What went down at SummerSlam 1992 and Survivor Series 1992??

[Arsenal]

If you remember, Ric Flair was passed over for a rematch, and the Ultimate Warrior was given a WWF Title match against champion Macho Man Randy Savage in the main event of SummerSlam 1992 at Wembley Stadium in London. In fact, Flair was left off the card completely, even though he was clearly the #1 heel in the WWF at the time, and the former WWF Champion (he won the 1992 Royal Rumble to win the vacant title, then lost it to Savage at WrestleMania VIII). The major angle was that Flair's executive consultant, Mr. Perfect was negotiating with both Savage and the Warrior to manage one of them in the match, selling his managerial services to the highest bidder.

This fueled a mutual mistrust between Savage and Warrior (both faces at the time), with both accusing the other of "selling out" to obtain Mr. Perfect's services to help win the title. In the end, Flair and Perfect interfered in the match, and beat down both men, especially Savage, and Warrior helped fight them off. Warrior and Savage then became allies (the "Ultimate Maniacs") against Flair, Perfect, and their partner, newcomer Razor Ramon (Scott Hall), leading to a big tag match at Survivor Series 1992. Of course, Warrior was fired 10 days before Survivor Series, and replaced with Mr. Perfect who turned on Flair to team up with Savage.

I've seen rumors that Flair was kept off the SummerSlam card as punishment for blading against Savage at WrestleMania. Also that Warrior was supposed to turn heel and side with Flair and Perfect at SummerSlam and win the title, but changed his mind at the last minute because he didn't want to turn heel, forcing the strange finish at SummerSlam, followed by Flair winning the title from a still (kayfabe) injured Savage shortly after at a house show. Soon Flair would drop the WWF Title to Bret "Hitman" Hart before Survivor Series. Then Vince McMahon fired the Warrior before Survivor Series as punishment for changing his mind about turning heel at SummerSlam, using the pretext of a drug / steroid test.

Was Warrior supposed to be a massive heel champion? Was he supposed to carry the title to WrestleMania IX and then drop it to Bret Hart to establish him as the next #1 face? Why was Warrior really fired (again) in late 1992? Who knows what really went down in that time period?

 

[Lowdown]

Not really sure about Summerslam 92, but supposedly Warrior was fired right before Survivor Series due to a failed drug test. There is reference to this on Wikipedia and the Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior DVD. I'm not sure how accurate they both are though.

 

[Defekt]

Those just sound like rumors to me.

If Flair was involved in that match then he wasn't left off the card. He still got paid. In Bret Hart's book he says Flair and Randy were each fined $500 for the blade job at WM.

The WWE would have never turned Warrior heel. He was the biggest face of the company at that point, and it would have never worked.

Also, every wrestler on the planet seems to hate The Warrior, so it's unlikely they would keep him breaking from the script secret for 20 years.

 

[The Iowa Contact]

Correct me if I'm wrong but if memory serves, Warrior was fired for holding Vince up for more money the night of Summerslam...he refused to wrestle unless Vince paid him so much money. Exactly the same as Jeff Jarrett did in about 1999.

 

[badnewzxl]

I think the plan was always for Warrior and Savage to become a team bc both guys were MEGA over as faces and Vince didn't want either guy to be THE guy anymore (Savage bc Vince thought he was too old or something; Warrior bc his loyalty was never guaranteed). Bret was a safer, fresher, and just as popular a choice. Plus, Taker got over as a face, too.

 

[Arsenal]

Those just sound like rumors to me.

If Flair was involved in that match then he wasn't left off the card. He still got paid. In Bret Hart's book he says Flair and Randy were each fined $500 for the blade job at WM.

The WWE would have never turned Warrior heel. He was the biggest face of the company at that point, and it would have never worked.

Also, every wrestler on the planet seems to hate The Warrior, so it's unlikely they would keep him breaking from the script secret for 20 years.

