The Self-Destruction of The Ultimate Warrior (2005 DVD Release)
- OK, we all know the story here, but since everyone else is either too worked up about the WWE telling the truth about the guy, or feel they must contradict everything by mentioning Hulk Hogan, I guess I'll do my best to be impartial in this review.
- Previews before we get to the Main Menu of the DVD: WWE 24/7: On Demand (awesome, except the editing of "WWF", removing some theme music that Vince is too cheap to pay for, and blurring of the scratch logo), The History of the Undertaker 3-Disc Set (lots of crappy matches that have no place on the DVD and very little of his early days footage), The Life and Death of the Road Warriors (good feature, but the extra matches are hit or miss), and of course, the "Don't Try This At Home" commercial (with Rikishi's voice still intact, although his shot is replaced with Edge). I wonder why they have that slogan printed at the very bottom in tiny text.
Main Feature:
- The tape (er... disc) starts with a montage of the Ultimate Warrior destroying jobbers, shaking the ropes, and running around like a psychopath. So far, so good...
Chapter 1: The Birth of the Dingo Warrior
- We breeze through the early days of The Warrior, mainly because (at the time) WWE didn't own the rights to any footage featuring him from UWF and WCCW. Jim Ross does most of the comments, and we get some mentions of Sting, and their combination as the Bladerunners and Powerteam USA. Apparently, according to Jerry Lawler, he was green when he first started, which is obvious. Ted Dibiase (WOOO!) repeats Lawler's comment about being green, but having potential.
- Bruce Prichard comments about Warrior looking for work with WWE. Warrior was stuck on the C-Shows (a.k.a the crap) to get experience before being put on TV. Brief clip from Houston in July 1987, when he was still working as the Dingo Warrior. Another brief clip of him at Boston Garden (8/15/87) wrestling Barry Horowitz. Heenan says Vince could probably make some big money with him.
Chapter 2: The Birth of the Ultimate Warrior
- We run down the change of the name "Dingo Warrior" to "Ultimate Warrior." Vince wonders what a Dingo Warrior is. According to Bruce Prichard, there was never an intention to call him anything "Warrior", because of the name being used elsewhere (Road Warriors and Kerry Von Erich, "The Modern Day Warrior.") McMahon relented and named him the Ultimate Warrior. We get a clip of Warrior's debut on Wrestling Challenge in October of 1987. Clips of Warrior destroying jobbers again.
- Steve Lombardi comments about working a lot with Warrior. Clips from the 11/14/87 Superstars where Warrior stiffed Lombardi (pre-Brawler days) throughout the match (including a mighty nasty looking clothesline). Jim Ross comments that the WWF did a great job marketing the Warrior compared to how he was handled as the Dingo Warrior else where.
Chapter 3: The Entrance
- Chris Jericho and Christian comment about the Warrior's entrance and entrance music. It definitely had a unique sound for the time, and fit him perfectly. Sgt. Slaughter claims that the Warrior got the loudest ovations for his entrance. Jim Ross puts over the music, so we get a comment from Jim Johnson (who creates all WWF themes) about making it. Edge and Jericho bring up that the entrance would usually make Warrior "blow up" (a.k.a gassed), but his matches were kept short enough that it didn't matter. Ted Dibiase then takes a bit of a jab at Warrior for being a great entrance, but being crap in the ring. Jim Ross and Bobby Heenan share the same comments.
Chapter 4: Hercules Hernandez
- Horrible interview from the 2/6/88 Superstars (with several editing of "WWF"), where Warrior simply rambles incoherently about everything possible for 90 seconds. I don't mean a funny rambling, I mean a "wow, this is horrible" rambling. We move onto the Warrior/Hercules feud. Dibiase says Hercules was a better worker than Warrior, but still was a "body", then says the matches were like the blind leading the blind, unless given plenty of direction. Jim Ross says the matches were hard to watch (No duh). Dibiase again, says the matches were kept short so they didn't stink up the house. If Warrior didn't have someone to lead him, he couldn't have a great match.
Chapter 5: The Weasel
Bobby Heenan brings up using the Weasel suit in AWA, and suggested using it in WWF with Hulk Hogan, but they decided to use him in matches with the Warrior. He says Warrior didn't understand how to pace himself. Clips from the 6/25/88 MSG match (available on Greatest Stars of the 80's DVD), and we see Heenan make an ass out of himself for our enjoyment. Heenan was glad to be out of the feud, and says that was the final Weasel Suit match.
Chapter 6: Parts Unknown
Oh man, is this segment funny... according to Edge, Parts Unknown is really Partsunknown, Spain. Christian says the foreign object is from parts unknown. Jericho says it's a little island off the coast of Costa Rica, then goes into an awesome story about a Russian transplant from Costa Rica, and Warrior's great-great-great-great grandfather from his sisters side is from there. Mean Gene says its east of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Lombardi says he was unique and it was a way to keep him different. Lawler says the same (good thing, for those). Clip of a horrible Warrior promo about taking the IC Title to Parts Unknown. McMahon says Warrior could come from another planet because he was so different. Bobby Heenan says he was too stupid to know where he's from, and that his hometown paid him to say he wasn't from there. Ouch. That had to hurt.
