The Ultimate Warrior: Worthy or Not?

[TheOneBigWill]

Warrior (born James Brian Hellwig on June 16, 1959) is a retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s as the Ultimate Warrior, during which time he won the WWF World Heavyweight Championship and pinned Hulk Hogan in the main event of WrestleMania VI. Hellwig legally changed his name to Warrior in 1993. Warrior retired from professional wrestling in 1999 and embarked on a public speaking career. On June 25, 2008 he returned to wrestle one final match, and defeated Orlando Jordan in Barcelona, Spain in a match booked by the Italian Nu-Wrestling Evolution promotion. There is currently ongoing discussion as to whether or not Warrior will return to the ring again. During the match against Orlando Jordan, Warrior wrestled with a blown out knee.

As a World Wrestling Federation (WWF) performer, the Ultimate Warrior was known for his high-energy ring entrances, which featured him racing into the arena at full speed, bursting into the ring, and violently shaking the ropes up and down. He was also known for his distinctive pattern of face paint.

Warrior enjoyed two stints as Intercontinental Champion, defeating The Honky Tonk Man (in 31 seconds at the first ever SummerSlam in 1988) and Rick Rude at SummerSlam 1989. The Warrior was heralded as the wrestler to become the biggest star of the 1990s, and the successor to Hulk Hogan, who had remained wrestling's biggest star since the 1980s. Following a few confrontations with Hogan, most notably at the 1990 Royal Rumble, the Warrior was written in as Hogan's opponent for WrestleMania VI.

In one of the most famous matches in wrestling history, Ultimate Warrior faced Hulk Hogan on April 1, 1990, at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario. The event was billed as "The Ultimate Challenge", as both Hogan's WWF World Championship and Warrior's Intercontinental Championship were on the line. The match began with a show of strength from each man, as Warrior shoved Hogan back into a corner, then Hogan did the same to Warrior. Warrior then brought Hogan to his knees using a Greco-Roman knuckle lock, only for Hogan to regain his feet and once again do the same to Warrior. The match continued in this way, with numerous shifts in momentum, and neither wrestler able to maintain his advantage. A couple of notable spots included Warrior knocking Hogan out of the ring with a clothesline, with Hogan (kayfabe) injuring his knee in the fall. Hogan limped back into the ring, shook off the injury, and retaliated with a series of punches to the face. Later on, Hogan locked Warrior in a lengthy sleeper hold. Warrior eventually fought his way free, went to shake the ropes for his trademark adrenaline rush, then scored with three consecutive clotheslines. The match finally reached its climax when Warrior performed his Gorilla Press Drop on Hogan, followed by the Warrior Splash and a pin. Hogan kicked out of the pin, then proceeded to "Hulk Up" (Hogan's own trademark adrenaline rush), and hit Warrior with the Big Boot, setting him up for the Atomic Leg Drop. However, Warrior rolled out of the way, avoiding the move, and scored another Warrior Splash, which pinned Hogan for the 3 count. Warrior's victory complete, he then remained in the ring to celebrate with a spectacular post-match firework display. With the win, Ultimate Warrior remains the only person ever to hold both the WWF Championship and Intercontinental championship at the same time.

After winning the WWF Championship from Hogan, Warrior continued to build his popularity with successful defenses against the likes of Rick Rude and Ted DiBiase. Then, in January 1991, Warrior faced Sgt. Slaughter at the Royal Rumble. Slaughter's gimmick at the time was a traitor who had betrayed America by aligning himself with a (kayfabe) Iraqi military general, General Adnan. In the context of the Gulf War, this made Slaughter one of the most hated heels at the time. Warrior wore red, white, and blue colors to the ring, indicating his American allegiance. The match began with Warrior performing a double clothesline on Slaughter and General Adnan, then breaking and tearing apart an Iraqi flag. Warrior went on to dominate the match, until a surprise appearance in the arena by Sensational Sherri, who distracted Warrior from ringside. Warrior then chased Sherri down the aisle towards the exit, only to be ambushed by Randy Savage, who Sherri was managing at the time. Savage hit Warrior with a light stand, then ran off. Warrior slowly regained his senses, managing to return to the ring before being counted out. Warrior then received a sustained beating from Slaughter, but had regained his advantage when Sherri and Savage returned to interfere once again. This interference culminated in Savage striking Warrior over the head with a metal sceptre, which allowed Slaughter the opportunity to pin Warrior for a 3 count. In a stunning upset, Warrior had lost the title he had won from Hogan less than a year earlier.

