Over the past few weeks since the Warrior's death, there have been countless current and former wrestlers whom have spoken pretty flattering of Jim Warrior Hellwig. A few years ago, the machine put out a DVD geared at discrediting and destroying Warriors image. The same people on the DVD are pretty much the same ones talking so highly of the man now that he's dead. I'm pretty sure we've all seen the DVD and heard all the nice things that are being said now so, I won't go into specifics. Is WWE going to pretend this DVD never exsisted? What are your thoughts?
WWE And The Ultimate Hypocrisy....
- Thread starter asiatic7
- Start date
The DVDs that the WWE puts out are not "shoot" DVDs. They are complete works, and the employees say whatever the boss tells them to say. At that time, Vince and Warrior were at extreme odds. Since then, the WWE has recanted and I even think apologized for The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior.
That's the whole point of what happened on WM30 weekend, and why it was so special for the WWE Universe to see Warrior on that HoF stage. Even during his speech he mentioned the DVD, and how he told himself before the night started that he wouldn't mention it.
Almost exclusively, WWE talent were told to make nice and settle the dispute with Warrior, and there had been many of those Superstars that actually apologized to Warrior, or made nice with him.
This is really all a moot point, because basic social manners tell us that when someone passes, we stop discussing the negative that they were involved in, and only really discuss the positive.
That's the whole point of what happened on WM30 weekend, and why it was so special for the WWE Universe to see Warrior on that HoF stage. Even during his speech he mentioned the DVD, and how he told himself before the night started that he wouldn't mention it.
Almost exclusively, WWE talent were told to make nice and settle the dispute with Warrior, and there had been many of those Superstars that actually apologized to Warrior, or made nice with him.
This is really all a moot point, because basic social manners tell us that when someone passes, we stop discussing the negative that they were involved in, and only really discuss the positive.
Yes, I get that it wasn't a Shoot video but when was the last time WWE put out a Self Destruction DVD about anybody? Plus, you think Vince had to tell DiBiase and Flair to say what they thought? I understand when someone dies you don't speak ill of the person but don't be a hypocrite and say what you don't mean. Hence why you didn't hear DiDiBiase speak out recently.
Yeah, that's the difference between real heat and kayfabe heat. DiBiase really didn't like Warrior. (BTW - -Ted DiBiase: "My heart goes out to the Warrior's wife and family today. My thoughts and prayers are with them. Rest in Peace Warrior." This tweet is as much if not more than many Superstars said about the passing of Warrior)
And when ANY superstar gets asked to do a documentary, unless you're at Stone Cold, Rock, Cena, or Hogan level, you say exactly what the boss wants you to say.
And when ANY superstar gets asked to do a documentary, unless you're at Stone Cold, Rock, Cena, or Hogan level, you say exactly what the boss wants you to say.
Yeah if you're pessimistic about it, it can seem like hypocrisy. Or you can try to believe that people really can put a dispute behind them and move on. Plus, it wasn't just his death that motivated people to start acting like they had always liked him. They were working on getting past all the problems long before he passed away, leading up to getting him involved in WM weekend. Hatchets were buried and new contracts were signed all without the fact that he was going to pass away 2 days later being known to anybody. That actually makes everyone's willingness to heal things up with him seem more honest. Had we never seen Warrior again, find out he died, and then everyone started acting nice about him, yeah, that would seem sketchy. That's generally how the human race works, every time somebody dies all you ever hear about is how great they were. Apparently a bad person has never died if you listen to how dead people are universally praised. But in this case, peoples attitudes towards the man were changing before he passed. I think that's a sign that it wasn't dishonest.
The saying goes that hate isn't the opposite of love, indifference is. Sometimes the people you like the most on one hand are the easiest to hate. Obviously Warrior must have mattered to the WWE all along for them to even bother putting out a trash talking DVD about him in 2005 long after most people had forgotten about him. Had Warrior really been a piece of garbage that nobody cared about, Vince and co would have just been indifferent and we'd never hear him spoken of again. The fact that they released a DVD purposely to bury someone, especially so long since the last time anyone had seen him anyway, is pretty strange. It comes across about as well as talking trash about some ex that you haven't dated for ten years. It pretty much telegraphs the fact that you are still thinking about the person and aren't as over it as you're trying to appear. If you were really over what someone had done to you ten years ago, you wouldn't be releasing a DVD about it. So on some level I think Vince/Linda/somebody always wanted him back in the fold, and even though the DVD seemed mostly to be attacking Warrior, it could also be seen as a subconscious effort to keep the discussion going and not just let the issue be forgotten, thus spurring on the debate and hopefully leading to something that would bring Warrior back around. Like poking somebody until they finally have to acknowledge you.
