Goldberg win streak

During the rehab following his NFL injury, Goldberg began powerlifting and mixed martial arts training. He was spotted by Lex Luger and Sting who urged him to try professional wrestling.{{cite book|last=Pope|first=Kristian|title=Tuff Stuff Professional Wrestling Field Guide: Legend and Lore|year=2005|publisher=Krause Publicati|isbn=0896892670|page=180}} Although not a fan of professional wrestling, he saw it as an alternative to his fledgling football career and began training at the WCW Power Plant.

Training under the tutelage of DeWayne Bruce, he made his debut as Bill Gold on a dark match at a Monday Nitro event on June 23, 1997 where he defeated Bruce (wrestling as Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker).{{cite web|url=http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/wcw97.htm|title=WCW 1997|website=Thehistoryofwwe.com|access-date=October 18, 2016}} He also faced and defeated Buddy Landell (Saturday Night dark match), Hugh Morrus (house show), Chip Minton (Nitro dark match), and John Betcha (house show). His final pre-televised appearance was in a dark match on July 24 at a Saturday Night taping in a loss to Chad Fortune.{{cite web |title=WCW WorldWide Tackles Goldberg's Streak |url=https://wcwworldwide.com/post/63479089832/tackling-the-streak |website=WCW WorldWide |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402104711/https://wcwworldwide.com/post/63479089832/tackling-the-streak |archive-date=2015-04-02 |url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/chad-fortune-technically-being-first-beat-goldberg-goldberg-s-heyday-wcw|title = Chad Fortune on Technically Being the First to Beat Goldberg, Goldberg's Heyday in WCW, More | Fightful News}}{{Cite web|url=https://wwfoldschool.com/5-superstars-who-defeated-goldberg/6/|title = 5 Superstars Who Defeated Goldberg|date = 31 October 2015}}

Now 5–1, Bill Goldberg had yet to be seen on television. As such, he was "undefeated" when he made his televised debut on Monday Nitro on September 22, 1997. Behind the scenes it was WCW announcer Mike Tenay who came up with the concept of the Goldberg Win Streak.{{cite web |last1=Brugnoli |first1=Simone |title=Reason why WCW ended Goldberg's winning streak |url=https://www.wrestling-world.com/news/news/wwe/7867/reason-why-wwe-ended-goldberg-s-winning-streak/ |website=Wrestling World |date=December 11, 2020 |access-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-date=March 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310132353/https://www.wrestling-world.com/news/news/wwe/7867/reason-why-wwe-ended-goldberg-s-winning-streak/ |url-status=live }} Goldberg was booked to win over Morrus, and thus began a win streak that carried over onto WCW Saturday Night and non-televised house shows. The longer the streak became, the more popular the Goldberg character became.

After rampaging through most of WCW's undercard of wrestlers, Goldberg faced Raven on the April 20 edition of Monday Nitro and captured the United States Heavyweight Championship.{{cite web |title=WCW 1998 |url=http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/wcw98.htm |website=History of WWe |access-date=2021-02-01 |archive-date=2018-10-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014055150/http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/wcw98.htm |url-status=live }} By June he had eclipsed 100 wins, and was getting over as a main eventer. Hulk Hogan eventually granted Goldberg a title match, which would take place on the July 6, 1998 episode of Nitro held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta with over 40,000 in attendance, but Hogan insisted that Goldberg first had to defeat his nWo stablemate Scott Hall. Goldberg won and later in the evening was also able to defeat Hogan to become the WCW World Heavyweight Champion, in turn vacating his United States Heavyweight Championship.

