Retro Reviews: WCW Starrcade 1998

Welcome back to the TJRwrestling retro reviews where we are covering all of the WCW Pay-Per-Views during the “Monday Night War” era. We are fresh off of World War 3, which saw Kevin Nash win the 60-man, three-ring battle royal to set up a title shot with Goldberg for the WCW Heavyweight Title on this show. World War 3 also saw Diamond Dallas Page and Bret Hart have a solid match for the WCW United States Title, but overall, the show was really weak. You can read my complete thoughts on that show and everyone we have covered here. Will WCW be able to turn it around with their biggest show of the year? Let’s find out!

WCW Starrcade
December 27th, 1998
MCI Center in Washington, D.C.

They start the show with a package showcasing Goldberg looking menacing, but that’s all it showed.

We are joined in the arena by the announce team of Tony Schiavone, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, and Mike Tenay. Schiavone says that tonight it’ll be Goldberg’s streak against Kevin Nash, who is hungry for the WCW World Title. They run down the rest of the card on the night before sending it down to a commercial talking about a partnership between WCW and QVC.

Mean Gene Okerlund says that the Four Horsemen, outside of Ric Flair, has been banned from the building so they can’t interfere in Flair’s match later on in the night. He shills the hotline before sending it down to the ring for the first match of the night.

WCW Cruiserweight Title Triangle Match
Billy Kidman (c) vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Juventud Guerrera

Mysterio and Guerrera have been involved in the Latino World Order, or L.W.O, over the last couple of months with Mysterio recently breaking out on his own. Eddie Guerrero sent Guerrera into this match to bring the belt back to the group.

Kidman and Mysterio take the fight to Guerrera right after the bell sounds. Mysterio hits a backbreaker and stomps down on Guerrera on the mat. Kidman hits Guerrera with a dropkick and Mysterio follows that up with a splash in the corner. Kidman tries a German Suplex on Guerrera, but Mysterio hits him by accident and they start going after each other now. Kidman takes on both men and knocks them down to the mat. He perches Guerrera on the top rope, but Mysterio pulls him off. Kidman puts Mysterio on his shoulder and Mysterio turns it into a pinning combination. Kidman and Mysterio have a standoff in the ring before turning their sights to Guerrera again. Guerrera comes off the ropes and hits a double bulldog on both men. Instead of covering anyone, he talks to the camera. Guerrera stays on the offensive with some chops to both guys before getting wiped out with a clothesline from Kidman. Mysterio hits Kidman with a facebuster, but Guerrera breaks up the count. All three men are slow to get back to their feet but when they do, Guerrera sends both Mysterio and Kidman to the outside before coming out after them with a big splash. Guerrera gets them both back in the ring and slowly comes in himself. He climbs up top, but is met with a double dropkick as he comes down. Mysterio and Kidman go at it and the sequence is finished by a Hurricanrana from Guerrera on Mysterio from Kidman’s shoulders.

Kidman recovers and hits a dropkick on Mysterio and a Bulldog on Guerrera. Kidman hits a Sidewalk Slam on Guerrera and starts his climb to the top. He comes off, but Guerrera gets the feet up. Mysterio hits Kidman with a Moonsault, but Guerrera breaks up the count before three. Mysterio and Guerrera go at it with Mysterio hitting a Hurricanrana from the ring to the outside. Impressive-looking move. Kidman hits a dropkick on Mysterio, but can’t pick up the three count. Guerrera gets back in the ring and is hit with a Powerbomb from Kidman for a near fall. Mysterio hits a Bulldog on Kidman, but is taken out with a backbreaker from Guerrera. Kidman and Guerrera fly to the outside, which means Mysterio is coming out after them with a big Moonsault. Mysterio rolls Guerrera into the ring and hits a Hurricanrana off the top rope. Guerrera recovers and hits Mysterio with the Juvi Driver, but Kidman breaks up the pin. Kidman is sitting on the top rope and Mysterio is thrown from Guerrera and he brings Kidman down from the top. Kidman hits Guerrera with a Spinebuster, but Mysterio charges in to break it up. Mysterio and Guerrera fall to the outside and Kidman come out after them with a Shooting Star Press to the outside. Oh, my what a move. Eddie Guerrero makes his way out to the ring and distracts in the ring. In the ring, Kidman rolls Guerrera up, but Eddie comes around and pushes him over so that Guerrera is getting the pin. Mysterio comes in with a dropkick that sends Kidman back over and he gets the win before Mysterio can break it up. The match went 14:56.