Agreed if he broke the script, they would have told everyone. What I meant was that the original plan was rumored to be Warrior turning heel and winning the title at SummerSlam 1992, but he convinced them otherwise at some point close to the show.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Both Warrior and Davey Boy were fired for the same drug scandal. In Flair's case, in Flair's book he refers to Vince saying to him something like "Just when you are that close to greatness...you do something stupid..." about the blading at WM8, so it's not entirely impractacle that he was being punished.

Truth is by then Vince had realised the Flair experiment hadn't worked, and with Hogan gone the "dream feud" was still not going to happen, Bret had gotten over and even Davey Boy was in the frame for the World title. He was the collateral damage of the Warrior situation, they couldn't fire one and not the other... He and Flair had an agreement where if Flair was considered a non-maineventer he could leave, so I think by Summerslam that plan was in place between he and Vince, hence his jobbing the belt and the Perfect turn (he was gone by end of January.) as Hennig, Luger, Hart and Yoko were being brought in to the main event.

 

[Arsenal]

Correct me if I'm wrong but if memory serves, Warrior was fired for holding Vince up for more money the night of Summerslam...he refused to wrestle unless Vince paid him so much money. Exactly the same as Jeff Jarrett did in about 1999.

You're talking about SummerSlam 1991 here, the thread is about SummerSlam 1992. With that said, I don't really believe this story about SS 1991. I think it's basically a slander job by Vince McMahon and the WWE, as was most of "The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior" video release. If the Warrior really pulled that stunt at SS 1991, then why did Vince McMahon hire him back 2x, including only several months later by WM VIII?

It's my understanding that the Warrior was still owed ~$500,000 from WrestleMania VII, and that's what the dispute was about.

 

[Arsenal]

Both Warrior and Davey Boy were fired for the same drug scandal. In Flair's case, in Flair's book he refers to Vince saying to him something like "Just when you are that close to greatness...you do something stupid..." about the blading at WM8, so it's not entirely impractacle that he was being punished.

Truth is by then Vince had realised the Flair experiment hadn't worked, and with Hogan gone the "dream feud" was still not going to happen, Bret had gotten over and even Davey Boy was in the frame for the World title. He was the collateral damage of the Warrior situation, they couldn't fire one and not the other... He and Flair had an agreement where if Flair was considered a non-maineventer he could leave, so I think by Summerslam that plan was in place between he and Vince, hence his jobbing the belt and the Perfect turn (he was gone by end of January.) as Hennig, Luger, Hart and Yoko were being brought in to the main event.

I know the failed drug test is the stated reason for firing the Warrior right before Survivor Series (and the Bulldog too), but something doesn't add up. If I remember right, there were promos going on for weeks beforehand by Flair, Ramon, and Perfect saying things like "One of you isn't going to make it out of Survivor Series" or "one of you isn't going to make it to Survivor Series" to Savage and Warrior. Then they had the Saturday Nights Main Event where Flair, Ramon, and Perfect jumped Savage and Warrior in the aisle when they were fighting against Money Inc., and at the end Bobby Heenan received a phone call saying one of Savage or Warrior wasn't going to be at Survivor Series.

It seemed like they were planting the seeds for Warrior's departure for awhile, instead of abruptly firing him after a failed drug test as per the official story.

 

[HBKperfect23]

From what I understand Flair was never supposed wrestle at Summerslam. He was there to set up the feud with Savage/Warrior vs. himself/perfect/ramon. The angle worked perfectly IMO. Warrior may have got Savages 2nd run in 92 if it werent for the firing.
I heard they didnt decide Hart was going to get the belt until the day of the show. Vince knew he had to get the belt off of Flair and it was between 4 guys (Hart, Savage, Michaels, I cant remember the 4th) and he went with Bret.

Never knew Flair had heat for the blading at WM8 but it makes sense.

Correct me if I'm wrong but if memory serves, Warrior was fired for holding Vince up for more money the night of Summerslam...he refused to wrestle unless Vince paid him so much money. Exactly the same as Jeff Jarrett did in about 1999.