{{Quote box|width=25%|align=right|quote="We had been talking about it, from what I can recall, for a couple of months. As I have touched on in previous shows ... we were just running out of guys for Goldberg to go through. Once we got to point of whatever it was 173–0 or whatever it was (laughs). It was that point where we had to start telling stories. We had to expand the storytelling process with Bill. We knew it had to be done"|source=Eric Bischoff on his podcast Bischoff on Wrestling{{cite news |last1=Bischoff |first1=Eric |title=Eric Bischoff Explains The Decision To End Goldberg's Undefeated Streak in WCW |url=https://www.iwnerd.com/eric-bischoff-explains-decision-end-goldbergs-undefeated-streak-wcw/ |access-date=January 7, 2020 |work=Bleacher Report |date=January 5, 2021 |archive-date=January 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170115080134/http://www.iwnerd.com/eric-bischoff-explains-decision-end-goldbergs-undefeated-streak-wcw/ |url-status=live }}}}

Now WCW Champion, Goldberg found himself the cornerstone of the company's efforts to stave off the WWF. The former number two promotion was now running neck and neck with WWF, and Goldberg was programmed into a feud with Diamond Dallas Page. At Halloween Havoc, the feud was settled after Goldberg defeated Page to retain the title. According to Goldberg, his match against Page was the favorite match of his career.{{cite web |url=http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2015/1220/605952/goldberg-reveals-favorite-match-in-his-career/ |title=Goldberg Reveals Favorite Match in His Career, Why He Was Never Able To Replicate That Match, More |website=WrestlingInc.com |date=December 20, 2015 |access-date=October 18, 2016 |archive-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307013034/http://wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2015/1220/605952/goldberg-reveals-favorite-match-in-his-career/ |url-status=live }} Following technical issues with the PPV the match was aired for free on the following Monday Nitro; the huge rating that it garnered was the final time that Monday Nitro defeated Monday Night Raw.{{cite web |last1=Featherstone |first1=Chris |title=Monday Night Wars: Looking Back on Pro Wrestling's Greatest Feud |url=https://fanbuzz.com/pro-wrestling/monday-night-wars/#:~:text=The%2520last%2520time%2520Nitro%2520defeated,was%2520on%2520October%252026%252C%25201998 |website=FanBuzz – Sports News – NFL {{!}} NCAA {{!}} NBA {{!}} WWE |date=July 31, 2019 |access-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-date=January 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118222518/https://fanbuzz.com/pro-wrestling/monday-night-wars/#:~:text=The%2520last%2520time%2520Nitro%2520defeated,was%2520on%2520October%252026%252C%25201998 |url-status=live }}

As Goldberg moved on to a feud with The Giant, WCW management resorted to embellishing the win streak with fictional victories. Wrestling fans who followed match results online began to catch on as Goldberg's streak grew exponentially, and he began to incur the first backlash of his career.

At Starrcade, Goldberg's undefeated streak ended at an official approximate count of 173–0,{{cite book|last=Conner|first=Floyd|title=Football's Most Wanted|year=2000|publisher=Potomac Books|location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=978-1-57488-309-1|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2j_Fr_2FiwYC&q=%22Bill+Goldberg%22+%22winning+streak%22&pg=PT45|edition=1st|access-date=October 25, 2011|chapter=Gridiron Grapplers|archive-date=March 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310132339/https://books.google.com/books?id=2j_Fr_2FiwYC&q=%22Bill+Goldberg%22+%22winning+streak%22&pg=PT45|url-status=live}} and after 174 days as champion when he lost the title to Kevin Nash, after Scott Hall, disguised as a ringside security guard, made a run-in and shocked Goldberg with a taser gun.

Following the loss, Goldberg was booked against another wrestler who was enjoying an inflated win streak in Sid Vicious and challenged him to a match to end Sid's winning streak. The two feuded with each other, which culminated in a match at Halloween Havoc for Sid's U.S. Title. Goldberg defeated Sid via referee stoppage, and thus won his second United States Heavyweight Championship.{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/unitedstates/3044541121111|title=Goldberg's second United States Championship reign|publisher=WWE|accessdate=March 22, 2008| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080331155411/http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/unitedstates/3044541121111| archivedate= March 31, 2008 |url-status=live}}

