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Post by Celexa Bliss on Jul 5, 2023 23:36:32 GMT -5
Still remember this night. My mom and nana took us to see Mulan. We got home early enough for me to see the Goldberg-Hall match that happened in hour 2, but Raw was already on the air and my dad wanted to watch that instead. That was the night they advertised a triple threat main event between Undertaker, Kane and Mankind for the title shot at SummerSlam, only for Undertaker to disguise himself as Kane and beat Mankind. He let me watch Nitro, but in the middle of the Goldberg/Hogan match, insisted on flipping to Raw to see their main event. Thank goodness for the Nitro overrun lol flipped it back in time to see the appearances by DDP, Karl Malone and Curt Hennig and of course, the big crowning moment.
I was a big Goldberg fan that summer, but of course, like all good things in WCW at the time, it was ruined by egos. Goldberg never had a proper title run, most of his matches were squashes on Thunder, with the occasional big Nitro match against guys like The Giant or Sting, who's main event credibility was nonexistent by that point in 1998. They pulled the trigger too soon, all to spike a rating, and ended it way too soon (in idiotic fashion, too), all to stroke a few egos.
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Squirrel Master
Hank Scorpio
"Then the Squirrel Master came out of left field and told me I'm his bitch!"
Posts: 6,710 
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Post by Squirrel Master on Jul 6, 2023 1:49:16 GMT -5
Goldberg was a worthy champion. No one could hang with him. Loved this Megadeath video where he just lined them all up and ran them over. Indeed, Goldberg ruled the ring.
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Mozenrath
FANatic
Foppery and Whim
Speedy Speed Boy
Posts: 122,180
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Post by Mozenrath on Jul 6, 2023 2:00:20 GMT -5
Heenan calling the title win and treating it as THE culmination of his long, storied feud with Hogan was just fantastic. Maybe the best commentating of his entire career in terms of how credibly he delivered it, how authentic it came across. In general, despite WCW's usual issues with presentation, this was 10/10 across the board, not just from him. Also, I will give credit to Hogan. Letting Goldberg take three leg drops in a row, and then not just kick out, but POWER out, that was big of him. We know he didn't have to do that, but he had enough humility, at least this one night, to know it was the right thing to do here.
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Post by "The Natural" Bustin Loads on Jul 6, 2023 3:02:21 GMT -5
WCW's best moment
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Post by JasonVoorhees1988 on Jul 6, 2023 4:16:58 GMT -5
Heenan calling the title win and treating it as THE culmination of his long, storied feud with Hogan was just fantastic. Maybe the best commentating of his entire career in terms of how credibly he delivered it, how authentic it came across. In general, despite WCW's usual issues with presentation, this was 10/10 across the board, not just from him. Also, I will give credit to Hogan. Letting Goldberg take three leg drops in a row, and then not just kick out, but POWER out, that was big of him. We know he didn't have to do that, but he had enough humility, at least this one night, to know it was the right thing to do here. People rag on Hogan with the "That doesn't work for me brother" BS. But looking at his career he did what was right for business most of the time. |
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Post by JasonVoorhees1988 on Jul 6, 2023 4:17:40 GMT -5
I'd rate Hogan's heel turn slightly above this. Def the best Nitro moment tho. |
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Post by Hacksaw Chuggin' on Jul 6, 2023 5:41:41 GMT -5
Heenan calling the title win and treating it as THE culmination of his long, storied feud with Hogan was just fantastic. Maybe the best commentating of his entire career in terms of how credibly he delivered it, how authentic it came across. In general, despite WCW's usual issues with presentation, this was 10/10 across the board, not just from him. Also, I will give credit to Hogan. Letting Goldberg take three leg drops in a row, and then not just kick out, but POWER out, that was big of him. We know he didn't have to do that, but he had enough humility, at least this one night, to know it was the right thing to do here. People rag on Hogan with the "That doesn't work for me brother" BS. But looking at his career he did what was right for business most of the time. I can't remember whose book it was in (perhaps RD's), but they said that the only reason Hogan suggested the match was due to the Turner executives being at the Georgia Dome and when they saw the gate, would naturally assume that Hogan was the pull, therefore giving him more leverage in his next contract negotiations. |
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tafkaga
Samurai Cop
the Dogfather
Posts: 2,457
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Post by tafkaga on Jul 6, 2023 8:22:21 GMT -5
This was my first summer after high school and I was working to help a neighbor tear the roof off his house and looking forward to watching it after work. I was not a Goldberg fan, and was suspending disbelief hoping for a Hogan victory, but I knew Hogan didn't have a chance. It was such a great atmosphere and great moment, even if it wasn't the outcome I wanted.
