Should Ultimate Warrior Have Gotten So Many Chances?

[The Crock]

Ultimate Warrior​

From 1987 to 1991, Ultimate Warrior was arguably the biggest star in professional wrestling. Despite being disliked by many of his peers, not being good in the ring, and rambling on endlessly during promos, Warrior was loved by the fans. His high-energy, high-impact style gave the fans something new. He identified with the younger crowd and became a mega-star. He sky-rocketed to fame as soon as he hit the WWE, working his way up the card and enjoying 2 Intercontinental Championship reigns, one in 1988, where he won it from the Honky Tonk Man in 13 seconds at the first SummerSlam, and the other in 1989 when he beat Rick Rude at SummerSlam. Soon after this, as his crowd ovations became even louder, he began to work his way into the main event. At the 1990 Royal Rumble, he had a confrontation with Hulk Hogan which would only push them toward the inevitable match they HAD to have. So, at WrestleMania VI Warrior and Hogan faced off in the "Ultimate Challenge," where both the InterContinental Championship and the WWF Championship would be on the line. Warrior won the encounter and the WWF Championship, having effectively had the torch passed to him from Hogan. From this point on, his popularity only grew as he successfully defended his championship, most of the time in true Warrior fashion (short match, used to hide his limited skills). After losing his title to Sgt. Slaughter due to an interference from Randy Savage, Warrior and Savage faced off at WrestleMania VII where Warrior won, forcing Savage to "retire." He then went on to feud with Jake "The Snake" Roberts and Undertaker until SummerSlam of 1991. This is the event where it all came crashing down for Warrior. He had a money dispute with Vince McMahon, threatening to no-show the event where he was included in the main event. Eventually, he showed up and participated in his match, but was fired immediately afterward.

Warrior's first return came in mid-1992, when Vince McMahon was desperate for a star. Hogan was nearing the end, so Warrior was his best option. Warrior returned at WrestleMania VIII saving Hulk Hogan from a beat down at the hands of Sid Justice and Papa Shango. During his return though, he looked significantly different. He was smaller in size, having more than likely stopped taking steroids, had shorter hair, and wore a full body suit. His return here was basically a disaster from the beginning. He had a "memorable" feud with Papa Shango, which was the only hallmark of his second return. Shortly thereafter, he had a dispute with the WWF and was released due to having something pop up in his blood work, a steroid of some kind. His termination was sped up by the increased pressure on the WWF to crack down on steroids, so he was the first man gone.

For the next few years, Warrior was semi-retired until 1996. In '96, Vince needed a star again, so he called warrior. At WrestleMania XII, Warrior decimated HHH, and then had some minor feuds, his biggest one being with Jerry Lawler. After no-showing many house shows and again not being very reliable, he was terminated for the final time by the WWF. Warrior claims that the passing of his father was the reason for his no-shows, but he hadn't seen his father in 10 years, and he used that excuse long after the man's death. That is according to Vince McMahon. Warrior claims that it was yet another contract dispute, that McMahon is lying. This led to some nasty law suits in '96 and '98 between Warrior and the WWF over Warrior not receiving his due for merchandise and certain events and the rights to his name, which he legally changed to "Warrior" in 1993.

That being said, do you believe that Ultimate Warrior received too many chances from the WWF, that he was in the wrong, or do you think that the WWF used him as a scapegoat?

My personal opinion of Warrior is not a good one. I personally believe he had EVERY opportunity he could have possibly had and he threw it all away. He owes everything he has to the WWF, but he is completely ungrateful, it seems. In the wrestling business, you have to respect your peers, respect the history, and respect the fans. Warrior didn't do any of those things. He had a separate dressing room, traveled separately, and rarely ever interacted with "the boys," from what I've heard. He also didn't care about wrestling, nor did he know much about it. He wrestled because it was income for him, he didn't care about anything else but himself. Worst of all, he no-showed appearances and completely spit in the face of his loyal fans. The fans keep the wrestling business alive, Warrior owes a lot to them, but he doesn't see it that way. Basically, I think Warrior is a selfish man who received far more opportunities and pushes than he ever should have. Sure, he was way over with the fans, and that deserved to be rewarded, but he was certainly not a hard worker.

