The undefeated streak of Goldberg in WCW will widely be regarded as one of the key things that kept WCW popular at the height of the Monday Night Wars. The end of it is usually considered one of the turning points that arguably contributed to the decline of the company as well.
Kevin Nash ultimately ended his undefeated streak, but Dusty Rhodes was a champion for someone else to be the one to end it. Recently speaking to Inside the Ropes, Diamond Dallas Page revealed Dusty Rhodes pushed hard for DDP to be the one to end the streak.
Page and Rhodes were very close friends and Rhodes wanted to do something big to get Page over, pitching the idea for Page to defeat Goldberg at Halloween Havoc 1998, a couple months prior to it ending at Starrcade 98. In the interview, Page revealed that Dusty went to Eric Bischoff with the idea, only for it to be rejected because WCW was set to have the title featured on Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide.
“That night, I never knew it until later, But Dusty Rhodes went to Eric and said… [Impersonating Dusty] “You know, E, this night tonight could be Dallas’ night.” And Eric didn’t drop the strap on me that night because Goldie was going to be on Entertainment Weekly, big magazine in our country, and TV Guide, when that meant something, wearing the title the next day. What would have been great as if I’d have heard that. Oh, my God, I would have… Because it made sense for me to beat him. And it would have just bumped me up to that Austin level. It would have, really. Especially to beat him clean. It would have taken me to a different spot.”
Page wound up not defeating Goldberg, but lost to some underhanded tactics thanks to Kevin Nash utilizing Scott Hall and a taser a couple months later. While Page didn’t get the opportunity to be on the cover of magazines, Page did do pretty well later being involved in more mainstream media a couple years later as one of the main antagonists of Ready To Rumble. It’s arguable which scenario worked out better for Page. You can watch the rest of the interview below.
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