Winner and STILL WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Billy Kidman
Match Rating: 3.75/5 Stars

Collective Thoughts: This match was really good, but there were so many near falls that were broken up that it kind of took away from the match. Not a lot, but enough. I thought it was different than a normal match like this because you typically have one guy hang out on the outside as the other two go at it, but here all three men were actively involved in the match the entire time. There was exciting action from start to finish. I ended up liking the match a lot, despite the overuse of near falls. Kidman picking up the win was good, and it really showed that WCW had big plans for him.

After the match, Guerrero gets in the ring and cuts a promo on Mysterio and Guerrera, calling them losers for not getting the job done tonight. Guerrero says when you want something done, you have to do it yourself. He challenges Kidman to a match for the title if he has the guts. Kidman comes back out from the back and accepts the challenge. Guerrero says that he needs time to get ready, but Kidman says if he wants a shot it’s right here, right now. Kidman gets in the ring and is ready to go.

WCW Cruiserweight Title Match
Billy Kidman (c) vs. Eddie Guerrero

Guerrero starts off quickly with a clothesline and stomps Kidman in the corner. He picks him up and hits a Powerbomb for a two count. He hits a chop to the chest of Kidman and works him against the ropes. He picks Kidman up and lets him fall face-first to the mat. Guerrero locks him in an Abdominal Stretch and Guerrera comes over to add leverage, but Mysterio knocks him away. Mysterio tries to get Guerrero to let up, which causes him to slide to the outside and push both Mysterio and Guerrera. Kidman comes back with a dropkick on Guerrero and starts pounding away on him on the mat. Guerrero gets up and takes the knee of Kidman out before locking in a submission hold in the middle of the ring. He lets up and hits Kidman with a stiff uppercut. Mysterio pulls Kidman out of the ring, but Guerrero is right out after him. Kidman reverses a whip and sends Guerrero into the railing at ringside. Guerrero recovers and sends Kidman into the post. He works Kidman into the corner, but he comes back with a Bulldog. He works Guerrero into the corner with some kicks and punches. He puts Guerrero in a Sleeper Hold, but Guerrero breaks the hold with a Jawbreaker. Guerrero and Kidman exchange blows in the ring before Kidman hits a clothesline. He charges in after Guerrero, but Eddie took hit boot off and smashes Kidman in the head with it. He throws the boot out of the ring before he hits Kidman with a Brainbuster. He climbs up top, but Kidman meets him there and they both come off the rope with a Superplex. Guerrero gets back to his feet and takes out the knee of Kidman before getting him in a submission hold. Guerrero takes him down with a Hurricanrana and tries a Powerbomb, but Kidman reverses it into a Facebuster. Kidman stomps away on Guerrero and slams him down to the mat. He comes from the apron with a leg drop and covers Guerrero for a two-count. Kidman goes for a Frankensteiner off the top, but Guerrero holds on and slams him down. They battle on the top again, but Kidman pushes him off. He goes for The Shooting Star Press, but Guerrera knocks him off. Mysterio comes in and takes out Guerrero which allows Kidman to climb back up and hit it to pick up the win after 10:48.

Winner and STILL WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Billy Kidman
Match Rating: 3.25/5 Stars

Collective Thoughts: Another solid outing for Kidman, who was on the first 40-minutes of this show. Guerrero wrestled this match in street clothes and even wrestled the second half with one shoe on. I thought this match was also good but never got to that next gear. Kudos to Kidman for wrestling two standout matches to start off a big WCW show.