 

[poppycock]

No, because when the rain clouds open and the lightning hits the eagles wings down will come the rain and the sun and an ultimate rainbow will appear and the gods...blah blah..

Yeah maybe... I never really liked him. The first time I saw him was on a Summerslam 1992 VHS sometime in the early 90's and I wanted Savage to beat him. I do not know the guy but from what I have read and seen through other wrestlers interviews he was no good and showed very little respect to anything or anybody other than himself.

 

[Theo Mays]

To this day I still get extremely pumped up if I ever hear the Ultimate Warrior's music. You just can't help but get psyched to that shit. As a kid I loved Warrior. I was part of Warrior's Nation and his match with Hogan was my all time favorite match as a child. Since I've grown older my interest in Warrior has dwindle. When you grow old you see the business from a different aspect and it can change your views on certain people and Ultimate Warrior is one of them.

Onto the topic at hand, I think the Warrior deserved his first second chance that he got in 1992. Hogan was on his way out and Vince being the business man that he is thought he could strike gold again with the popularity that Warrior possesses. Honestly it looked great on paper. This all could have lead to another Warrior/Hogan showdown at Wrestlemania IX or "The Ultimate Tag Team" of Hogan and Warrior potentially teaming at Summerslam against Sid and Papa Shango. So much potential on paper that it was too good to not take a shot on.

As for Warrior's second second chance I'm iffy on. I'm not really sure how to feel about. I was told growing up that Warrior died (not sure if that was a rumor, I can't remember) and it was a different guy. So that time around to me it wasn't the same Warrior and I didn't buy into it. Vince obviously thought he could again strike gold and that's why he did it. In the world of wrestling you seem to get as many chances as you can think up until you ultimately screw it up or they move on and find something bigger and better.

 

[JGlass]

I don't know much about The Warrior, but I do know that he had next to no talent in the wrestling ring. However, he had an insanely awesome gimmick, a great look, and for whatever reason the crowd fucking LOVED him.

No doubt, Warrior did NOT deserve those chances. He took his job for granted, he felt entitled, he abused his position on the card and the fact that the WWF needed him more than he need the WWF. He took steroids at a time when steroid crackdown was nearing its height and Vince McMahon was in deep shit for allegedly pumping his employees full of steroids. He was quite possibly one of the worst employees the WWE ever had.

He wasn't a skilled wrestler, and he was a bad employee. If the WWF dedicated their resources to creating another superstar, Warrior could have been easily replaced. However, he was an easy way out for Vince to find a super popular wrestler without putting in much work. That said, Ultimate Warrior should not have gotten more than two chances with the WWF.

 

[BigDaddyKewl]

I think he deserved both chances he got. Warrior was entertaining and a legend in the buisiness. Just listen to the pops he got when he returned in 92,96,98 in WCW. He made the WWE millions of dollars. Despite there personal and professional differences they still use him in Video games and Toys and show footage of him on TV. What he did behind the scenes is irrelevant.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

I think he deserved both chances he got. Warrior was entertaining and a legend in the buisiness. Just listen to the pops he got when he returned in 92,96,98 in WCW. He made the WWE millions of dollars. Despite there personal and professional differences they still use him in Video games and Toys and show footage of him on TV. What he did behind the scenes is irrelevant.

Point well said and well made, personally speaking I could give two shits about the Ultimate Warrior's personal conduct and behavior. To be honest I was a fan of his for a short time but he's not an all time favorite of mine either. However, let's be honest here, putting too much thought into Warrior's personal life and attitude backstage is a ridiculous criteria the fact is that Vince chose to do business with him time and again and that's his problem not us fans.

Plus Vince has continued to deal with him in the respect of WWE Legends deals so they must have some sort of cooperation with one another, the people who take all this backstage bullshit too seriously need to get their heads examined. For one a lot of what you hear is rumor and innuendo, none of it is ever really substantiated and two caring about this shit isn't what being a real fan of professional wrestling's all about. For those that are bitching about Warrior's ego don't put him in an exclusive club because all the top guys according to locker room scuttlebutt have pulled the same shit...Hogan, Austin, Nash, Michaels, and even Bret Hart to name just a few. But I could give a shit as long as they entertain me which they do, they could do whatever they want behind the scenes because guys like Vince McMahon have just as incredible an ego as any of his subordinates ever had.

