Who’s To Blame For Hulk Hogan vs Sting Starrcade 1997 Fiasco

The history of pro wrestling has included several controversial match finishes. In fact, some of the most famous matches of all time are remembered by how the match ended.
Bischoff admitted on 83 Weeks that he might have told referee Nick Patrick to do a fast-count in the main event match between Hulk Hogan and Sting at Starrcade 1997, but he credited much of the fiasco to miscommunication between the wrestlers and the producers backstage. Bischoff went on to explain how he handled the situation backstage to squelch a long-standing rumor.

“I had a brief conversation with him. I mean, I don’t hear it as much anymore or read it as much anymore, about what a hothead I was, or how I would lose my temper, or that I was out of control. That wasn’t true. I very seldom lost my temper. Right now, me losing my f*cking cool, and yelling, and screaming, and throwing sh*t is going to change absolutely nothing. As I usually say, the bullet has already left the barrel. I can’t put it back. It’s gone.”
“Now, all I can do is focus on trying to fix it. So did I confront Nick? Yes, I did. Did I lose my mind, and did I scream, and did I yell? Did I corner him and say, ‘how the f*ck could you possibly do this?’ None of that happened. It was a conversation that was probably less animated than the one I’m having with [co-host Conrad Thompson]. And it probably sounded something like, ‘Nick, what the f*ck?'”
“He would have told me whatever happened or how it got miscommunicated, which was clearly the case here. It was miscommunication. It wasn’t Hulk Hogan working a gimmick. It wasn’t any of that. It was poor communication. Simple as that. It just irks me to have to still listen to people espouse this narrative of ‘it was just another Hulk Hogan plan!’, By the way, he would have gotten nothing out of it. He wouldn’t have made $0.10 more with one finish than he would have with another.”

You never know how time can heal wounds. It seems that some people are still upset about how that match went down in 1997. According to Bischoff though, it was all just a matter of poor communication at the time, but it wouldn’t have mattered anyway when it comes to money.

Thanks to Wrestling Inc for the quotes