Who should induct the Ultimate Warrior into the HOF?

[The Boss]

I'm not a big fan of his and in fact I call him the IRRELEVANT Warrior. His lack of appreciation for what so many did for him makes me sick and I couldn't care less if he was never inducted. Still there are fans out there who believe that he made enough of an impact and deserves to be in the HOF. So for that reason I'm going to give a fair and honest choice.

I've heard some suggest that HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN should do it. With him likely doing the induction for Randy Savage I disagree. Another option would be Arsenio Hall. Warrior had a memorable appearance on Hall's talk show in the late 80s. Now with him back on TV with a new show i think that he would make an appropriate choice. WWE does like to use celebrities you know.
[YOUTUBE]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pbjNNrO8CeM[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Screaminghello]

1st of all, Warrior absolutely DOES deserve to be in the HOF. If I worked for Vince I'd probably talk a little shit too once I was outta there. So what if Warrior is crazy? It's better that way. Would be weird if there was some perfectly sane man behind that face painted rope shaking maniac. I say embrace the crazy. At the induction ceremony Show a highlight video w/ TLC's Waterfall w/ Mark Twain quotes interspersed throughout read by Jonathan Taylor Thomas. The have him inducted by Papa Shango & The Headbangers just because. It'll be great.

 

[BenChillin]

Good looking on that Arsenio appearance. That made the match even better for me cause that was a hell of a promo and was comedically handled well also.

I honestly don't know who'd induct Warrior. No clue. Most his greatest rivals passed. He hates Hogan. Remember his videos revealing him?

I'm actually more interested in what's gonna happen come Wrestlemania time if they're both there and some shit pops off.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Why am I getting images of Gilbert Gottfried...? "I got it... Phil Collins inducts the Ultimate Warrior"!!!

In all seriousness though I think you're looking at Hogan, Sting or Jake for this.

Hogan is a no brainer as Warrior's biggest opponent although the two do not get along so it would perhaps be hypocritical.

Sting was Warrior's first partner and if he's ever gonna dip his toe in, even if it's just a HOF appearance then this would be a fitting time to do it, there's also precedent for this if he is still under TNA contract by then.

Jake was the last potential opponent and certainly moment that Warrior truly was relevant, his "trials of the snake" was easily the best angle Warrior was involved in.

A couple of left fields... depending on his health, Bobby Heenan could do it, although I don't think he'd be able to now. But he was perhaps Warrior's biggest "enemy" all those years, his stable did their best to destroy him.

If you're going for a modern guy the Sheamus makes sense as he is the Warrior of WWE now... Especially if as I expect he and Hogan team with Warrior at Mania...

 

[GameOver]

Triple H or Vince McMahon that would be good for business lol then again pretty much anyone he competed against had bad things to say about him both professionaly and personally

if Hogan's gonna be there have him induct and then Warrior spit in his face

Seriously maybe the only person that liked him was Savage and he's gone now

 

[tvcolosi]

I'll go a little outside the box and say Batista. He has said his signal for the Power bomb pays homage to Warrior. No bridge burnt between them.

 

[Wald]

Here's a name I haven't seen put out there but is one I'd love to see do it. Chris Jericho.

Go back and check out the Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior DVD and you can see that he is a big Warrior fan, he's about the only one on the DVD that doesn't try to bury Warrior, and I think he'd be a good fit as the presenter

 

[The Butcher]

It should be Honky Tonk Man, except Honky should come out as if to accept an induction and then say, "This isn't for me!? What the...? There's nobody out here or in the back that's more worthy of induction than the Honky Tonk Man!" Then the music hits, Warrior destroys him, and the most hilarious induction speech ever ensues.

 

[FlairFan2003]

First off, Ultimate Warrior does not belong in the HOF. He simply didn't have that huge an impact on the industry or a particularly long career. You can always argue the merits of HOF Inductees but Warrior isn't even close. His career was extremely short, his handful of comebacks were lackluster disasters, he influenced no other performers, and we haven't even got into the criticisms that he was uncommitted to the industry, didn't get along with other wrestlers, or that he was not only very limited in skills but dangerously sloppy in the ring. The stories of him failing to protect Bobby Heenan and carelessly dropping Ric Flair on his head are well known, and not the kind of thing you ever hear about guys like Hogan, Lex Luger, or numerous other guys who may not have been the best in ring performers of all time.

