safe to assume his history of steroid use didn't help his heart in the long run. After he retired, he would still preach the positives of anabolic steroids, too. A shame his heart gave out.
I just watched a ton of Ultimate Warrior stuff on Youtube last week. Â
up today. I thought he and the undertaker were the same person when I was younger, not sure but it seemed like under taker came in around the time ultimate left.
but no way, ultimate warrior was much more ripped.
one of the most imposing wrestlers of the WWF era.
At his age, it could be a variety of things. Hope it's not suicide or partying. Suicide makes much less sense considering how much he had going on for him again. Anyways, don't want to detract from this thread with unsubstantiated speculation.
Many stars of the business took to Twitter tonight upon hearing of the passing of The Ultimate Warrior.
Vince McMahon: "We are all so sad that the Ultimate Warrior has passed away. Our heart is with his wife Dana and his two daughters.We are all so sad that the Ultimate Warrior has passed away. Our heart is with his wife Dana and his two daughters."
Triple H: "Saddened to announce the passing of the Ultimate Warrior. Icon and friend. My sympathy to his wife Dana and his daughters."
Stephanie McMahon: "Your strength of character is to be admired. There will never be anyone like you. Your spirit lives on in your family."
Hulk Hogan: "RIP WARRIOR. only love. HH"
Dwayne Johnson: "Loss always has a way of reminding us to live and love as greatly as we can. My prayers and strength to his family. RIP Ultimate Warrior."
Roddy Piper: "Tomorrow is promised to know one!! Enjoy every second, with a tool called love!! My love to The Warrior and family. RIP"
Jim Ross: "Sad to pass along the news that the Ultimate Warrior has died. Condolences to his wife & two, young daughters."
Daniel Bryan: "Heartbroken. My sincerest condolences go out to The Warrior's family. Seeing how much he loved his daughters and his wife this weekend...... makes it all the more heartbreaking. The Ultimate Warrior was my favorite as a kid, and getting to speak to him this weekend was one...... of my favorite moments. He was so nice to me. #RIPWarrior"
JBK: "Really saddened to hear about @UltimateWarrior passing away. RIP A tremendous legend."
Seth Rollins:"I just don't know what to say....Warrior was a huge part of why I fell in love with pro wrestling...Life is too damn short."
Natalya: "Thoughts and prayers go out to Warrior and his family. Incredibly sad to hear this news."
Zeb Colter "Stunned to hear of the Ultimate Warrior passing...I managed UW and Sting when they were both starting out. RIP Jim. Peace be with you. @WWE"
Paige: "In complete shock. Thankful I got to shake his hand yesterday. So sad. #RIPUltimateWarrior"
Kevin Nash: "So happy I embraced Warrior with a hug when we saw each other backstage Saturday night.My heart goes out to his family.Always Believe."
Curtis Axel: "Shocked and very saddened to hear about Ultimate Warrior passing. Prayers go out to his family! RIP. Loss for words..."
Cody Rhodes: "I am privileged to have spent some time with Warrior on Sunday and shake his hand. Rest in peace."
The Bella Twins: "In such shock right now... Prayers go out to Warrior, his wife & little girls. What an amazing man he was. He will always be remembered. RIP"
Adam Rose: RIP Ultimate Warrior. You will always be remembered.
Justin Roberts: "He was the 1st superstar I met as a kid/got me hooked on WWE.Proudly wore his jacket my entire childhood.RIP Warrior http://instagram.com/p/mjiWP3scG6/"
Zack Ryder: "I’m in shock. The Ultimate Warrior has passed away. I just met him yesterday. RIP. I’ll always believe!!!"
Dallas Page: "Deeply saddened to find out about the passing of #WWE LEGEND, @UltimateWarrior. You & your legacy will FOREVER be remembered in our hearts!"