This was summerslam 91 the previous year. I could see how you got mixed up because Warrior seemed to be surrounded with one problem or another all the time. I think Vince had a problem with him no showing or something like that again in 96.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It wasn't a drugs test that was failed, it came out that Warrior had received shipments of steriods as part of the steriod investigation into Vince. Davey had supposedly shown up as having received them from Warrior, so with the impending indictment on Vince, both were fired.

 

[The12thMan]

Yeah I heard many things as to why Warrior was fired before Survior Series 1992. But did anybody think that maybe he wasn't really fired and maybe he just quit? If I'm not mistaking I believe he had some creative control among some other things at the time. I wouldn't be surprised if he just quit right then and there. Plus I'm sure the steroid shipment came out and I'm sure Vince just used that as a cover up in case people would ask. Davey Boy on the other hand is pretty self explanatory.

From what I see and hear with Warrior its pretty clear. Warrior comes with a price tag, morals, and beliefs. If you break any of them he'll complain and maybe even leave on the spot if he doesn't get what he wants. Besides I don't think you can ever say he was more of a money person than Hogan. I think Hogan was more brutal when it came to money and business. (ie- hogan/austin wm 18) The match that never happened because of ego and money.

Besides, Couldn't ya blame Warrior for being mad about not getting his full pay from Wrestlemania 7? I believe at the time he was going through a divorce as well so he probably needed the money bad. I'm not trying to stick up for the guy but its a two way street.

 

[HBKperfect23]

Plus I'm sure the steroid shipment came out and I'm sure Vince just used that as a cover up in case people would ask.

Definitly possible and not a horrible idea on Vinces part.

This is the first im hearing of the warriors payday at WM7, if thats the case then maybe the Warrior isnt such a dick for holding Vince up. As you stated, I am not trying to defend Warrior either but he does have a point if that was the case.

 

[WWEIsLife2]

I think the plan was always for the Savage/Warrior Match to end the way it did at Summerslam and for them to Team up at Survivor Series against Flair & Razor. I also think it was always intended for Bret Hart to win the WWF Title from Flair before Survivor Series as well. However The Ultimate Warrior was fired before & replaced with Mr Perfect.

I really didn't and still don't understand why the day of Summerslam 1991 The Warrior held Vince up for money. I think it may have been right before the Main Event itself I heard somewhere.

 

[HBKperfect23]

this part of wrestling history has been by far the most compelling - they were between the old guard and the new generation.

Agreed, my favorite year of wrestling

I think the plan was always for the Savage/Warrior Match to end the way it did at Summerslam and for them to Team up at Survivor Series against Flair & Razor. I also think it was always intended for Bret Hart to win the WWF Title from Flair before Survivor Series as well. However The Ultimate Warrior was fired before & replaced with Mr Perfect.

Yea, they even had the promo poster made up of Warrior/Savage. Perfect really bailed them out big time. Imagine if he wasnt in the picture and Hennan was still Flairs manager.

 

[thebarber]

Ultimate Warrior was supposed to put Randy Savge over at Summerslam 1992, he refused to do the job. Vince had no intention of putting the title on Warrior in 1992.
Savage was apparently filthy that Warrior would not return the favour after the epic Mania 7 match. Flair was never booked on the card, he was always booked to play the role he did, ie play up the mistrust between Savage and Warrior..Warrior and Bulldog were both fired days out from Survivor Series 1992 due to a drug issue. HGH was found to have been being used in large doses by Warrior, and Bulldog admitted to agents that he had been abusing them also. Pure Dyanmite(Billingtons book) speaks of this, though Dynamite hates Davey Boys guts so how factual this is is open to debate. But they were both fired for drug related reasons.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I have no doubt Vince used the bust to dispose of Warrior, but even at the time it was widely reported that Davey was more "collateral damage", it made mainstream news here in the UK after all, he was in the midst of a massive push and feud for the big belt with Bret.

