March 27, 1998 Charlottesville, VA WCW house show Jerry Flynn[8] Won by pinfall 61–1
March 28, 1998 Orlando, FL Universal Studios WCW Worldwide Johnny Swinger[4] Won by pinfall 62–1
March 28, 1998 Auburn Hills, MI Palace WCW house show Jerry Flynn[8] Won by pinfall 63–1
March 29, 1998 Milwaukee, WI WCW house show Jerry Flynn[8] Won by pinfall 64–1
March 30, 1998 Chicago, IL United Center WCW Nitro Ray Traylor[8] Won by pinfall 65–1
April 2, 1998 Tampa, FL Ice Palace WCW Thunder Jerry Flynn[8] Won by pinfall 66–1
April 3, 1998 Orlando, FL Universal Studios WCW Worldwide Jerry Flynn[8] Won by pinfall 67–1
April 4, 1998 Orlando, FL Universal Studios WCW Worldwide Terrance Black[8] Won by pinfall 68–1
April 4, 1998 Orlando, FL Universal Studios WCW Worldwide John Nord[8] Won by pinfall 69–1
April 4, 1998 Orlando, FL Universal Studios WCW Worldwide Bobby Blaze[4] Won by pinfall 70–1
April 4, 1998 Orlando, FL Universal Studios WCW Worldwide Jerry Flynn[4] Won by pinfall 71–1
April 6, 1998 Miami, FL Miami Arena WCW Nitro Van Hammer[8] Won by pinfall 72–1
April 10, 1998 Montgomery, AL WCW house show Fit Finlay[8] Won by pinfall 73–1
April 11, 1998 Chattanooga, TN UTC Arena WCW house show Fit Finlay[8] Won by pinfall 74–1
April 13, 1998 Minneapolis, MN Target Center WCW Nitro Rocco Rock[8] Won by pinfall 75–1
April 14, 1998 Mankato, MN WCW Saturday Night Van Hammer[8] Won by pinfall 76–1
April 16, 1998 Fargo, ND FargoDome WCW Thunder Barry Darsow[8] Won by pinfall 77–1
April 19, 1998 Denver, CO Coliseum WCW Spring Stampede 98 Perry Saturn[8] Won by pinfall 78–1
April 20, 1998 Colorado Springs, CO World Arena WCW Nitro Raven[8] Won by pinfall 79–1
April 22, 1998 Columbia, SC Carolina Coliseum WCW Thunder Mike Enos[8] Won by pinfall 80–1
April 27, 1998 Norfolk, VA Scope WCW Nitro Scott Norton[8] Won by pinfall 81–1
April 27, 1998 Norfolk, VA Scope WCW Nitro Jerry Flynn[8] Won by pinfall 82–1
April 28, 1998 Salisbury, MD WCW house show Scott Norton[8] Won by pinfall 83–1
May 5, 1998 Springfield, IL WCW Saturday Night Van Hammer[8] Won by pinfall 84–1
May 5, 1998 Springfield, IL WCW Saturday Night Yuji Nagata[8] Won by pinfall 85–1
May 6, 1998 Des Moines, IA Veterans Memorial Coliseum WCW house show Perry Saturn[8] Won by pinfall 86–1
May 9, 1998 Wichita, KS WCW house show Perry Saturn[8] Won by pinfall 87–1
May 11, 1998 Kansas City, MO Kemper Arena WCW Nitro Len Denton[8] Won by pinfall 88–1
May 14, 1998 Durham, NH Whittemore Center Arena WCW Thunder Sick Boy[8] Won by pinfall 89–1
May 15, 1998 Bangor, ME WCW house show Perry Saturn[8] Won by pinfall 90–1
May 16, 1998 Amherst, MA Mullins Center WCW house show Perry Saturn[8] Won by pinfall 91–1
May 17, 1998 Worcester, MA Centrum WCW Slamboree 98 Perry Saturn[8] Won by pinfall 92–1
May 18, 1998 Providence, RI Civic Center WCW Nitro Glacier[8] Won by pinfall 93–1
May 25, 1998 Evansville, IN Roberts Municipal Auditorium WCW Nitro Johnny Attitude[8] Won by pinfall 94–1
May 26, 1998 Memphis, TN Mid-South Coliseum WCW house show Perry Saturn[8] Won by pinfall 95–1
May 27, 1998 Nashville, TN Municipal Auditorium WCW Thunder Barry Horowitz[8] Won by pinfall 96–1
June 1, 1998 Washington, DC MCI Center WCW Nitro La Parka[8] Won by pinfall 97–1
June 4, 1998 Peoria, IL Civic Center WCW Thunder Hugh Morrus & Barbarian[8] Won by pinfall 98–1
June 5, 1998 Muncie, IN WCW house show Perry Saturn[8] Won by pinfall 99–1
June 6, 1998 Fort Wayne, IN WCW house show Perry Saturn[8] Won by pinfall 100–1
June 7, 1998 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena WCW house show Perry Saturn[8] Won by pinfall 101–1
June 8, 1998 Auburn Hills, MI The Palace WCW Nitro Chavo Guerrero Jr.[8] Won by pinfall 102–1
June 9, 1998 Saginaw, MI Civic Center WCW Saturday Night Raven[8] Won by pinfall 103–1
June 13, 1998 Pittsburgh, PA WCW house show Konnan[8] Won by pinfall 104–1
June 13, 1998 Pittsburgh, PA WCW house show Sting[8] Won by pinfall 105–1
June 14, 1998 Baltimore, MD Arena WCW Great American Bash 98 Konnan[8] Won by pinfall 106–1
June 17, 1998 Philadelphia, PA Corestates Spectrum WCW Thunder Reese[8] Won by pinfall 107–1
June 22, 1998 Jacksonville, FL Coliseum WCW Nitro Rick Fuller[8] Won by pinfall 108–1
June 24, 1998 Orlando, FL WCW Thunder dark match Fit Finlay[8] Won by pinfall 109–1
June 29, 1998 Tampa, FL Ice Palace WCW Nitro Glacier[8] Won by pinfall 110–1
July 6, 1998 Atlanta, GA Georgia Dome WCW Nitro Scott Hall[8] Won by pinfall 111–1
July 6, 1998 Atlanta, GA Georgia Dome WCW Nitro Hulk Hogan[8] Won by pinfall 112–1
July 7, 1998 Macon, GA Coliseum WCW Saturday Night Scott Hall[8] Won by pinfall 113–1