Chris Jericho: "Devastated to hear of the passing of @UltimateWarrior. He was a childhood hero of mine & he vs @HulkHogan WM6 is still one of the best ever"
Trish Stratus: "Sad to hear news of Warrior passing. Just seeing him happy last 3 days - it puts life in perspective that it can't be taken for granted. RIP"
Randy Orton: "My thoughts and prayers go out to the Warrior family. It breaks my heart after seeing how proud his girls are of their father. Stay strong"
Summer Rae: "Just after this weekend,after last night? Im shocked & so saddened to hear of the passing of @UltimateWarrior.My prayers are with his family"
Jason Albert: "Glad I was able to shake the man's hand and speak for a moment. My thoughts and prayers to your wife and two daughters.RIP #UltimateWarrior"
Jake Roberts: "Deeply saddened. We just had a great talk & buried a senseless hatchet. Talked working together. RIP Warrior. Taking solace we made peace."
David Otunga: "I'm saddened to hear of Warrior's passing. He gave such an impassioned speech at HOF. He was one of my childhood heroes. #RIPUltimateWarrior"
Vickie Guerrero: "So saddened by the news of the death of Warrior"
Cameron: "An icon and hero has passed! Can't believe I just met and saw this man yesterday!God has gained a true gem and angel #ripultimatewarrior! "
Yoshi Tatsu: "I'm really shocked and saddened to hear the passing of one of the my heros Ultimate Warrior ...Rest in peace Ultimate Warrior..."
Emma: "So shocked and saddened by the news of the ultimate warrior passing! #RIP"
Dave Bautista: "After all these years I finally got 2 tell him that me shaking the ropes was an homage 2 him. Blessed to have had that moment. #onelife"
Jeff Jarrett: "Life is short... Live life to the fullest... #RIPUltimateWarrior"
Magnus: "Absolutely tragic. I'm devastated by the news of Ultimate Warrior's death. Truly one of a kind & an inspiration. #RIPWarrior"
Joey Mercury: "I think it's awesome that in his final days, COUNTLESS people got to express to him what a positive impact he made on them, me included."
Matt Hardy: "The news of Ultimate Warrior passing away immediately after returning to the @WWE is unbelievable-I'm shocked. My condolences to his family."
Rob Van Dam: "#RIPUltimateWarrior pic.twitter.com/9guvY4AerG”"
I didn't realize death at 54 could be from a natural cause, as in steroids.
On a slightly different note, I saw Roddy Piper on some reality TV show the other day and was surprised at how much smaller he was. The human body is not meant to have the amount of muscle these guys have.
It looked to me like he was cluching at his chest after Â
He looked like he was having trouble walking ok Saturday night almost like he needed a can to walk upright. Just crazy that he died one day after he was back on Raw.
There were 44 people on the card between wrestlers and managers and 12 are dead. That is not good. Kerry Von Erich, Davey Boy Smith, Savage, Elizabeth, Sherri, Warrior, Brian Adams, Paul Bearer, Big Boss Man, Curt Henning, Earthquake, Hercules.
Seems about the appropriate lifespan for a man who physically abused his body for a living. Nobody's heart is designed to last very long after taking so many hardcore steroids
thanks for the transcript of his last speech... its perfectly in UW's character. I wouldn't be surprised if his UW character and his real life over-lapped, he had an element of sincerity to his mad rants.
Rest in peace, all the little warriors will remember you fondly!
I think the activity and stress of the weekend taxed him Â
It looked like he had a bad left hip, and was really struggling just to stand upright while giving the Raw speech. Heart attack seems the likely cause, and to come immediately after he apparently made peace with so many is sad. So fragile is life.
i remember as a kid watching Wm6 and just hoping Hogan would beat him.. He lost and was just in awe of the guy. Big, ran everywhere... just a force... i wasnt smart enough to see how he was as a wrestler but he was just cool.
sucks that he was one of the few that got out for his kids and his life. His kids are young too..
Its almost like he knew.... even when they were chanting for "one more match" he shot that right down...saying it wasn't gonna happen... Then that speech that he gave at raw saying the Warrior will live in spirit forever.... I wonder if he knew he was on borrowed time... very sad none the less.. a true icon... Im just so glad that he got into the HOF while he was alive and got to stand in front of his fans one last time with his mask on and say goodbye one last time... "FLY HIGH WARRIOR"
I just ordered the new Blu ray over the weekend and i was gonna watch it tonight ...His speech Saturday @ the hall of fame was great .He did look like he was struggling with walking but i think he had a bad hip .
