Dallas versus Goliath
At WCW’s Halloween Havoc pay-per-view at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, unlikely challenger Diamond Dallas Page faced a juggernaut in world heavyweight champion Bill Goldberg. How would the powerful champion defend his gold against the more experienced challenger? Could Page find a weakness in the man nobody else had ever managed to even hurt in a match, or would DDP become the next victim of Da’ Man?
TODAY’S ISSUE: DDP versus Goldberg
Goldberg was the undefeated, unstoppable monster, whose strengths included ferocious power, explosive quickness, and “ruthless aggressionâ€Â. He looked like a statue, with bulging muscles and a gladiator’s countenance. A shooting star, Goldberg quickly made his mark by tearing through every opponent WCW placed before him, including defeating living legend Hollywood Hulk Hogan for the championship in his very first world title opportunity.
Page was the everyman, the hard-nosed, gritty scrapper with a never-say-die attitude who earned his way to the big stage through blood, sweat and tears. He depended upon working harder and wanting it more than most of his opponents. He was usually older than the men he faced, and while he was in good shape, he wasn’t a muscular marvel. DDP used cleverness, guts, and ring savvy to climb to a level that most fans never thought he’d achieve.
Page’s path to the #1 contendership was itself a great reflection of his dedication and discipline. One month earlier at Fall Brawl, DDP survived a 3-team, 9-man War Games match to earn his shot at Goldberg, even after starting the match first. Page’s ring gear at the time was black and blue, which defined his approach to pro wrestling. In defiance of all the odds, Diamond Dallas Page would never say die.
The beauty of the build to their match was twofold: for one, the storyline was all about the wrestling, which my regular readers know I favor over all the “ga-gaâ€Â. Goldberg was a phenom in WCW, the devastating dragon that nobody could slay, even after 154 kayfabed battles. Page studied tapes and asked other wrestlers to work on the mat with him at every opportunity, then found and perfected a surprisingly effective finisher, the Diamond Cutter, which he could adapt and utilize from every angle, often waylaying opponents with upset victories.
Secondly, the story was elegant in its simplicity. DDP was the man who learns his adversary better than anyone else, but could he find the chink in the armor of the seemingly invulnerable freight train? Could the “People’s Champion†write his own Cinderella story, and was Goldberg simply a one-trick pony? Would his spear/jackhammer combo be enough against an opponent who could see it coming and who had most likely devised a counter? Was there anything to him other than raw power? What would happen if a challenger found a way to extend a match with the champion? Would he run out of moves and be blown up?
As ring announcer Michael Buffer made his one-of-a-kind introductions, the main event provided the coveted “big fight feel†wrestling promoters desire. DDP was ready to pull off a miracle, and Goldberg was ready to prove there was more to him than meets the eye. Professor Mike Tenay reminded the audience that Page himself was instrumental in bringing Goldberg to WCW as the bell rang, and the action began.
As expected, Page fell victim to Goldberg’s amazing power advantage in the opening seconds of the contest, but a quick arm-drag by the challenger pulled the champion out of his game plan, who responded by bulling DDP through the ropes and out to the floor. Page continued to anger Goldberg, seemingly luring the powerhouse right into his game plan. DDP absorbed a bit of punishment for angering the champ, but he managed to hit and run, nailing offensive moves when he could. However, Goldberg effortlessly shrugged off an early attempt at the Diamond Cutter, tossing Page to the floor in the process. At least for now, that experiment had failed.
For his next approach, Page turned to chain wrestling, perhaps surmising that Goldberg was less experienced on the mat, where his power advantage was somewhat nullified. Goldberg recovered from that attack as well, regaining his footing and taking over again. But the next time the champ tossed Page through the ropes and out to the floor, DDP used it to his advantage. He drove the champ’s neck down onto the top rope from the outside, stunning Goldberg long enough to reenter the ring and hit a timely swinging neck-breaker. The tide changed, as DDP went to work with several offensive maneuvers, an attempted pin cover, and a front face-lock.
This seemed to be a bad decision by Page, as Goldberg powered out of the wear-down hold and regained the advantage yet again. When the champ drove DDP to the mat neck first in a violent twisting attack, things started to look bleak for Diamond Dallas Page. The People’s Champion took more abuse at the hands of the champ, and it appeared his golden opportunity was slipping away.