July 8, 1998 Birmingham, AL BJCC WCW Thunder dark match Scott Hall[8] Won by pinfall 114–1
July 10, 1998 Inglewood, CA Great Western Forum WCW LA Melee Curt Hennig[8] Won by pinfall 115–1
July 12, 1998 San Diego, CA Cox Arena WCW Bash at the Beach 98 Curt Hennig[8] Won by pinfall 116–1
July 13, 1998 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand WCW Nitro Curt Hennig[8] Won by pinfall 117–1
July 16, 1998 Oakland, CA Coliseum WCW Thunder dark match The Giant[8] Won by pinfall 118–1
July 17, 1998 Sacramento, CA WCW house show Curt Hennig[8] Won by pinfall 119–1
July 18, 1998 Spokane, WA WCW house show Curt Hennig[8] Won by pinfall 120–1
July 19, 1998 Yakima, WA Sun Dome WCW house show Curt Hennig[8] Won by pinfall 121–1
July 20, 1998 Salt Lake City, UT E Center WCW Nitro dark match The Giant[8] Won by pinfall 122–1
July 26, 1998 New York City, NY Goodwill Games WCW house show Curt Hennig[8] Won by pinfall 123–1
July 27, 1998 San Antonio, TX AlamoDome WCW Nitro Brian Adams[8] Won by pinfall 124–1
July 27, 1998 San Antonio, TX AlamoDome WCW Nitro dark match The Giant[8] Won by pinfall 125–1
August 3, 1998 Denver, CO Coliseum WCW Nitro dark match The Giant[8] Won by pinfall 126–1
August 5, 1998 Casper, WY Events Center WCW Thunder dark match The Giant[8] Won by pinfall 127–1
August 8, 1998 Sturgis, SD Sturgis Rally & Race WCW Road Wild 98 The Giant[8] Won by pinfall 128–1
August 10, 1998 Rapid City, SD Rushmore Plaza Civic Center WCW Nitro Meng[8] Won by pinfall 129–1
August 13, 1998 Fargo, ND FargoDome WCW Thunder dark match The Giant[8] Won by pinfall 130–1
August 17, 1998 Hartford, CT Civic Center WCW Nitro The Giant[8] Won by DQ 131–1
August 26, 1998 Peoria, IL Civic Center WCW Thunder dark match The Giant[8] Won by pinfall 132–1
August 31, 1998 Miami, FL Miami Arena WCW Nitro Al Green (wrestler)[8] Won by pinfall 133–1
September 7, 1998 Pensacola, FL WCW Nitro Scott Putski[8] Won by pinfall 134–1
September 10, 1998 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena WCW Thunder Rick Fuller[8] Won by pinfall 135–1
September 11, 1998 Cincinnati, OH WCW house show The Giant[8] Won by pinfall 136–1
September 14, 1998 Greenville, SC BiLo Center WCW Nitro Sting[8] Won by pinfall 137–1
September 24, 1998 Norfolk, VA Scope WCW Thunder Chris Kanyon[8] Won by pinfall 138–1
September 24, 1998 Norfolk, VA Scope WCW Thunder Raven[8] Won by pinfall 139–1
September 25, 1998 Baltimore, MD Arena WCW house show The Giant[8] Won by pinfall 140–1
September 26, 1998 Fairfax, VA Patriot Center WCW house show Sting[8] Won by pinfall 141–1
October 1, 1998 Norfolk, VA WCW Thunder Raven[16] Won by pinfall 142–1
October 5, 1998 Columbia, SC Carolina Coliseum WCW Nitro Disco Inferno[8] Won by pinfall 143–1
October 10, 1998 Dayton, OH WCW house show The Giant[8] Won by pinfall 144–1
October 10, 1998 Columbus, OH WCW house show The Giant[8] Won by pinfall 145–1
October 11, 1998 Milwaukee, WI WCW house show The Giant[8] Won by pinfall 146–1
October 12, 1998 Chicago, IL United Center WCW Nitro The Giant[8] Won by countout 147–1
October 20, 1998 Mankato, MN WCW Thunder dark match Meng[8] Won by pinfall 148–1
October 21, 1998 Duluth, MN DecC WCW house show Scott Hall[8] Won by pinfall 149–1
October 25, 1998 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand WCW Halloween Havoc 98 Diamond Dallas Page[8] Won by pinfall 150–1
November 6, 1998 Charleston, WV Civic Center WCW house show The Giant[8] Won by pinfall 151–1
November 7, 1998 Pittsburgh, PA Palumbo Center WCW house show The Giant[8] Won by pinfall 152–1
November 8, 1998 Johnstown, PA WCW house show The Giant[8] Won by pinfall 153–1
November 9, 1998 Long Island, NY Nassau Coliseum WCW Nitro Meng[8] Won by pinfall 154–1
November 12, 1998 Roanoke, VA Roanoke Civic Center WCW Thunder dark match The Giant[16] Won by pinfall 155–1
November 23, 1998 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena WCW Nitro The Giant[8] Won by pinfall 156–1
December 7, 1998 Houston, TX AstroDome WCW Nitro Bam Bam Bigelow[8] No Contest 156–1
December 14, 1998 Tampa, FL Ice Palace WCW Nitro Kevin Nash & Bam Bam Bigelow[8] Won by DQ 157–1
December 18, 1998 Tulsa, OK WCW house show The Giant[8] Won by pinfall 158–1
December 19, 1998 Springfield, MO WCW house show The Giant[8] Won by pinfall 159–1
December 20, 1998 Kansas City, MO Kemper Arena WCW house show Bam Bam Bigelow[8] Won by pinfall 160–1
December 21, 1998 St Louis, MO TWA Dome WCW Nitro Scott Hall[8] Won by pinfall 161–1
December 27, 1998 Washington, DC MCI Center WCW Starrcade 98 Kevin Nash[8] Lost by pinfall 161–2