The passing of the Ultimate Warrior, literally hours after he returned home to Arizona following his first appearance for WWE since 1996 on Raw, is going to either be remembered as one of those tragic coincidences or a truly amazing final chapter in his life.
In a way, that's sort of fitting for the life and the career that Warrior led. There was no middle ground for him, no grey area. You were either on his side or you were against him - and it didn't matter if you were Vince McMahon, Hulk Hogan or an independent promoter....if Warrior didn't feel he was being treated fairly or was being represented fairly, you were going to suffer his wrath, publicly and privately.
That led to a lot of people seeing Warrior in one of two ways - the man who stood up for himself and would walk away from anything...or the man who was impossible to deal with. The reality is that he was both, sometimes at the same time, but he was also someone who was that way because he had a strong belief in himself, his family and his legacy - and that is something that has to be admired, especially today.
I spent about six hours with Warrior in a hotel room once in October 2004, filming a shoot interview that was later released by Ringside Collectibles. Off camera, he was warm and funny and friendly, even though he was very tired from his flight to NYC. His primary concerns were to call his family during every break.
Once the camera turned on, there was an intensity to him and on many points during the filming (and on a lot that was never seen - Warrior had final approval over the final cut, of course: he was Warrior) we argued about different points. He even at one point mocked me for asking him about different memories, which made his WWE Hall of Fame speech pretty amusing to me as he went on and on and on with what else? Memories.
At times, on camera, it felt like I was going to war with the man, but anytime the cameras were off, he was nothing but friendly and happy, especially when his long-time friend Jim Powers showed up. That visit was especially awesome, since the segment we had just filmed featured Warrior's statement that he didn't keep in contact with anyone from the business. Five minutes later, he's hugging Powers. Why? Warrior knew how he wanted to be presented on the DVD.
When the interview was over, Warrior asked for my information. When I left the hotel room, I could hear him very unhappy complaining about the line of questioning I used at times. I knew right then I'd never hear from him. I never did, but at a signing the next day, he greeted me warmly. That was just how he was. The experience led to one of the most unique interviews ever released on DVD: a dare anyone to find another where the interviewer and the subject are almost at odds the entire time. It remains in my personal "top ten" things I've done around wrestling just because of the surreal nature of the discussion.
I was often asked a lot over the years about what Warrior was really like and the filming of that DVD and it was certainly an interesting day. There were times when I would ask a question (he had demanded them in advance) and he had a great answer, but when I asked a follow-up, he would stare at me as if I had broken the rules before finally giving one. If you watched his WWE Hall of Fame speech, there were times when he seemed to lose his train of thought before coming back to his point - that was the same Warrior I met in 2004.
At the Hall, just like that day with me, he was focused and intense, and if you knocked him off that focus, he wasn't happy about it and needed a minute to refocus himself and his thoughts. The guy envisioned what he wanted in his head for himself and how he was to be portrayed and if he was off even a small point from what he wanted, there was going to be hell to pay. I can and do respect that.
For all the talk of the guy not being a great in-ring worker or hard to deal with, he was in the top echelon of all time great professional wrestling personalities. He went from being just another muscle-bound rookie in wrestling scene full of them to the man that handed the Hulkamania-era Hulk Hogan his first-ever clean pinfall loss in the WWF. He was undoubtedly part of the trilogy of the WWF's great three babyfaces of their first decade - Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage and Ultimate Warrior - that trio shaped the enjoyment, dreams and happiness of a lot of wrestling fans....and Warrior was the only guy to pin them both at Wrestlemania.
Anyone who denies that he was an icon or a legend or anything else in pro wrestling is completely insane - Warrior hit a level that very few ever have...and very few ever will...especially in the short amount of time Warrior accomplished the feat.
