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.

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#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.

#4 Goldberg vs. The Giant (Nitro, November 23rd, 1998)

This was the match that almost rivalled Hulk Hogan's slam to Andre the Giant in its spectacle. Goldberg lifted the 500 pound Giant (later Big Show) up vertically into the air and jackhammered him.

In today's age of hyper-athleticism, this wouldn't be regarded as a noteworthy feat, but few could pull it off in 1998. The crowd knew it and responded accordingly. The euphoria was palpable and only confirmed how big of a deal Goldberg really was that year.

#3 Goldberg vs. Raven (Monday Nitro, April 20th, 1998)

This was the match that saw Goldberg win his first title, the WCW United States Championship. It was different from a typical Goldberg match. It lasted longer than a few minutes and was fought under extreme rules. Even so, Goldberg overcame Raven's Flock and his use of weapons and took the title.

If it was meant to test Goldberg as a potential main event competitor, he passed with flying colours. The crowd was firmly on his side and delighted in his destruction of the Flock, nearly blowing the roof off the building when he no-sold a stop sign blow to the head.

It was the match that solidified Goldberg and let the world know that he'd truly arrived.

#2 Goldberg vs. Hulk Hogan (Monday Nitro, July 6th, 1998)

As 1998 progressed, the WWF slowly began to overtake WCW in the ratings war. The Stone Cold tsunami had crested and WCW needed to respond. Though the timing and venue were questioned at the time, the decision to put the promotion's top title on Goldberg wasn't.

So on a summer Nitro, Hulk Hogan was added to Goldberg's list of victims and WCW had a new champion. 40,000 people were in attendance cheering Goldberg on in the Georgia Dome and Nitro beat RAW in the ratings that night, showing how big the match really was.

At the time, it looked like a changing of the guard. Goldberg was white hot and WCW had seemingly decided to capitalize. That it ultimately didn't was a principal reason for the company's demise, attesting to how important Goldberg was and would become in the months ahead as champion.

#1 Goldberg vs. Diamond Dallas Page (Halloween Havoc 1998)

If Goldberg was WCW's most popular star in 1998, Diamond Dallas Page had firmly entrenched himself as his understudy. The man who was never supposed to make it in the business became WCW's own People's Champion, so when he became #1 contender and set himself on a collision course with the undefeated Goldberg, fans were excited.

Unfortunately, Halloween Havoc that year became famous for all the wrong reasons -- the horrible Hogan/Warrior rematch and how its overtime cut into many fans' feeds, forcing them to miss this match.

It was a pity because this was the best match Goldberg ever had (a sentiment shared by the man himself). Goldberg was a star for many reasons, but his ring skills weren't one of them. WCW maximized his strengths and that was enough. The match with DDP, though, saw a psychological thriller that took the undefeated champion to the limit.

If you haven't watched this match, you're missing a lot. It's an underrated classic from a pivotal time in wrestling.