Compared to Hulk Hogan, who had held the title for 4 years in the 80's, Warrior's title reign was brief, significantly damaging his reputation as Hogan's successor. This damage was compounded by Warrior being denied the chance to regain the title from Slaughter later that year at WrestleMania VII. Hogan was given the title shot instead, defeating Slaughter to regain the title he had lost to Warrior. Warrior, meanwhile, had to make do with revenge over Randy Savage, who he defeated in an earlier match on the same card. Subsequently, Warrior would never fully regain his career momentum.

The next chapter of Warrior's career was an encounter with The Undertaker, after Undertaker and his manager, Paul Bearer, locked Warrior in a coffin on the set of Bearer's Funeral Parlor. This memorable WWF event was made particularly shocking by the (kayfabe) appearance that Warrior's life was in danger as Bearer sealed the casket shut, and Vince McMahon frantically reminded the audience that he had a limited air supply. WWF officials worked feverishly to break the casket open, finally revealing Warrior's seemingly lifeless body, and the torn fabric inside of the coffin indicating Warrior's desperate struggle to get out. Warrior was finally revived by the officials performing CPR.

This led to Jake "The Snake" Roberts offering to give Warrior "the knowledge of the dark side" in order to prepare Warrior to take his revenge on the Undertaker. This involved Roberts giving Warrior three "tests" shown on WWF TV in consecutive weeks. For the first test, Roberts locked Warrior inside of a coffin for a second time. For the second test, Warrior was "buried alive" by Roberts. For the third test, the Warrior entered a room full of snakes, to find "the answer" in a chest in the middle of the room. However, waiting inside the chest was a King Cobra, which (kayfabe) bit Warrior in the face. As Warrior weakened from the effects of the cobra's strike, Roberts was joined by the Undertaker and Paul Bearer, revealing the three were working together all along. Roberts then uttered the famous line: "Never trust a snake."

These events provided one of the most memorable feud storylines in WWF history. The stage was now set for a match between the Ultimate Warrior and Jake Roberts. However, the match would never take place. In August 1991, Warrior was involved in an alleged pay dispute with WWF owner Vince McMahon over the SummerSlam main event, teaming him with Hulk Hogan against Sgt. Slaughter, Colonel Mustafa, and General Adnan. WWE alleges that Warrior threatened to no show the event unless he was paid a certain amount of money. According to Vince McMahon, Warrior was paid that amount, then fired immediately after SummerSlam. Warrior has since responded on his website to these allegations by stating he was owed money stemming from work performed at WrestleMania VII. Whatever the case, as a result of the dispute Warrior was out of the WWF, and his career ground to a halt.

During his time away from the WWF, Warrior opened the short-lived "Warrior University", a professional wrestling school based in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Following his expulsion from the WWF the previous year, Warrior was then given the chance to return to the company. He made his comeback at WrestleMania VIII (to rescue Hulk Hogan from a beat down at the hands of Sid Justice and Papa Shango). He received a degree of creative control over his bookings. Many fans may remember the Papa Shango angle, in which the "witch doctor" cast a spell over Warrior, causing him to convulse and vomit in very odd colors, though Warrior says he hated that story and had no control over it.

Rumors and urban legends began around this time (and still persist to this day in some fan circles) that the original Ultimate Warrior and Dingo Warrior were not the same as the one who returned to wrestling in 1992, 1996, and 1998, and it was believed that the original Warrior had died. When the Ultimate Warrior returned to the WWF in 1992, it was rumored that "The Texas Tornado" Kerry Von Erich was playing the part, since Warrior's hair was much shorter than before; however, this has been shown time and time again not to be the case. The character had always been played by the same individual. The reasons for this confusion include the storyline which featured Warrior being "locked in an air-tight coffin" by The Undertaker (with whom he was feuding at the time) and his musculature's drastic changes, provoked by the presumed reduction (or cease) of anabolic steroid use occasioned by Titan Sports' legal troubles over the alleged distribution of performance enhancing drugs. It was around this time (mid-late 1992) that Warrior sported a "Muscle Outfit", a flesh colored spandex singlet with muscles printed upon it.