As for who would induct him, well he has no friends in the industry, seemingly everyone he worked with didn't like him. Savage & Rude are both passed on, Heenan hates him, he didn't get a long with Flair, Brett Hart has criticized him many times, his vitrol towards Hogan is almost legendary, I guess someone like HHH who had little contact with him could do it.

The bigger question, if you open the HOF to Warrior, based on maybe a year plus of him being way over with the audience, how do you keep out Goldberg, who had a longer career, was just as big at his apex if not bigger, who was champion in both WCW & WWE, who beat both Hogan & HHH for World Titles, and was way more talented in the ring (though hardly Ricky Steamboat here) than Warrior ?

Also, how do you keep out Lex Luger, one of the biggest stars in the 1990s in both WWE & WCW, who wrestled some classic matches against Flair, Hart, & Sting, defeated Hollywood Hogan for the WCW Title on the 100th Nitro, main evented SummerSlam, starred on numerous Starrcades and WrestleManias, was a member of The Four Horsemen, etc

And what about Sid Justice/Viscious ? Yes, his ring skills were limited and his dedication to the industry was often questioned (just like Warrior) but he was a major attraction much longer than Warrior in both WWE & WCW and main evented against many of the biggest names in the industry during those years including Hogan, Flair, Vader, Undertaker, HBK, etc.

You really open yourself to serious criticism if you let in a guy like Warrior with such A small career and so many major detractions if you keep those guys out.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Never even considered this, but it actually is a problem, isn't it? There are so few people we associate with Warrior.....and one is dead while the other is Hogan who, if he were to induct anyone.... it would be the guy who's dead. Hogan is more the type that wants to be honored, rather than honoring someone else. Meanwhile, even Hogan doesn't have an extensive history with Warrior; it was essentially one important match, and that's it.

It's almost funny, or at least ironic, that Warrior operated on the fringes of WWE even when he was employed there.....and then worked the same way with WCW.....and then spent years and years not working......all of which makes him hard to honor.

You like irony? Have Triple H induct the guy. He can say: "Warrior beat me in 30 seconds....and golly gee, I was so embarrassed!"

 

[dtroppe]

I can't believe there are people that don't think Warrior should be in the hall of fame. He was one of the biggest names in wrestling for several years, he was the most over guy, and sold (and still sells) tons of merchandise. If the Million Dollar man and scores of other mid card guys get in, wouldn't a top star be a no brainier? Does it matter that he is not well liked? Of course not. For Christ sake Steve Austin beat his wife and he is in there.

Vince or HHH should induct Warrior. Hogan is the best choice but that won't happen, so it's got to be a big name inducting a big name.

 

[Elchicano15]

Its hard for me to guess who within WWE would induct him. I can honestly easily see him get inducted by an immediate family member or close friend outside the wrestling business. Maybe that close friend is a celebrity. We've seen Jesse the Body get inducted by his son, Hogan inducted by Sly Stallone and Bruno Sammartino inducted by Arnold last year. I wouldn't be surprised if that's how Warrior gets inducted.

I'm not sure if Warrior would be comfortable of Hogan doing it but I also see Hogan going in with Hall and Nash as the NWO in this years class (Well I'm hoping LOL) If anyone within WWE or the Wrestling business inducts the Warrior I could see more so VKM do it. It will kind of put closure and an end to whatever issues they've had.

 

[Ubermensch]

Sting should induct him.

On the serious note, I would say Hogan, but it seems like there is real beef between the two of them. It's difficult to say who should induct him, because very few guys (who are still around), actually worked successfully with the guy.

The issue I have had in general with The Warrior, and this will come off as jealousy because it is. Is that this guy has made a ton of money based on very brief stints in and out of wrestling, took roids, and has ridiculous political opinions.

 

[Pedigree1]

As much as i hate to admit it,Warrior does belong in the HOF! Although he had a short career (All by his doing BTW)but a very impressive career at that.. Problem though is,Warrior made a lot of enemies and very few friends. The friends he did have,both of them have passed on Savage and Rude.. Depending on who would induct him though,i think it has to be a current star someone like sheamus.

