The 1998 Starrcade was the 16th annual Starrcade

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program g ...

(PPV) event produced by

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Natio ...

(WCW). It took place on December 27, 1998, from the

MCI Center Capital One Arena is an indoor arena in Washington, D.C. Located in the Penn Quarter neighborhood, the arena sits atop the Gallery Place rapid transit station of the Washington Metro. It has been largely considered to be a commercial success ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

The

main event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

was a

No Disqualification match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

between Goldberg and

Kevin Nash Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where he performed under his ...

for the

WCW World Heavyweight Championship The WCW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the original world title of ...

. Their

feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one pa ...

began when Nash won a

battle royal Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...

World War 3 World War III or the Third World War, often abbreviated as WWIII or WW3, are names given to a hypothetical worldwide large-scale military conflict subsequent to World War I and World War II. The term has been in use since a ...

, and earned a title match. Other matches included

Diamond Dallas Page Dallas Page (born Page Joseph Falkinburg Jr., April 5, 1956), better known by his ring name Diamond Dallas Page (often stylized as DDP), is an American actor and retired professional wrestler. In the course of his wrestling career Page has wre ...

against The Giant,

Eric Bischoff Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an American television producer, professional wrestling booker, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Senior Vice President of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) an ...

against

Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...

, and

Konnan Charles Ashenoff (born Carlos Santiago Espada Moises; January 6, 1964),''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'', Dave Meltzer, ed., May 10, 2010, issue.Sims, Steve"Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame/Founded by Dave Meltzer - Konnan". Accessed August 1, 2016. O ...

against

Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jeri ...

for the

WCW World Television Championship The WCW World Television Championship was a professional wrestling television championship owned by the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling (WCW) promotion. The title was created in 1974 by Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (MACW) as a s ...

. In 2015, All WCW pay-per-views were made available on the WWE Network.

Storylines

The event featured wrestlers from pre-existing feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed

villains A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character ...

, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. The main

heading into Starrcade was between Goldberg and

over the

. Since his debut, Goldberg started an undefeated streak, and won the title from Hollywood Hogan on the July 6 edition of '' Nitro''. At

, Nash won a

to earn a title match with Goldberg at Starrcade, and their feud began. Heading into Starrcade, Goldberg had an undefeated streak of 173 matches. The feud between

and

began on September 14, when Flair returned to reform the

Four Horsemen The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures in the Christian scriptures, first appearing in the Book of Revelation, a piece of apocalypse literature written by John of Patmos. Revelation 6 tells of a book or scroll in God's right hand th ...

. The Four Horsemen feuded with the New World Order, but it soon reduced to a feud between Flair and Bischoff. The feud between

and The Giant began when

Bret Hart Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling back ...

defeated Page with the help of The Giant to win the

WCW United States Heavyweight Championship The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roster, along with the W ...

on the November 30 edition of ''Nitro''.

Event

The first match was a triangle match between

Juventud Guerrera Eduardo Aníbal González Hernández (born November 23, 1974) is a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Juventud "Juvi" Guerrera. Guerrera is best known for his appearances with the Mexican professional wrestling promot ...

Rey Mysterio, Jr. Óscar Gutiérrez (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Widely regarded as one of the greatest profes ...

, and

Billy Kidman Peter Alan Gruner Jr. (born May 11, 1974) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Billy Kidman. He is currently employed by WWE as a producer. As a wrestler, Kidman is best known for his work with World Cham ...

for the

WCW Cruiserweight Championship World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nationa ...

. The match went back and forth between all three. It ended when Mysterio sent Guerrera outside the ring with a

headscissors takedown Professional wrestling throws are the application of professional wrestling techniques that involve lifting the opponent up and throwing or slamming them down. They are sometimes also called "power" maneuvers, as they are meant to emphasize a wrest ...

, and Kidman performed a shooting star press to both.

Eddy Guerrero Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was an American professional wrestler. He was a prominent member of the Guerrero wrestling family, being the son of first-generation wrestler Gory Guerrero. Eddie Guerrero is ...

came out as Kidman fought Guerrera in the ring. Kidman had Guerrera in a roll-up, and Guerrero reversed it into a

sunset flip In wrestling, a pin is achieved by holding an opponent's shoulders to the mat for a three count. Pinfall is the term used in professional wrestling which is a way to win the match for that person or team. Background A pinfall is a victory condi ...

on Kidman. Mysterio

dropkick A dropkick is an attacking maneuver in professional wrestling. It is defined as an attack where the wrestler jumps up and kicks the opponent with the soles of both feet; this sees the wrestler twist as they jump so that when the feet connec ...

ed Guerrera, and Kidman pinned Guerrera with a roll-up to win the match, and retain the title. After the match, Guerrero lectured Mysterio and Guerrera, and challenged Kidman for the title. Kidman accepted, and the match started with Guerrero having the advantage. Kidman fought back with a headscissors takedown, and they went back and forth. After Kidman countered a

powerbomb A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted (usually so that they are sitting on the wrestler's shoulders) and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a st ...

into a

sitout facebuster A facebuster, also known as a faceplant, is generally a takedown move in professional wrestling in which an attacking wrestler forces their opponent down to the mat face-first without involving a headlock or facelock. A standard facebuster, also ...