Norman Smiley vs. Prince Iaukea

Smiley starts things off by locking up Iaukea, but he quickly fights out. Smiley hits from chops to the chest and tries a kick, but Iaukea catches it and sends him to the outside with a dropkick. He flips off the apron to the outside on top of Smiley before rolling him back in the ring. Smiley comes back and works Iaukea into the corner and hits some stiff chops to the chest. He ties Iaukea up on the mat before getting up and stomping down on the head. Iaukea makes a comeback and fires up, but Smiley takes him out before he gets a chance to get anything going. He hits Iaukea with a creative Scoop Slam and wraps his legs around the head. Iaukea fights out and tries a rollup but Smiley quickly gets out and continues to stay on the offensive. Iaukea starts to fight back with some shots to the head and a clothesline in the corner. He tries a suplex, but Smiley reverses it into one of his own. He hits Iaukea with a Double-Underhook Slam, but Iaukea gets hit foot under the rope which breaks the count. Iaukea comes back with a series of chops, but is taken down again. Smiley has a back and forth with the fans which allows Iaukea to roll him up for a two count. Smiley is back up and continues to stretch Iaukea. Smiley hits a double-stomp across the chest before Iaukea gets back to his feet and takes Smiley down to the mat. He hits a headbutt on the mat, and Smiley rolls out of the ring. Iaukea quickly rolls him back in and he starts hitting Smiley with some offense, but Smiley cuts him off again. They go into a backslide spot, but neither man goes over. Smiley tries to get The Crossface Chickenwing on and when he finally does, Iaukea taps out. The match lasted 11:31.

Winner: Norman Smiley
Match Rating: DUD

Collective Thoughts: I like these guys, but this match overstayed its welcome early on in the match. The crowd booed some of it and it just felt like it dragged on longer than it should have, especially because a lot of it was the same spots done multiple times. Smiley winning made the most sense here since Iaukea was only making sporadic appearances at this point. This match going over ten minutes is a head-scratching move for sure.

Scott Hall makes his way down to the ring with an Outsiders T-Shirt on. Hall, over the last few months, is a man without a group. He was in NWO Hollywood, but they soon turned on him. Nash doesn’t trust him, but they did work together in the Battle Royal last month. Hall grabs a mic and does his usual promo. “Being in Washington D.C. for the holidays is just TOO SWEET”. Hall says that 1998 has been a rough year for him and he lost everything he cares about. Hall says that later tonight his friend Kevin Nash has a huge opportunity tonight. He says they ran the roads together talking about how awesome it would be to be at the top of the wrestling world. Hall says that everyone has said he needs to prove himself, but he doesn’t need to prove himself to anybody. Hall says he is ready to kiss 1998 goodbye and that 1999 is the year of Scott Hall.

Collective Thoughts: That was an awesome promo from Hall. He mentioned everything that has been going on in his life, in-ring and out of it, and he laid it out there. It came off as a genuine, and heart-felt promo. I was a big fan of this segment.

They show a package of Bam Bam Bigelow running through guys on the roster backstage. He takes out Hall before Nash and Goldberg tell him to back off. That ends up with the three of them having a Triangle Match, which Goldberg won.

Ernest “The Cat” Miller (w/ Sonny Onoo) vs. Saturn

Miller grabs a mic and says that legally he has to give Saturn 5-seconds to leave the ring. If he is still there after 5-seconds, he will tear Saturn apart. Miller starts counting as Saturn winds up and hits a shot to the head and that sends Miller to the outside.

Miller charges back in the ring, but Saturn turns around and starts stomping on him. He works him into the corner and hits some punches to the head, but somehow Miller slides out and gets out of the ring. Back in the ring, Miller begs Saturn to let up before he gets a thumb to the eye and gain control of the match. He works Saturn against the ropes and stomps down on him on the mat. Saturn comes back with a pinning combination and takes control of the match. He ties Miller up on the mat with a series of submissions before Miller slides to the outside again. He gets back in the ring and takes advantage of Saturn with some shots to the head. Saturn comes back a little bit and both men exchange blows. Saturn hits him with a suplex and a boot to the face. He takes Miller over with another suplex, but Miller kicks out at two. Saturn climbs up top and comes off, but he falls short and Miller kicks him in the head. Miller hits another kick and tells Sonny Onoo to get in the ring. Onoo is in and sets up to kick Saturn, but he hits Miller instead. Saturn takes advantage and hits a Death Valley Driver to pick up the win after 7:07.

Winner: Saturn
Match Rating: 1/5 Stars

Collective Thoughts: This was a below-average match for these guys. Both of these guys could work, but this didn’t have much heat to it. Saturn has been feuding with a few different guys over the last couple of months and usually has solid outings. This one didn’t quite click.

Okerlund is in the entranceway and welcomes his guest, Ric Flair. Okerlund brought up the Horsemen being barred from the building and asks Flair has how he feels about it. Flair says he told the guys that they can leave because Eric Bischoff is getting his ass kicked tonight. Flair says he is going to beat Bischoff up piece-by-piece. He says Bischoff will be in The Figure Four until his legs don’t work anymore and Bischoff will know what it means to be in the ring with Ric Flair. Fired up promo from Flair here.