It absolutely sucks that he died when he did. The idea that this man left his home to come back and finally embrace his past - bringing his children to see what Daddy used to do - and never returned to his home again is pretty damn jarring and if anything, should be a reminder to us all that nothing is ever, ever promised to us.
It's also absolutely insane to think of the timing of his passing. If it had been 96 hours earlier, there would have been no WWE Hall of Fame speech that brought some around me to tears in New Orleans. Had it happened on Sunday, it would happened the same day as Wrestlemania. 48 hours sooner, it could have happened before, at or after Monday Night Raw.
In some ways, we were watching Warrior give his own eulogy. Again, you never know. Nothing is a given for any of us.
Wrestling fans who love Warrior owe a great deal of thanks to Triple H, who spearheaded the drive to bring Warrior back into the WWE family, much as he did Bruno Sammartino a year before. Had it not been HHH trying to put out old fires and give wrestling fans what they wanted, had it not been HHH wanting important figures in the history of the business back in the WWE fold, there never would have been that final moment of farewell, that moment for Warrior fans to enjoy and that crazy picture of Vince McMahon and Warrior smiling together.
Don't believe me? As any die-hard Randy Savage fan what they would have given for that sort of closure and happiness.
It would have been very interesting to see what could have come for Warrior and WWE in the years to come. His appearance on Raw was as much about closing the door on his career as the Hall was. He was never going to let himself be one of the older guys appearing in a silly Wrestlemania vignette. He was more likely going to be presented like Bruno Sammartino was - this legend that WWE is lucky to have had blazing the trail and lucky to have around today.
Well, for two days, WWE and its fans were extremely lucky to have Warrior back.
The story of Warrior is going to be one that is told for many, many decades to come. There were the early days in Memphis and Mid-South with Sting. There were the Dingo Warrior days with the Von Erichs, who Warrior loved deeply. There was the first WWF run that saw him go from an unknown working B-shows to winning the Intercontinental title in 30 seconds to main eventing Wrestlemania VI before 60,000 fans to "retiring" Randy Savage. There was the first break-up with WWF over money, which as court documents would later show, WWF was willing to give him before things went sour. There was a return a year later before the inevitable change in the landscape in the business as Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels began to be pushed while larger characters were let go for different reasons that all began with the Dr. Zahorian trial in the early 1990s. There was the 1996 return, during a time period where WWF really needed as many strong characters as possible as WCW breathed down their neck, but heads began knocking and Warrior quit and went home. There was the WCW run that was as awful as anything and really just an excuse for Hulk Hogan to get his old loss back - one that was so bad that Warrior admitted on the WWE DVD release that just came out that if he had known what the deal was, no amount of money would have brought him back.
There were lawsuits. There were rumors of multiple Warriors (false). There were rumors he died and was replaced (again, false, although eerily sad given the news of today).
In the end though, Warrior best summed up his career with his appearances this past weekend. His character was one that inspired and one that gave fans something to believe in. I don't think anyone could ask for a better legacy than that.
until I was older and not such a fan of WWF. We use to refer to him as Ultimate Steroid because there was no better example of how a roided up guy looks and acts. That said, his entrances still blow away anything the WWE has offered before or since.
I was watching RAW Monday night with my 10-year old. The guy look shaky in the ring. Guess the lifestyle finally caught up with him.
How many wrestlers need to die before someone stpes in and does something? Most f'd up industry in America.
It has actualy changed a lot...a lot of the new guys do not drink or party like the older guys used to...the business has changed a great deal...the steroid policy is a lot stricter nowadays...
WWE pays for rehab for guys hwo need no matter when they were last in the company or for how many years...Scott Hall said WWE paid for 22 rehab stints...
I can't believe this. He looked so vibrant and healthy last night
RIP Warrior. I don't know what you were watching but he didn't look vibrant nor healthy on Raw. I watched it was sad goes he looked terrible, he looked like he wasn't Gina even make it back to the locker room.
are still mostly wrestlers now in their 50s, long past their prime and the heavy steroid use well in the past. They've apparently gone to lengths to clean the anabolic usage in the business.