Sheamus be a great choice,IMO it be nice for one to see Sheamus again as i know he tore both of his labrums... As far as i know,there is no beef between Sheamus and Warrior the induction speech would be neutral and it wouldnt be a forced acceptance speech from sheamus. Warrior and Hogan are not friends,so that wouldnt be Best for Business IMO,Trips and Vinnie Mac,there speech would feel forced and would not be truthful.

Sheamus has a similar build to the Warrior and Sheamus could say that Warrior is his Idol and grew up under One Warrior Nation.. That would be believable IMO.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

Gary Busey. It would make sense in that it doesn't make any sense at all. And the bizarre nature of both the UW character and Busey could have actual potential. The amount of brain cells lost that night would be astronomical.

 

[convoy83]

I'd say have Edge and Christian induct him, it is well noted that they were both there at WM 6 and it had a huge impact on them becoming pro wrestlers. And I'd say its safe to say that they were both probably huge warrior fans back in the day.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

I'm amazed that his name has been mentioned yet, especially as he is currently under contract to the WWe. Dutch Mantel managed a young Warrior (and Sting) and has been credited for his influence on other legends like SCSA, Taker and Kane.

Dutch is employed for his mic ability, I'm sure he could either do a serious or (equally) a tongue in cheek introduction. I'd go for the latter leading to a WM bout pitting the Real Americans against Warrior and a returning Sheamus.

 

[dd23beatlesfan1]

The problem with picking someone to induct the Ultimate Warrior is that most of the "logical choices" for people that were peers of the Warrior back in the 80's/early 90's is that none of them like him. From suggestions I've seen, Hulk Hogan, Jake Roberts, Bobby Heenan, etc they all can't stand him. Hogan and Warrior, we obviously know their issues, although I think it's more on Warrior's part than Hogan's. Jake Roberts sounded pretty bitter over the fact that Warrior didn't want to work with him back in 1991 and ended up quitting, which once again kicked Jake out of a huge program with a huge top babyface (although he did get to work with Savage at least). And again if you watch Warrior's DVD, Bobby Heenan just shits on him the whole time. Another good opponent of Warrior's back then was Ted Dibiase, but more than any of the previous people, Dibiase can't stand him either. In fact, he's went on record saying that he is adamantly against the Warrior being inducted. Bret Hart is another one that's not a fan of him. Ric Flair too.

Andre the Giant, Rick Rude, Curt Hennig, and Randy Savage were actually all the Warrior's biggest rival in his career along with Hogan, but they're all deceased. And according to accounts from other wrestlers Andre and Rude didn't like working with him either. Of all those opponents, Randy Savage would've probably been the best choice to induct Warrior, as they had their greatest matches, and they both were viewed as kind of outsiders to the rest of the wrestling community for being "unusual" personalities. Plus Warrior respects and loves Savage to this day (his tribute videos on YouTube are some pretty emotional videos to watch), and I wouldn't be surprised if Savage were alive today, that Warrior would ask for Randy to be the one to induct him. Kerry Von Erich was another one of the few guys in the company back then that was close friends with Warrior, but he's also deceased.

So with most of his peers not liking or respecting him, or no longer being here to do the honors, to me it's a foregone conclusion that they'll have to get a modern wrestler to induct him. Edge, Chris Jericho, and Christian were either fans of the Warrior as kids, and/or have lovingly mocked him in interviews and DVD's over the years. CM Punk and Rob Van Dam are actually friends with the Ultimate Warrior. John Cena is a guy pretty much respected by all old-school wrestlers and is the top face of the company obviously.

So for me, I think the two best options would be either CM Punk or John Cena. John Cena is the No. 1 guy. It's likely that Warrior would headline the HOF class (unless D-X or Randy Savage gets inducted with him), so it'd be fitting for Cena to be the main event as far as presenters go. CM Punk and Warrior actually admire each other and are fans of each other, probably because they're both fiercely independent and not afraid to speak their mind or be confrontational, so they're kind of kindred spirits in that regard (although their political ideals couldn't be any farther apart).


So yeah, I'd go with either John Cena or CM Punk to do the honors.