They show a package of the formation of The NWO and ever since Bischoff joined the group, he has been throwing his power around and Flair has been trying to stop it.

There is something going on in the back and it’s Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell breaking into Konnan’s locker room. Steiner says that he told Luger that he wouldn’t hit him, but he won’t extend the same courtesy to Konnan. Luger comes in to break it up as it ends.

Bryan Adams & Scott “Flash” Norton (w/ Vincent) vs. Fit Finley & Jerry Flynn

It is announced as entrances are being made that the main event between Nash and Goldberg is now No Disqualification.

Adams and Finley are starting the match off for their teams. Finley comes off the ropes, but is met with a boot to the face. Adams hits a big clothesline in the corner before sending Finley to the other side and getting hit with one of his own. Finley continues pounding on Adams and hits some stiff shots to the head, but finds himself in pain after running his shoulder into the post. Norton makes a tag in and hits Finley with a big Powerslam. Flynn comes in to assist, but both men getting taken out with a Norton clothesline. Flynn makes a tag into the match and hits Norton with a kick to the head of Norton before he tags Adams back into the match. Adams wants a test of strength, but Flynn hits him with a chop instead. Flynn hits the ropes, but is hit by Vincent, and that allows Adams to drop him with a backbreaker. Flynn recovers and hits Adams with a kick to the face and makes a tag to Finley. He comes in and knocks Adams down to the mat before tying him up. Finley sends Adams into the ropes, but he stops in his tracks and hits Finley with a Piledriver. He tags Norton back in the match and he continues the assault on Finley. Norton works Finley into the corner and hits some chops to the chest before he sends him to the other side and charges in with a clothesline. Finley slides to the outside, but Adams meets him there and takes him down to the floor. Norton chops Finley across the chest and hits a Shoulderbreaker. Adams is back in the match and they hit a double-team move on Finley. He comes back with a jawbreaker on Adams and follows that up with a DDT. Finley comes off the second rope, but Adams gets a foot to the face. Adams hits a gutbuster on Finley and pounds on the back. Finley makes a tag to Flynn as Adams also makes a tag to Norton. Flynn hits a flurry of kicks on Norton, but is taken out by Adams from behind. Norton hits Flynn with a Powerbomb to win the match after 8:56.

Winner(s): Bryan Adams & Scott Norton
Match Rating: 1/5 Stars

Collective Thoughts: This was another match that had no heat to it and the fans were sitting on their hands. This is the first time I can remember seeing Jerry Flynn getting a match on a big show like this. Finley and Flynn aren’t a team so there were some awkward parts and the match as a whole was just rushed and it never clicked.

Gene is back and says he wants to hear both sides of the story and he asked Eric Bischoff to come out and join him. He says that tonight he is taking on Ric Flair and Bischoff says that Gene is right and he says that is profoundly sorry for the pain he caused to the Flair family. Bischoff says that he wants to set the record straight. Bischoff says that Flair has been pushing himself past his physical capability and that he isn’t going to last much longer. Bischoff says the reason Flair even took the match is that he is broke. Bischoff says the difference between him and Flair is that the company pays for all his travel, while Flair has been covering everything out of his own pocket. He leaves Gene and heads to the back.

They show a package for the next match between Chris Jericho and Konnan.

WCW Television Title Match
Konnan (c) vs. Chris Jericho (w/ Ralphus)

Jericho grabs a mic and tells Konnan to pull up his pants and be in proper attire like his man Ralphus. Classic Jericho stuff.

They tie up in the center of the ring with both men exchanging blows before Jericho hits a shoulder block. They go back and forth on the ropes with Konnan taking advantage with a dropkick to the head. Jericho recovers and takes Konnan down with a dropkick of his own. Jericho climbs up to the top rope and comes off but Konnan easily evades it. Jericho slides to the outside and sends Konnan into the steps as he comes out after him. Jericho continues to pound on Konnan and gets a foot to the face. He sends Konnan into the post before rolling him back into the ring. Jericho hits a suplex and does his foot on the chest cover for a two count and he grabs a chin lock. Konnan fights out and comes off the ropes, but Jericho gets a high knee to stop him in his tracks. Jericho chops Konnan in the corner and he drives his foot into the throat of Konnan. Jericho hits a Scoop Slam and climbs up top and comes off, but Konnan has his foot up. Konnan hits a rolling clothesline and rolls him up for a two-count. Jericho hits a Jawbreaker as they get back up and that forces Konnan out of the ring. Jericho comes out after him with a splash, but he moves and Jericho hits all stairs. Back in the ring, Konnan gets a kick in and goes for his facebuster, but Jericho fights him off and attempts The Liontamer. Konnan fights out and the referee takes a bump in the process. Jericho hits Konnan with the title belt and covers him, but Konnan gets a shoulder up at two. He slaps Konnan in the head and sends him into the ropes, but Konnan ducks and hits a Facebuster. He puts Jericho in The Tequila Sunrise and Jericho taps out after 7:28.

