Goldberg's 5 greatest undefeated streak matches
Today, it was made official that Goldberg would headline the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2018. The news doesn't come as a surprise to most, as he's riding a wave of goodwill following his hugely successful comeback last year, which saw him win the Universal Championship at age 50.
Goldberg made himself a megastar in the business much earlier though, during the most intense period of the Monday Night Wars. From his debut on Nitro in September 1997 to Starrcade in 1998, Goldberg went undefeated. Though the streak total of 173 is unanimously regarded as inflated, the success of his undefeated run isn't.
Goldberg became a household name in 1998 at exactly the same time Stone Cold Steve Austin was at his peak. That year was about Goldberg as much as it was about Austin. "Who's Next?" was as ubiquitous as Austin 3:16. It all testified to Goldberg's popularity even though WCW had passed its peak as a company.
Goldberg's streak was huge, and these were the very best matches in it, the ones that made him a megastar and set up his ascent into the Hall of Fame 20 years later.
#5 Goldberg vs. Wrath (Monday Nitro, October 20th, 1997)
A month after his debut, this was Goldberg's breakout match. It was set up perfectly. Wrath tried to intimidate the rookie with his eerie spectacle of an entrance, but Goldberg destroyed him before he could even take his entrance attire off. The entrance lasted far longer than the match.
Believe it or not, Goldberg's first few matches didn't see him using his spear, and this might have been the one that saw its introduction. The spear/jackhammer combo was born and with it, Goldberg established himself as a gladiator that would smash through any opposition. The public responded with delight.