Yep just one in a long line of booking mishaps.
Slightly off topic but out of interest how would you have handled the post starrcade 1997 booking and the debacle that was the non fast count finish in the main event?
I would have thrown millions of dollars at Pat Patterson so he could come in and lay out the matches.
After Starrcade '97 there was only one direction to go in - Sting vs. Hogan II. One tweak that I would have made to the rematch is have Bret officiate the match. Since he was such a large part of the Starrcade '97 finish, it only makes sense for Bret to be involved here. I also like the idea of Bret being the special guest referee because he was such an honorable character and it makes sense for WCW to go with a trained wrestler. I also think it makes for good television in the lead-up, with Bret clarifying his position in the company and the nWo sending him overtures. You could even make his friendship with Hennig an element of his character - which was some of the nuanced reality based story-telling that made WCW a cut above in 96/97.
Sting naturally wins the match, Hogan goes on a sabbatical and you eventually go with Sting/Bret around May/June. I don't think it's a match you want to get to right away, you want to plant the seeds first and remind everybody how much of a dream match Sting vs. Bret is.
I'd ignore the temptation of running Hogan/Bret since Hulk had just jobbed on three consecutive PPVs and would have to be rehabbed. I like the idea of giving Hogan a couple of months off to recharge his batteries and bringing him into feud with DDP. What I like about Page is that he understood a good opportunity when he saw it, so even if it meant doing the favours, he'd understand how important it was for his character to go toe-to-toe with Hogan.
It may sound sacriligeous but Sting's performances in 98 weren't up to muster. Sting was in poor shape and struggled to implement his persona into matches. When the time was right, I would have switched the belt over to Bret.
As soon as Bret signed with WCW, he should have instantly become the new favourite toy. There was a lot of directions you could have taken the character and it was nearly impossible for him to have a bad match with anybody. I would be made the most of the investment and put the belt on him around June, had him face off against the Kliq and you eventually get to the Hogan/Bret match around Halloween Havoc. You could have Bret win the first match and have Hogan win the second and the belt, either way, Starrcade 1998 at the Georgia Dome would be Hollywood Hogan vs. Bill Goldberg for the WCW Title.
In summary, I'd build to a rematch that would set the rest of 1998 in motion. The match would sign-post upcoming Bret/Sting and Bret/Hogan matches, which would give the fans something to look forward to. I would eventually roll with Bret as champion, freshen the show up and when the time was right, have Hogan win the belt. Then at Starrcade 1998, Hogan would do the favours for Bill and 1999 would be Goldberg's year.