Chapter 7: The Intercontinental Championship
Clips of the Honkytonk Man as IC Champion. Heenan says he was a great entertainer. Bruce Prichard brings up the 16 month reign (longest in history). Clips from SummerSlam '88, and we see Warrior squash him like a bug in 29 seconds. So the bonus feature is shown in it's entirety in the main feature? OK... I've always marked out for that moment. Lombardi has a hard time from stopping playing this as kayfabe. Not much is said from here on, as its the same comments putting him over.
Chapter 8: Ultimate Warrior's Stock Rises
Merchandising! Merchandising! Where the real money from the movie is made... whoops, I'm quoting Spaceballs again. Dig those magazine covers! Dig Warrior no-selling Jobber and Midcarder offense! Jim Ross talks about the face paint and ring attire being a good look. Hogan puts over Warrior headlining sell-out arenas, but also hints that it was too much for Warrior's ego. McMahon claims Warrior was probably rebellious in others eyes. Dibiase says the appeal of Warrior was because of his cartoon character image. Clips of fans holding up posters, shirts, and other things to do with the Warrior.
Chapter 9: Unique Interviews
Oh man, this is going to be rough. We get a lengthy promo from the Event Center with the Warrior rambling about nothing... really, he just comments about anything in his mind. Heenan says he would just ramble on and on about anything. More clips of Warrior's weird promos. Jim Ross says that Warrior's promos needed to be subtitled so people could understand. More Warrior promos. Lawler says Warrior probably didn't know what he was saying. Okerlund comments that no one knew what the hell he was saying. McMahon says he would speak in tongues. Jericho says his interviews was "quizical", with great energy, but he didn't understand what he was saying. ("Because when the moon is blood red!" on and on...) He says it sounded cool, so yay (mock clapping). Slaughter says Warrior was in outer space talking with Darth Vader. Hogan says he was a good guy with a maniacal edge. Ric Flair says he couldn't remember his interviews, and if he said anything good, he would've remembered. MORE horrible Warrior promos. Edge brings up a promo leading up to Wrestlemania VI where Warrior says he would take control of Hulk Hogan's plane and put it into a nosedive (Christian's mocking of this is edited in occasionally, including the snarl). Edge says the tassels tied around him probably cut off the circulation to his brain.
Chapter 10: Rick Rude
Clips of Rick Rude now, and we get some Wrestlemania V talk. Dibiase says wasn't as big as Warrior, but was still muscular, and had plenty of charisma. Hulk Hogan puts over Rick Rude for working his butt-off to make the matches as good as possible. Bruce Prichard credits Rude with teaching Warrior how to work a match. Jim Ross speculates that Rude probably was frustrated with working with such a limited wrestler. Clip of Warrior fucking up a press slam on Bobby Heenan at Wrestlemania V, with comment from Heenan calling Warrior dangerous. No surprise there.
Chapter 11: Andre The Giant
Funny image as we get a clip from the Brother Love Show, where Andre has his face painted to mock the Warrior, and is dubbed "The Ultimate Giant." Damn, that's a scary face he gives the camera. Jim Ross says that the matches with Andre is what pushed Warrior to the uppercard status. Clip from the 10/89 MSG where Warrior pins Andre in 30 seconds (although there was no bell, so it shouldn't count). Okerlund thinks that the Warrior/Andre feud should've made more money than it did, and that Andre really didn't like Warrior. Prichard says the same. Jim Ross speculates that Andre didn't want to be in the ring with Warrior. Heenan with a famous story about Andre cleaning Warriors clock because he kept fucking up the simple "clothesline me into the ropes" spot. Clips from the 11/90 SNME match, but this was after the incident. Dibiase thinks Andre was glad the feud didn't last long. Cool clip of Warrior slamming Andre at Madison Square Garden, but Andre no sells and kicks Warrior in the stomach 5 seconds later as he went for a splash. Dibiase says he understood the point of having Andre put him over, but it made him sick that he knew Warrior didn't appreciate it. Bobby Heenan says Warrior didn't care about anything about the business.
Chapter 12: Hulk Hogan
We start off with clips from the 1990 Royal Rumble Match. Hogan and Warrior clean house until it's just down to them. They take each other out long enough for the new entrants to beat them down, until Hogan accidentally clotheslines Warrior over the top rope. Rush job of course to finish the match, since the point was Warrior/Hogan. Clips of dueling promos from the two, and the announcement of the main event for WrestleMania VI. More goofy Warrior promos, except this is a bit more... not bad.