, he attempted a

Frankensteiner Professional wrestling throws are the application of professional wrestling techniques that involve lifting the opponent up and throwing or slamming them down. They are sometimes also called "power" maneuvers, as they are meant to emphasize a wrest ...

, but Guerrero held on. After interference from Guerrera and Mysterio, who helped Guerrero and Kidman respectively, Kidman pinned Guerrero after a shooting star press to win the match, and retain the title. The third match was between Norman Smiley and Prince Iaukea. The match started back and forth until Smiley dropped Iaukea across the ropes. Smiley dominated Iaukea with the use of many holds. Iaukea attempted to fight back with a

springboard A springboard or diving board is used for diving and is a board that is itself a spring, i.e. a linear flex-spring, of the cantilever type. Springboards are commonly fixed by a hinge at one end (so they can be flipped up when not in use), an ...

crossbody, but Smiley rolled through, and forced Iaukea to submit with the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conq ...

. Smiley won the match. The fourth match was between

Ernest Miller Ernest Clifford Miller (born January 14, 1964) is an American actor and former professional wrestler who worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) better known by his ring name, Ernest "The Cat" Miller. ...

(accompanied by

Sonny Onoo Kazuo Sonny Onoo (born July 29, 1962) is a Japanese-American professional wrestling manager, and actor better known by his ring name Sonny Onoo. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling between 1995 and 1999 as the ...

) and

Perry Saturn Perry Arthur Satullo (born October 25, 1966) is an American retired professional wrestler known by his ring name, Perry Saturn. Since debuting in 1990, Saturn wrestled for promotions including Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Champions ...

. The match started back and forth. Saturn had the early advantage until Miller performed an eye rake, and choked Saturn. Miller performed a

superkick Strikes are offensive moves in professional wrestling, that can sometimes be used to set up an opponent for a hold or for a throw. There are a wide variety of strikes in pro wrestling, and many are known by several different names. Professional w ...

, but Saturn fought back with

suplex A suplex is an offensive move used in sport wrestling as well as amateur wrestling and professional wrestling. It is a throw that involves lifting the opponents and bridging or rolling to slam them on their backs. Professional wrestling featu ...

es. After Saturn missed an axe handle, Miller fought back with kicks, and held Saturn for Onoo to attack him. Onoo accidentally kicked Miller, and Miller kicked Onoo. Saturn then pinned Miller after a Death Valley driver to win the match. The fifth match was between the team of Brian Adams and

Scott Norton Scott Norton (born June 15, 1961) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, in which he was a member of the New World Order and nWo Japan. He ...

and the team of

Fit Finlay David Finlay Jr. (born 31 January 1958) is an Irish retired professional wrestler currently signed to WWE as a trainer/assistant coach. He is known for his work with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under the ring name Fit Finlay from 1995 t ...

and

Jerry Flynn William Brenneman (born November 21, 1959) is an American retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, better known by his ring name Jerry Flynn. Flynn is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling between 1996 an ...

. The match went back and forth until Adams performed a piledriver to Finlay. Adams and Norton dominated Finlay with a

DDT Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, commonly known as DDT, is a colorless, tasteless, and almost odorless crystalline chemical compound, an organochloride. Originally developed as an insecticide, it became infamous for its environmental impacts. ...

and a hangman's neckbreaker from Norton. Finlay performed a jawbreaker to Adams, but Adams fought back with a gorilla press gutbuster. Flynn tagged in after Finlay blocked a seated senton from Adams. Norton pinned Flynn after a clothesline and a powerbomb to win the match. The sixth match was between

and

for the

. Jericho gained the advantage after sending Konnan into the ringpost. Konnan fought back with a rolling thunder

lariat A lasso ( or ), also called lariat, riata, or reata (all from Castilian, la reata 're-tied rope'), is a loop of rope designed as a restraint to be thrown around a target and tightened when pulled. It is a well-known tool of the Spanish an ...