 

[dd23beatlesfan1]

It should be Honky Tonk Man, except Honky should come out as if to accept an induction and then say, "This isn't for me!? What the...? There's nobody out here or in the back that's more worthy of induction than the Honky Tonk Man!" Then the music hits, Warrior destroys him, and the most hilarious induction speech ever ensues.

I actually love this idea, it would be hilarious.

I do also suppose it's a possibility that Vince McMahon or Triple H could do it, although I don't see that happening. Vince has only inducted one person that I can remember and that was Stone Cold. It's a pretty special thing to be inducted by Vince, and I just don't see Warrior being quite at that level. If Shawn Michaels (probably Vince's favorite wrestler ever that worked for him) or Hulk Hogan weren't inducted by Vince, then I don't see Warrior getting that treatment either.

As for Triple H, it's possible, but Triple H was never a fan of Warrior (although he's warmed up to him recently, although I think it's more for business reasons than personal), and with having enough current or recent big stars as good options (Jericho, Edge, Cena, Punk), I just don't see the need for Triple H to do it.

The other possibility as has been brought up is that a celebrity or close personal friend or relative doing it. If the presenter is someone not in the wrestling industry, it's usually either a relative or a friend that's a celebrity (Sly Stallone, William Shatner, Arnold, Wade Boggs, etc.) I'm not aware of Warrior being friends with any big celebrities, so I suppose it'd have to be a relative, although I'm sure WWE would try to talk him out of it, especially if he's gonna be the headlining inductee. They'll want a big name to induct the headliner of the ceremony.

So again, I'm going with CM Punk or John Cena, with Edge or Chris Jericho as the runners-up choices.

 

[deadman talking]

if warrior goes in this year, if not Vince, than Hogan should induct him, although it would be funny to see Dibiase do the honors(he is not too fond of warrior). if Savage is inducted i think Steamboat should induct him. and Jake should be inducted by The Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Edge and Christian... I never thought of that but them being at Mania 6 does make a lot of sense. Edge is always a popular appearance and he and Christian could do their best impressions of what they were like as Warrior fans, the 5 second pose, their goofiness was probably from being Warrior fans...

I like Jericho as a pick as well, although I don't see a strong enough connection to make it work.

Ultimately (pun intended) it will probably be down to Jim Hellwig/Warrior who puts him in. While a lot of guys probably couldn't stand him back in the day, I can see a few who might put it aside. Someone like Jake for example would go a long way to getting his own spot (if that's not this year) by swallowing the pride and doing it. Likewise Warrior would (I think Savage might go in alone this year with Warrior inducting) perhaps need a "try out" of sorts before they let him loose with a speech. If he could induct Savage for example in a respectful and professional way then WWe will likely use him going forward and give him his own induction.

But this is perhaps a worse problem for them than having the inductee being dead... If no one who actually worked with him successfully is still alive...

 

[BenChillin]

To those disagreeing, YES, Warrior does deserve to be in the Hall Of Fame.

Why? Because he actually has fuckin FAME in the wrestling world. He pinned Hogan cleanly AS A FACE, AT A WRESTLEMANIA!

Come on now. This is actually a big induction.

 

[MCMG]

It is a difficult question to answer. There isn't any obvious name that should induct him. Unfortunately, Randy Savage passed away otherwise, he would have been a great choice. His biggest feud was with Hogan and they don't really get along.

I guess it's up to him to decide. He will have to pick someone that he feels will speak honestly about him and will be somewhat entertaining. To be honest, he could just induct himself and it would be much better than anything Vince McMahon or Edge could produce.

 

[BigDaddyKewl]

Jerry Lawler and Goldust worked with him in his last run with the company in 1996 and are both currently employed so one of them might be a option.
Roadwarrior Animal is a star from the same era and tagged with The Warrior at Survivor Series 1990 and another famous wrestlers who rocks the face paint so he might be a possibility.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It's kind of hard to say when you think about it. Generally speaking, the two guys most associated with Warrior are Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage. I know that fans would want someone that was really connected to Warrior to induct him and say all the glowingly nice compliments about him that one would expect as part of such a moment. The problem is that Warrior has spent most of the past 20 or so years effectively burying damn near everybody that he's ever worked with in wrestling, including Hogan & Savage. Savage is dead & gone and there's no telling if Hogan would be willing to let bygones be bygones to induct him.