Chapter 13: WrestleMania VI
Boring comments about the main event. Clips from the match shown. Dibiase brings up the fact it was two babyfaces in the main event of the biggest show of the year, which was a very rare circumstance for 1990. Edge says the crowd was split 50/50 (he was there, you know). We see the finish, with Hogan kicking out of the big splash, Warrior avoiding the leg drop (first time I remember that happening), and Warrior pinning Hogan for the title. Lawler says Warrior was charismatic, but the match wasn't one of the greatest. Dibiase says Warrior took instruction well. Edge says he wouldn't cheer for Warrior because he was a Hulkamaniac. We see the "infamous" finale of the show as Warrior celebrates in the ring and Hogan leaves the ring via the motorized carts. Somehow Hogan "Stole his thunder", despite doing nothing but standing around while he was taken back to the dressing room. Hogan says "I told you so" about the crowd not accepting Warrior as the new Hogan. Can't argue that either. Half way into the DVD, and there hasn't been many (very few in fact) instances of bitter comments.
Chapter 14: The Ultimate Warrior; WWF Champion
Clip of the Warrior's first appearance on Superstars as the NEW WWF Champion. Lombardi puts Warrior over as Champion about being a good draw and having a good attitude regarding his position at the top of the company. Clip to a Ted Dibiase promo from the 4th Main Event Special (November '90), near the end of Warrior's title run. Dibiase has a nice thing to say about Warrior, saying that Warrior respect his knowledge of the business, and that they had the best matches that they could. Clips from the match at the Main Event, with a run-in from Randy Savage, leading us into...
Chapter 15: The Macho King
Rambling promo from Randy Savage, then Warrior counters with an equally weird promo. Lawler says neither man made any sense. Sgt. Slaughter says they were like two peas in the pods because no one understood either of them. Hogan calls the "old Randy Savage" a detail freak, and made sure that everything was planned out to have great matches. Finish of the Retirement Match shows Warrior pin Savage with ease. Some say anti-climatic, but it worked so well into the storyline of the match being told.
Chapter 16: Sgt. Slaughter
In a horrible continuity error, we backtrack to the Sgt. Slaughter feud when Warrior dropped the title in the 1991 Upset of the Year. Slaughter claims he wore bulletproof vests during some of his matches against the Warrior. Slaughter says Warrior was a battler and you had to keep up with him. He even calls him solid, but you couldn't let him take advantage of you in the match. He compares Warrior to a wild horse.
Chapter 17: SummerSlam 1991 Controversy
OK, this is something that is kind of weird, as I've never heard this rumor, but never heard it disproved either. The match was Hogan and Warrior vs. the Triangle of Terror... and before the match, Warrior demanded a certain payoff or he would walk out on the show. Hogan says in response to this that the Iron Sheik should break his leg. McMahon holds that off and gives Warrior what he wanted. Slaughter says he was worried about how the match would come across. McMahon says he's responsible for presented the advertised events, but had a plan for after the match. Slaughter calls the match good. Hogan says theres a barberic mentality of teaching someone a lesson, but says 99% of the time, everyone is professional with whats going on in and out of the ring. When Warrior came backstage, McMahon says he was more than happy to fire him. Mean Gene shares the sentiments of McMahon's actions. Slaughter says everyone feels they should be paid more than they sometimes are, and Hogan says the same. Slaughter and Hogan both claim being familiar with the situation. Hogan runs down Warrior by having him going over everyone dedicated to the company, then decides to be a dickhead and be ungrateful about it. Ted Dibiase comments that it was like feeding the homeless and having them slap you in the face.
(Personal Note: wow, just replace Warrior with Brock Lesnar, and you know why I hate him)
Chapter 18-20: A Second Chance/A Different Ultimate Warrior?/Warrior's Second Return:
Clips from Wrestlemania VIII shows the return of the Ultimate Warrior after an 8 month absence. Dibiase was surprised that McMahon brought Warrior back. Hogan says he liked Warrior, but took the return with a grain of salt. Bruce Prichard brings up the different look of Warrior. Edge brings up the "Warrior died" rumor. Jericho chimes in about his completely different look compared to from before his firing. Of course, it had to be Warrior... no one else could be that nuts. Gene brings up the Papa Shango feud. We get clips of the "awesome" angle where Shango cursed Warrior, resulting in Warrior vomiting all over the place, and then bleeding black ink. The facial expression of Shango during the clip makes me laugh, not because it was cool, but it was so stupid. Jim Ross says the feud wasn't an artistic success. Gene says the angle was built up properly, but the matches were horrible. Jim Ross says the drama and storytelling for Warrior feuds had to be done in the buildup, because he couldn't do it in the ring. Okerlund says he wasn't liked backstage. Heenan compares Warrior to Hogan, except Warrior always kept to himself and wanted nothing to do with anyone. Lombardi says he loved the fame, money, and body building, but not for wrestling. Prichard shoots down the rumor of a Warrior/Nailz feud, then brings up the Undertaker/Nailz angle going on at the same time which only surfaced for 2-3 weeks before Nailz was fired. Warrior was fired soon after because of failing a drug test.