 

[Arsenal]

I have no doubt Vince used the bust to dispose of Warrior, but even at the time it was widely reported that Davey was more "collateral damage", it made mainstream news here in the UK after all, he was in the midst of a massive push and feud for the big belt with Bret.

That's interesting that it made the mainstream news in the UK. I don't remember it being in the news here in the US. 10 days before Survivor Series, we just tuned into Prime Time Wrestling, and *POOF* the Ultimate Warrior was gone with no explanation, and Randy Savage had no tag team partner to go up against Ric Flair and Razor Ramon. Of course, that was one of the greatest episodes of Prime Time Wrestling ever, with the tremendously well-done face turn for Mr. Perfect which was "perfectly" built throughout the program, ending with Perfect pouring water on Bobby Heenan and telling Savage he would be his tag partner.

I think we're in agreement that Vince used the bust to dispose of Warrior. It seemed like it was in the works for a long time before it actually happened.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Savage was already on his own at this point, Elizabeth was out of the picture and he was looking for a relaxed schedule, remember he dropped the title to Flair one night after SS 92. SS 92 itself was the way to get Warrior not only in the title picture and back in the main events, but in a feud with Flair. With Savage about to take time off (he did a short tour of house shows vs Scot Hall then rarely wrestled at all) WWE was looking at Warrior for another title run. Flair regained the belt right after SS as scheduled, immediately went overseas and faced Hart & Savage during one of those "European Tours", then upon is return did some house shows vs Taker while they worked the Warrior wants a piece of Flair angle.

Flair & Warrior did work several house shows together but there were stories Vince wasnt happy with Warrior's performance. When Warrior screwed up the press slam spot and seriously injured Flair, his time was about to run out. At that point Flair didnt look like he could make it to Survivor Series, the logical point to lose the belt to UW, and Warrior was falling out of favor with Vince. Different stories where either Warrior wanted a raise because Flair & Savage were making more than him or drug problems (remember this is the beginning of the federal investigation into steroids, Vince had or was in the process of purging Tully Blanchard, Kerry Von Erich, Marty Jannety for drug issues and Hogan & Piper were sent packing due to their involvement with sterioids) have surfaced over the years. Either way his poor performances and some combination of the drugs and/or money lead to his release. Injuring Flair was the last straw for Warrior.

With Flair injured and needing time off Vince decided to switch the title ASAP. Brett Hart had not been a legit contender to be Champ up to this point, he was not a serious contender. However, Vince was increasingly uneasy with Warior, Savage was not about to come back full time still reeling from his divorce, recently arrived Scott Hall, aka Razor Ramoan, was not a big name yet in the industry even though he'd had runs in the AWA and WCW previously, simply put there wasnt much star power on the roster at the time to create a legit champion. Guys like Taker & HBK were not established stars, they had no credibility, guys like British Bulldog were career mid carders. Brett was a dedicated company guy, he worked hard in the ring, he had exhibited much better behavior than Warrior, was around much longer than HBK & Taker, was above guys like Bulldog in popularity and acceptance, and unlike Hogan in his time Hart would work the house show circuit, as much if not more than Flair & Savage had.

Once Vince made the switch, he decided to move in a younger direction. Some will say this was the worst period ever for WWE, The "New Generation" era, although it should be noted that Vince was liklely preoccupied with the steroid scandal and possible jail time, might not have been at his promotional best. The New Gen era did elevate Taker & HBK to star status, as well as Kevin Nash, so it wasnt without high points. Flair was given the option to stay although Vince repotedly told him he wouldnt be in the title picture in the foreseeable future. At that point WCW offered Flair comparable money to what he was getting paid in WWE, with much less travel, although still no guarantees about being in the title picture. In order to travel less and be closer to home with his kids Flair left, though he apparantly stayed on good terms with Vince.