Aftermath

Following the loss, Goldberg was booked against another wrestler who was enjoying an inflated win streak in Sid Vicious and challenged him to a match to end Sid's winning streak.[10] The two feuded with each other, which culminated in a match at Halloween Havoc for Sid's U.S. Title. Goldberg defeated Sid via referee stoppage, and thus won his second United States Heavyweight Championship.[17]

The following year the streak came up against when Goldberg feuded with Vince Russo, who gave him an ultimatum. If Goldberg was to lose another match at any point in time, unless he managed to duplicate his undefeated streak from 1997 to 1998, he would be forced to retire from professional wrestling. Goldberg defeated KroniK (Brian Adams and Bryan Clark) at Halloween Havoc in a handicap elimination match.[10] He then started a feud with Lex Luger.[10] This culminated in a match at Mayhem, which Goldberg won.[10] They continued their rivalry and battled in a rematch at Starrcade.[18][10] Goldberg won the match, but afterwards he was attacked by Luger's partner Buff Bagwell.[10] Goldberg feuded with both Luger and Bagwell, who called themselves "Totally Buffed". His streak was broken at Sin when Goldberg, teaming with his Power Plant trainer DeWayne Bruce, lost to Totally Buffed in a tag team no disqualification match after a "fan" maced him, enabling Totally Buffed to pin him.[10] The storyline was intended to enable Goldberg to have shoulder surgery, but WCW was sold to the WWF in March 2001, while Goldberg was still recuperating.