The younger generation is very likely using HGH though, given what I see, also very likely the Rock and Triple H are using it, for that matter.
look the industry is far from clean but I actually think the WWE deserves credit for the lengths they have gone to try and improve their problems. yeah it's all about the money but they have fired and suspended users and across the board people seem to agree it's a pretty clean company for what it is.
In my top 10 fav wrestlers, EVER!
His entrance to the ring was a show in itself.Even if he just flexed for 5 minutes and ripped at the ropes a few times, worth the price of admission.
That tribute to his daughters at the HOF ceremonies is all I can picture at the moment.
his exit was as profound as his wrestling entrance.
I kept thinking, especially on RAW, that he didn't quite look 100% and was having trouble breathing or something, and I thought out loud jesus I hope he doesn't have a heart attack.
So sad. Prayers to his family.
I was lucky enough to cover an event that he spoke at at my alma mater in 2004 when he was doing the whole conservative bit. While he had strong opinions he mind was fascinating in that he wanted people to think for themselves.
Always trying to spread inspiration. To spread belief.
even though he was a prick in real life with such viewpoints as "queering doesn't make the world work" and telling an Iranian college student that he needed to go get a towel for his head or something to that extent.
We talked,both forgave each other,we hugged ,we shook hands as we told each other I love you,I am so sad,God bless his beautiful family HH
i am glad he could make ammends with Vince and a lot of the boys in the back before he passed...there is a picture on Twitter of him and Nash hugging and those 2 had a big beef as well...
He's up there cutting promos and battling with the Macho Man right now
what comes up right before? Undertaker's first win in his streak.
Such a bizarre week for pro wrestling
Awful. RIP
what comes up right before? Undertaker's first win in his streak.
Such a bizarre week for pro wrestling
And if you look upthread...I mentioned that everyone who took part in that Macho Man-Warrior match is deceased, including the valets
what comes up right before? Undertaker's first win in his streak.
Such a bizarre week for pro wrestling
Very bizarre. Very sad.
Maybe this was too much for his heart.
R.I.P.
but no way, ultimate warrior was much more ripped.
one of the most imposing wrestlers of the WWF era.
RIP
Vince McMahon: "We are all so sad that the Ultimate Warrior has passed away. Our heart is with his wife Dana and his two daughters.We are all so sad that the Ultimate Warrior has passed away. Our heart is with his wife Dana and his two daughters."
Triple H: "Saddened to announce the passing of the Ultimate Warrior. Icon and friend. My sympathy to his wife Dana and his daughters."
Stephanie McMahon: "Your strength of character is to be admired. There will never be anyone like you. Your spirit lives on in your family."
Hulk Hogan: "RIP WARRIOR. only love. HH"
Dwayne Johnson: "Loss always has a way of reminding us to live and love as greatly as we can. My prayers and strength to his family. RIP Ultimate Warrior."
Roddy Piper: "Tomorrow is promised to know one!! Enjoy every second, with a tool called love!! My love to The Warrior and family. RIP"
Jim Ross: "Sad to pass along the news that the Ultimate Warrior has died. Condolences to his wife & two, young daughters."
Daniel Bryan: "Heartbroken. My sincerest condolences go out to The Warrior's family. Seeing how much he loved his daughters and his wife this weekend...... makes it all the more heartbreaking. The Ultimate Warrior was my favorite as a kid, and getting to speak to him this weekend was one...... of my favorite moments. He was so nice to me. #RIPWarrior"
JBK: "Really saddened to hear about @UltimateWarrior passing away. RIP A tremendous legend."
Seth Rollins:"I just don't know what to say....Warrior was a huge part of why I fell in love with pro wrestling...Life is too damn short."
Natalya: "Thoughts and prayers go out to Warrior and his family. Incredibly sad to hear this news."
Zeb Colter "Stunned to hear of the Ultimate Warrior passing...I managed UW and Sting when they were both starting out. RIP Jim. Peace be with you. @WWE"
Paige: "In complete shock. Thankful I got to shake his hand yesterday. So sad. #RIPUltimateWarrior"
Kevin Nash: "So happy I embraced Warrior with a hug when we saw each other backstage Saturday night.My heart goes out to his family.Always Believe."