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Post by JasonVoorhees1988 on Jul 6, 2023 8:28:08 GMT -5
People rag on Hogan with the "That doesn't work for me brother" BS. But looking at his career he did what was right for business most of the time. I can't remember whose book it was in (perhaps RD's), but they said that the only reason Hogan suggested the match was due to the Turner executives being at the Georgia Dome and when they saw the gate, would naturally assume that Hogan was the pull, therefore giving him more leverage in his next contract negotiations. I mean... He'd be right. Goldberg wasn't gonna draw that crowd by himself. |
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Post by JasonVoorhees1988 on Jul 6, 2023 8:29:43 GMT -5
This was my first summer after high school and I was working to help a neighbor tear the roof off his house and looking forward to watching it after work. I was not a Goldberg fan, and was suspending disbelief hoping for a Hogan victory, but I knew Hogan didn't have a chance. It was such a great atmosphere and great moment, even if it wasn't the outcome I wanted. As a kid, I hated Goldberg lol. I was a Hulk-A-Maniac & A big Raven fan. And he beat them both lol. As I got older I started to actually like him. |
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Mozenrath
FANatic
Foppery and Whim
Speedy Speed Boy
Posts: 122,180
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Post by Mozenrath on Jul 6, 2023 13:42:23 GMT -5
People rag on Hogan with the "That doesn't work for me brother" BS. But looking at his career he did what was right for business most of the time. I can't remember whose book it was in (perhaps RD's), but they said that the only reason Hogan suggested the match was due to the Turner executives being at the Georgia Dome and when they saw the gate, would naturally assume that Hogan was the pull, therefore giving him more leverage in his next contract negotiations. That'd be his prerogative, but that doesn't necessarily change anything about how they did the actual title change. Once the tickets are sold, does he have to have his finisher completely shrugged off? Like with Luger (but weirdly not with Sting), Hogan knew he had to make the title change look good and heroic. Of course, none of that changes that he did also do really self-serving things, like Hogan is still totally a rat, like when he sold out Ventura's union attempt. But, he was a shrewd enough business man to know Goldberg was money. |
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Post by thegame415 on Jul 6, 2023 14:23:04 GMT -5
Vividly remember watching this with my mom. She wasn't a fan before then, but she started watching every week.
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Post by "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay on Jul 6, 2023 14:40:12 GMT -5
Heenan calling the title win and treating it as THE culmination of his long, storied feud with Hogan was just fantastic. Maybe the best commentating of his entire career in terms of how credibly he delivered it, how authentic it came across. In general, despite WCW's usual issues with presentation, this was 10/10 across the board, not just from him. Also, I will give credit to Hogan. Letting Goldberg take three leg drops in a row, and then not just kick out, but POWER out, that was big of him. We know he didn't have to do that, but he had enough humility, at least this one night, to know it was the right thing to do here. Brain's work slipped immensely in WCW but this night may be his single best call |
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Post by Magic knows Black Lives Matter on Jul 6, 2023 14:52:52 GMT -5
I feel like people even now kinda under-estimate how intelligent Hogan was as a backstage political force and in hindsight, this really does have those fingerprints all over them.
Having the match on Nitro for the quick return, immediately running off when he lost the belt so if there just so happened to be a downturn in business, he's got a big smoking gun of who can be blamed for it. Even putting Goldberg over strong kinda just comes off like Hogan knowing he'll need another dragon to slay when he comes back on top as well as the political ammo of "I put Goldberg over in the Georgia Dome, NEVER QUESTION MY INTENTIONS AGAIN!"