Late in 1992, Warrior was scheduled to be the tag team partner of Randy Savage at Survivor Series. Weeks before the event, however, Warrior and WWF found themselves at odds again, arguing over who had creative rights to the Ultimate Warrior name and over creative differences as to how the Warrior's character should be used. Though popular belief was that the Warrior was actually supposed to start a feud with Nailz (which was proven false, due to the proposed Nailz-Undertaker feud beginning), the WWF states that his reason for leaving was a "violation" found in his system during a random drug test. This occurred at the height of Warrior's ongoing marketing/financial differences with Vince McMahon. Titan Sports — and specifically, the WWF — was under intense scrutiny of its drug policies including performance-enhancing drugs, the most prominent being steroids. Warrior has claimed to have had test results that show he was not using steroids during this period. Warrior has stated that he and fellow wrestler, "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith, were used as scapegoats during Vince McMahon's steroid litigations. After he left, Warrior was replaced by Mr. Perfect for the Survivor Series tag team match.

After several years spent mostly outside of the wrestling limelight, Warrior returned to the WWF in 1996, squashing Triple H at WrestleMania XII. Following WrestleMania, Warrior participated in brief feuds with Goldust and Jerry Lawler.

The WWF terminated Warrior's contract when he took time off allegedly to grieve the death of his father. WWF owner Vince McMahon claimed that Warrior had not seen his father in ten years and didn't care much for him; therefore, he did not take Warrior's excuse for missing bookings at face value. Warrior disputes Vince's explanation, claiming that the real reason why he no showed those events was a breach of contract by McMahon. His last match in the WWF was on the July 8 edition of WWF Monday Night Raw, where he defeated Owen Hart by disqualification. He was replaced by Sid in the In Your House PPV later that month.

In 1995, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) introduced The Renegade as Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage's "secret weapon", using ring attire and mannerisms that closely resembled Warrior's. The man who portrayed Renegade, Rick Williams, was later used as Warrior's stunt double when Warrior himself performed in WCW for a brief time in 1998.

WCW signed Warrior in 1998, and gave him a degree of creative control over his matches, considered by some to be a foolish move. His debut drew huge audiences and ratings, but the benefits did not last. He created a storyline where he formed a stable opposing Hulk Hogan's New World Order: the "One Warrior Nation." The acronym OWN (One Warrior Nation) was a play on the name nWo. Highlights of the unpopular storyline included Warrior kidnapping and "converting" The Disciple and frequent instances of "magic smoke" knocking out all of the nWo members except for Hogan (and covering Warrior's movement through a trapdoor in the ring). Davey Boy Smith suffered a near career-ending injury when he landed on Warrior's trapdoor at Fall Brawl '98; Perry Saturn was also injured by the trapdoor, though not as severely.

Warrior only participated in three matches in WCW. The first was the War Games main event (along with eight other wrestlers) at Fall Brawl. Diamond Dallas Page would win that match. On WCW Monday Nitro, he teamed with Sting to defeat Hogan and Bret Hart by disqualification, a match in which he had virtually no participation besides singlehandedly chasing several nWo members down the entry way, whipping them with Hogan's belt. The third was his loss to Hogan at Halloween Havoc, in what is considered by many internet wrestling fans to be one of the worst Main Event pay-per-view wrestling matches ever.

In the build-up to their match at Halloween Havoc, Warrior played mind games with Hogan by projecting backstage "apparitions" of himself in a mirror that only Hogan could see. The WCW storyline portrayed Hogan as "cracking up" in seeing these apparitions. However, the announcers could also see them, as well as the television audience.

In the Halloween Havoc match, the timing of the maneuvers and hits was poor; an arm injury that Warrior received at War Games further slowed the action. An attempt to "blind" Warrior with a fireball backfired when Hogan faced complications igniting a piece of flash paper, causing the fire to go up in Hogan's face instead. The match finally came to an end when Horace Hogan hit Warrior in the back with a chair while Eric Bischoff had referee Nick Patrick distracted. Hogan then scored the pinfall, ending the match.