Goldberg heaped on the offense, surely thinking he was about to seal the deal and successfully end this title defense. In a surprisingly long-term strategic approach to a match for Goldberg, he had been working on DDP’s arm, which Tenay and Bobby the Brain Heenan agreed was to eliminate the threat of the Diamond Cutter. In and of itself that was a bit of an evolution for the champ. He locked Page into a cross arm-breaker again, and was physically breaking down his opponent. Goldberg’s methodical pace and sheer strength was practically insurmountable.
Page had tried several different approaches to the conundrum that was Goldberg, and nothing even chipped his armor. Perhaps in desperation, DDP reached deep into his significant bag of tricks and pulled out a rabbit, or more accurately, a modified huricanrana. Goldberg replied by nearly driving his own boot through Page’s chest, launching him into the corner. Looking to quickly capitalize, and perhaps a little rash in his attack, Goldberg rushed across the ring at Page, no doubt aiming to spear the challenger out of his black and blue tights. And that was the opening DDP needed.
As such a student of the game, Page had prepared extensively for Goldberg’s two prominent moves, the spear and the jackhammer. DDP skillfully avoided the champion’s bull rush, and Goldberg drove his own shoulder into the steel ring post. Page was suddenly in business. He followed up with an uncharacteristic flying clothesline off the top rope, and a quick cover. Although Goldberg kicked out, he was much slower to respond, and seemed weakened and vulnerable for the first time. Page capitalized with a version of a tornado DDT, but the effects of the beating he’d taken throughout the contest took a toll. Both men were down on the mat.
Referee Mickey Jay began his required 10-count, and it was the scrappy challenger who rose to his feet first. In a foolhardy moment of excitement of perhaps vanity, Page showed the crowd the signal for the Diamond Cutter, but turned around and ate a vicious spear from the champ. And although Goldberg certainly felt the effects of driving his own injured shoulder into the heart of his challenger, DDP was now in trouble.
Goldberg’s right shoulder was so damaged that he failed to lift Page for the jackhammer the first time he tried. Steadfast in his desire to put away this pesky opponent, Goldberg tried again, and this time he succeeded. He got DDP up and over his head, but then the man from the Jersey Shore demonstrated exactly why he was in the position he was in. In a classic wrestling display, DDP countered the jackhammer attempt in mid-air and executed a picture-perfect Diamond Cutter. That he managed to survive in the match this long at all was admirable, but to now be in a position to win was unbelievable. When Page hit his signature move he drove Goldberg’s face and head into the canvas, knocking him senseless. The champ was now in danger of being dethroned, but unfortunately for Page, he was once again exhausted from his efforts and the pounding he’d suffered during the match.
For the second time, both men were down, and Mickey Jay counted. This time, Page didn’t make it to his feet. Instead, he crawled to make the cover, and rather than kick out, Goldberg rolled out from under DDP. Failing to win the title after nailing his bread-and-butter maneuver, Page lost his cool. He tried to power the larger Goldberg up for a suplex, which the champ easily adjusted into the jackhammer he couldn’t deliver earlier. Now, there was no escape for Page. He was covered for the fatal three seconds, and the match was over.
The champion showed more heart, grit, determination and stamina in this title defense than ever before at that point, because no opponent had been able to extend Goldberg, take his best, and score as much offense as DDP had. Although he was unsuccessful, Page proved that he belonged in the title picture, and he would indeed have his world title runs before his career was over. Goldberg looked like he’d been in a war. He held himself up by the ropes and winced in pain, unable to endure the traditional of having his hand raised by the referee in a symbol of victory.
In a highly unusual moment directly following a world championship match, the successful champion assisted the challenger to his feet before Page and Goldberg exchanged gestures of respect. The challenger had come at the champion with everything he had, and the champ was just a bit better on that night. The two honored each other’s efforts in the battle, and acted the way I often hope to see pro athletes act, but seldom do see. They acted like gentlemen warriors.
The match was a credit to both men. Rarely can two opponents simultaneously make each other look good, but that’s what Goldberg and Diamond Dallas Page did for each other on October 25th, 1998. They both came out of the event with a bit more respect, and having showed they each had another, deeper level to their game.
This was a great example of how to build a storyline leading to an event, followed by the actual event living up to the hype and delivering the goods. This was what I love about professional wrestling.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled reality.
p.s. – My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to $3.00 a can. That’s almost $21.00 in dog money. -Joe Weinstein