Hogan was an asshole but not a dumb one. ...Well, at least not here.
Still a very cool moment and an important one in wrestling history but yeah, certainly does have a more cynical tone to it once you understand all the nonsense happening backstage.
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Post by discoelysium on Jul 6, 2023 14:54:30 GMT -5
Heenan's last great performance, and up there with RR 92 as his greatest performance.
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Post by discoelysium on Jul 6, 2023 14:58:46 GMT -5
I feel like people even now kinda under-estimate how intelligent Hogan was as a backstage political force and in hindsight, this really does have those fingerprints all over them. Having the match on Nitro for the quick return, immediately running off when he lost the belt so if there just so happened to be a downturn in business, he's got a big smoking gun of who can be blamed for it. Even putting Goldberg over strong kinda just comes off like Hogan knowing he'll need another dragon to slay when he comes back on top as well as the political ammo of "I put Goldberg over in the Georgia Dome, NEVER QUESTION MY INTENTIONS AGAIN!" Hogan was an asshole but not a dumb one. ...Well, at least not here. Still a very cool moment and an important one in wrestling history but yeah, certainly does have a more cynical tone to it once you understand all the nonsense happening backstage. There's also the fact that a bunch of Turner executives were in the building that night. Big, incredibly raucous crowd, with Hogan in the main. Definitely partially designed to help his images with the more corporate types. |
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salz4life
Grimlock
Prichard is a guy who gets that his job is to service his boss.
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Post by salz4life on Jul 6, 2023 15:02:47 GMT -5
I remember being annoyed with Goldberg winning but only because one of my good friends who barely watched wrestling, but was hooked in with the Attitude Era and Monday Night Wars, telling me that Goldberg was way better than Stone Cold and him winning the title within a year of his debut proves it. Obviously, I was a Stone Cold mark. LOL
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Post by Feargus McReddit on Jul 6, 2023 15:03:01 GMT -5
Heenan calling the title win and treating it as THE culmination of his long, storied feud with Hogan was just fantastic. Maybe the best commentating of his entire career in terms of how credibly he delivered it, how authentic it came across. In general, despite WCW's usual issues with presentation, this was 10/10 across the board, not just from him. Also, I will give credit to Hogan. Letting Goldberg take three leg drops in a row, and then not just kick out, but POWER out, that was big of him. We know he didn't have to do that, but he had enough humility, at least this one night, to know it was the right thing to do here. Bryan Alverez actually put it really best on the Bryan and Vinny Show when talking about this show; Heenan was so used to not being told what was going on, it all changing on the fly and all main events ending with “And then the nWo ran in for the DQ” and was basically seeing a fire spreading around the room and everyone ignoring it so of course he’d be how he was. Then something happens where it goes off pattern like this (and the year before with Luger/Hogan), you can hear him realize in real time that this company, the company that has screwed up so many pushes and future stars, was not going to do it this time. This was legit and even when he was trying to keep on script, he couldn’t because of the moment. Bobby Heenan did have a rough time in WCW but he’s like a lot of commentators; sometimes you get the best of them when you give them good shit to call and an atmosphere to match. |
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Squirrel Master
Hank Scorpio
"Then the Squirrel Master came out of left field and told me I'm his bitch!"
Posts: 6,710
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Post by Squirrel Master on Jul 7, 2023 0:05:52 GMT -5
I wonder if Goldberg and Heenan were boys. Heenan loved the moment of victory and it showed.
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chazraps
Wade Wilson
Better have my money when I come-a collect!
Posts: 28,322
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Post by chazraps on Jul 7, 2023 0:10:00 GMT -5
I can't remember whose book it was in (perhaps RD's), but they said that the only reason Hogan suggested the match was due to the Turner executives being at the Georgia Dome and when they saw the gate, would naturally assume that Hogan was the pull, therefore giving him more leverage in his next contract negotiations. I mean... He'd be right. Goldberg wasn't gonna draw that crowd by himself. He did though. The gate was already sold out before Hogan was even announced for it. |
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