So yes, for the most part they probably will act like that DVD never existed. Sometimes life just works that way. When an effort is made to heal a relationship, you don't keep bringing up things that were said and done while the rift was still occurring. A decision has been made to move forward. You don't reestablish a friendship with someone or start dating someone again just to say "hey, remember that rant I posted online about how horrible you were?". The DVD is in the past, clearly Vince and others in the company had always been pissed about what happened with Warrior and wanted to make some money off of telling the story, especially their side of the story. Hopefully they don't feel too proud about some of the decisions they made with that release, just like Warrior probably felt embarrassed about some of the stuff that came out of his mouth over the years. There's no way to erase the past.
Of course the opportunity to be cynical about it remains, I would assume certain things were signed that now WWE can start selling Warrior branded stuff again, so of course they are going to act like they always loved the guy, and now make money off of selling his stuff again.
Ultimately it would have been a lot worse if the guy had just died and then suddenly we see a change in attitudes and he gets tossed into the HoF after the fact and they act like bad things were never said. But most of it was handled while the guy was alive, which is a much more positive thing. People actually had to make eye contact and shake hands rather than one half of the situation passing away and the others being able to manipulate everyone and pretend there was never a problem.
The saying goes that hate isn't the opposite of love, indifference is. Sometimes the people you like the most on one hand are the easiest to hate. Obviously Warrior must have mattered to the WWE all along for them to even bother putting out a trash talking DVD about him in 2005 long after most people had forgotten about him. Had Warrior really been a piece of garbage that nobody cared about, Vince and co would have just been indifferent and we'd never hear him spoken of again. The fact that they released a DVD purposely to bury someone, especially so long since the last time anyone had seen him anyway, is pretty strange. It comes across about as well as talking trash about some ex that you haven't dated for ten years. It pretty much telegraphs the fact that you are still thinking about the person and aren't as over it as you're trying to appear. If you were really over what someone had done to you ten years ago, you wouldn't be releasing a DVD about it. So on some level I think Vince/Linda/somebody always wanted him back in the fold, and even though the DVD seemed mostly to be attacking Warrior, it could also be seen as a subconscious effort to keep the discussion going and not just let the issue be forgotten, thus spurring on the debate and hopefully leading to something that would bring Warrior back around. Like poking somebody until they finally have to acknowledge you.
So yes, for the most part they probably will act like that DVD never existed. Sometimes life just works that way. When an effort is made to heal a relationship, you don't keep bringing up things that were said and done while the rift was still occurring. A decision has been made to move forward. You don't reestablish a friendship with someone or start dating someone again just to say "hey, remember that rant I posted online about how horrible you were?". The DVD is in the past, clearly Vince and others in the company had always been pissed about what happened with Warrior and wanted to make some money off of telling the story, especially their side of the story. Hopefully they don't feel too proud about some of the decisions they made with that release, just like Warrior probably felt embarrassed about some of the stuff that came out of his mouth over the years. There's no way to erase the past.
Of course the opportunity to be cynical about it remains, I would assume certain things were signed that now WWE can start selling Warrior branded stuff again, so of course they are going to act like they always loved the guy, and now make money off of selling his stuff again.
Ultimately it would have been a lot worse if the guy had just died and then suddenly we see a change in attitudes and he gets tossed into the HoF after the fact and they act like bad things were never said. But most of it was handled while the guy was alive, which is a much more positive thing. People actually had to make eye contact and shake hands rather than one half of the situation passing away and the others being able to manipulate everyone and pretend there was never a problem.
AegonTargaryen
Championship Contender
Even though I assent pretty much with everything Y2JBL said above, there sure is some amount of hypocrisy involved, which in this case didn't really feel unendurably grotesque and abominable to me. The "burying the hatchet" was in effect long before anybody must've had the slightest presentiment that Ultimate Warrior- Icon, Muscleman, Madman will die in 2014 and that too at such an auspicious occasion as around Wrestlemania.