The following year the streak came up again when Goldberg feuded with Vince Russo, who gave him an ultimatum. If Goldberg was to lose another match at any point in time, unless he managed to duplicate his undefeated streak from 1997 to 1998, he would be forced to retire from professional wrestling. Goldberg defeated KroniK (Brian Adams and Bryan Clark) at Halloween Havoc in a handicap elimination match. He then started a feud with Lex Luger. This culminated in a match at Mayhem, which Goldberg won. They continued their rivalry and battled in a rematch at Starrcade. Goldberg won the match, but afterwards he was attacked by Luger's partner Buff Bagwell. Goldberg feuded with both Luger and Bagwell, who called themselves "Totally Buffed". His streak was broken at Sin when Goldberg, teaming with his Power Plant trainer DeWayne Bruce, lost to Totally Buffed in a tag team no disqualification match after a "fan" maced him, enabling Totally Buffed to pin him. The storyline was intended to enable Goldberg to have shoulder surgery, but WCW was sold to the WWF in March 2001, while Goldberg was still recuperating.

Goldberg's win–loss record at WCW events from 1997 to 1998 differed from that which was perpetuated by the company, with the official figure exaggerating the number of matches in which he won to 173.{{cite web|url=http://www.pwinsider.com/article/97455/is-wwe-dissing-undertaker-pushing-dean-goldbergs-streak-and-more.html|title=Is WWE dissing Undertaker, pushing Dean, Goldberg's streak and more|last=Scherer|first=Dave|author-link=Dave Scherer|date=October 27, 2015|website=PWInsider|access-date=February 21, 2017}}{{cite book|title=The Death Of WCW|author1=Alvarez, Bryan |author2-link=R. D. Reynolds |author2=Reynolds, R.D. |date=2004|publisher=ECW Press|location=Toronto|isbn=978-1-55022-661-4|page=134|author1-link=Bryan Alvarez }}{{cite web|url=http://www.powerslamonline.co.uk/updates/216/Additional-letters-on-Shane-McMahon-and-Fastlane.htm|title=The Mail|last=Martin|first=Fin|date=February 26, 2016|website=Power Slam|publisher=Wayback Machine|access-date=February 26, 2016|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160226214921/http://www.powerslamonline.co.uk/updates/216/Additional-letters-on-Shane-McMahon-and-Fastlane.htm |archive-date=February 26, 2016}} Nick Schwartz of Fox Sports wrote: "No one really knows what Goldberg's actual record was... but it's generally accepted that 173–0 is an inflated number".{{cite web|url=http://www.foxsports.com/wwe/story/how-long-was-goldbergs-undefeated-streak-101716|title=How long was Goldberg's undefeated streak?|last=Schwartz|first=Nick|date=October 17, 2016|work=Fox Sports|access-date=October 18, 2016}} Some of Goldberg's industry peers have stated that the figure was exaggerated. His then-WCW colleague Chris Jericho stated: "One week he'd be 42–0 and seven days later he'd be 58–0. Did stepping on bugs count?"{{cite book|last=Jericho|first=Chris|title=A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex|year=2008|publisher=Orion Books|location=London|isbn=978-0-7528-8446-2|author-link=Chris Jericho|author2=Peter Thomas Fornatale|page=369}} Manager Jimmy Hart, who also worked with Goldberg in WCW, regarded the level of embellishment as "kind of funny", while professional wrestler The Miz said: "The number would just go on and on and on, to where it was like, 'Wait a second. How did he get this many wins in such a short time'?"{{cite episode|title=Who's Next?|series=The Monday Night War: WWE vs. WCW|network=WWE Network|station=WWE|date=October 21, 2014|season=1|number=10|minutes=24}} This exaggeration damaged the streak's credibility among the WCW audience: upon noticing that the figure had been falsified, fans began to withdraw homemade signs trumpeting Goldberg's record.

While officially cited as 173–0, a definitive breakdown of all available match results shows that Goldberg began his career at an untelevised 5–1, and that following his debut he had an actual win streak of 156 consecutive victories with two that ended in No Contest before his Starrcade loss to Kevin Nash.