Chapter 21: The Name Change
In 1993, Jim Hellwig legally changed his name to "Warrior." Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, and Eric Bischoff had a little fun making jokes out of this, and really... he changed his name to WARRIOR. McMahon thinks he did it to cash in on the royalties. Dibiase has no idea what he was thinking. Heenan makes fun of it, and says it would be like changing his own name to "Weasel." Prichard says Warrior has a problem dealing with reality.
Chapter 22: Ultimate Warrior Returns... Again
Clips of the Warriors shitty 1996 run. Everyone was hoping the Warrior was still over as he was back during his initial run with the company. McMahon thought it was a good move and that he could still draw. Everyone was second guessing him though. Lombardi says the Warrior's following had weaken since his last run. He and Slaughter feel it was because of his lack of commitment with hanging around. Lawler says it could be because of different reasons, like new fans and older ones stop watching. Triple H comment from the 4/2/00 Wrestlemania All Day Long. He comments about Warrior being a dick about demanding the match being changed from a 10 minute competitive match to a 90 second squash. Triple H even calls him the most unprofessional person he's been in the ring with. Clips of the infamous match, including Warrior completely no-selling the Pedigree. I also like to point out that Hunter was only pinned once or twice on WWF TV since his debut in May 1995. Triple H says he has mixed feelings about the situation.
Lawler comments about his feud with Warrior (based around Lawler's artistic talent and Warriors comic book), and Lawler was upset Warrior was wearing a baseball cap. Fucking weak... really, what the hell?! We hear about Warrior no showing certain scheduled dates (in the most LAUGHABLE bit of rewriting history, the poster for the July 25th show at the Cow Palace (Attitude Adjustment Tour) says "Federation Title Match: Champion Ultimate Warrior vs. Vader). Sorry, but they already had Vader penciled in to beat Michaels at SummerSlam, so I'm not fooled by this Vince. Wow, how horrible is THAT?!? Clip of Monsoon (then president) suspending Warrior indefinitely. McMahon then says the Warrior didn't show up because of his fathers death, but McMahon brings up that Warrior hadn't had any sort of relationship with his father since joining the company in 1987.
Chapter 23: The Lawsuit
According to Slaughter, Warrior filed a lawsuit worth $6 Million, because he wanted the rights to his name. Okerlund believes everyone hated Warrior even more for doing this. Dibiase says Warrior cared for no one but himself. Jim Ross says his life is like his career... he was unpredictable and Warrior was his favorite person. Bobby Heenan wonders where Warrior would've been without WWE. Flair says he lost respect for Warrior as a professional and a human being for what he did.
Chapter 24: WCW
Hulk Hogan comments about a guy who was wrestling on the Independent scene imitating the Ultimate Warrior... this was the awesome Renegade character... OK, awesome meaning horrible. Clips of Renegade cutting a horrible promo and acting like a retard. Bischoff says Renegade wasn't an attempt as bait at bringing in the Ultimate Warrior. Clip of Warrior rambling in the ring of a WCW Nitro. Bischoff thought that he thought there was money to be made with Warrior in the company. Hogan comments about Warrior bragging about beating Hogan before. Rightful complaining from Hogan here... why would anyone buy the PPV to see the big showdown between top face and top heel, when the face had already beaten the heel on PPV already (and cleanly)? Warrior rambles on and on and on and on and on... Bischoff, Hogan, and Okerlund take shots at Warrior tanking the ranking for that segment.
Chapter 25: WCW Halloween Havoc
Yes, the infamous match people regard as the worst knock off since Mr. Pibb. They tried everything possible from WrestleMania VI, but the crowd didn't care, Warrior was as rusty as a wrecked car pulled out of the ocean, and Hogan was no longer the in-ring competitor he once was. Hogan takes blame for fucking up the ending, where he botched lighting a fireball. Okerlund insults the match with both men being completely off each others page. Bischoff says it was one of the worst matches ever, claiming Warrior was a horrible wrestler, and Hogan needed someone that complimented his style to have a great match.
Chapter 26: Ultimate Warrior Leaves WCW
According to Hogan, there was a problem between Warrior and the management about his contract. Bischoff chimes in as well about this. Apparently Warrior wanted an insane amount of money considering his lack of drawing for the last 7 years in wrestling and his being unreliable for the same length of time. Okerlund says Warrior in WCW was out of control, compared to WWF where everyone looked over him to make sure he was kept in line. McMahon thought Warrior would make it big outside of the WWF, but it didn't happen. Jim Ross comments about how wrestlers leave wrestling to run down the business or turn to religion. Gene chimes in his surprise of Warrior speaking at colleges. Jim Ross wonders if he could understand what he says. Bischoff says the speeches were probably whacked out and that people would walk out wondering what the hell he was talking about.