WCW claimed that attempts were made to save the storyline and resign Warrior, but he was said to have asked for too much money, and WCW ended negotiations. In a DVD shoot interview available through online sources, Warrior claims that they simply decided not to call him any more, despite his having phoned WCW general manager Eric Bischoff 16 times after the Havoc debacle. He has further indicated in interviews and convention appearances that the only reason he was brought back was so Hogan could get a win over Warrior in return for Hogan's WrestleMania job. Warrior has further described Hogan as "insecure" and has indicated that a weekend stay at Hogan's Tampa home prior to the October 1998 PPV was "an eye opening experience". Warrior's last appearance in WCW was the Nitro after Halloween Havoc, when he chased nWo Hollywood out of the ring in a "schmoz" (multiple participant no-finish). He announced his retirement the following year. His list of accomplishments and Championships (according to Wiki) are as follows:

World Class Wrestling Association
WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
WCWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Lance Von Erich

World Wrestling Federation
WWF World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
WWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times)

World Wrestling Superstars
WWS Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Nu-Wrestling Evolution
NWE World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated
PWI Comeback of the Year (1992)
PWI Feud of the Year (1991) vs. The Undertaker
PWI Match of the Year (1990) vs. Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VI

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
Most Overrated (1989-1991)
Readers' Least Favorite Wrestler (1989, 1990)
Worst Feud of the Year (1989) vs. André the Giant
Worst Feud of the Year (1992) vs. Papa Shango
Worst Feud of the Year (1998) vs. Hulk Hogan
Worst Worked Match of the Year (1989) vs. André the Giant on October 31
Worst Worked Match of the Year (1998) vs. Hulk Hogan at Halloween Havoc
Worst Wrestler (1988, 1998)

The Ultimate Warrior: When I was a little kid, I honestly loved this character and like many others I was a big fan of the Ultimate Warrior. As an adult who know has at least seen the rumors, heard the stories, and seen the DVD that is ultimately one big Warrior shit-on-fest, I would have to say I'm rather disappointed and truly don't know what to believe.

Looking back at his career, it's more than apparent that he didn't have the proper skills to even BE in the position he carried for most of his career, as he was a rough worker and barely knew a single move. His promos, in looking back, are some of the most classic things ever, partly because I honestly believe the individual playing the role got sucked into thinking he WAS that character. So much so, that it's actually true on not only him, but his entire Family getting behind changing their name to "The Warriors".

While the Hall of Fame does stand-out and you need to merit some type of personal responsibility, the fact is the Hall of Fame as an overall in the W.W.E. is actually more of a showboat than anything. For that reason, the Ultimate Warrior is still an individual that could be bad-mouthed and frowned upon by millions, and cheered by 90% of them if he were to randomly show up on a Monday Night Raw next week.

That is also the reason I believe someday he will actually make it into the Hall of Fame, and based on his career I kinda believe he should be as well. I mean, he did defeat Hulk Hogan when Hogan was in the prime of his career. He was literally hand-picked to be Hogan's successor. On top of that, he ended Honky Tonk Man's longest Intercontinental Championship reign in company history, in an amazing 31 seconds! That speaks for itself.

Warrior might not be a respectable human being, or regular adult outside of the business, but this isn't the "Hall of Fame for human beings" this is the W.W.E. Hall of Fame, and it's set to induct those that've made great accomplishments and set milestones for the company, something the Ultimate Warrior did every much of. What are your thoughts and opinions on The Ultimate Warrior being a Hall of Fame inductee? Worthy or Not?

 

[klunderbunker]

Negative. He was given the world title because he was flashy. His in ring ability was just non existent and the best part about him was using him as an antidrug advertisement. I've said it before and i'll repeat it here: unless it's of the frog persuasion, if your finishing move is a splash you're not that good in the ring. Hulk Hogan of all people carried him to his best match. Think about that for a minute. other than that he had some decent stuff with Rude, but aside from those two, no one could do anything with him. Now I can understand having a bad match here or a bad match there, but having three good ones in your whole career means that it's your fault. Throw in his insanity outside the ring, and it's a definite no for me.

 

[Slyfox696]

The only thing that can cost Warrior here was longevity. His time at the top wasn't long, although not because he was unable, just mentally unstable.

I think it's funny how people say the guy wasn't a good wrestler, and yet he put on two of the greatest Wrestlemania matches of all time in back to back years, first with Hogan at 6, and then the next year with Savage at 7. He had a dandy of match with Rude, and I don't think there is ANYONE who would deny that Hellwig WAS the Warrior, and it wasn't just a character he played. Warrior played his character to the hilt, even in his promos, and carried himself the same way in the ring. Everything he did made PERFECT sense for his character, and we've already discussed his quality work.