 

[TUFFY54]

NO

Warrior doesn't strike me as a guy who got a bunch of chances. He had a major fuck up in 91 and was fired. Vince said in an interview that the fans wanted the Warrior back so he brought him back in 92. He fucked up again and was fired. Four years went by before he came back to the company. He was a total waste in 96 and didn't last long. He no showed the shows. That is the only unforgivable sin in the wrestling business. You can do anything as long as you show up. He didn't show up.

Thats two fuck ups in 5 years. By wrestling standards, thats damn near a spotless record. I also think his popularity is overrated. A lot of people where rooting for Hogan at Wrestlemania 6. I don't buy the whole "passing of the guard thing". How many of you are going to root for the Rock next year over Cena?

 

[Million Dollar Dream]

I don't agree at all when people say he was booked with having no talent. Wrestling business is all about having charisma such as Hogan, Cena, Stone Cold, Andre The Giant. Guys with wrestling talent were IC title holders such as Mr. Perfect, Tito Santana, Razor Ramon. Million Dollar Man had tons of wrestling talent and had the perfect gimmick and the charisma but was never world wrestling federation champion.

Warrior had the fans pop out of their seats and scream to the top of their lungs. Thats what sells the tickets!!! It's a business and profit is what looked to be gained it doesn't matter who the best wrestler is never has never will. Chris Benoit is about the only champion to not have major charisma out there, Bob Backlund too for the 24 hours he had it before Diesel beat him.

Warrior getting chances is like Jeff Hardy he will always get chances until he screws up bad enough to turn fans or promoters against him. The Warrior didn't have the pop in 1996 because fans didn't know when he would disappear again and he fought a young Triple H who at the time had ZERO drawing power. He left a lasting impression which someone else made a great point that if he was not so popular there would never be action figures, him in wwe all stars video games, the dvd be released... all these things wouldn't happen if the guy couldn't draw in the revenue.

One wcw note Eric Bischoff love him or hate him is a very smart business man, he would never have brought Warrior in at WCW's peak had he thought it wouldn't generate cash. Chances will always be there for wrestlers, athletes, actors as long as they can bring in the money.

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

warrior was huge... he was the first person to come along in wwe who could possibly be seen as being as big as Hogan was at the time... no one got the crowd as pumped as Warrior did, he was the 80s version of Goldberg and his streak the way he would run to the ring hit a few moves and be done not to mention he had the best theme song ever or at least one of them. I was still a hogan fan back at WM6 but i had a lot of friends going for Warrior, it was a pretty even split of the fans as they were 1 and 2 in the company. People put too much stock in wrestling ability when at the end of the day what really matters is who captivates the crowd. There are guys who do neither and they deserve the bad press but Warrior owned the crowd his first run... the second one was damaged by him losing his look and the third one by him losing his mind haha... seriously though, if someone came out today like Warrior with that much energy and strength I would be entertained... warrior got the shots he did because he was still entertaining, it wasn't till that ran up that he didn't get the shots. That just seems to be the way it is, as long as you can produce money you're good, and once you can't forget about it... I'm reminded of what Vince McMahon said to undertaker during undertakers "shoot promo" he asked the deadman "what have you done for me lately?" That is definitely Vince's attitude on a lot of things and as long as you can do something for him you'll be kept around. (not that I know him personally but this is just the impression I get from everything I've watched and read)

 

[GameOver]

Love him or hate him. The character was a draw, so yes the character deserved all the chances, The Ultimate Warrior was an Ultimate "character", much like Hulk Hogan was an Ultimate "character"

The person behind the character deserved nothing. He was given the Hogan like rise and dropped the ball after the WrestleMania 6 haze wore off.

