[1999-04-19-WCW-Nitro] Goldberg vs DDP

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Very good match. It doesn’t touch Havoc, but no one expects that. Goldberg is good in the mat stuff because he has explosive mat highspots he can pull out that get a huge spot, even if he’s not much of a mat worker overall. Kudos to Page for realizing that and grounding him. The “Goldberg” chants here are out of control. Page’s spear dare was awesome, daring him, then tricking him, then moving. Goldberg powers out of a pin attempt after a Diamond Cutter and then Goldberg goes for a spear so Page pulls the ref in front of him and pulls out a pair of brass knuckles, cementing his heel turn. With the ref out, he decides to smash his leg up with a chair on the ring steps. Another ref comes out to stop him and ends up taking a great guardrail bump! Page then locks in a ringpost figure four and Nash makes the save, cementing HIS babyface turn. He and Goldberg look like they are about to make out until DDP lays Nash out with the title belt. Weird ending aside, everything about this worked really well.

[tim]

Best US main event type match of the year so far. This really had a great big match feel thanks in large part to the work. This was like an inferior version of their Havoc match which is no complaint. Very well worked with established roles and a good lay-out that kept things moving and included some interesting spots. DDP's spear dare was great. I don't know about Page going heel but I like how they did it. Was the crowd actually turning on him around this time? The ref bump off DDP's chair was great.

[Tim Evans]

I didn't like this as much as you guys but it was good. The finish was just awful. Two ref bumps and a non finish with Nash helping goldberg? Why would Goldberg accept the help from a guy that embarassed him a couple months before this? Most importantly, why is Dusty Rhodes on commentary? I thought he was gone by this time?

[soup23]

Man Goldberg still has a following which is incredible since at points in 1999 everyone from Savage to Nash to Hogan have had more emphasis put on them. They start out with a knuckle bump and it is on. Why is Dusty on commentary here? I liked Page escalation to more heel stuff here like grabbing the tights to shove Goldberg into the turnbuckle. He also busts out a belly to belly which surprised me. They both did a good job evading the top moves of the other and the spear tease was really well done. Right up to the knuckles shot and subsequent bullshit, I was ready to declare this on par with Havoc. The finish is an overbooked mess and shows that even though this was a good Nitro overall, not everything would click for WCW in any given night like it would at times in 1997. ***

[Superstar Sleeze]

WCW World Heavyweight Champion Diamond Dallas Page vs Goldberg - WCW Nitro 4/19/99

 

This is right up my alley and I loved it! Until the finish, I thought this was poised to be the best WCW match of the year up until this point (it would have been moot because Sting/DDP was next week). DDP and Goldberg both shove down the ref at the outset. It sets the tone. It is mano y mano. The early power spots are just HUGE! The crowd went nuts for that shoulder tackle. I loved how raw and organic DDP's movements were: the short-arm tackles into a quick headlock, on the takedown immediately with the single leg pick up that actually looked good. I loved how he was bumping and moving. There was a stumble to it that made it feel out of control. The Spear right at the beginning popped me right out of my seat. DDP using a heel tactic by grabbing the tights was nice, but the lack of selling was a bit disappointing. Goldberg's kickout of the belly to belly was so gritty. I loved DDP trying to ground Goldberg only to be thrown around some more. DDP getting increasingly desperate was awesome. He hurls his body at Goldberg twice with reckless abandon hoping to make some sort of dent in this monster. Goldberg just keeps coming at him. The DDP and Goldberg stareoff in the respective corners was electric. DDP goads Goldberg to come at him and Goldberg eats turbuckles. DIAMOND CUTTER! I am losing my shit! 1-2-NO! WOW! DDP hit Goldberg with his best shot and all he has left is the knuckledusters. Goldberg spears the ref and DDP. DDP clocks him with the foreign object and looks to take out Goldberg like he did Hogan by targetting the leg. Big Sexy looks ridiculous running DDP off and then cradling Goldberg's head. It is so fucking ridiculous that Nash lost to Goldberg at the last PPV, but is getting the Slamboree title shot. DDP creams both with the championship belt. It was a great clash of the titans match, but without a finish just does not have enough juice to get to that next level. Sets the stage perfectly for Sting's title shot against the newly minted heel Diamond Dallas Page next week. ***1/2

[PeteF3]

A really fun match with a way-overthought finish, which has been the story of WCW since Starrcade '97 and would continue for the rest of its existence. Things just sort of peter out after Mickey Jay gets speared, which is too bad because this was a hot main event that really had you thinking you might see a title change on TV. Instead, we have a Slamboree PPV with the stench of death all over it.