So, anyone preventing Warrior from being in because of his in-ring work needs to re-up their knowledge on wrestling, because he was a very good worker. Hell, the man went over clean against Hulk Hogan during Hulkamania...that should tell you something. The only thing that might hold him back is longevity.

When it comes down to it, I probably would have him in the Hall of Fame. There is no denying his greatness, and he is still a character that is remembered very well today. If that isn't "Fame", then I don't know what is.

 

[klunderbunker]

Well sure he's remembered to this day, but so is the Akeem. Just because you're memorable doesn't mean that you're great.

Putting him over Hogan at WM 6 is one of the biggest blunders of all time. It made Hogan look beatable and after that, Hulkamania wasn't as strong as it had been before. Now granted a lot of that was due to it just getting old, but himlosing didn't help much at all. Explain to me what sense it made to have Warrior go over Hogan. All that it tells me is that Vince made a big mistake.

Yes, he had a good match with Savage, but I still think Savage and Hogan are the biggest reasons that those matches were good. For all the three decent feuds he had, Warrior had just as many bad ones. He and Andre, Shango, Taker, Hercules, all of those were just bad in general.

 

[Tastycles]

Absolutely yes.

I am not for one second going to defend him as a man, but the fact that he's such a strange and bizarre person is why he was perfect as one of the strangest main eventers in the history of the WWF.

He's hardly the greatest technical wrestler of all time. But neither was The Rock or Hogan, and they are the most popular wrestlers of all time. It'small about crowd reaction. He was hugely over, and he knew exactly how to work the crowd up. In the match when he lost the title in 1991 against Sgt. Slaughter, I honestly think he does about 3 moves. But the crowd is so hot for the match, even before Savage came in.

He was the first and one of very few at all that beat Hogan cleanly in the WWF after about 1983, and that is no mean feat. That shows that he was "the chosen one" to carry the company after Hogan went to Hollywood.

As has been said, his longevity is perhaps the burden on him, but remember that when he returnned in 1996, he was still hugely over. This perhaps shows his endearment to the fans. He had a short stint because of his flaws as a person, but its perhaps due to the fact that he is such a tit that he managed to pull the character off so well.

This guy has to be in.

 

[Mr. TM]

Yes. I won't talk about all that is needed to be said of what makes a great performer in professional wrestling. sometimes a wrestler can be low on the in ring talent side, but be extremely high on the charisma side. Points for a. are Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. Points for b. are Bret Hart and Chris Benoit. Obvious The Ultimate Warrior falls under a. with a high level of said charisma. He was extremely charismatic.

He should be in the Hall of Fame for many reasons, including some great matches. I just hope that people are not blinded by the portrait of him that WWE paints. he was an incredible raw/green talent in the ring. If only he had longer to learn some decent in ring abilities, he could have been even greater.

The thing that will cost him is obviously his horrible relationship with Vince McMahon. If he is ever to get in Vince's good books, and if he even wants to... and if he can even remember where his kes are, maybe he can get into the Hall, and have his place in the annals of professional wrestling revived.

 

[Shadowmancer]

For the Ultimate Warrior, or to use his real name Warrior "Warrior" Warrior, I would say that he gets in, but barely. Sly did hit a very crucial point on the head in saying that the longevity factor comes in and is a contributing factor on why he shouldn't get in.

However KB also brings up a good point in saying that having three great matches in the course of your career, and probably 6 memorable matches all up is not a good thing. The Matches that I am saying are the following and I will on ly say the opponent and only in the case of one of the matches will I need to say where it was. Vs. Honky Tonk Man, Vs. Randy Savage, Vs. Rick Rude, Vs. Hogan, Vs. Triple H and Vs. Hogan at Halloween Havoc. Not a good track record since two of the others are squashes and one is just that Bad.

But Warrior gets in because of his popularity, and the fact that he, rightly or wrongly has influenced aspects of current Wrestling, Batista with the Rope shake and Londrick with the running entrance. The amount of t-shirt sales probably is a big thing as well.

And can we change the wording of the second option to IS a Loon and not was.