Every time he was given another chance he didn't show up half the time

 

[Nate DaMac]

Hindsight is 20/20. It's very easy to look back and say that Warrior was given too many chances, but dude, he was the Ultimate Warrior. His popularity was topped by Hogan and Hogan alone and at times, it could be stated that his popularity rivaled Hogan's. He made ******ed decisions and has no one but himself to blame for his demise, but the value of his name alone was enough reason to give him opportunities.

You have to think, after WM8 with Hogan leaving, it's understandable that Vince would panic and try to acquire someone to take his place. Who else would have been better than Warrior?. In 96, WWF was virtually dead in the water. Once again, very reasonable to assume that Vince thought bringing in Warrior to garner some interest in the product. Of course, both times it flopped, but to say that the attempts of reviving the product on Warrior's name is untrue in my eyes. It made perfect sense to do this.

Now to clarify, I do believe that the Warrior is a cunt of a human being and I don't give a shit about him at all anymore. But it wasn't always like that. I'm not so smarky that I would pretend that I wasn't a huge Warrior mark as a kid. He was the first wrestler that I was obsessed with as a kid, and shit, it was during the time when he wasn't even around. I was stoked when he came back in 96 and hell, I was fucking blown away when he came back in WCW. However, that was the point when I realized that I didn't give a shit about him anymore. His mic work sucked, his matches sucked, and the story was stupid. It was around that time that I joined everyone else in tuning into Raw exclusively. I'm confident that I'm not alone in that regard.

 

[Carpathian Florist]

Would people look at Warrior differently if it was ever revealed that his side of the story was true?
I'm not saying it is, but it isn't like Vince would come out and say "Yeah Warrior was an individual with a strong sense of who he was and what he wanted to do, so I fucked with him to try keeping him in check, but instead of being submissive he left..."
I don't think it would be wise to believe the WWE patented version of events with Warrior, nor would it be to swallow Warrior's rhetoric whole.
I liked the guy, I even enjoyed his WCW run which is probably due cause for a lot of flack regarding my opinions. I think he deserved his chances and he deserved a couple more.
I couldn't say that anymore though, not after his "comeback" in 2008 (I think?)
Would have been nice to see some matches pile up in WWE again though, vs Nash, Flair, Lesnar, Angle, The Rock etc whilst we still had the chance.

 

[The Crock]

Hindsight is 20/20. It's very easy to look back and say that Warrior was given too many chances, but dude, he was the Ultimate Warrior. His popularity was topped by Hogan and Hogan alone and at times, it could be stated that his popularity rivaled Hogan's. He made ******ed decisions and has no one but himself to blame for his demise, but the value of his name alone was enough reason to give him opportunities.

You have to think, after WM8 with Hogan leaving, it's understandable that Vince would panic and try to acquire someone to take his place. Who else would have been better than Warrior?. In 96, WWF was virtually dead in the water. Once again, very reasonable to assume that Vince thought bringing in Warrior to garner some interest in the product. Of course, both times it flopped, but to say that the attempts of reviving the product on Warrior's name is untrue in my eyes. It made perfect sense to do this.

Now to clarify, I do believe that the Warrior is a cunt of a human being and I don't give a shit about him at all anymore. But it wasn't always like that. I'm not so smarky that I would pretend that I wasn't a huge Warrior mark as a kid. He was the first wrestler that I was obsessed with as a kid, and shit, it was during the time when he wasn't even around. I was stoked when he came back in 96 and hell, I was fucking blown away when he came back in WCW. However, that was the point when I realized that I didn't give a shit about him anymore. His mic work sucked, his matches sucked, and the story was stupid. It was around that time that I joined everyone else in tuning into Raw exclusively. I'm confident that I'm not alone in that regard.

Look, even the biggest stars in the business don't deserve that many chances, in certain cases. Warrior took his ball and went home three times, the second chance, okay, but the third? No way he should have been brought back. The second time around Vince needed a huge star and Warrior was the only guy big enough to really live up to that, but in '96 it was just a dumb decision. He was actually WORSE than he'd ever been and interest in him was decreasing, at that point. The fans wanted to see Warrior based on the fact that he'd been gone for so long, but the business was changing. The WWF wasn't based around those types of characters anymore. Even if he had stuck around a bit longer, I don't see him ever having any MAJOR success again. I think this was one of Vince's biggest blunders and that he just got too greedy. He stuck his hand into the cookie jar one too many times.