Chapter 27: The Ultimate Warrior Legacy
The final chapter... Dibiase left an ugly legacy in wrestling. Heenan says no one likes him, and that if he went to the hospital to get a personality transplant, but no one would give it to him. He then says Warrior just wanted quick fame, and that no one wanted to work with him. Bischoff says Warrior could've been great, but his ego got in the way. Flair: Do I think Warrior was flash in the pan? (stands up and walks away). Gene says Warrior made his mark in business, be it good or bad. McMahon says from a fans stand point, thinks he was entertaining and had great energy. Christian says he wasn't a great performer. Jericho says he was a unique performer and says he was an underrated wrestler, because he was capable of having great matches when all the chips were down.
Doucmentary Thoughts: I'm so glad I didn't listen to most reviews, which said this was nothing but WWF bashing Warrior non-stop, and completely burying him. The first hour (a.k.a everything up until the SummerSlam '91 stuff) was either putting him over, fun ribbing (the parts unknown), or legit gripes about him being a poor worker. His 1992 run was glossed over with very few insults, but the 1996 one deserved it the most. However, the WWF altering a program to read that Warrior was World Champion is a little bit low, even for them. Everyone claims Hogan buried him in his comments, but really, he generally puts him over, and even took the blame for the Havoc match being a mess.
While some of the comments were a bit harsh (Heenan saying Warrior was too stupid to know where he was from), I honestly don't see this as being a complete burrying of Warrior because he refused to participate in this. Again, the first hour is a fairly impartial documentary on his career, and the only ones with bad things to say about the comments made are looking for excuses to bring up someone elses career or just for the sake of bitching.
BONUS FEATURES:
- The Ultimate Warrior vs. Terry Gibbs:
From the October 24th, 1987 episode of Wrestling Challenge, and this is the Warrior's debut on that particular program (his first syndicated feature match ended up being a shitty 10-Man Battle Royale 6 days later on Superstars, where he was eliminated fairly easily to little fanfare). Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan on commentary. Warrior gets no entrance music, and he doesn't even run to the ring! Talk about a surprise... I expect him to be crazy here. Heenan says he isn't all there, 2 seconds into the match. Gibbs with a sneak attack, but Warrior no sells. Warrior puts Gibbs down with a shoulder block, and follows with a hip toss (after doing a leap frog). Wristlock, and Warrior pounds the arm. Gibbs boots him in the midsection, but runs into a scoop slam. Split screen promo from the Warrior, rambling as usual. Atomic drop by Warrior, followed by chops in the corner, and a hip toss. Wind-up clothesline, and Warrior press slams Gibbs into the heavens (copyright Gorilla Monsoon)! Big splash finishes the squash at 1:39. 1/4* Well, that was brief, and no one is complaining. No instant replay, sadly. I guess it was too much to ask for.
- WWF Intercontinental Championship Match:
The Honkytonk Man © (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. The Ultimate Warrior:
Yeah, it should really read Mystery Opponent, but we all know who it is, so let's not play games. From SummerSlam '88 (from Madison Square Garden), with Gorilla Monsoon and Superstar Billy Graham on commentary (filling in for Jesse Ventura, who was busy being a referee that night). Honkytonk Man is scheduled to face Brutus Beefcake, but Ron Bass took him out a few weeks before the show, so Honky offers an open challenge... and of course, the Warrior answers it. He rushes the ring and hammers away on the Honkytonk Man. Scoop slam by Warrior, followed by a diving shoulder tackle. Warrior runs around like an idiot, clothesline Honky out of his boots, and splashes him for the IC Title, and ending Honky's 15-months reign in 31 seconds! DUD Not much of a match, but the crowd popped fucking huge, and this, sadly, was the Honkytonk's swan song from credibility, as he was put on the JOB Squad following the program with Warrior until being teamed with Valentine as Rhythm & Blues and then departing from the company in January 1991.