 

[agentmichaelscarn]

Even though is time at the top was relatively short I think he should get in. I was a HUGE fan of his as a kid and he was probably the first guy that I really liked besides Hogan, to this day I can remember sitting at my neighbors house watching WM6. There had to be about 20 of us watching it half rooting for Hogan half rooting for Warrior, I was completely torn. That match was just so damn epic. Honestly I think winning that match alone and cleanly beating Hogan at the height of Hogan's career may warrant a Hall of Fame selection.

I will say though has there ever been a more 1 dimensional wrestler in wrestling history? What I mean is he did the exact same moveset, cut the exact same promo, and played the exact same character his entire career. Unless Im missing something I dont think he ever had to change it, I cant think of a single big name wrestler that didnt have atleast one heel/face change or gimmick change. Every other big wrestler had to change themselves at some point even if it was slightly which showed their versatility. Warrior never did, Would he have been able to get over as a heel or any other character? I guess we'll never know. So the fact that he never had to change kinda puts a damper on things because we never got to see whether he was just a one trick pony. I think thats what seperates the good wrestlers from the great ones.

Hogan, Hart, Flair, Savage, Taker, Piper, HBK among others were all able to get over as heels or faces. They showed their versatility and had to adjust their characters or gimmicks even if it was only slightly. I wish we would have had a chance to see if Warrior could have done the same.

By the way Im not 100% positive he never had a heel change(a successful one atleast) but Im pretty damn sure he didnt, if he did please correct me and obviously throw out what I said in the prior paragraphs.

 

[Steamboat Ricky]

No.


Yes, the man was over. That is clear. The man was WWF Champion...but so was Stan Stasiak. He went over Hogan during his prime....ok. But this was clearly forced, as even as Hogan left the ring at Mania VI, the crowd was fixated on him.

The thing that keeps him out of the hall of fame for me is that had the WWF not forced the title on him, he would be remembered as a sideshow like Goldust or Val Venis. These were guys that were over, but they could not be seriously considered WWF Title contenders. And furthermore, the fact that whether or not the Warrior looked good in the ring was based entirely on his opponent keeps him out for me. Sure, Hogan and Rude gave him good matches...so did Savage.

But when I was watching King of the Ring 1996 the other night...this debate was closed for me. Lawler v. The Ultimate Warrior. Lawler dominates most of the match, hits the piledriver. Warrior no-sells it. Ok, that's fine. Even Hogan does that. But what comes next? Runs into the ropes several times, hits like 4 clotheslines on Lawler, then he hits his DEVASTATING FINISHER:

SHOULDER BLOCK

A shoulder block? Warrior then proceeds to lay on Lawler with his knees on his right stomach area and gets the 3 count. Tell me...HOW is anyone supposed to think that is legitimate?? The thing about wrestling that still gives it credibility is its ability to suspend reality and create a sense of illusion. How is anyone going to legitimately think these two are fighting when Warrior finishes him with a shoulder-block and a pin that looked like the Warrior was taking communion?

The Ultimate Warrior was a horrible worker. Regardless of how popular he was, there is no way he is a hall of famer. He is just plain awful.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

absolutely yes he should be. Im not sure how one can say nobody bought the Warriors shoulder block as a definitive finisher, becuase apparently, they did. Hence him being one of the most popular workers of all time. Please stop reffering to one WWEvision DVD, and learn what pro wrestling is all about. The Ultimate Warrior is what pro wrestling is all about. He played his character perfect, in all phases of the game, and acheived a climb to super stardom seldom seen in the old school, if ever, depending on the scale you compare it to. One of the best pro wrestlers of all time.

 

[NSL]

To everyone that said no; Would you really be upset if he got in? I say yes, he should be. Transport yourself back to being 5 or 6 years old, watching any WWE show, and then out of nowhere, who's music hits? Warriors! Instant adrenaline! All the way from running to the ring with reckless abandon, to shaking the ropes 'til they'd about fall off, EVERYONE marked out. Who is stealing from this entrance now? Who has the high adrenaline, rope-shaking entrance? Batista. He's quite over, isn't he?