You can only see the same type of thing so many times. Warrior didn't offer any shock value, he really only gave us the same thing he'd given us 5 years prior. He rambled on the mic, he sucked in the ring, probably the worst ever guy to hold the WWF Championship (in-ring talent wise), and he bought into himself way too much. I don't see how it could have been worth it to bring Warrior back with all the baggage that came along with him. Bad press, bad locker room vibe, etc. It just wasn't worth it.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

I understand what you are saying about respecting the business and all of that but Vince will be the first person to tell you is the first loyalty is to the fans.

The fans wanted the Warrior to get that big push and thats why he got the push and title in the first place. No matter how you look at it Warrior was a draw and draws deserve to be pushed plain and simple.

To answer the question I would have given Warrior a 2nd chance after SS91 but not in 96 because it was apparent by '92 the Warrior novelty wore off. It was pointless to give him another chance in 96 but in 92 I can totally understand where Vince was coming from.

 

[Fenris]

Ultimate Warrior​

From 1987 to 1991, Ultimate Warrior was arguably the biggest star in professional wrestling. Despite being disliked by many of his peers, not being good in the ring, and rambling on endlessly during promos, Warrior was loved by the fans. His high-energy, high-impact style gave the fans something new. He identified with the younger crowd and became a mega-star. He sky-rocketed to fame as soon as he hit the WWE, working his way up the card and enjoying 2 Intercontinental Championship reigns, one in 1988, where he won it from the Honky Tonk Man in 13 seconds at the first SummerSlam, and the other in 1989 when he beat Rick Rude at SummerSlam. Soon after this, as his crowd ovations became even louder, he began to work his way into the main event. At the 1990 Royal Rumble, he had a confrontation with Hulk Hogan which would only push them toward the inevitable match they HAD to have. So, at WrestleMania VI Warrior and Hogan faced off in the "Ultimate Challenge," where both the InterContinental Championship and the WWF Championship would be on the line. Warrior won the encounter and the WWF Championship, having effectively had the torch passed to him from Hogan. From this point on, his popularity only grew as he successfully defended his championship, most of the time in true Warrior fashion (short match, used to hide his limited skills). After losing his title to Sgt. Slaughter due to an interference from Randy Savage, Warrior and Savage faced off at WrestleMania VII where Warrior won, forcing Savage to "retire." He then went on to feud with Jake "The Snake" Roberts and Undertaker until SummerSlam of 1991. This is the event where it all came crashing down for Warrior. He had a money dispute with Vince McMahon, threatening to no-show the event where he was included in the main event. Eventually, he showed up and participated in his match, but was fired immediately afterward.

Warrior's first return came in mid-1992, when Vince McMahon was desperate for a star. Hogan was nearing the end, so Warrior was his best option. Warrior returned at WrestleMania VIII saving Hulk Hogan from a beat down at the hands of Sid Justice and Papa Shango. During his return though, he looked significantly different. He was smaller in size, having more than likely stopped taking steroids, had shorter hair, and wore a full body suit. His return here was basically a disaster from the beginning. He had a "memorable" feud with Papa Shango, which was the only hallmark of his second return. Shortly thereafter, he had a dispute with the WWF and was released due to having something pop up in his blood work, a steroid of some kind. His termination was sped up by the increased pressure on the WWF to crack down on steroids, so he was the first man gone.

For the next few years, Warrior was semi-retired until 1996. In '96, Vince needed a star again, so he called warrior. At WrestleMania XII, Warrior decimated HHH, and then had some minor feuds, his biggest one being with Jerry Lawler. After no-showing many house shows and again not being very reliable, he was terminated for the final time by the WWF. Warrior claims that the passing of his father was the reason for his no-shows, but he hadn't seen his father in 10 years, and he used that excuse long after the man's death. That is according to Vince McMahon. Warrior claims that it was yet another contract dispute, that McMahon is lying. This led to some nasty law suits in '96 and '98 between Warrior and the WWF over Warrior not receiving his due for merchandise and certain events and the rights to his name, which he legally changed to "Warrior" in 1993.

