Goldberg On 1998 WCW Title Match With DDP: “I Knocked Myself Out”
Bill Goldberg has revealed what happened to him after he delivered a Spear to Diamond Dallas Page during their WCW World Title match at Halloween Havoc 1998.
When WCW Halloween Havoc 1998 rolled around, Goldberg was a dominant World Champion that won the title three months earlier against “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan. Three months later, Goldberg had to face one of his toughest tests yet when he faced off with another popular wrestler, Diamond Dallas Page. They would end up having Goldberg’s longest match of his career at that point.
While appearing on Chris Jericho’s Talk is Jericho podcast, Goldberg recalled the match while noting that even though Goldberg knocked himself out during the match, it was also one of his favorite matches:
“I’m pretty proud of that one, man. I Speared him and knocked myself out, then I was able to get him up in the Jackhammer and finish the match off. I think for that reason alone…that, and I pretty much dispelled the rumour that I couldn’t go more than two minutes in the ring. It [match duration] was completely dependent on who was leading me.”
Goldberg went on to share that DDP really wanted the match to be great and handed Goldberg a 40-page layout for what he wanted in the match!
“Unbeknownst to the public, I didn’t have to give the 14 spears that Dallas actually wanted me to give him in the 40-page dissertation of a match that he handed me!”
Goldberg went on to retain the WCW World Title against DDP thanks to the Jackhammer that won Goldberg many matches over his WWE Hall of Fame career. The match went 10:29 in front of a hot crowd in Las Vegas. Unfortunately for fans watching at home, the broadcast went over three hours long and all of the pay-per-view providers weren’t aware of that, so the show cut off before the match even started. WCW would end up showing the Goldberg-DDP match in full on Nitro.
The first WCW World Title reign of Goldberg would come to an end two months later at Starrcade 1998 when he lost to Kevin Nash thanks to Nash’s friend Scott Hall using a taser on Goldberg, which was not seen by the referee. It was also the end of Goldberg’s 173-match win streak, which was the number WCW used on their television show even though it was inflated.