Warrior had a top 10 Wrestlemania match with Hogan, and won the Heavyweight title, while still holding the IC Title. He had a stellar cage match with Rick Rude at Summerslam. He made Papa Shango seem like a threat to Warrior Nation. He was a face that had the crowd in his palm during Hulkamania. His promos weren't horrible, even if they were all similar. With his size, he didn't need to do much to make people believe he could win any match. The Gorilla Press was amazing to watch, and you know it. His action figure even had "Gorilla Press" slamming action. The three things that were ever-present at a WWE show, were Hulk shirts, Bret Hart sunglasses, and Warrior masks. Every kid wanted to be him. He was amazing ebfore he'd even step in the ring.

 

[Shocky]

No, not at all. The guy was awful all around. He was one dimensional, and as soon as the flash was gone, there was no substance. The Ultimate Warriors rise to fame was because he was in the ring in squash matches, and the long matches he had were against guys that pretty much could make anyone look great if they had half the push that the Warrior had.

Randy Savage vs. the Ultimate Warrior has quickly grown into one of the more over rated matches on this forum. This match was marginally good at best, but more people cared about what happened after the match with Miss Elizabeth's return as opposed to the match itself. I hardly think the Warrior No Selling Five Atomic Elbows constitutes as a great match, my opinion.

The Warrior, for as "great" as he was, was trusted with the strap for one 8 month reign, whoopy doo, that's pretty impressive fro the guy that was being custom groomed to be the heir apparent to the Hulk Hogan thrown. The guy was a colossal failure, which led to the WWF bringing Hogan back to save the day.

The Warrior was one dimensional, and when he had his chance, the guy blew it. I love how Warrior fans try to point to the Self Destruction DVD as the sole reason why Warrior hatred exist, when the truth of the matter is that that DVD was made because a lot of people felt that way about the Warrior for a long time. The Warrior sucks, and doesn't belong int he Hall of Fame.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Weather you like him or not Shocky, along with Savage he's one of the only main even Hall Of Fame draws left. You're getting to the stage now where they're putting in Austin & probably HBK next year. Obviously they're deserving, but Shawn Michaels is still active, and I might be wrong but I thought the HOF was a nostalgia event.

 

[Blue Chipper]

Opinions aside, Warrior rightfully deserves to have his spot in the hall of fame.

The DvD that WWE produced on him can be misleading. They repeatedly bash him about anything they can guage at, the most ridiculously uncalled-for things. King says that because warrior had a hat on during the build to their match, it took nearly all the intensity and heat off of the match and fued, c'mon, thats clearly ridiculous. they bash his promos, and say he's a lunatic. Hello people, thats the Ultimate Warrior- he's a lunatic, insane character! Hopefully they don't want him cutting promo like a Rock, Hulk, or even a x-pac. That was his character - out of the world, sci-fi like, and his promos reflect that, and I belive people actually enjoyed the intensity and emotion that was involved in his promos and therefore got emotionally involved and helped better a fued or match.

He played his character second to none. You believed you were actually seeing a deranged man (granted that was probably actually himself). That is pro-wrestling. Be your character, and he made you believe like no other.

He once had a large fan base. They paid to see warrior. He drew, no doubt. He defeated Hulk during his prime and the hulkamania stuff. Tell me that's not impressive, and fans loved it.

Sadly, or ultimately (pun intended) he would last a few more years trying to reignite that old flame, and rest in the damaging hands of WcW, which by and large, gave him nearly zero direction. He somehow faded away.

But, he will always be remembered in the most important mind- the fans, and he left his print on the buisness. Therefore, he should be in the Hall of Fame, hands down.

 

[DC24]

I can honestly say I'm torn; as far as popularity he's top 5 whether Vince wants to admit that or not I'm a Hogan fan; but the Warriors music did make you pop. I hated to see him beat Hogan but at the time it was brilliant idea in hindsight it wasn't because he was fucking crazy point blank. But if his music hits I swear it would blow the roof off whereever they was at in that reason alone I say yes.

 

[Doctor_What]

I think yes to Warrior if he would agree to it. He was a loony and I could never understand a word he said but he was entertaining at the same time

 

[hoffman40]

No....and worst of all if he did get in to the HOF...He wouldn't appreciate it.

 

[BigLeagueG26]

I say yes all the way warrior might have been a little space out and just did what the hell he wanted 2 do when it came time for an interview but if ur in my age group and a throwback wrestling fan you know what im trying 2 say.Warrior a brought a certain feeling 2 you as a kid when you saw him running down to the ring as did Hulk Hogan..Then hulk passed the torch 2 who.............The Ultimate Warrior,yes all the way hall of fame bound.