That being said, do you believe that Ultimate Warrior received too many chances from the WWF, that he was in the wrong, or do you think that the WWF used him as a scapegoat?

My personal opinion of Warrior is not a good one. I personally believe he had EVERY opportunity he could have possibly had and he threw it all away. He owes everything he has to the WWF, but he is completely ungrateful, it seems. In the wrestling business, you have to respect your peers, respect the history, and respect the fans. Warrior didn't do any of those things. He had a separate dressing room, traveled separately, and rarely ever interacted with "the boys," from what I've heard. He also didn't care about wrestling, nor did he know much about it. He wrestled because it was income for him, he didn't care about anything else but himself. Worst of all, he no-showed appearances and completely spit in the face of his loyal fans. The fans keep the wrestling business alive, Warrior owes a lot to them, but he doesn't see it that way. Basically, I think Warrior is a selfish man who received far more opportunities and pushes than he ever should have. Sure, he was way over with the fans, and that deserved to be rewarded, but he was certainly not a hard worker.

I see someone watched that Self Destruction DVD Propaganda piece. To answer your question i'll need to clear up a few things if you don't mind, your post is a bit one sided.

1: Summerslam 1991. According to Vince he threatened to no show unless he was given a huge amount of money for THAT match. According to Warrior he didn't threaten to no show, he and Vince had been going back and forth over money owed from Wrestlemania 7 and they agreed to part ways at the time. FWIW McMahon was unable to produce any evidence in the Warrior v. Titan Sports lawsuit proving his claim.

2: The fabled failed Steroid test. According to Vince Warrior and Davey Boy pissed dirty, according to them Vince wanted to start featuring smaller wrestlers and they were made scapegoats for the Steroid trial. The Warrior has asked Vince for years now to provide one single copy of this supposed failed drug test as well as subpoenaed Titan Sports to provide it. Vince McMahon was unable to do so and the Judge presiding over the case tossed it out. If the Court of Law says it is baseless? It likely is.

3: 1996. More specifically the supposed no-shows complete with Warriors name superimposed over Michaels name on a program that was in the WWF Magazine. Here are the facts regarding 1996. Ultimate Warrior didn't just start going around no showing events as McMahon wants everyone to believe. He didn't miss events strictly because of his dying father who btw DID pass away the weekend it all went down. Here is what happened.

The Ultimate Warrior returned with a certain type of contract. He would provide his gimmick to the WWF and perform. In return aside from being paid he was allowed to plug his wrestling school and mail order business in the WWF Magazines and a set amount of TV spots. As some will recall those TV spots aired during Superstars on Saturday mornings and his mail order ad and comic books were distributed in WWF magazine. Warrior created the slogan "Always Believe" for his non-WWF projects under the business name Ultimate Creations Inc. He owned the U.S. copyright of the term and the deal was to differentiate the WWF product from the Ultimate Creations product. "Feel the Power" and the Ultimate Warrior gimmick were licensed to the WWF. "Always Believe" wasn't.

Every year TV programs and networks have a trade show. A trade show is where you market your products and program to sponsors. The Ultimate Warrior was scheduled to appear there and then Vince changed it. Warrior went anyways. At the WWF table and set up the term "Always Believe" was superimposed all over the product as well superimposed over photos of Warrior and The Undertaker. Titan Sports(WWE's parent company) breached his contract at that trade show. He didn't no show events because of his father or because he felt like it, he didn't show up because there was no longer a working contract between Ultimate Creations, Inc and Titan Sport, Inc. This was where the lawsuit came into effect and the Judge presiding over the case agreed McMahon had breached the contract as well as committed copyright infringement.

Btw, that DVD you got all of that off of? Watch the very end of it again where the credits roll. Notice anything? Maybe the part that says "the Ultimate Warrior is the licensed trademark of Ultimate Creations, Inc?" Exactly.