Validity of the streak

Goldberg's win–loss record at WCW events from 1997 to 1998 differed from that which was perpetuated by the company, with the official figure exaggerating the number of matches in which he won to 173.[19][20][21] Nick Schwartz of Fox Sports wrote: "No one really knows what Goldberg's actual record was... but it's generally accepted that 173–0 is an inflated number".[22] Some of Goldberg's industry peers have stated that the figure was exaggerated.[22] His then-WCW colleague Chris Jericho stated: "One week he'd be 42–0 and seven days later he'd be 58–0. Did stepping on bugs count?"[23] Manager Jimmy Hart, who also worked with Goldberg in WCW, regarded the level of embellishment as "kind of funny", while professional wrestler The Miz said: "The number would just go on and on and on, to where it was like, 'Wait a second. How did he get this many wins in such a short time'?"[24] This exaggeration damaged the streak's credibility among the WCW audience: upon noticing that the figure had been falsified, fans began to withdraw homemade signs trumpeting Goldberg's record.[20]

While officially cited as 173–0, a definitive breakdown of all available match results shows that Goldberg began his career at an untelevised 5–1, and that following his debut he had an actual win streak of 156 consecutive victories with two that ended in No Contest before his Starrcade loss to Kevin Nash.

Legacy

Although André the Giant was billed by the WWF as being undefeated for 15 years, the Goldberg Win Streak was the first lengthy televised win streak used to build a main eventer out of a new character. It is now part and parcel of the Hall of Fame legacy of the Goldberg character,[25] and similar efforts were used to build the characters of Brock Lesnar in 2002,[26] Ryback in 2012,[27] and Asuka in 2017.[28]

See also

References
  1. Coder, Brie (December 12, 2020). "Goldberg On Who Was Behind His Undefeated Streak In WCW". Wrestling Inc. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  2. Pope, Kristian (2005). Tuff Stuff Professional Wrestling Field Guide: Legend and Lore. Krause Publicati. p. 180. ISBN 0896892670.
  3. "WCW 1997". Thehistoryofwwe.com. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  4. "WCW WorldWide Tackles Goldberg's Streak". WCW WorldWide. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02.
  5. "Chad Fortune on Technically Being the First to Beat Goldberg, Goldberg's Heyday in WCW, More | Fightful News".
  6. "5 Superstars Who Defeated Goldberg". 31 October 2015.
  7. Brugnoli, Simone (December 11, 2020). "Reason why WCW ended Goldberg's winning streak". Wrestling World. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  8. "WCW 1998". History of WWe. Archived from the original on 2018-10-14. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  9. Bischoff, Eric (January 5, 2021). "Eric Bischoff Explains The Decision To End Goldberg's Undefeated Streak in WCW". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on January 15, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  10. "Bill Goldberg's Accelerator profile". Accelerator's Wrestling Rollercoaster. Archived from the original on March 16, 2008. Retrieved March 21, 2008.
  11. "Goldberg Reveals Favorite Match in His Career, Why He Was Never Able To Replicate That Match, More". WrestlingInc.com. December 20, 2015. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  12. Featherstone, Chris (July 31, 2019). "Monday Night Wars: Looking Back on Pro Wrestling's Greatest Feud". FanBuzz – Sports News – NFL | NCAA | NBA | WWE. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  13. "Goldberg bio". WWE. Archived from the original on March 12, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  14. Conner, Floyd (2000). "Gridiron Grapplers". Football's Most Wanted (1st ed.). Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books. ISBN 978-1-57488-309-1. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  15. "WCW 1997". History of WWE.
  16. "WCW – Goldberg's Undefeated Streak". Archived from the original on 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  17. "Goldberg's second United States Championship reign". WWE. Archived from the original on March 31, 2008. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
  18. Milner, John. "Bill Goldberg Biography". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2008.
  19. Scherer, Dave (October 27, 2015). "Is WWE dissing Undertaker, pushing Dean, Goldberg's streak and more". PWInsider. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  20. Alvarez, Bryan; Reynolds, R.D. (2004). The Death Of WCW. Toronto: ECW Press. p. 134. ISBN 978-1-55022-661-4.
  21. Martin, Fin (February 26, 2016). "The Mail". Power Slam. Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on February 26, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  22. Schwartz, Nick (October 17, 2016). "How long was Goldberg's undefeated streak?". Fox Sports. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  23. Jericho, Chris; Peter Thomas Fornatale (2008). A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex. London: Orion Books. p. 369. ISBN 978-0-7528-8446-2.
  24. "Who's Next?". The Monday Night War: WWE vs. WCW. Season 1. Episode 10. October 21, 2014. 24 minutes in. WWE Network. WWE.
  25. Rocha, Jesus (August 12, 2011). "Jackhammered into Darkness: The Rise and Fall of Wrestling's Goldberg". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on December 26, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  26. "2002". www.thehistoryofwwe.com. Archived from the original on 2020-07-12. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  27. "2012". www.thehistoryofwwe.com. Archived from the original on 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  28. Chiari, Mike (May 25, 2017). "Goldberg Praises Asuka for Having Longest Undefeated Streak in WWE History". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
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