Warrior as we know was non existant on WWE TV for nearly two months after Hart got the belt and Flair was off recuperating. When Flair returned they decided to used him as a spring board to get Curt Henning back in the ring after a two year layoff with injuries, thus creating "The Perfect Tag Team" where Henning would agree to come out of retirement and help Savage in a tag match at SS vs Flair/Hall. Originally Warrior was advertised for that spot, continuing his feud with Flair from before the injury but this was just a plot device. Warrior was last seen geting the daylights beaten out of him by Flair on Sat Night Main Event, afterwhich it was announced he could not wrestle.

In essence, what happened was WWE knew Savage was taking time off due to the divorce and depression, they elevated Warrior into the top contender spot and put the belt on Flair with the idea of Warrior chasing him till Survivor Series and then winning the title. Warrior's issues with Vince and his injuring Flair at a house show lead to Vince changing plans RE: Warrior as champion, and he turned to Hart who wasnt in the the title picture and didnt look like he would be anytime soon although he had to rush the title change due to Flair's injuries and his needing time off. When Flair returned Vince decided to give Hart a chance, and used Flair as the plot device to get Henning back in the ring and explain Warrior's absence (in fact he was fired). Flair could have stayed with Vince but with no guarantees of staying in the main events, he took a simlair deal with WCW with the benfits of less travel and a lighter work schedule. Vince moved further away from the 80s guys as the steroid scandal picked up steam, and although the New Generation Era in WWE is often panned for being bad it did give rise to Taker, HBK, & Nash as main event stars, plus Hart proved that wether he was lucky or not to get the belt he was a worthy champion.

The real question is "If Warrior hadnt run afoul of Vince and injured Flair, would they have have gone through and made him champion at Survivor Series and how would that have impacted Brett Hart's rise through the company?"

Another big "What if" is had Flair stayed, eventually he likely would have been moved back into the main events, especially since ratings were down, and he if he doesnt return to WCW Hulk Hogan never goes there (why would he, the draw was the ream Match with Flair). Flair in fact was the one who recruited Hogan to come to WCW. In essence, Warrior's issues really lead to the beginnings of massive changes in the wrestling landscape, elevating Hart as champion, Flair & Hogan in WCW which kick starts the Monday Night Wars, the newer, edgier, WCW product dominating the ratings leading to the start of "Attitude Era" - If Warrior doesnt screw up a lot of things might have been different for Hart, Flair, Hogan, WWE, & WCW - It really makes you think...

Of course, being in the right place at the right time does have its benefits. While Warrior's self destruction may have caused an early end to Flair's WWE Title run, and inadvertantly lead to Hart out of nowhere getting to be champion, Flair himself was not supposed to main event Starrcade 93 a year later, instead booked in a tag match vs Harlem Heat. However, the Sid Justice stabbing incident in England lead to him being fired just as he was set to main event vs Vader for the championship and WCW turned to Flair to save the show, kind of like Vince turned to Hart a year earlier.

 

[HBKperfect23]

There are a ton of "what ifs" from this time period. If Warrior and Flair stuck around that would most likely have been the WMIX main event. Bret would have most likely started feuding with HBK over the IC title, probably having a match at WMIX.

Also, I dont think the plan was ever set for Perfect to wrestle again. I think the was a last minute decision that led to him saving the day since Warrior was let go.

I think he probably made the best decision to go back to WCW but I do wonder "what if" he stayed in WWF. I think he could have had a great feud with Bret. Id see 93 going like this: top heels Flair/HBK/Yoko feuding with top faces being Bret/Henning/Savage.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

This is the first I ever heard of Vinnie Mac having intentions of making the Warrior a heel. Not saying its not possible but I never heard a thing about it.

Was Warrior supposed to be a massive heel champion?

Part of me really doubts this. I just have a hard time seeing Vince think its a good idea for one of his all time biggest faces to turn heel especially his first big match back after returning, it for the most part went against everything he did at the time. Andre was an exception but Andre turning heel was done to help put Hogan over even more than he was so that made sense.