Winner and STILL WCW Television Champion: Konnan
Match Rating: 2/5 Stars

Collective Thoughts: This was a back and forth match that didn’t have a lot of dull moments in it. Both men hit all of their stuff and it looked smooth, which you can expect out of these two. Jericho’s time in WCW is winding down at this point, so him coming up short here isn’t surprising. I liked it, but didn’t love it.

Ric Flair vs. Eric Bischoff

The Horsemen are barred from the building to give this match more of a fair chance.

Flair gets in the ring and Bischoff slides out immediately. Flair catches him and hits him with some chops and shots to the head against the railing. He throws Bischoff back in the ring and continues the assault on the inside. Flair grabs at the face and punches Bischoff across the nose. Flair pounds on him in the corner and chops him down to the mat. Flair hits a knee drop before continuing to stomp away on Bischoff. Bischoff starts favoring the knee and says it hurts, but Flair isn’t fazed and continues working on the “bad” wheel. Flair works him into the corner and starts to argue with the referee which allows Bischoff to get a kick to the head of Flair that sends him to the outside of the ring. Bischoff celebrates in the ring as Flair gets back in and he hits some attacks on him. Flair throws Bischoff off and starts to fire up before hitting a low blow right in front of the referee. He hits another one and drops a knee in the groin of Bischoff. He takes Bischoff’s shirt off and hits some chops across the chest. You could hear him say “here they come, brother” on the camera audio. He pushes the referee away and continues to pound on Bischoff in the corner. Flair hits a suplex on Bischoff and puts him in The Figure Four in the middle of the ring. Bischoff is tapping out, but the referee is out. Curt Hennig comes down to the ring and puts something on the fist of Bischoff. He punches Flair and the referee wakes up in enough time to count the pin. The match went 7:08.

Winner: Eric Bischoff
Match Rating: 1.5/5 Stars

Collective Thoughts: This was less of a match and more of an angle. Flair beat on Bischoff for the entire match except for a few moments of Bischoff’s offense. Flair pushing the referee down and the bump that followed was hilarious. Hennig getting involved was surprising since he has been out of action for the last couple of months due to an injury. Who would have thought that Eric Bischoff holds a victory over Ric Flair?

There is a package going over the next match between Diamond Dallas Page and The Giant and how we got to this match.

Diamond Dallas Page vs. The Giant

Page has been feuding with Bret Hart over the last couple of weeks, including at World War 3, but has recently set his sights on taking down The Giant as of late.

The Giant spits his gum out at Page, and Page follows by spitting in the face of The Giant. Both men exchange blows before Page clotheslines him over the top rope to the floor. He pounds on The Giant on the outside, but soon finds himself on the receiving end of a big clothesline by The Giant. He sends Page into the railing and he lands on a garbage can. He hits The Giant with it, but is soon thrown into the stairs at ringside. The Giant pulls him shoulder-first into the post before doing the same thing on the other side of the ring. He presses Page over his head and tosses him to the inside of the ring from the outside. That was pretty impressive. He works on the leg of Page back in the ring and continues to keep him grounded. He locks Page up, but Page starts to fight back and gets The Giant to break it up. He pulls himself up by the ropes only to be taken down with a chop to the chest. The Giant hits a series of headbutts before locking him in a Bearhug. He throws Page to the mat and comes back with a Powerslam, but pulls Page up before three. He pulls Page back to his feet and gets him in another Bearhug, only this time Page fights out and fires up. He bites on the face of The Giant and tries to roll him up but he can’t get him over. The Giant hits a massive backbreaker to break Page’s momentum. The Giant hits another chop to the chest and sends Page into the ropes, but Page comes back with a DDT and both men are down. He crawls over for a cover, but The giant kicks him off with authority. That brings Bret Hart down to the ring with a chair. He goes to hit Page, but he ducks and Hart wipes out The Giant. Page covers him, but he gets a shoulder up at one. Page comes off the top with multiple shoulder blocks and signals for The Diamond Cutter. He climbs up top again, but The Giant catches him in a chokeslam. Page hits a low blow in front of the referee only to have The Giant grab him around the throat again. He picks Page up to the top rope and Page comes off with a Super Diamond Cutter to pick up the win after 12:45.