- WWF World and Intercontinental Championship Match:
Hulk Hogan (World Champion) vs. The Ultimate Warrior (IC Champion):
From Wrestlemania VI: The Ultimate Challenge. This was all set up at the 1990 Royal Rumble, already mentioned in the review of the documentary portion of the DVD. This match must've been put on the most WWF releases. Several coliseum videos and DVD's feature this. To piss me off, the Jesse Ventura commentary is edited out! What the hell... I thought his WWF Commentary was allowed as long as it was previously released on tape! I reviewed this match back a few years ago, but it was too ugly to copy and paste, so lucky you. Both men get major babyface reactions, of course. Warrior looks to be sucking wind after running the entrance, which was extra long, hence the using of the carts. Long stand off ends with some shoving, started by the Warrior. They lockup, and Warrior shoves Hogan into the corner to a big poop. Lockup #2, and Hogan returns the favor, with a far better reaction, but there's a hint of boo's in the air. Warrior wants a test-of-strength now. Mixed Hogan/Warrior chants as Hogan locks knuckles. Warrior dominants the hold and brings Hogan down to his knees! Some cheers, some boos for that one. Hogan fights his way back up to his feet, and turns the momentum into his corner and takes Warrior down now! Believe it or not, but we're already 5 minutes into the match, and it hasn't felt like it. Now it's Warriors turn to fight to his feet, so Hogan with a single leg trip followed by an elbow drop for a two count. Warrior bounces off the ropes with a shoulder block, but Hogan doesn't move. Criss-cross, and Hogan catches Warrior off the ropes with a scoop slam. They run the ropes again, and this time Warrior slams Hogan. Warrior clotheslines Hogan over the top rope and to the floor, and Hogan seems to be selling a knee injury. This doesn't last too long though, since selling was never Hogans strong point. Warrior has enough and throws Hogan back into the ring. He kicks away at the leg leg of Hogan, so Hogan rakes the eyes. Warrior rakes the eyes back, and then it's down to some choking! Warrior cheap shots Hogan while the referee tries seperating the two. Hogan is pissed, so he unloads some rights on Warrior. Irish whip to the corner, and he follows in with a clothesline. Mounted punches by Hogan, followed by a scoop slam. Hogan with a series of elbow drops gets a two count. Front facelock applied by Hogan, then he takes Warrior over with a cradle for a two count! Hogan goes into a reverse chinlock because Warrior is sucking wind even more now. Hogan beats on Warrior in the corner with rights and chops. Irish whip, and Hogan drops Warrior with a clothesline, but the cover only gets him two. Back breaker from Hogan gets another two count, and he goes back to the chinlock. Hogan takes Warrior down with a back suplex, but it's only a two count once again. Another chinlock. Warrior fights free with elbows to the midsection, and a double clothesline puts both men down. Hebner's 10 count lasts about 45 seconds before Warrior sits up. Warrior is shaking the ropes... uh oh. Hogan hammers on him, but it has no effect. Warrior rams Hogans head into his chest, and drops him with several clotheslines. Warrior whips Hogan to the corners a few times before taking him over with a suplex, for a two count, then goes to the bearhug. Hogan fights free with a lot of rights, and a referee bump comes out of an irish whip. Warrior heads up to the top rope, and comes off with a double axehandle. He goes back up and connects with a second. Warrior goes for a shoulder tackle, but Hogan side steps him! WOO! Hogan covers, but the referee is still out. He tries reviving the referee, but in the mean time, Warrior is up on his feet and takes Hogan down with a back suplex, but another cover and no referee. The ref finally wakes up, and very.... slowly... counts before Hogan kicks out at two. Hogan rakes the eyes and school boys Warrior for another dramatic two count. Hogan with a series of rights. Irish whip, and a back elbow sends Warrior flying to the floor. Hogan follows him out, and they exchange blows. Warrior blocks being sent into the post, so Hogan headbutts him. Warrior no sells and rams him into the post. Back into the ring, and Warrior with more clotheslines. Press slam by Warrior, and he comes off the ropes with the big splash! 1... 2... He's Hulking Up! Hogan wags the finger, punches Warrior three times. Irish whip, big boot... and the leg drop misses! Warrior bounces off the ropes again, nails the splash, and that finally gets the victory at 23:56!! Warrior is the new World World Federation Champion! ***1/4 Probably Warrior's best match up until this point, and it really shows that Hogan was capable of pulling a good match out of a slug's ass if he wanted to. If anyone tries to credit Warrior for anything of this match in terms of workrate, watch again. The entire pace is controlled by Hogan, and he conveniently has to go to resting because Warrior was gassed. After the match, Hogan presents Warrior with the World Title, which seems to be the passing of the torch. Too bad the Warrior tanked as champion and Hogan was brought back into the picture for another reign, making this pointless by the next year.