I know Flair was in the dog house for blading at WM8 since WWE was completely against use of blood at the time (only reason Bret got away with it is because they truly thought it was an accident) but Flair was a top heel nonetheless. When your at the top the company gives you much more leeway in regards to things like that.

Since they had Flair as the top heel at the time I doubt they had plans for Warrior to become a heel champion who is aligned with Perfect and Flair. I don't even understand how that would work. Why would Flair happily give the title to Warrior since between his reigns was all about winning the title back from Savage and with Flair pulling every trick he could to get the belt back. The whole situation goes against the grain a little too much.

Was he supposed to carry the title to WrestleMania IX and then drop it to Bret Hart to establish him as the next #1 face?

Even if we ignore what I said in the first question and Warrior did turn heel I think that's a resounding no. I don't think Vince had any plans for Bret to be champ until his match at Summerslam '92 against the Bulldog. Every account I've ever heard usually points to this match as the reason why Bret became champion so I don't think he would have planned it beforehand. Perhaps if Warrior did become a heel champ and Bret had that match I guess its possible that's what would have happened but I'm sure it was never planned. In '92 Bret was a big part of the show but this was his first "real" main event and the only reason it was the main event was because it was in Davey Boy's backyard. I don't think any plans for Bret to be "the guy" came until after that match.

Why was Warrior really fired (again) in late 1992? Who knows what really went down in that time period?

My guess is steroids. It was during a time where Vince was facing possible jail time during his trial and I'm sure he wasn't gonna mess around with anyone who tested positive as it could put him in jail. Davey Boy main evented Summerslam that year and by Survivor Series he was released for steroids. Warrior wasn't near the position he was in when he got fired the year before so I think it makes perfect sense he got fired over steroids.

 

[Fenris]

There's alot of speculation going on in this thread as well as it appears some folks making things up as they go. Hopefully I can help clear up a few things, several of which were covered in UW's lawsuit against the WWF.

Summerslam 1991- It's already been said but bares repeating. Warrior didn't hold Vince up for more money. After several months of playing the backstage game to get his full payout for Wrestlemania 7, money owed to him he was going to quit. Going off memory of the lawsuit and timeline they mutually parted ways after Summerslam.

Heel turn- In 1992 Hulkamania had slipped off a bit and he was their biggest babyface moneymaker, there were no plans for him to turn heel.

Title run- Had the Federal Government not filed a lawsuit against Vince it is a possibility although neither the WWF nor Warrior have ever mentioned him having a world title run in 1992 so it probably wasn't part of the plans.

Failed drug tests- Vince has long claimed it however has never been able to produce evidence of said failed drug test nor any evidence Warrior was using steroids at that point. He was asked to in a court of law and couldn't provide said evidence. In 1992 Vince honestly believed he was going to prison for a few years and told several top guys he was pretty scared. Ultimate Warrior as well as Davey Boy were two high profile, heavily muscular guys he could throw under the bus to try and sway public perception and present to the court as "hey look, I fired two top guys for doing the stuff so clearly I don't condone it."

1996- I seen that was also brought up so may as well clear that up as well. Between 1992 when Warrior was fired and 1996 when he returned Warrior started a mail order business and wrestling school. The idea was to create an Ultimate Warrior merchandise line, comic book series, workout tapes and so on. As such he created likeness that was distinct from his WWF persona and created separate catch phrases such as "Always Believe."

When Vince and Linda begged him to return to the WWF in 1996 he returned on condition that his contract had a distinction between the two and that he was licensing "Ultimate Warrior" the wrestling persona and the slogan "Feel the Power" and that the comic book persona and slogans were a separate deal, that he could plug that into the WWF marketing on a contract by contract licensing basis.

Long story short the WWF breached his contract by using the "Always Believe" slogan in conjunction with "Warrior... The Comic" artwork at the NY trade show WITHOUT approval nor a separate contract to do so from the creator and trademark owner. The point? He didn't no show events, the WWF violated the terms of the contract thus voiding the contract they had with him. He didn't wrestle as advertised because he no longer had a valid contract and was entering into a lawsuit against the WWF for copyright and trademark infringement.