 

[crapamaniac]

he`s got to go in but that because of some of the jokers they have already put in, but he had very little in ring ability but he did bring energy and entertainment and raised the profile of wrestling for a while. The hof has nothing to do with wrestling ability and everything to do with entertainment just ask jimmy hart, that is why someone like brutus beefcake will have a better chance to get in than the dynamite kid, but i know which one of them i`d rather watch wrestle.LOL.

 

[SavageTaker]

I think that he does need to in it because he played his character very good.Now im not saying i like the guy as a wrestlers or as a human being but i will give credit where credit is due.But point blank he will be remembered wether it be bacause of 3 matches,his promos or his entrance or whatever else,he will be remembered.

i know that many of the kids that saw him probably thought he was awesome and that he was the best,when in reality he wasnt,which is why he played his character so well.He could be and probably was one of the worst wrestlers of that era,but that's not what it was about.it was all about the characters and what they did to get over,not what thet did inside the ring.

So yes he should be in it but not for who he was backstage but for who he was when he came out the curtains.The 2 things holding him back are longetivity,and the fact that he has problems with vince,and that just doesnt help his chances at all.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I was never a fan of the Warrior myself, even when I was a little kid. Even at 10 years of age, I couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to even remotely take this goofball seriously. I admit that he was hot stuff for about 2 or 3 years but the single biggest accomplishment of his career was defeating Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VI. Not to say that winning the WWE strap is a minor thing, but I think HOF recognition deserves more than just shining brightly for a few years. After winning the WWE title, everything went downhill. The time he spent in WCW in the late 90s was simply one of the most god awful things I've ever seen in my life. It's not as bad as David Arquette winning the WCW Championship, but it's not too far down the ladder from it. That also tarnished whatever legacy he had in my view. As much as I dislike Batista, I wouldn't take 10 Warriors for 1 Batista. I know that the HOF is supposed to be about his merrits as a performer in wrestling, but the man's bizarre behavior and views are just so appauling that I don't know how they could be seperated from him. He actually changed his name to Warrior. That's the man's legal name now. I can just imagine him at the HOF ceremony giving an acceptance speech that turns into a rant about how if the whole world was queer then we'd be extinct. Keep this guy as far away from the HOF as possible.

 

[DhA]

If we're counting neagtively - as in, his time in WCW actually counts AGAINST him, then surely someone like Ric Flair damaged their career to the point they can't enter the Hall of Fame as well?

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

The Ultimate Warrior does NOT deserve to be in the HOF. There are many reasons why, but the primary reason is because he's not on good terms with Vince and the WWE...just like Savage.

But if we're going on wrestling alone...well...the Warrior wasn't hired because he could mat wrestle or because he could carry a match. He was hired because he LOOKED like a wrestler. He had the look of a top guy. However, his matches were awful. The fact that HOGAN, Rude, and Savage carried him to good match should tell you all you need to know.

Sure he sold merchandise, and had the belt for 8 months, and pinned Hogan, but it all boils down to his impact on the business...and frankly, it wasn't a huge one. For a two year span, Warrior was the Main Event, then he left. Other's that have been put into the HOF have had CAREER'S in the profession, not spurts of main eventing like Warrior had. You really think that after making a DVD making fun of Warrior, the WWE's going to induct him into the HOF? And besides... Warrior would probably refuse the invite if offered anyway.

 

[OhCanadaEh2009]

Yes. Yes yes yes yes YES!

Despite his utter lunacy and comments about how "queering doesn't make the world work", he is in my eyes, a true legend. He is the Ultimate one. He is a warrior. He is a legend.

He deserves some recognition, especially for his amazing debut in WCW, shocking the hell out of Hogan.

Am I right, or what?

 

[RVD420]

Let me just say one thing........

Ultimate Warrior: When you, Hulk Hogan, are traveling to WrestleMania… break down the cockpit door, Hulk Hogan, take the two pilots who have already made the sacrifice! Assume the controls… shove the controls into a nose dive, Hulk Hogan, and you will find yourself close to parts unknown…

The man is obviously not well in the head and should never be mentioned in the same sentence as HOF.