Although André the Giant was billed by the WWF as being undefeated for 15 years, the Goldberg Win Streak was the first lengthy televised win streak used to build a main eventer out of a new character. It is now part and parcel of the Hall of Fame legacy of the Goldberg character,{{cite web |last1=Rocha |first1=Jesus |title=Jackhammered into Darkness: The Rise and Fall of Wrestling's Goldberg |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/798714-jackhammered-into-darkness-the-rise-and-fall-of-goldberg |website=Bleacher Report |date=August 12, 2011 |access-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-date=December 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226002512/http://bleacherreport.com/articles/798714-jackhammered-into-darkness-the-rise-and-fall-of-goldberg |url-status=live }} and similar efforts were used to build the characters of Brock Lesnar in 2002,{{cite web |title=2002 |url=http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/02.htm |website=www.thehistoryofwwe.com |access-date=2021-02-01 |archive-date=2020-07-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712190408/http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/02.htm |url-status=live }} Umaga in 2006, Ryback in 2012,{{cite web |title=2012 |url=http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/12.htm |website=www.thehistoryofwwe.com |access-date=2021-02-01 |archive-date=2020-06-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618181637/http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/12.htm |url-status=live }} Bo Dallas in 2014 (albeit in a more comical manner),{{Cite web |last=Bush |first=Greg |date=2021-07-28 |title=5 WWE Superstars whose streaks ended too soon |url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe/5-wwe-superstars-whose-undefeated-streaks-ended-soon |access-date=2023-12-01 |website=www.sportskeeda.com |language=en-us}} and Asuka in 2017.{{cite web |last1=Chiari |first1=Mike |title=Goldberg Praises Asuka for Having Longest Undefeated Streak in WWE History |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2711801-goldberg-praises-asuka-for-having-longest-undefeated-streak-in-wwe-history |website=Bleacher Report |date=May 25, 2017 |access-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-date=November 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111231659/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2711801-goldberg-praises-asuka-for-having-longest-undefeated-streak-in-wwe-history |url-status=live }}

Conversely, Curt Hawkins used a losing streak as a gimmick,{{cite web |last1=Thompson |first1=Andrew |title=Curt Hawkins Says That He Has Approached WWE Creative Writers And Told Them Not To End His Losing Streak |url=https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/curt-hawkins-says-he-has-approached-wwe-creative-writers-and-told-them-not-end-his-losing-streak |website=Fightful.com |publisher=Fightful |access-date=22 March 2024}} losing 269 matches in a row before finally winning at WrestleMania 35 by winning the Raw Tag Team Championship alongside Zack Ryder against The Revival.{{cite web |last1=Quarrinton |first1=Norman |title=Curt Hawkins' 269 Match Losing Streak Ends at WrestleMania (VIDEO) |url=https://www.thesportster.com/wrestling/curt-hawkins-ends-losing-streak/ |website=TheSportster.com |publisher=The Sportster |access-date=22 March 2024}}

• The Streak, The Undertaker's win streak

{{reflist|refs=

{{cite web|url=http://www.accelerator3359.com/Wrestling/bios/goldberg.html|title=Bill Goldberg's Accelerator profile|publisher=Accelerator's Wrestling Rollercoaster|access-date=March 21, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080316074522/http://www.accelerator3359.com/Wrestling/bios/goldberg.html|archive-date=March 16, 2008 |url-status=live}}

{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/Bios/goldberg.html|title=Bill Goldberg Biography|work=Slam! Sports|publisher=Canadian Online Explorer|first=John|last=Milner|access-date=March 21, 2008|archive-date=July 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712020145/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/Bios/goldberg.html|url-status=dead}}

{{cite web|title=Goldberg bio|url=http://www.wwe.com/superstars/goldberg/|publisher=WWE|access-date=February 15, 2012|archive-date=March 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312191931/http://www.wwe.com/superstars/goldberg|url-status=live}}

}}

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