Starrcade 1999 Starrcade 1999 was the seventeenth annual Starrcade professional wrestling pay - per - view event . It was the twelfth Starrcade event produced by World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) , and it took place on December 19 , 1999 from the MCI Center in Washington , D . C . The main event was between Bret Hart and Goldberg for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship . The match was notable for a concussion Hart sustained , which ultimately led to his retirement in 2000 . After Hart won the title at the Mayhem event , Goldberg challenged Hart to a match for the title . The match ended in a screwjob , with Goldberg losing unfairly . Soon after the event , Hart formed and led a new incarnation of the New World Order group . Other matches included a ladder match between Chris Benoit and Jeff Jarrett for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship , a Powerbomb match between Sid Vicious and Kevin Nash , and Sting against The Total Package . In 2015 , All WCW pay - per - views were made available on the WWE Network . Background . The main match of Starrcade was between Bret Hart and Goldberg . At Mayhem , the previous pay - per - view event , Hart won a tournament to become the new WCW World Heavyweight Champion . Afterwards , Goldberg challenged Hart to a match at Starrcade for the title . They showed respect for each other , and won the WCW World Tag Team Championship together . They lost the title one week later to The Outsiders . In September , Eric Bischoff was relieved of his position as the president of World Championship Wrestling . Vince Russo , who previously worked for the World Wrestling Federation , was hired as a writer , and made many changes to the programming . He was portrayed on - screen as " The Powers That Be " , a mysterious , unseen power source that controlled the promotion . The programming was changed in style , with more time devoted to non - wrestling segments , and more coherent storylines . Russo has received criticism for some of his contributions , however , and Bischoff has described Russo ' s storylines as dark and unsophisticated . Event . The first match was between The Mamalukes ( Big Vito and Johnny the Bull ) and the team of Disco Inferno and Lash LeRoux . The match started with Big Vito and Johnny the Bull dominating LeRoux and Inferno by double - teaming . This continued until Big Vito missed a splash . Inferno and LeRoux fought back until Inferno accidentally performed a Last Dance on LeRoux . Big Vito performed a spinning lifting DDT on LeRoux , and pinned him to win the match . The second match was between Madusa and Evan Karagias ( accompanied by Spice ) for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship . The match started back and forth until Karagias performed a hangman and a flying clothesline to the outside . Spice distracted Karagias , and performed a low blow . Madusa then pinned Karagias with a bridging German suplex to win the match and the title . The third match was between Meng and Norman Smiley for the WCW Hardcore Championship . The match started with Meng dominating Smiley as they fought backstage . Fit Finlay and Brian Knobs then attacked Meng . Finlay hit Meng with a lead pipe , and Smiley pinned him to win the match , and retain the title . The fourth match was between The Revolution ( Shane Douglas , Dean Malenko , Perry Saturn and Asya ) and the team of Jim Duggan and The Varsity Club . Saturn and Malenko had the advantage over Duggan for most of the match . This continued until the Varsity Club came in , and fought off The Revolution . However , they then turned on Duggan , and beat him down . They performed a low blow to Duggan , and Douglas pinned him to win the match . As a result of losing , Duggan had to renounce his United States citizenship . The fifth match was between Vampiro ( accompanied by The Misfits ) and Steve Williams . The match started back and forth until Williams sent Vampiro off the top turnbuckle . The Misfits came in , and Williams fought them off . Williams continued to attack Vampiro , and the referee disqualified him after Williams refused to stop . Vampiro won the match , and earned a match with Oklahoma , which started immediately after . Oklahoma had the advantage after Williams ' attacks . Vampiro fought back with an ura - nage , and beat him down with The Misfits . Vampiro pinned him after a Nail in the Coffin to win the match . The seventh match featured the Creative Control tag team and Curt Hennig against Harlem Heat ( Booker T and Stevie Ray ) and Midnight . Stevie Ray chose to not wrestle in the match . The match went back and forth until Booker T was attacked outside the ring . Creative Control and Hennig had the advantage . After Creative Control missed a diving elbow drop , Booker T fought back with a Harlem Sidekick and a spinebuster . Hennig came in , and hit Booker T with brass knuckles . Creative Control then pinned Booker T to win the match . The eighth match was a Bunkhouse Brawl between Dustin Rhodes and Jeff Jarrett . The match started backstage , and went back and forth with the use of a wheelbarrow . They fought to the ring , and Rhodes gained the advantage with the use of a cow bell , and threw powder at Jarrett . Jarrett fought back with a low blow , and applied the sleeper hold . Rhodes fought out with a belly to back suplex , and they fought up the entrance ramp . Curt Hennig attempted to interfere , but Rhodes beat him down . The distraction allowed Jarrett to perform a guitar shot , and pin Rhodes to win the match . The ninth match was a Crowbar on a Pole match between Diamond Dallas Page