DDP Talks Goldberg Getting Knocked Out During Their Match, Almost Beating Goldberg For WCW Title
I recently spoke to 2017 WWE Hall of Fame inductee Diamond Dallas Page. During the interview, DDP discussed his classic 1998 match with then-WCW World Heavyweight Champion Goldberg, which is still regarded by many to be the best match of Goldberg's career. Page revealed that Goldberg briefly knocked himself out while delivering the spear during their match.
"[Goldberg] was firing from all cylinders that night," DDP recalled. "In that match, I had seen a Spear and knew that he cracked Big Show's sternum, so when he came at me for that Spear, I would be gone. I consider myself a napkin. Like, when he hit me with it it's like hitting a napkin. I'm going to be gone. He's not going to Spear my ass. It took me three weeks to convince him to miss the first Spear. If you look at him coming at me with the Spear, he misses me by a fraction of an inch. He was like, okay, you can move out of the way, but it's good to see you, you know? He overprojected it and hit his shoulder really hard into the post, like a shoot, for real. When he finally did Spear me, again I'm a napkin. He's literally spearing me at like 100mph, coming in with his shoulder and head forward, well, his head was the first thing that hit the ring, not me, because I'm like a napkin. If he doesn't have those huge traps, he might be a quadriplegic today because he hit so hard, now he's unconscious, and I know when he picks me up I'm going to fall behind him, but if you remember he picks me up and then puts me down, like he's selling his ass off. Goldberg never sold, not like that.
"With one arm, he picks me up, I drop behind, Bang! I know he is kicking out but I am taking my time getting there because I know he is kicking out, but he went 1, 2, kick out, which pissed me off so bad because it should have been 1, 2? slow kick out at 3. It was still a great pop all the way around, but if he barely kicks out, oh my God!"
At the time Goldberg was still undefeated and defending his streak, as well as his WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Dallas noted that Dusty Rhodes had approached then-WCW President Eric Bischoff about possibly changing the title that night.
"Dusty would later tell me that he went to Bischoff and during the day of that pay per view he had said to him, you know E [Bischoff], this may be [Page's] night, he is ready. He tried to put that towards him. He said the reason why Bischoff didn't do it; I don't know why he didn't do it, and I don't know if Bischoff would say it is even true, but Dusty told it to me, he said that because in Entertainment Weekly that was coming out Goldberg was wearing the belt. Goldberg really gave that belt credibility, he worked like a champion. He said that was why he didn't do it that night, but I could have beat him that night and gave him the greatest loss ever and then he would have beaten me the next night. I would have done it in a heartbeat, but you know I'm so happy with the way things ended up."
Page also discussed Goldberg's current run, feeling it vindicates WCW fans. He also said that he's looking forward to Goldberg's match with Brock Lesnar this Sunday, and feels that he'll be able to pull it off.
"As far as I am concerned, him getting the push he is getting, I love it," Page admitted. "Every single WCW fan that wasn't a Goldberg hater, because there was a few of those, very few. Everyone of those WCW fans feel vindicated now. The guy doesn't wrestle in 15 years, he's 49 right now and looks like a Greek God. If anyone can pull the match off at Mania it's going to be him at 49 so I'm looking forward to it. This has been built for a few months and genius booking as far as I am concerned."
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