, and they went back and forth. Jericho performed a

Lionsault A moonsault, moonsault press, or back flip splash is a professional wrestling aerial technique. It was innovated by Mando Guerrero. Much of its popularity in both Japanese and American wrestling is attributed to The Great Muta, despite it being ...

, but sent himself into the ringsteps. After Konnan kicked him in the corner, Jericho hit Konnan with the belt. Konnan fought back with a Facejam, and forced Jericho to submit with the Tequila Sunrise. Konnan won the match, and retained the title. The seventh match was between

and

. The match started with Flair dominating Bischoff with knife edge chops, punches, and

kicks A kick is a physical strike using the leg, in unison usually with an area of the knee or lower using the foot, heel, tibia (shin), ball of the foot, blade of the foot, toes or knee (the latter is also known as a knee strike). This type of atta ...

. Flair performed a

knee drop Strikes are offensive moves in professional wrestling, that can sometimes be used to set up an opponent for a hold or for a throw. There are a wide variety of strikes in pro wrestling, and many are known by several different names. Professional ...

, and targeted Bischoff's right leg. Bischoff fought back briefly with kicks. Flair performed repeated low blows and knife edge chops. Flair knocked down the

referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other tit ...

, and performed suplexes before applying the figure four leglock.

Curt Hennig Curtis Michael Hennig (March 28, 1958 – February 10, 2003) was an American professional wrestler. He performed under his real name for promotions including the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF; now WW ...

came down and handed Bischoff a weapon. Bischoff punched Flair with it, and pinned him to win the match. The eighth match was between The Giant and

. The Giant dominated Page after sending him into the ringsteps and ringposts. After delivering several attacks, The Giant applied the

bear hug In wrestling, a bear hug, also known as a bodylock, is a grappling clinch hold and stand-up grappling position where the arms are wrapped around the opponent, either around the opponent's chest, midsection, or thighs, sometimes with one or bo ...

. Page fought out, and

bit The bit is the most basic unit of information in computing and digital communications. The name is a portmanteau of binary digit. The bit represents a logical state with one of two possible values. These values are most commonly represented a ...

The Giant's forehead, but The Giant performed a

chokeslam backbreaker Backbreaker refers to a kind of professional wrestling move which sees a wrestler dropping an opponent so that the opponent's back impacts or is bent backwards against a part of the wrestler's body, usually the knee. The standard version of the ...

. Page performed a

tornado DDT In professional wrestling a DDT is any move in which the wrestler has the opponent in a front facelock/inverted headlock and falls down or backwards to drive the opponent's head into the mat. The classic DDT is performed by putting the opponent ...

, and both were down.

came out, and accidentally hit The Giant with a steel chair. Page performed flying clotheslines until The Giant caught him, and attempted a

chokeslam A chokeslam is a type of body slam in professional wrestling, in which a wrestler grasps an opponent's neck, lifts them up, and slams them to the mat. It is common in televised wrestling because it is simple and relatively safe, yet looks power ...

from the top turnbuckle. Page countered it into a Diamond Cutter, and pinned The Giant to win the match. The

was a

between

and Goldberg for the

. Michael Buffer did the introductions for the bout and incorrectly announced Goldberg as having a 174–0 record despite it being 173–0. The match started back and forth. Nash attacked Goldberg in the corner, but Goldberg pushed him down, and applied the

ankle lock A leglock is a joint lock that is directed at joints of the leg such as the ankle, knee or hip joint. A leglock which is directed at joints in the foot, is sometimes referred to as a foot lock and a lock at the hip as a hip lock. Leglocks are featu ...

. Goldberg attacked Nash in the corner, but Nash sent him into the turnbuckle. Nash performed a

corner foot choke Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by performers to immobilize their opponents or lead to a submission. This article covers the various pins, stretches and transition holds used in the ring. Some wrestlers us ...

, and attempted a

big boot Strikes are offensive moves in professional wrestling, that can sometimes be used to set up an opponent for a hold or for a throw. There are a wide variety of strikes in pro wrestling, and many are known by several different names. Professional wre ...

. Goldberg ducked, and performed a

spear A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fasten ...

. As Goldberg was about to perform a

Jackhammer A jackhammer (pneumatic drill or demolition hammer in British English) is a pneumatic or electro-mechanical tool that combines a hammer directly with a chisel. It was invented by William Mcreavy, who then sold the patent to Charles Brady K ...

, Nash performed a low blow. Nash performed a

sidewalk slam A Powerslam or simply Slam is a professional wrestling body slam move in which the wrestler performing the slam falls face-down on top of the opponent. The use of the term "powerslam" usually refers to the front powerslam or the scoop powersla ...