Winner: Diamond Dallas Page
Match Rating: 2/5 Stars

Collective Thoughts: This was a solid match for the most part. Both of these guys were veterans at this point and they went out and had a good match. Page sold really well in this one since The Giant was on the offensive for most of it. Bret Hart staying involved with Page as well as Page hitting a big Diamond Cutter for the win were the highlights of the match.

WCW World Heavyweight Title Match
Goldberg (c) vs. Kevin Nash

Both men lock up and we are underway. Goldberg works him into the corner, but Nash pushes him away. Nash gets a headlock on only to be dropped on his back with a back suplex to break the hold. Nash slides to the outside while Goldberg stands in the ring. Nash hits some big blows to the head before dropping an elbow to the back of the head. He hits some high knees in the corner and continues clubbing away on Goldberg. He gets his foot to the throat, but Goldberg powers his way out of it. He pounds and chokes Nash on the mat and both men go for submission holds. Goldberg pounds on Nash in the corner now and hits some big shots to the head that knocks Nash down to the mat. Nash pulls Goldberg down and he goes headfirst into the second turnbuckle. Nash goes for a boot as Goldberg comes off the ropes, but he ducks it and takes Nash down with a Spear. He picks Nash up by the hair, but Nash hits another low blow right in front of the referee. Nash takes advantage and hits a Sidewalk Slam for a two-count. Nash comes off the ropes to hit an elbow for another near fall. Nash puts Goldberg in the ropes and hits a splash that squashes Goldberg against them. Nash hits a shot to the back as Goldberg gets up and continues to do it until Goldberg comes back with a back kick to the midsection. Nash sends him into the ropes and hits a clothesline, but can’t put Goldberg away. Goldberg comes back with a Swinging Neckbreaker and he slams Nash down to the mat for a two-count. Goldberg hits a sidekick and powers Nash on his shoulder and slams him down. Goldberg hits a spin kick and that sends Disco Inferno down to the ring and he of course gets destroyed by Goldberg. Bam Bam Bigelow is out next, but is sent to the outside. Goldberg gets in the corner, and there is Scott Hall with a Stun Gun. He hits Goldberg with it. Nash picks him up and hits The Jackknife Powerbomb and pins Goldberg to break the streak and win the title after 11:20.

Winner and NEW WCW Heavyweight Champion: Kevin Nash
Match Rating: 2/5 Stars

Collective Thoughts: There is a lot to go over with this match. First off, it was Goldberg’s first defeat on TV. He had run through everyone else up to this point and had never been beaten. I said during my Halloween Havoc 1998 review that I would have Page beat Goldberg on that show and it would have felt more satisfying. Nash has said in interviews that people have accused him of booking himself to beat Goldberg, but according to him, he didn’t join the committee until February of the next year. He also mentioned that people were starting to chant “Goldberg Sucks” which did come through on the broadcast. I don’t know who is right and who is wrong, but I do know this felt like a cheap way to have Goldberg suffer his first loss. I know you want some interference to keep Goldberg strong, but it just felt like a mess. I thought the match was solid up until the shenanigans at the end, so it had that going for it. This is one of the most famous (or infamous) finishes of all time and one that is still talked about to this day. Watching it back in 2021, I still feel like it was the wrong move, but it was over 20 years ago.

After the match, Nash looks on as Goldberg slides out of the ring. Nash celebrates in the ring with the title as the show goes off the air.

Overall Show Rating: 5 out of 10

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. Overall, the last couple of shows have been mediocre and we are getting into the meat of wrestling history with 1999 and 2000-era WCW coming down the pike. We are in the home stretch with the shows, and I hope to see you all continue to follow along with our trips down memory lane.

What did you think of Starrcade 1998? Loved it? Hated it? Thought Page should have ended the Streak? Either way, keep the conversation going over @collectiveheel on Twitter, and let me know your thoughts. Take care of yourselves and each other. I will be back soon enough with some more Collective Thoughts.