- WWF World Championship; Steel Cage Match:
The Ultimate Warrior © vs. "Ravishing" Rick Rude (w/ Bobby Heenan):
From SummerSlam '90. Warrior's run as Champ had been enough of a failure that this was a "double Main Event" show, with Hogan coming back to feud with midcarder Earthquake. Also the fact Warrior went about 2 months doing nothing but 6-Man Tags with the LOD against Demolition didn't help his argument of being a great draw either. Vince McMahon and Roddy Piper are on commentary, which means I'll probably mute the television once the bell rings. Warrior spends a good amount of time running around the ring like an idiot (as usual). I can only assume they chose this match because the one from SummerSlam '89 was too much editing work. Warrior hammers on Rude at the top of the cage, then knocks him off the top rope (which Piper claims was 15 feet... maybe 5, not 15). Warrior bounces on the ropes and comes off with a sledge. Warrior sends Rude into the cage a few times, posing in between each throw. Warrior goes for something that resembles a cross body, but Rude falls down, causing Warrior to crash into the cage. Rude starts climbing up the cage (and apparently blading already), but Warrior cuts him off. Rude comes off the top rope with a sledge, then rams Warrior into the cage. Only a few minutes in, and I'm bored out of my mind. rude hammers on Warrior a bit then sends him into the cage again. Warrior comes back, exchanging blows with Rude, but an eye rake kills the momentum. Rude chokes Warrior on the top rope while smashing his face into the steel. Rude with a boot to the midsection, but Warrior powers out of the Rude Awakening set up. Warrior drops Rude with a clothesline, but splashes the knees. Rude is back up to his feet, and the Rude Awakening connects this time. Rude goes to the top of the cage, and comes off with a sledge across the top of the head of Warrior. Rude to the top of the cage again, but this time Warrior catches him coming off with a fist to the midsection. Warrior heads for the door (with his face paint hanging from the nose, resembling snot), so Heenan slams the door in his face, and probably enjoying it too. Rude covers, but it only gets a two count. I think Warrior is bleeding, but I can't tell. A double shoulder block puts both men down. Rude goes for the door, but Warrior holds him back by pulling down his trunks. I guess that's a must for a Rick Rude Cage Match. Warrior pulls Heenan into the ring with Rude, and Heenan oversells a punch like his name was Curt Hennig. Warrior atomic drops Heenan out of the cage. Rude is able to come back with a clothesline, but the Warrior ain't selling anymore. He shakes the ropes, dances around like Tatanka on crack, and drops Rude with several clotheslines. Gorilla Press Slam by Warrior. He goes up the cage, shakes his hips around to mock Rude, and reaches the floor for the win at 10:03. * Very weak cage match, and not one of their better matches. Rude was able to carry Warrior to pretty good matches in regular matches, but sticking them in a new surrounding isn't going to produce a good match, especially when Warrior is in it, and it takes about 30 attempts to get a good anything out of him.
- Career vs. Career Match:
The Ultimate Warrior vs. "Macho King" Randy Savage (w/ Queen Sherri):
"One of these men will walk out of the city of angels, who's career will then be over." Got to love Monsoon quotes. Heenan spots Elizabeth seated in the aisle as Savage's theme hits and his throne is carried to the ring. Warrior is very uncharacteristic in his entrance, as he opts to walk to the ring, instead of blowing himself up running at full speed. "Why isn't he running, 150 mph like that insane fool usually does?" Got to love Heenan too. Warrior chants before the match. "This may be savages greatest moment" and Monsoon adds in "Or his final one." Both men cautious to start. Both men poses and Savage tries a pearl harbor job, but Warrior doesn't buy into it. Lockup and Warrior wins it. Savage reverses it and breaks CLEAN! Lockup part 2 and Warriors shoves him off. Savage removes the shirt, meaning its time to go to school. Knee to the midsection by Savage and he hammers away at the Warrior. Headlock by Savage but Warrior puts him down with a shoulder block, and he heads outside. Savage with a sneak attack but he gets caught with a clothesline and Warrior with a choke lift and he slams Savage to the canvas. Inverted Atomic drop by Warrior followed by an atomic drop of normal value. Choke lift again and he throws Savage into Sherri. Huge roundhouse rights by Warrior and Savage is tied in the ropes and Warrior lays in a shit kicking. Irish Whip and Warrior with a fist to the midsection. Savage with a kick to the head followed by a running clothesline hart attack style. Savage to the top rope and he comes off, only to get caught in a slam attempt, except Warrior sets him down and slaps him in the face. Savage goes outside again and gets a steal chair, but the referee gets rid of it. Savage with another cheap shot but Warrior again slugs him off with rights. Irish Whip and Warrior stomps a mud-hole in the corner with FIFTEEN KICKS! Another huge shot and Savage is in TROUBLE~! Warrior misses a shoulder tackle in the corner and spills to the outside, where Sherri lays in some cheap shots. Savage to the top rope and he comes off with a double axe handle smash! Sherri continues beating him up but he shoves her down hard soon, so Savage puts him down with a clothesline. Warrior is sent face first into the post and Savage heads back in the ring. Warrior back in now and Savage with a slam followed by a knee drop for two! Warrior blocks a neck breaker with a back slide and that only gets two! Savage spits in Warriors face to a big "OOH!" form the crowd and runs. Warrior catches a boot and