The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior
It is fact that WWE tried to negotiate with Warrior aka Jim Helwig to be involved in the production of the DVD but he declined. What came next was one of the most brutal lashings ever created via a DVD. Calling this production a pure bashfest would not do it justice as there are tons of interesting and nostalgia filled moments, as only a WWE DVD can make.
The DVD begins by going over Warrior’s humbled beginnings. Some early photos of his early team with Steve Borden (later to go onto success as Sting) are shown. His early characters such as Blade Runner Rock and the Dingo Warrior and his work in promotions such as UWF and WCCW are highlighted. Soon thereafter, Warrior called the WWF (now, the WWE) looking for work and slowly was given a chance.
Ted Dibiase, Bobby Heenan, Gene Okerlund, Hulk Hogan, Steve Lombardi, Vince McMahon, Chris Jericho, Edge, Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross, Tom Pritchard, Christian are most of the people that were interviewed for the DVD. Dibiase tells countless stories of how Warrior acted like a fool around the other wrestlers off camera and came across as a grade-A idiot. You’ll notice that the wrestlers of old don’t have a whole lot of positive to talk about Warrior but the new-age wrestlers talk of their fond memories.
Warrior’s exclusive nature such as being the only man at the time to run to the ring for his entrance to his aggressive music is talked about. Even WWE music guru Jim Johnston makes a rare appearance to discuss how he created the music, which is only made up of a few notes.
Throughout the DVD, some of Warrior’s interviews are shown and are amazing to watch, for the wrong reasons. In most of them, he rambles on about something that has nothing to do with anything. Specifically, Edge and Christian discuss a promo done prior to Wrestlemania VI which is downright scary.
Now to the actual wrestling. Warrior’s early feuds with the Honky Tonk Man, Hercules Hernandez and Bobby Heenan are gone over with depth. The interviewees take cheap shots knocking his wrestling ability noting that most of his entrances were longer than his matches. His notable feud with Ravishing Rick Rude is highlighted with some of his peers noting his patience for working alongside the wrestling-challenged Warrior.
Bobby Heenan tells a great story about Andre the Giant’s feelings towards Warrior. The two had wrestled a bit in the WWF and Andre was known to be a funloving kind of guy. However, if he didn’t like someone, it was going to be tough for them inside the ring. When you watch, you’ll laugh out loud at this point.
Finally, the Ultimate Warrior’s title victory over Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania VI at Skydome in Toronto, Canada. Considered one of the best ‘Mania main events ever, Hulk Hogan himself discusses the match. In reality, this is actually one of Warriors best matches. From this point on, the DVD is all about how he dropped the ball once he was handed the reigns of “top dog” in the business.
After being crowned World Champion, he feuded with Ted Dibiase and Macho Man Randy Savage. Hogan notes about Savage’s nuance to detail every portion of a match beforehand so the two of them (Savage/Warrior) usually worked well together. An extra on the bonus disc (available only at FYE stores) is the Wrestlemania VII match between Warrior and Savage which had a Loser Leaves Town stipulation.
The infamous Summer Slam 1990 event comes up. The main event of the PPV was the team of Hogan and Warrior versus Sgt. Slaughter, General Adnon and the Iron Sheik. During the night of the PPV, Warrior held Vince McMahon up for more money or else he would refuse to go out and perform. This obviously put McMahon into a bind as the guy had been advertised for months for the show. Reluctantly, the boss agreed and paid Warrior. Once the match was over, McMahon fired Warrior.
Eventually, he would come back and return at the conclusion of Wrestlemania VIII. He was considerably smaller in stature and rumors were rampant at the time that the “real” Warrior had died and someone else had returned. Those rumors are all put to rest here but the men inside the company. Warrior’s feud with Papa Shango is detailed here which saw the man being taken over by voodoo countless times. Then once again, Warrior was fired. This time, he failed a drug test and remember, this was around the time the Federal Government was chasing McMahon for steroids.
Fast forward a few years into the mid 1990s and Warrior is back in the WWF. Another infamous Warrior match is talked about, versus Hunter Hearst Helmsley at Wrestlemania XII. HHH talks about Warrior (footage from a previously aired interview) and describes him as the most unprofessional person he’s ever worked with. This was the match which saw Warrior completely disregard the pedigree (Hunter’s devastating finisher) and pin him in two minutes.
For the third time in less than a decade, McMahon fired the Ultimate Warrior. This time, it was due to him missing a number of shows he had been advertised for. Afterwards, Warrior sued McMahon in court for the rights to his gimmick. A number of wrestlers issue their thoughts on the lawsuit. Jim Helwig would later (legally) change his name to Warrior. Seriously, his legal name is now Warrior.
Done with WWF, the DVD switches over to WCW. The Renegade is talked about by former WCW President Eric Bischoff. Renegade’s goal was to be as much of an Ultimate Warrior rip off as possible. Sadly, the Renegade (in real life) committed suicide later on.
Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff continue to talk about the presence, or lack thereof of the Warrior in WCW. Highlights are shown of the, widely recognized as terrible, match between Hogan and Warrior at WCW Halloween Havoc 1998.
The extras on the disc are five matches, versus Terry Gibbs from 1987, versus Honky Tonk Man from 1988, versus Hulk Hogan from 1990, versus Rick Rude from 1990 and versus Randy Savage from 1991. Non match extras consist of stories from Lawler and Dibiase about Warrior, a Christian impersonation and a commercial of Warrior University.
If you were an Ultimate Warrior fan, this is a must buy. If you’re looking for a fun wrestling DVD, you can do no wrong with this one. Another strong production by WWE. There is a lot of bashing done here but overall, you can’t argue with the impact (big or little) the man had on wrestling.
