Fingerpoke Marks Finale Of Fandom

Johnathan McDonald

In the summer of 1998 I was Wolfpac for life. In the battle between factions, even with WCW featuring new megastars DDP and Goldberg, I was throwing up the "Too Sweet" and rocking the red and black.

The Wolfpac had some massive star power. They had Luger and Savage! They even had Sting! But standing above them all in my eyes, literally and figuratively, was "Big Sexy", Kevin Nash.

Nash was my favourite wrestler, and as such, I was pumped to see him challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship at Starrcade—WCW's biggest event of the year. And, of course, even more excited that he ended Goldberg's streak and captured the gold.

Now, casting aside the correctness (or lack thereof) of booking Nash to win at Starrcade, it was certainly a credible and legitimate move. Nash was physically imposing, and a super over babyface. If company brass were dead set on having someone beat Goldberg, Nash was as good a choice as anyone else. And hey, again, my favourite wrestler won the world title in the main event of the biggest show of the year.

Owing to silly stun stick shenanigans that affected the Starrcade finish, a rematch between Nash and Goldberg was signed for the January 4, 1999 edition of Monday Nitro. The show was set to emanate from the Georgia Dome in Goldberg's hometown of Atlanta, as it had several months earlier when he won the world title from Hollywood Hogan.

Much like in July of '98, the first Nitro of '99 drew a massive crowd, and a massive tv rating. Despite being a huge Nash fan, I was very accepting of the possibility that Goldberg would get the world title back. It was his hometown, and quite frankly, Goldberg may have been the bigger star. I clung to the possibility that my favourite could once again pull out a victory (maybe again via some outside help) but if I had to bet my week's allowance, it would have been on "The Man".

So which competitor walked out with the title?

Neither. Hulk Hogan did.

Over the course of three hours, a terrible storyline, some atrocious acting, and the infamous "fingerpoke of doom" swerve led to Hollywood Hogan yet again being the top man in the company.

I was out.

I had saw Lex Luger topple Hogan...only for Hogan to get the gold back mere days later. I had seen Sting return to WCW to avenge the company and defeat (then re-defeat) the evil NWO leader...only for Hogan to get the gold back. Then finally, the phenomenal, unbelievably popular Goldberg beat Hogan with authority...only for Hogan to get the gold back. More than becoming quite clear, the pattern was striking me in the head with a steel chair.

A lot of people switched the channel that January night, many permanently, because Tony Schiavone leaked that Mick Foley was winning the WWE title. I switched to the WWE for good after that night, but it wasn't because of intriguing spoilers, it was because I had no choice but to tap out to booking that continually robbed me of what I wanted to see, and consistently pushed the very things I had had enough of.

Nash ironically sold the Fingerpoke of Doom that night like it was a gunshot. To my WCW fandom, it truly was.