The Hypocrisy I see, which is quite conspicuous, is in the fact that the same set of people were co-conspirators in one of the most heinous mockumentaries ever. Half of the stuff in that DVD was basically Chris Jericho, Christian and Edge- three midcarders at that time- mocking Warrior/Jim Hellwig and implying that he's a wackjob. The same Chris Jericho is now pandering to the Late Warrior and calling him legendary, etc. etc. Wish I had known in 2009 that the performer who made a catchphrase out of calling people parasites and hypocrites would be one himself. I really have liked/admired Chris Jericho as an entertaining performer, though.
The Hypocrisy I see, which is quite conspicuous, is in the fact that the same set of people were co-conspirators in one of the most heinous mockumentaries ever. Half of the stuff in that DVD was basically Chris Jericho, Christian and Edge- three midcarders at that time- mocking Warrior/Jim Hellwig and implying that he's a wackjob. The same Chris Jericho is now pandering to the Late Warrior and calling him legendary, etc. etc. Wish I had known in 2009 that the performer who made a catchphrase out of calling people parasites and hypocrites would be one himself. I really have liked/admired Chris Jericho as an entertaining performer, though.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
I can understand a pessimistic reaction to it. I have a suspicious mind about things in general, so I can't be sure one way or another if Vince & Warrior mended fences. I do think it's a real possibility because both Vince & Warrior have held onto bitter feelings for decades. The possibility of a working business relationship may have played a huge part in it, so if there's any hypocrisy in the whole situation, it has to be applied to both Warrior and WWE.
When ''The Self-Destruction of The Ultimate Warrior" DVD came out, Warrior filed a lawsuit against WWE. Initially, at least based on what I've read, it hadn't started out as a shoot DVD as WWE asked Warrior to participate in the production of the DVD. Allegedly, Warrior responded he wanted nothing to do with WWE. The lawsuit was thrown out in Arizona back in late 2009 because, according to the presiding judge, Warrior couldn't sue WWE for something that he himself had been doing to WWE for many years, long before the DVD came out. Warrior's ran WWE's name through the mud quite a bit, rarely if ever having anything positive or constructive tosay, and I've rarely heard him have anything positive to say about anyone he's worked with whether it be Ted DiBiase, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, etc.
Vince & Warrior are men with very big egos, which is a strong indicator that both men are stubborn as hell. Stubborn people with huge egos can have a very, very hard time letting things go. Maybe money had something to do with Warrior's change of mind, but I'm not sure. After all, the man legally changed his name to Warrior so it's a fair assumption that whatever motivated him in life probably wasn't as conventional as money. But, maybe enough time passed by in which both men decided that it was time to mend fences, bury the hatchet and get on with life.
You'd have to be a fool to take a WWE DVD/Documentary seriously. They're all full of lies and terrible. The guys on good terms with WWE look good, that's why HBK is billed as the greatest of all time when he's not top 20. So the Ultimate Warrior situation is no different. Once WWE/Warrior made up they conveniently forget about that hit piece they did on him.
TheHitMark-SirJoseOle
A Fan Of Wrestling Not Backstage BS
WWE produced DVDs are entertainment, pure and simple. I don't agree with everything they do or the way the product is presented at times. However, I keep it in perspective. If you're on the outs with WWE, they will not go out of your way to glorify your character. Everyone from Hogan to Austin to Hart and most recently CM Punk have been minimized in one way, shape or form when they are not part of the machine. With Legends deals I notice exceptions on much of that obviously. But when it comes to the regular product that's seen through PPVs, DVD retrospectives and the regular programming if you're not on good terms with Vince, you're either not held in the highest regard or you're practically non-existent.
That's how I see it at least, regardless of what I think about what really happened behind the scenes with Warrior and Vince, as well as others in the wrestling business. The Warrior more than deserved the accolades, and this is coming from a guy who NEVER EVER cheered for him against guys like Hogan or Savage. I always wanted to see those two get over on Warrior.
Basically, putting him in the HOF was a financially lucrative incentive for both sides, and the money will always do the talking at the end of the day. For those that were Warrior fans, it was great to see him come back for one last hurrah, it's just so surrealistic that he happened to die soon after getting his closure.
Despite all of that, and my personal feelings of his character aside, his final words on a public forum were very touching, inspirational and moving. And at the end of the day regardless of what goes on behind the scenes...that's what the point of professional wrestling really should be about, and that is to have the artform in all of its facets connect and resonate with the viewer of it.
