Starrcade (1998)
Starrcade | |||
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MCI Center[1] | |||
Attendance | 16,066 | ||
Tagline(s) | Who's Next? The Challenge Has Been Issued. | ||
Pay-per-view chronology | |||
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Starrcade chronology | |||
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The 1998 Starrcade was the 16th annual
The main event was a No Disqualification match between Goldberg and Kevin Nash for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Their feud began when Nash won a battle royal at World War 3, and earned a title match. Other matches included Diamond Dallas Page against The Giant, Eric Bischoff against Ric Flair, and Konnan against Chris Jericho for the WCW World Television Championship.[1] In 2015, All WCW pay-per-views were made available on the WWE Network.
Storylines
The event featured wrestlers from pre-existing feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.[2]
The main feud heading into Starrcade was between Goldberg and Kevin Nash over the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Since his debut, Goldberg started an undefeated streak, and won the title from Hollywood Hogan on the July 6 edition of Nitro.[3] At World War 3, Nash won a battle royal to earn a title match with Goldberg at Starrcade, and their feud began.[4] Heading into Starrcade, Goldberg had an undefeated streak of 173 matches.[1]
The feud between
Event
The first match was a
After the match, Guerrero lectured Mysterio and Guerrera, and challenged Kidman for the title. Kidman accepted, and the match started with Guerrero having the advantage. Kidman fought back with a headscissors takedown, and they went back and forth. After Kidman countered a powerbomb into a sitout facebuster, he attempted a Frankensteiner, but Guerrero held on. After interference from Guerrera and Mysterio, who helped Guerrero and Kidman respectively, Kidman pinned Guerrero after a shooting star press to win the match, and retain the title.
The third match was between
The fourth match was between
Role: | Name: |
---|---|
Commentator | Tony Schiavone |
Bobby Heenan | |
Mike Tenay | |
Interviewer | Gene Okerlund[1] |
Referees | Scott Dickinson |
Mickie Jay | |
Charles Robinson | |
Billy Silverman | |
Ring announcer | Michael Buffer |
David Penzer |
The fifth match was between the team of
The sixth match was between
The seventh match was between
The eighth match was between
The
Aftermath
Goldberg's defeat at Starrcade marked the end of his undefeated streak. On the January 4 episode of Nitro, Kevin Nash was scheduled to face Goldberg in a rematch for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Goldberg was arrested, however, when he was falsely accused of stalking Miss Elizabeth. Instead, Nash faced Hollywood Hogan, who had returned after a hiatus, purportedly to announce his retirement in the wake of his run for President of the United States,[9] and offered to face Nash in place of Goldberg. Nash would lie down and allow Hogan to pin him, effectively handing the title to Hogan, in an incident infamously known as the "Fingerpoke of Doom".[10] The match was followed by a reunion of the New World Order, revealing that Nash's victories at World War 3 and Starrcade had been part of a conspiracy to get the title back on Hogan.[11][12]
After Starrcade, Goldberg
Reception
The event has received generally negative or mixed reviews from critics.
In 2013, Dylan Diot of 411Mania gave the event a rating of "5.0 [Not So Good]," stating, "This did not feel like the biggest show of the year for WCW. Too many pointless matches and a mostly dead crowd made for a dull show. There was also the lack of major star power, with no Sting, Luger, Hogan, or Savage competing. This was a sign of the times for WCW, with horrible booking and too much interference preventing the show from producing memorable moments and satisfying conclusions for the fans. The only things I can recommend are the opening three way and the main event for historical purposes but otherwise you can skip this."[15]
In 2021, Lance Augustine of TJR Wrestling gave the event a rating of "5 out of 10," stating, "I might be a little generous with that rating, but the opening matches with Kidman were both solid, and Goldberg suffering his first loss is a big deal. The rest of the show was so average with guys that weren’t normally featured in big spots. This was WrestleMania for WCW, and most of the matches fell really flat. I didn’t even think Page and The Giant had an outstanding match but both were capable of doing so. The fans were so dead throughout the whole show and only came up when the main event was going on."[16]
In 2023, Michael Fitzgerald of Scott's Blog of Doom! gave the event a review of "Not a recommended show," stating, "The two Cruiserweight matches and the Main Event were strong ways to bookend the show, and I found most of the actual wrestling in the under card to be decent for the most part, so I think I’d give Starrcade 1998 at worst a thumbs in the middle, and possibly even a mild thumbs up. I wouldn’t really recommend you going out of your way to watch anything on it past the first two matches, but those first two matches are great and definitely worth checking out. I can’t recommend the show as a whole though."[17]
Results
No. | Results | ||||
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6 | Konnan (c) defeated Chris Jericho (with Ralphus) by submission | Singles match for the WCW World Television Championship | 7:28 | ||
7 | Eric Bischoff defeated Ric Flair | Singles match | 7:08 | ||
8 | Diamond Dallas Page defeated The Giant | Singles match | 12:45 | ||
9 | Kevin Nash defeated Goldberg (c) | No Disqualification match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship | 11:20 | ||
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References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Powell, John (1998-12-28). "Nash wins title, ends Goldberg's streak". SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - Discovery Communications. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
- ^ "History of the WCW World Championship: Goldberg". World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
- ^ Powell, John (1998-11-23). "Nash dominates WW3". SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b c Milner, John; Kamchen, Richard (2004-11-18). "Ric Flair". SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ The Monday Night War: WWE Raw vs. WCW Nitro (DVD). World Wrestling Entertainment. 2004-02-03. Retrieved 2008-06-02.
- ^ Milner, John (2005-08-14). "Diamond Dallas Page". SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "History of the WCW World Championship: Kevin Nash". World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2008-07-06. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
- ^ Reynolds, R.D.; Alvarez, Bryan (2004). The Death of WCW. ECW Press.
- ^ Reynolds, RD. "Finger Poke Of Doom". WrestleCrap: The Very Worst of Pro Wrestling. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
- ^ Milner, John (2005-10-21). "Kevin Nash". SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "History of the WCW World Championship: Hulk Hogan". World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2008-07-23. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
- ^ Powell, John (1999-01-18). "Hall zapped at Souled Out". SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Powell, John (1999-02-22). "David Flair turns at SuperBrawl". SLAM! Sports. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
- ^ "411Mania".
- ^ "TJR Wrestling".
- ^ "Scott's Blog of Doom!".