and David Flair . Before the match , Flair attacked Page from behind with his own crowbar , and Page was knocked down outside the ring . Page returned , and the match started with Flair having the advantage . Flair performed several attacks , and applied the figure four leglock . Flair retrieved the crowbar , and attempted to use it . Page avoided it , and pinned Flair after a Diamond Cutter to win the match . The tenth match was between The Total Package and Sting ( accompanied by Elizabeth ) . Prior to the match , Sting was shown handing Elizabeth a can of what he said was spray , and told her to use it if she had to . The Total Package attacked Sting as he entered the ring , and continued to have the advantage . Elizabeth climbed onto the apron , and this allowed Sting to fight back . After they knocked down each other with a clothesline , Elizabeth came into the ring , and revealed her alliance with The Total Package by attempting to use the spray on Sting . Unfortunately for her , it was actually a can of silly string , revealing that Sting anticipated being betrayed by his confidante ( a common occurrence in Sting ' s career ) . Sting performed a Stinger splash to The Total Package , and attempted to apply the Scorpion Deathlock . Elizabeth hit Sting with a baseball bat , and Sting won the match by disqualification . After the match , The Total Package attacked Sting ' s right arm with a steel chair and the bat . The eleventh match was a Powerbomb match between Sid Vicious and Kevin Nash . Vicious gained the advantage after attacking Nash outside the ring with the use of a steel chair and the guard rail . Vicious continued with a leg drop and a scoop slam . Vicious sent Nash into the referee , knocking him down , and performed a powerbomb on Nash . Jeff Jarrett came down , and hit Vicious with a guitar . Nash attempted a powerbomb , but failed due to the pain in his back . The referee revived , and Nash told him he performed a powerbomb on Vicious . The referee believed Nash , and awarded him the victory . The twelfth match was a ladder match between Chris Benoit and Jeff Jarrett for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship . Benoit was awarded the title earlier at the event due to his scheduled opponent , Scott Hall , suffered an injury and was unable to compete , and issued an open challenge . The match started back and forth . They sent each other into the ladder , and stopped each other from climbing the ladder by tipping it . As Benoit climbed the ladder , Jarrett sent him down with a missile dropkick to the ladder . Benoit then sent the ladder into Jarrett with a dropkick , and performed a diving headbutt from the top of the ladder . Benoit climbed the ladder , and retrieved the belt to win the match , and retain the title . The main event was a No Disqualification match between Bret Hart and Goldberg for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship . They knocked down several referees throughout the match . The match started with Goldberg having the advantage after a gorilla press powerslam . Goldberg attacked Hart outside the ring using the guard rail . Back in the ring , Goldberg missed a spear , and hit the turnbuckle . Hart fought back , and applied the ringpost figure four leglock . Hart then targeted the left leg of Goldberg , and applied the figure four leglock . Hart accidentally knocked down the referee , and Goldberg fought back with a mule kick ( that legitimately struck Hart , leaving him with a concussion ) and a spear . With the referee down , Roddy Piper came down to officiate . Hart attacked the leg of Goldberg , and applied the Sharpshooter . Piper ended the match without Goldberg submitting , and awarded Hart the victory . Hart retained the title , and appeared confused about the situation . The ending resembled the Montreal Screwjob . Aftermath . Due to the controversial ending to the match between Bret Hart and Goldberg at Starrcade , the WCW World Heavyweight Championship was vacated the following night on " WCW Monday Nitro " . Hart and Goldberg faced each other later on the show , where Hart regained the title with the help of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash . Hart , Hall , Nash and Jeff Jarrett formed a new incarnation of the New World Order ( nWo ) group , named nWo 2000 . The mule kick Goldberg performed to Hart during their match at Starrcade gave Hart a severe concussion . Unaware of the severity of the injury , Hart continued to compete in matches in the days following . Hart was diagnosed with post - concussion syndrome , and relinquished the title on January 16 . nWo 2000 disbanded soon after , and was the last incarnation of the nWo in the promotion . Later that year , Hart retired from professional wrestling . In April , Eric Bischoff returned to the promotion in a position that involved the managing and overseeing of the creative process . Bischoff worked with Vince Russo , and two new groups were created to feud with each other : the Millionaire ' s Club , which included older wrestlers , and the New Blood , with younger wrestlers . The value of the WCW World Heavyweight Championship had decreased over the past years , thanks in part to the hotshot booking of Bischoff and Russo , and Bischoff devised a storyline that began at the Bash at the Beach event to restore its value . At the event , according to Bischoff , Russo acted on his own and ruined Bischoff ' s plan by cutting a worked shoot promo on Hulk Hogan . Russo contends that Bischoff and Hogan were aware of the plan and agreed to it ahead of time . Bischoff left the promotion soon after due to problems he had with Russo .