That's how I see it at least, regardless of what I think about what really happened behind the scenes with Warrior and Vince, as well as others in the wrestling business. The Warrior more than deserved the accolades, and this is coming from a guy who NEVER EVER cheered for him against guys like Hogan or Savage. I always wanted to see those two get over on Warrior.
Basically, putting him in the HOF was a financially lucrative incentive for both sides, and the money will always do the talking at the end of the day. For those that were Warrior fans, it was great to see him come back for one last hurrah, it's just so surrealistic that he happened to die soon after getting his closure.
Despite all of that, and my personal feelings of his character aside, his final words on a public forum were very touching, inspirational and moving. And at the end of the day regardless of what goes on behind the scenes...that's what the point of professional wrestling really should be about, and that is to have the artform in all of its facets connect and resonate with the viewer of it.
SinCityBlitz
Crossface Chickenwing
People forget that Jim Hellwig was just as big as a ******* as Vince was. With the things he has said in the past he is being just as hypocritical as Vince is. Look at some of his old YouTube videos. But what people fail to realize is that sometimes as humans we do and say stupid shit. But at the end of the day things can be forgiven if that is what two people really want.
If Vince and Warrior decided to let bygones be bygones and bury the hatchet who are we to call them out on it?
Some DVDs are scripted and some are not. It depends on the guy.
If Vince and Warrior decided to let bygones be bygones and bury the hatchet who are we to call them out on it?
Some DVDs are scripted and some are not. It depends on the guy.
While I appreciate everyone's response so far whether you feel it's hypocritical or not. I understand that people get past grudges in life and move on. I just don't understand why WWE ever put the DVD out in the first place! I'm sure there have been countless other superstars employed by WWE that were more of a headache to deal with than Warrior or guys that rubbed Vince the wrong way, why didn't they have the honor of a Self-Destruction documentary?
I get your points, that you have to do what the boss says and bury guys. But when did men stop being men? And regardless if it was a Shoot or not, that DVD was not made merely for entertainment purposes. They were really trying to discredit the man.
I'm not a pessimistic person at all ,I'm a real positive person and I understand that hypocrisy is apart of human nature, but it just seems too convenient when everyone changes their mind at the same time....
I get your points, that you have to do what the boss says and bury guys. But when did men stop being men? And regardless if it was a Shoot or not, that DVD was not made merely for entertainment purposes. They were really trying to discredit the man.
I'm not a pessimistic person at all ,I'm a real positive person and I understand that hypocrisy is apart of human nature, but it just seems too convenient when everyone changes their mind at the same time....
I'm confused. Where's the hypocrisy? The same thing happened with Bret Hart, only he didn't die after his HOF induction. Same with Bruno Sammartino. Honky Tonk Man has had his share of ups and downs with the WWE. Hell, go read what Big Show said about the WWE when he left the company for a year a couple years ago.
Mark Messier had a big feud with the New York Rangers when he signed with the Canucks in 1997, and he LITERALLY "buried the hatchet" with James Dolan(they actually had a hatchet and buried it at the press conference) when he came back three years later. The Packers are already making plans to finally retire Brett Favre's number, not long after he was the most hated man in Green Bay while playing for the Vikings.
People get angry and say mean things about each other, then they make up and act like it never happened. I think we all know that couple who are fighting and breaking up one day, then they're happier than ever the next. It happens in all walks of life. This is probably the strangest misuse of "hypocrisy" I've ever seen in my life.
Mark Messier had a big feud with the New York Rangers when he signed with the Canucks in 1997, and he LITERALLY "buried the hatchet" with James Dolan(they actually had a hatchet and buried it at the press conference) when he came back three years later. The Packers are already making plans to finally retire Brett Favre's number, not long after he was the most hated man in Green Bay while playing for the Vikings.
People get angry and say mean things about each other, then they make up and act like it never happened. I think we all know that couple who are fighting and breaking up one day, then they're happier than ever the next. It happens in all walks of life. This is probably the strangest misuse of "hypocrisy" I've ever seen in my life.
JoeyJoeJoe
Championship Contender
I think this may again be the influence of Triple H on things behind the scenes. Lesveque has been very conciliatory towards former wrestlers where there was bad blood, and was seen as being instrumental in mending fences with Sammartino. I think McMahon could care less...he seems to be the kind who'd just as easily bury you as be your buddy. The WWE is in a bit of a state of flux with McMahon starting to cede some decisions to his daughter and Triple H, and so some decisions may seem contradictory.