nails a clothesline. Warrior runs the ropes and goes for a shoulder tackle but Savage side steps it and rams Warriors face into the canvas for TWO! Savage goes to a sleeper hold. Warrior breaks free and we get a DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE KNOCKOUT~! and the referee begins the count. Sherri revives Savage who tries a slam but Warrior small packages him a la Steamboat at WM 3, but that only gets TWO!!!!! Warrior off the ropes but he rams the referee so Savage takes advantage and has Sherri come off the top rope with her shoe in hand....and nails SAVAGE!!!! Warrior chases Sherri to the outside but Savage rolls him up..1....2......KICKOUT!!!! "That was a three count! That was a three count! I cant even talk anymore!" Savage pulls Warrior face first into the turnbuckle and stun guns him. Savage slings Warriors throat across the top rope and nails a clothesline to the back of the head! Scoop slam by Savage and that gets TWO! Savage heads upstairs and comes off with a FLYING ELBOW DROP!! Savage goes again! A SECOND ELBOW DROP!!! "This could be the kiss of death, and I mean the kiss of death!" SAVAGE WITH A THIRD!!! He goes again!!!! FOUR Elbow Drops!!! "Your watching the end of the Ultimate Warrior!" Savage with a FIFTH AND FINAL ELBOW DROP! He makes the cover! 1.........2........Thr.... WARRIOR KICKED OUT! I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!!! Savage is in complete SHOCK! Axe handle to the back of the head of Warrior! WARRIOR IS SHAKING THE ROPES! Warrior with a series of roundhouse rights! Clothesline! A Second! a THIRD! Warrior calls for it!! GORILLA PRESS SLAM!!! Warrior bounces off the ropes...BIG SPLASH! "It's all over but the shouting!" 1...........2..........SAVAGE KICKED OUT!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!! "Where are they getting the strength from!?" "The Warrior looking up to the heavens...He's asking those gods right now, is this my destiny?! Is it time for me to step down?" Warrior continues talking to his hands and starts leaving the ring! Hebner tries calling him to come back in the ring, so Savage helps make up his mind by knocking him off the apron with a clothesline. Savage holds Warriors throat across the steel railing, and comes off the top rope, only to have Warrior nail him in the mid section with a roundhouse right!!! "Warrior is getting a message of a different kind right now!" Warrior throws Savage back in the ring and business is about to pick up! Diving Shoulder Tackle by Warrior! Savage is knocked to the outside, so Warrior brings him back in, and nails a SECOND SHOULDER TACKLE! Savage again is knocked to the outside! Warrior brings him back in again and nails a THIRD~! Tackle. He rolls Savages prone body into the ring, puts one foot across his chest, and ends Savages career at 20:46!!! ****1/2 AWESOME MATCH!!! Warrior celebrates for a few moments before heading back to the locker room. This is where the DVD Cuts away, but let me just say that Savage must've been owed a favor from God, because this was the miracle carry job of the decade. Maybe Savage sold his soul to the devil, I don't know, but this was about a million times better than it had any right to be, considering the Warrior had about 3 good matches in his career.
- Jerry Lawler tells a story about wrestling the Ultimate Warrior in Memphis back when he was a Bladerunner (or Powerteam USA, who cares). Warrior did a goofy move involving dropping his legs across the groin of Lawler, a move no doubt that inspired Jeff Jarrett to do the same to everyone 12 years later.
- Christian impersonates the Ultimate Warrior by doing the complete promo from earlier, where Warrior rambled about nose-diving an airoplane. Can't be a great impression without the snarl, and Christian delivers that with destrucity.
- Ted Dibiase tells a story about an autograph signing that included himself, the Warrior, and Steve "Sting" Borden. Apparently the Warrior was being a bitch about the situation, telling the guy who handled the signing that he only wanted to appear by himself. Dibiase preaches about karma biting you in the ass or whatever, but we all know Warrior is a dickhead.
- Commercial for Warrior Univeristy, which was broadcasted on WWF Television every week for a few months back in 1996. Warrior rambles like he has marbles in his mouth, about making you a professional wrestler. I wonder whatever happend to this crap. I hope it included getting a video of his awesome workout tape. Cut to Vince McMahon talking about the University, which was an old Gym. McMahon says his guide was filmed with nonsesical rambling (including "destrucity", pronounced des-troo-city by Vince). Vince says that Warrior University flunked out.
DVD Extra Features Thoughts: A rather weak selection here in terms of rare matches. Almost all of these matches are featured on several tapes, and the selection for the Rick Rude match was rather poor. Still, they picked two of his best matches (all 4 of them), so I can't really complain about the workrate. The rest is also disappointing. I wanted some more rambling promos, not 30 second stories from various wrestlers. I'll give this section a Mild Recommendation.
Final-Final Thoughts: Overall, the main feature is an entertaining selection of comments about the Warrior, and a good way to waste 90 minutes. However, I wouldn't suggest you looking for deep meaning to the stories and comments, because then you'll be hating it, despite everything being true (OK, 95% of it being true), and for once the WWF not pulling punches. If you're like this, I suggest not watching after the 58 minute mark. As for the DVD extras, they are alright, but I wouldn't go out of my way for. I'd give the DVD ***, or a Mild Recommendation overall. No rush to get this obviously, unless you really love bashing Warrior.