, and attacked Goldberg's back. Goldberg fought back with a

swinging neckbreaker In professional wrestling, a neckbreaker is any throw or slam that focuses its attack on the opponent's neck. One type of neckbreaker involves the wrestler slamming an opponent's neck against a part of the wrestler's body, usually the knee, head or ...

and a superkick. After Goldberg performed a front powerslam and a spinning heel kick,

Disco Inferno "Disco Inferno" is a song by American disco band the Trammps from their 1976 fourth studio album of the same name. With two other cuts by the group, it reached No. 1 on the US ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart in early 1977, but had lim ...

and

Bam Bam Bigelow Scott Charles Bigelow (September 1, 1961 – January 19, 2007) was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Bam Bam Bigelow. Recognizable by his close to 400-pound frame and the distinctive flame tattoo that spanned mos ...

came out to attack Goldberg. Goldberg performed a spear to Inferno, and sent Bigelow out of the ring with a clothesline. As Goldberg was about to perform a spear to Nash,

Scott Hall Scott Oliver Hall (October 20, 1958 – March 14, 2022) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under his real name and under the ring name the Diamond Studd and with the ...

shocked Goldberg with a stun gun. Nash performed a Jackknife Powerbomb to Goldberg, and pinned him to win the match and the title, and thus ending Goldberg's streak 173–1.

Aftermath

Goldberg's defeat at Starrcade marked the end of his undefeated streak. On the January 4 episode of ''Nitro'',

was scheduled to face Goldberg in a rematch for the

. Goldberg was arrested, however, when he was falsely accused of stalking

Miss Elizabeth Elizabeth Ann Hulette (November 19, 1960 – May 1, 2003), best known in professional wrestling circles as Miss Elizabeth, was an American professional wrestling manager, occasional professional wrestler and professional wrestling TV announcer. S ...

. Instead, Nash faced Hollywood Hogan, who had returned after a hiatus, purportedly to announce his retirement in the wake of his run for President of the United States, and offered to face Nash in place of Goldberg. Nash would lie down and allow Hogan to pin him, effectively handing the title to Hogan, in an incident infamously known as the " Fingerpoke of Doom". The match was followed by a reunion of the New World Order, revealing that Nash's victories at World War 3 and Starrcade had been part of a conspiracy to get the title back on Hogan. After Starrcade, Goldberg feuded with

due to his interference in the match. They faced each other in a

ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself becom ...

involving a stun gun at

Souled Out Souled Out was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in January from 1997 through 2000. The 1997 and 1998 WCW Souled Out PPV events were held on Saturdays due to the Super Bowl played th ...

. After Goldberg won the match,

came out and attacked Goldberg, and a feud started between them. It led to their match at

SuperBrawl IX SuperBrawl IX was the ninth SuperBrawl professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The event took place on February 21, 1999 from the Oakland Arena in Oakland, California. Storylines The event ...

, where Goldberg defeated Bigelow to end their feud. The feud between

and

continued, with Hogan eventually becoming a part of the rivalry as well. The entire feud, which led to Flair gaining control of WCW for ninety days following a win the night after ''Starrcade'', culminated with Flair's defeat of Hogan at Uncensored in March to take Hogan's championship and the presidency of WCW from Bischoff permanently. Flair would eventually lose both the World Heavyweight Championship (at

Spring Stampede Spring Stampede was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event from World Championship Wrestling (WCW) held in the month of April in 1994 and then from 1997 to 2000. As it was called Spring Stampede, the event was usually Cowboy/Wild West ...

) and the WCW Presidency, the latter thanks to a returning Bischoff who had disappeared from television shortly after the Hogan-Flair match at Uncensored.

Reception

In 2013, Dylan Diot of 411Mania gave the event a rating of 5.0 ot So Good stating, "This did not feel like the biggest show of the year for WCW. Too many pointless matches and a mostly dead crowd made for a dull show. There was also the lack of major star power, with no

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-ear ...

, Luger, Hogan, or Savage competing. This was a sign of the times for WCW, with horrible booking and too much interference preventing the show from producing memorable moments and satisfying conclusions for the fans. The only things I can recommend are the opening three way and the main event for historical purposes but otherwise you can skip this."

Results

References

External links

Starrcade 1998 Review at SLAM! Sports
{{WCWPPV, Starrcade Starrcade Professional wrestling in Washington, D.C. 1998 in Washington, D.C. Events in Washington, D.C. December 1998 events in the United States 1998 World Championship Wrestling pay-per-view events