Just remember...if the WWE decides it's putting out a DVD about a wrestler, it's gonna happen with or without their help. In the Warrior's case, they get to tell two different stories and sell two different DVDs.
Just remember...if the WWE decides it's putting out a DVD about a wrestler, it's gonna happen with or without their help. In the Warrior's case, they get to tell two different stories and sell two different DVDs.
Kodo Sawaki
Championship Contender
Well, its not so much "hipocricy" as much as "All the best for deceased" type of thing...
I mean you have a friend who you not get along so good and when they ask you about him/her you can say some bad things. But if that friend happens to have terriblle ilness or even die you cant go out and say "hey, he/she was not so good person" but rather you will wish all best or say that he/she was fine in some way. Because people in that moment tend not to be hurtfull and do nice thing and remember people for good. Not all of them, but mostly its like that.
So I think its not so much hipocricy thing. Its more just change of heart in some moments in life...
Is WWE going to pretend the Self Destruction DVD never existed? Yes.
Are WWE fans going to pretend everything that was said in that DVD was untrue when it was actually the most honest DVD WWE has ever produced? Yes.
Why? Because the man died. People regret having said nasty things about someone, even if they were true, after that person dies. It's human nature.
I just wish Jim Hellwig had shown that same virtue to the more than 2000 victims of Hurricane Katrina back in 2005 when he wrote very inhumane things about New Orleans residents on his blog. If Warrior was as compassionate to those people as his fans and peers have been to him and his family in their time of need then I might have been more heartbroken over the news of his death.
Everyone spoke about how they felt terrible for Warrior's wife and children. And rightfully so. But remember you judge a man by whether or not he regards other people's families in the same way that he regards his own. And judging by Warrior's comments about the many families who died in Hurricane Katrina, he failed to live up to that golden rule.
For me, Warrior really did Self Destruct. Once I read his many offensive online ramblings I stopped caring about how cool he looked in tassels and facepaint. It's a shame, The Warrior was a great character.
Are WWE fans going to pretend everything that was said in that DVD was untrue when it was actually the most honest DVD WWE has ever produced? Yes.
Why? Because the man died. People regret having said nasty things about someone, even if they were true, after that person dies. It's human nature.
I just wish Jim Hellwig had shown that same virtue to the more than 2000 victims of Hurricane Katrina back in 2005 when he wrote very inhumane things about New Orleans residents on his blog. If Warrior was as compassionate to those people as his fans and peers have been to him and his family in their time of need then I might have been more heartbroken over the news of his death.
Everyone spoke about how they felt terrible for Warrior's wife and children. And rightfully so. But remember you judge a man by whether or not he regards other people's families in the same way that he regards his own. And judging by Warrior's comments about the many families who died in Hurricane Katrina, he failed to live up to that golden rule.
For me, Warrior really did Self Destruct. Once I read his many offensive online ramblings I stopped caring about how cool he looked in tassels and facepaint. It's a shame, The Warrior was a great character.
d_henderson1810
Mid-Card Championship Winner
I always thought the bigger hypocrisy was when Randy "Macho Man" Savage died.
Vince wanted nothing to do with "Macho Man", the second-biggest money earner of the "Hulkamania" era, but, when Savage died, suddenly he is being considered for the HoF, something that WWE would never do if he were alive.
WWE had buried the hatchet with Warrior. It would be like if Bret Hart died soon after coming back to WWE a few years ago. Amends were made beforehand, so it isn't done in hindsight.
However, WWE never made peace with the "Macho Man", and Vince only started acknowledging him again when he died, not before. This was greater hypocrisy for mine.
(A question I have wondered:- Do they have "The Self-Destruction Of The Ultimate Warrior" available to watch on the WWE Network? Or "Hard Knocks-The Chris Benoit Story", since WWE made it sound like they would put EVERYTHING on WWE Network?).
Vince wanted nothing to do with "Macho Man", the second-biggest money earner of the "Hulkamania" era, but, when Savage died, suddenly he is being considered for the HoF, something that WWE would never do if he were alive.
WWE had buried the hatchet with Warrior. It would be like if Bret Hart died soon after coming back to WWE a few years ago. Amends were made beforehand, so it isn't done in hindsight.
However, WWE never made peace with the "Macho Man", and Vince only started acknowledging him again when he died, not before. This was greater hypocrisy for mine.