 

[spaldoni]

There are a ton of "what ifs" from this time period. If Warrior and Flair stuck around that would most likely have been the WMIX main event. Bret would have most likely started feuding with HBK over the IC title, probably having a match at WMIX.

Also, I dont think the plan was ever set for Perfect to wrestle again. I think the was a last minute decision that led to him saving the day since Warrior was let go.

I think he probably made the best decision to go back to WCW but I do wonder "what if" he stayed in WWF. I think he could have had a great feud with Bret. Id see 93 going like this: top heels Flair/HBK/Yoko feuding with top faces being Bret/Henning/Savage.

You do bring up some great "what if" scenarios. What if Flair stayed? Could you imagine him dropping the title to Hart at Mania 9? Would of been a classic.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

Besides, Couldn't ya blame Warrior for being mad about not getting his full pay from Wrestlemania 7? I believe at the time he was going through a divorce as well so he probably needed the money bad. I'm not trying to stick up for the guy but its a two way street.

Well I think this is off topic but I remember this during the Warrior shoot interview that can be found in Youtube. I believe another complain the Warrior had was that his WM7 Payday was that off a mid card feud, and Hogan/Slaughter got the main event pay for WM7. It's been a while but I think Warrior contested this also because he felt the Warrior/Savage program was just as high as the WWF Title feud at WM7.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Savage was dropping the title because he wanted time off after the Liz issues. The whole Ric Flair might be teaming with Warrior story was just a way to pump some interest into the SummerSlam Match vs Savage, the idea of a possible heel turn, plus it gave both guys an out for a screw job ending, no one had to cleanly put over the other.

Savage dropped the title to Flair immediately after SummerSlam, playing off the supposed leg injury he suffered at SS. Savage did a short run of matches vs Hall then settled into a less active role. WWE immediately began a Flair-Warrior feud, they were main eventing house shows, etc. It makes perfect sense, Warrior was formerly your most popular guy, Hogan was gone, Savage wanted time off, Flair never wrestled Warrior previously setting up a superstar dream match idea similair to Flair-Savage. Back then the company only did four PPV So conventional wisdom was Warrior vs Flair at Survivor Series with Warrior winning.

The steroid investigation certainly didnt help many wrestlers, a big reason top stars like Hogan & Piper left right after WrestleMania. Ive read over the years that Warrior was in a continued dispute with McMahon over money, namely he wanted to make more than Savage and Flair. I imagine injuring Flair in Phoenix didnt help his cause. Warrior had a well known rep for being careless in the ring, which other wrestlers have spoken too. Flair's injury was the reason the title switched hands unexpectantly on a house show. He couldnt wrestle and was heading to the Mayo Clinic for treatment and no one knew when or if he would be healthy enough to return. Vince definately needed a champ who was healthy and on the road. Apparently at this point wether it was contract issues, recklessness issues, drug issues, or some combo there of, its clear that Warrior was a big part of the company's plans moving through the fall and into Survivor Series, Flair got injured, then Warrior was finished.

Looking back I think the path that would have most likely happened is Warrior goes over Flair at Survivor Series, they feud through new year, maybe Warrior gets the Loser Leave Town Match in place of Henning, although you can still do the Henning-Flair split over Flair's inability to regain the belt. Scott Hall and Yokozuna become next two challengers for Warrior through Royal Rumble & WrestleMania. Flair goes back to WCW (huge mistake, never should have left) and Brett Hart likely stays at the top of the midcard, at least for another year.

That said, Im glad Warrior didnt get the belt and instead got fired. Im not pleased he injured Flair as I think Hart would have benefited from a long term program vs Flair culminating in him winning the title. Hart suffered I feel early on because his title win was anti climatic followed by two feuds against weak opponents (Papa Shango and a young, not established HBK, niether of whom looked like World Title material).