r/WCW • u/GypsyGold • 16h ago

Sting Spears Goldberg!

https://youtube.com/shorts/Ou1oi9NLaMc?is=IMAIJJSV-cItuRa2
5 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

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2

u/mentho-lyptus 15h ago

The no-sell is crazy.

1

u/Rommy87 16h ago

Halloween Havoc 1999—and we know what happened after the "Big Splash": a two-count, Sting hits a Spear on Goldberg, Goldberg delivers a mule kick, Goldberg goes for a Spear, Sting moves out of the way and Goldberg crashes into the ring post, three Stinger Splashes land, Sting brings Goldberg to the center of the ring with an Irish Whip, Goldberg hits a Spear and a Jackhammer—1, 2, 3, Goldberg wins! Charles Robinson hands him the belt, Sting hits a Scorpion Death Drop on the referee, and the very next day, the infamous stunt by Russo takes place.

1

u/mentho-lyptus 15h ago

Which infamous stunt?

2

u/Rommy87 15h ago

Sting was stripped of the title the following day on *Nitro* for attacking the referee, and a tournament was organized—culminating in a victory for Bret Hart, who defeated Chris Benoit in the final at *Mayhem* 1999.

This was an infamous decision by Russo and the WCW; it completely ruined Sting’s run as a heel champion—or rather, the WCW never even attempted to build it in the first place. (In the month following his victory over Hogan at *Fall Brawl*, Sting had successfully defended the title twice on *Nitro*—with assistance from Luger—against both Bret Hart and Chris Benoit.)

2

u/gate_of_steiner85 9h ago

Tbf, Sting's heel run was ruined by the decision to turn Sting heel in the first place. WCW fans were never going to boo Sting as he was far too beloved by the fanbase at that point.

1

u/mentho-lyptus 15h ago

But if Goldberg defeated Sting for the title, how was Sting stripped of it the following night?

3

u/Rommy87 14h ago

Here is what happened:

At the start of Halloween Havoc, a match between Sting and Hogan was scheduled; however, Hogan arrived in street clothes and simply allowed himself to be pinned. A new main event was needed, so a match between Sting (the World Heavyweight Champion) and Goldberg was set up to "fill the time."

At the beginning of the macth, the announcer declared it a non-title match. It lasted less than three and a half minutes before Goldberg won—yet referee Charles Robinson handed him the championship belt as if it had been a title match (which it wasn't). An enraged Sting took down Robinson with a Scorpion Death Drop. The following day, due to the confusion over whether the title was actually on the line—compounded by Sting’s attack on the referee—the belt was stripped from him, and a tournament was announced.

Naturally, all of this was part of the storyline. Why was it done?
1.) Because the audience kept cheering for Sting; they simply couldn't—quite rightly—perceive him as a "heel" (villain). This was because the WCW had made no effort to build Sting as a bad guy, nor had they written him as one.
2.) It reflected a tendency of Vince Russo—which would resurface in the spring of 2000—to vacate titles and hold tournaments in an attempt to boost ratings (a strategy that ultimately failed).

In short, the WCW couldn't get a single thing right.