(A question I have wondered:- Do they have "The Self-Destruction Of The Ultimate Warrior" available to watch on the WWE Network? Or "Hard Knocks-The Chris Benoit Story", since WWE made it sound like they would put EVERYTHING on WWE Network?).
d_henderson1810
Mid-Card Championship Winner
"People only reflect on the positives when someone dies".
Oh, I don't know. Chris Benoit got his right whack after he died. Didn't hear much positivity for him.
WWE has a history of being hypocritical when it comes to talents. Bret Hart, Stone Cold, The Rock, Randy Savage, and Ultimate Warrior are all great examples of that theory. At one time or another in their careers, they had falling outs with upper management and were smeared by on-screen talents/management in interviews and DVD projects.
BRET HART: Subsequent to the "Montreal Screwjob", Bret was basically smeared for his actions and buried on WWF television. Who will ever forget the "Bret screwed Bret" promo by Vince McMahon? I think Mick Foley summed it up nicely by saying "Vince knew it was a lie and that he indeed had screwed Bret". That burial ended pretty damn quickly in 2010 when TNA Impact went head-to-head with RAW and WWE once again needed Bret to draw huge ratings. And while I am happy 'The Hitman' buried the hatchet with WWE and HBK, it was very odd timing that they just happened to need Bret when they reached out to him.
STONE COLD: In 2002, Steve Austin got frustrated with WWE's "lack of creative" and the mishandling of his character and walked out of the company. Despite the many years of making millions for WWE as the top company draw, WWE decided to run a smear campaign and it started on the weekend show "WWE Confidential". Numerous talents and even Austin's good buddy Jim Ross appeared calling Austin's actions "unprofessional" and Vince McMahon himself appeared on camera claiming Austin had been "producing gold records" instead of the platinum ones he'd been producing during his rise to the top in WWF. Once again, WWE did everything in their power to bury a star they had made but audiences still wanted Austin back and eventually WWE reached out to him. And once again, WWE needed him to boost their ratings since their shows during that time were somewhat boring and predictable.
THE ROCK: Once The Rock left for Hollywood in 2004 and never looked back, WWE began a campaign to distance themselves from him. They had Cena in interviews claiming The Rock had been lying to fans and wasn't interested in helping WWE. Also, Triple H made a comment the year Rock inducted his father & grandfather into the WWE HOF claiming Rock had "millions of 'Dwayne' fans" and was an obvious shot at Rock for going Hollywood and not returning to WWE. They once again needed Rock to spice up WM 27 as guest host and began to once again kiss Rock's ass in order to set up the next 2 years of main events with Rock vs. Cena. Again, why bury him if they needed him? Seemed very hypocritical to do so especially when they didn't begin kissing his ass until they actually needed him.
RANDY SAVAGE: Once Savage decided to jump ship from WWF to WCW, a familiar thing happened. WWF began smearing both Hogan & Savage in their spoof vignettes with "The Huckster" & "The Nacho Man". I won't even get into the history of Hogan and WWE because there is so much there that it would take more space than all the previous guys combined to explain it. But it boiled down to sour grapes over McMahon being pissed at Hogan & Savage going to WCW to do what was best for them. A practice by the way, that Vince McMahon the promoter had been using for years in regards to taking advantage of others. Yet, two of the company's biggest stars were ridiculed and mocked on television just to settle a personal beef between Hogan/Savage and Vince McMahon. Savage was different from the others in that he never got the opportunity to return to WWE again, which was a real shame. They had the opportunity to bring Savage back in 1999/2000 to the WWF when he was having contractual issues with WCW. They chose not to because McMahon was still grinding personal axes with Savage and it never happened. Yet they took the opportunity to honor Savage only once he died. Before that, they'd never even mention Macho Man in the same breath with other HOF'ers like Hogan or Flair but all of a sudden, they cared?
ULTIMATE WARRIOR: Last but certainly not least is Warrior. One phrase sums it all up: "Self Destruction of The Ultimate Warrior". That entire DVD was the epitome of how WWE buries those who helped build the company once they are done with the company and once McMahon feels they are no longer useful his creation. I wasn't even a big Warrior fan back in the day and I felt they totally disrespected all he'd done for the WWF by doing a cheesy DVD mocking him. It was despicable and asinine for WWE to bury Warrior for all he'd done for them just because he had a personal falling out with Vince McMahon. Sensing a pattern here?
