Goldberg's Idiocy Vs. The Fingerpoke of Doom

[RavensEdge]

Which one had a bigger effect on WCW losing ratings and eventually going under? I know WCW was in a tailspin already but which event hurt them the worst?
We all know The Fingerpoke of Doom so no need to explain that.
The idiocy I'm referring to is something I heard Nash say on an episode of Legends of Wrestling recently. After an attack from Bret Hart and the new NWO or whatever they were called at the time, Goldberg chased Hart to the parking lot and was supposed to smash his limo windows in with the baseball bat that Hart had attacked him with. Goldberg decided it was a much better(tougher) idea to smash the windows with his fist. The first one went without a problem but when he smashed the 2nd window the glass cut through his forearm and he missed the next 6 months of action. Obviously he was the face of the company at this point and Nash said there were huge plans for him following the attack that happened but none if it ever happened because of the injury. Would there have been any major difference in WCW if Goldberg hadn't missed those 6 months?

 

[KoC417]

No there wouldn't have been any difference. The fact remains that the company was on a massive downward spiral at the time and they were eventually going to go under regardless. As Booker T said "Just too much money being spent and not enough coming in". Or as JR said "They didn't want to fund a losing entity for the hell of it". Goldberg sticking around may have prolonged WCW's dismal future but to assume that Goldberg sticking around for those 6 months would have saved WCW from the inevitable is ridiculous.

The ONLY possibility for hope that I see is maybe, JUST MAYBE in those extra 6 months Bischoff could have gained the leverage and support needed to buy the company. I think the bigger question should have been If Goldberg had stuck around would Bischoff have been able to get the company. Either way WCW was turning into what WWE's competition is anyways: TNA. WCW went from top dog status to barely rivaling Indy shows IMO. TNA is essentially a glorified Indy show when you look at how a lot of their stars are "under contract" with those pay per appearance situations.

 

[RavensEdge]

No there wouldn't have been any difference. The fact remains that the company was on a massive downward spiral at the time and they were eventually going to go under regardless. As Booker T said "Just too much money being spent and not enough coming in". Or as JR said "They didn't want to fund a losing entity for the hell of it". Goldberg sticking around may have prolonged WCW's dismal future but to assume that Goldberg sticking around for those 6 months would have saved WCW from the inevitable is ridiculous.

The ONLY possibility for hope that I see is maybe, JUST MAYBE in those extra 6 months Bischoff could have gained the leverage and support needed to buy the company. I think the bigger question should have been If Goldberg had stuck around would Bischoff have been able to get the company. Either way WCW was turning into what WWE's competition is anyways: TNA. WCW went from top dog status to barely rivaling Indy shows IMO. TNA is essentially a glorified Indy show when you look at how a lot of their stars are "under contract" with those pay per appearance situations.

That's a good question. I didn't know Bischoff was trying to buy WCW but that would've been interesting.
And to the point about WCW regressing to the level of an indy show... I remember reading somewhere around the end of 1999/early 2000 that the top four wrestling companies as far as profit goes were(in order):
1) WWF
2) ECW
3) JCW (ICP's wrestling company)
4) WCW

 

[EastCoastFan]

According to Goldberg's book (consider the source), he had a small piece of pipe in his hand that he was using to break the windows. After the first one, he dropped the pipe and kept going. Add to this that Goldberg said he had had a run-in with Scott Hall backstage right before it and was so furious that he cut loose on the windows out of frustration.

 

[Shakin' Abe]

No difference at all. The damage was done and if Nash was booking, he would have put the strap on himself no matter what. The company was in the crapper and just waiting for the courtesy flush.

 

[RavensEdge]

http://youtu.be/yweRwGM0F5U

It does actually look like he's digging for something in his pocket as he runs through the backstage area, maybe a piece of pipe. But pipe or not it was a pretty dumb idea.

 

[Kasey]

Goldberg remaining wouldn't have made much of a difference. The big rub that started WCW's disintegration involved several things.

First, the debacle regarding Sting's MASSIVE buildup angle and the bullshit transition that didn't allow Sting to begin a campaign as a true champion post-Starrcade, effectively wasting months and months of time and effort.

Then, later that summer Luger winning the title after kicking the shit out of 800 NWO members and then losing the strap a week later. Two of the biggest superheroes the company had worked on were deflated like cheap balloons so that the old man could sport the strap again.

The issue was that Hogan couldn't deliver the goods as a reliable villain. He could no longer move well, accept offense or plausibly sell his opponents moves (even against Goldberg he moved like a dead fish). Hell, he lost to no-hip Piper at Starrcade 1996 by a clean sleeper-hold and they pretty much erased that from existence and made that match for no title whatsoever...even though dumbass Hogan was the champion.

Then Goldberg was over-booked and had no match vocabulary that could hold up his end of the bargain when they finally upped him to main-event status.

As for the Fingerpoke? Bullshit to the Nth degree. Nash defends it to this day, but he has obvious beer goggles when he doesn't think he had any part in eating company alive from the inside out after spending months reviving it. It was a definite case of too many chiefs, not enough Indians. Plus, while they were busy dicking around and swallowing Ted's payroll, it ended up being the time when Vince McMahon happened to have a bonfire lit under his ass and was putting the WWF back on top and having guys in the driver's seat who could actually work.

 

[The Brain]

I realize this topic is about two specific incidents but it is basically another version of a thread that has been done many times. There are already threads about the demise of WCW and what caused it.