4: The money deal. Yeah he cared about the money. So did Andre The Giant. So did Jesse Ventura. So did Owen Hart. So did Goldberg. So did Lance Storm. So did Brock Lesnar. I don't get how that is a bad thing honestly. Alot of talent was in it for the money yet Warriors the only one ever called out over it. Yeah he was in it to make money, so what? He busted his ass and gave the fans their moneys worth in return. It's not like he gave us half assed matches or slowly walked to the ring. Hell no, the dude ran like a motherf'er to the ring, tried tearing it apart and gave us 100%. Big whoop he's not a Bret Hart who took it dead serious.

That out of the way, should Vince have kept begging Warrior to return? Absolutely. I don't know if you were a fan during his reign or not but if not here's why it was smart to bring Warrior back. The Ultimate Warrior drew. Drew HUGE. Drew Hulk Hogan numbers when Hogan was still at his peak. We're talking 25,000+ plus packed into house shows with Warrior as the featured attraction. We're talking TV ratings in the 10+ range. Buyrates in the 3+ range. Higher ratings and buyrates than the Attitude Era. We're talking selling as much merchandise as Hogan was.

The guy was one of the biggest draws in history, right up there beside Hogan and Flair. It was smart business to bring him back. Hell look at the ratings when he returned in 1996. The product went from the 2's into popping 3's and 4's during that period with Warrior as a midcard attraction. Even when he showed up on Nitro, the 1/4 hour rating was the highest 1/4 hour in the history of Nitro at that time and one of the highest overall rated Nitros. Vince was smart to bring him back, but he was stupid to keep dicking with the guy like he did.

Before anyone says anything about the above, Think about it. Think about McMahons claims. His entire claim is Warrior was constantly holding him up for money, making wild threats to walk unless he was given a huge payday and no-showing constantly. If that was truly the case do you think Vince really would have kept bringing him back? Come on now. If even half of the shit Vince said was true then why is it in 1998 before Warrior went to WCW Vince faxed him a contract to bury the hatchet and return to the WWF, or been trying to work a legends deal with Warrior recently? Hell if half that shit was true no promotion would have touched him yet the WCW tried for years, AWF tried, GWF tried, UWF tried, ECW tried, WWA tried and TNA tried.

Also interesting is how WCW never had that problem with him even after he injured himself at War Games, WWC never had that issue. Mid South, Mid Southern, WCCW, NWE, none of them were ever held up for money from the guy nor had to rebook no shows. Hell he even showed up at WCW events he wasn't scheduled to be at because plane tickets kept showing up in the mail from WCW for various events and he was trying to earn the contract they gave him! That certainly doesn't sound like the evil monster that kept holding Vinnie up for cash and skipping events now does it?

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

No I do not think he deserved those chances. He was given everything on a plate, never really had to work his way up the card ala Bret Hart or Steve Austin and took it all for granted. Through abusing steroids and having an incredible physique, Warrior was pushed to the moon despite being incredibly limited in the ring and by all accounts being a total cunt outside of it.

I had seen stories about how he would demand his own limos, his own private dressing rooms and never associated with the rest of the wrestlers, believing he was above them. Also, he was meant to be a jerk to the fans and we have all seen the stories about how unprofessional he was.

However, in wrestling, these things are forgotton by promoters if you can bring in the money and put asses in the seats.

Look at guys like Shawn Michaels for example. He was a nightmare to work with, but was kept around because he was talented and brought in the fans. Vince McMahon can almost always look past problems of his wrestlers because they make him money. Hogan was unprofessional but was repeatedly brought back because he would make McMahon money. Randy Orton, another guy who was immediately given a major push as soon as he started in the business and became a big problem when it went to his head would probably have been sacked had he not been such a big name

It is not just WWE either. Look at TNA right now with the Jeff Hardy situation. He should be out of a job, but is almost certainly going to be given another chance because he has name value. It has always been the same. The big name, big money performers always get extra leeway and can do pretty much whatever they like.

Warrior got his chances because Vince needed a star and Warrior had the name value and popularity. It was probably a good business decision to bring him back, but as a performer Warrior did not deserve it. There were other wrestlers who deserved it more, but did not have the steroid enhanced bodies or drugged up promos to support their cases