I think one could objectively conclude that WWE has a history of being not only hypocritical but also scatterbrained/short sighted. They legitimately buried stars they had made just so the great Vince McMahon could resolve personal issues he had with each guy. As big a fan as I am of WWE/WWF, they have a long and storied history of doing these types of things and it comes to no surprise to those who have paid attention to that history. WWE are hypocritical because these guys were prematurely buried, yet fans brought them back and WWE wanted to forget what they had done before to them.
BRET HART: Subsequent to the "Montreal Screwjob", Bret was basically smeared for his actions and buried on WWF television. Who will ever forget the "Bret screwed Bret" promo by Vince McMahon? I think Mick Foley summed it up nicely by saying "Vince knew it was a lie and that he indeed had screwed Bret". That burial ended pretty damn quickly in 2010 when TNA Impact went head-to-head with RAW and WWE once again needed Bret to draw huge ratings. And while I am happy 'The Hitman' buried the hatchet with WWE and HBK, it was very odd timing that they just happened to need Bret when they reached out to him.
STONE COLD: In 2002, Steve Austin got frustrated with WWE's "lack of creative" and the mishandling of his character and walked out of the company. Despite the many years of making millions for WWE as the top company draw, WWE decided to run a smear campaign and it started on the weekend show "WWE Confidential". Numerous talents and even Austin's good buddy Jim Ross appeared calling Austin's actions "unprofessional" and Vince McMahon himself appeared on camera claiming Austin had been "producing gold records" instead of the platinum ones he'd been producing during his rise to the top in WWF. Once again, WWE did everything in their power to bury a star they had made but audiences still wanted Austin back and eventually WWE reached out to him. And once again, WWE needed him to boost their ratings since their shows during that time were somewhat boring and predictable.
THE ROCK: Once The Rock left for Hollywood in 2004 and never looked back, WWE began a campaign to distance themselves from him. They had Cena in interviews claiming The Rock had been lying to fans and wasn't interested in helping WWE. Also, Triple H made a comment the year Rock inducted his father & grandfather into the WWE HOF claiming Rock had "millions of 'Dwayne' fans" and was an obvious shot at Rock for going Hollywood and not returning to WWE. They once again needed Rock to spice up WM 27 as guest host and began to once again kiss Rock's ass in order to set up the next 2 years of main events with Rock vs. Cena. Again, why bury him if they needed him? Seemed very hypocritical to do so especially when they didn't begin kissing his ass until they actually needed him.
RANDY SAVAGE: Once Savage decided to jump ship from WWF to WCW, a familiar thing happened. WWF began smearing both Hogan & Savage in their spoof vignettes with "The Huckster" & "The Nacho Man". I won't even get into the history of Hogan and WWE because there is so much there that it would take more space than all the previous guys combined to explain it. But it boiled down to sour grapes over McMahon being pissed at Hogan & Savage going to WCW to do what was best for them. A practice by the way, that Vince McMahon the promoter had been using for years in regards to taking advantage of others. Yet, two of the company's biggest stars were ridiculed and mocked on television just to settle a personal beef between Hogan/Savage and Vince McMahon. Savage was different from the others in that he never got the opportunity to return to WWE again, which was a real shame. They had the opportunity to bring Savage back in 1999/2000 to the WWF when he was having contractual issues with WCW. They chose not to because McMahon was still grinding personal axes with Savage and it never happened. Yet they took the opportunity to honor Savage only once he died. Before that, they'd never even mention Macho Man in the same breath with other HOF'ers like Hogan or Flair but all of a sudden, they cared?
ULTIMATE WARRIOR: Last but certainly not least is Warrior. One phrase sums it all up: "Self Destruction of The Ultimate Warrior". That entire DVD was the epitome of how WWE buries those who helped build the company once they are done with the company and once McMahon feels they are no longer useful his creation. I wasn't even a big Warrior fan back in the day and I felt they totally disrespected all he'd done for the WWF by doing a cheesy DVD mocking him. It was despicable and asinine for WWE to bury Warrior for all he'd done for them just because he had a personal falling out with Vince McMahon. Sensing a pattern here?
I think one could objectively conclude that WWE has a history of being not only hypocritical but also scatterbrained/short sighted. They legitimately buried stars they had made just so the great Vince McMahon could resolve personal issues he had with each guy. As big a fan as I am of WWE/WWF, they have a long and storied history of doing these types of things and it comes to no surprise to those who have paid attention to that history. WWE are hypocritical because these guys were prematurely buried, yet fans brought them back and WWE wanted to forget what they had done before to them.