Curtis Axel: "Shocked and very saddened to hear about Ultimate Warrior passing. Prayers go out to his family! RIP. Loss for words..."
Cody Rhodes: "I am privileged to have spent some time with Warrior on Sunday and shake his hand. Rest in peace."
The Bella Twins: "In such shock right now... Prayers go out to Warrior, his wife & little girls. What an amazing man he was. He will always be remembered. RIP"
Adam Rose: RIP Ultimate Warrior. You will always be remembered.
Justin Roberts: "He was the 1st superstar I met as a kid/got me hooked on WWE.Proudly wore his jacket my entire childhood.RIP Warrior http://instagram.com/p/mjiWP3scG6/"
Zack Ryder: "I’m in shock. The Ultimate Warrior has passed away. I just met him yesterday. RIP. I’ll always believe!!!"
Dallas Page: "Deeply saddened to find out about the passing of #WWE LEGEND, @UltimateWarrior. You & your legacy will FOREVER be remembered in our hearts!"
Chris Jericho: "Devastated to hear of the passing of @UltimateWarrior. He was a childhood hero of mine & he vs @HulkHogan WM6 is still one of the best ever"
Trish Stratus: "Sad to hear news of Warrior passing. Just seeing him happy last 3 days - it puts life in perspective that it can't be taken for granted. RIP"
Randy Orton: "My thoughts and prayers go out to the Warrior family. It breaks my heart after seeing how proud his girls are of their father. Stay strong"
Summer Rae: "Just after this weekend,after last night? Im shocked & so saddened to hear of the passing of @UltimateWarrior.My prayers are with his family"
Jason Albert: "Glad I was able to shake the man's hand and speak for a moment. My thoughts and prayers to your wife and two daughters.RIP #UltimateWarrior"
Jake Roberts: "Deeply saddened. We just had a great talk & buried a senseless hatchet. Talked working together. RIP Warrior. Taking solace we made peace."
David Otunga: "I'm saddened to hear of Warrior's passing. He gave such an impassioned speech at HOF. He was one of my childhood heroes. #RIPUltimateWarrior"
Vickie Guerrero: "So saddened by the news of the death of Warrior"
Cameron: "An icon and hero has passed! Can't believe I just met and saw this man yesterday!God has gained a true gem and angel #ripultimatewarrior! "
Yoshi Tatsu: "I'm really shocked and saddened to hear the passing of one of the my heros Ultimate Warrior ...Rest in peace Ultimate Warrior..."
Emma: "So shocked and saddened by the news of the ultimate warrior passing! #RIP"
Dave Bautista: "After all these years I finally got 2 tell him that me shaking the ropes was an homage 2 him. Blessed to have had that moment. #onelife"
Jeff Jarrett: "Life is short... Live life to the fullest... #RIPUltimateWarrior"
Magnus: "Absolutely tragic. I'm devastated by the news of Ultimate Warrior's death. Truly one of a kind & an inspiration. #RIPWarrior"
Joey Mercury: "I think it's awesome that in his final days, COUNTLESS people got to express to him what a positive impact he made on them, me included."
Matt Hardy: "The news of Ultimate Warrior passing away immediately after returning to the @WWE is unbelievable-I'm shocked. My condolences to his family."
Rob Van Dam: "#RIPUltimateWarrior pic.twitter.com/9guvY4AerG”"
sucks
On a slightly different note, I saw Roddy Piper on some reality TV show the other day and was surprised at how much smaller he was. The human body is not meant to have the amount of muscle these guys have.
I can't believe Vince is still going. He was the biggest roider of the bunch.
Rest in peace, all the little warriors will remember you fondly!
Warrior's squash of Honky Tonk Man is one of the great moments of my youth.
"Get me someone out here to wrestle, I don't care who it is."
DA NAH NAH NAH NAH NAH NAH NAH NAH NAH, DA DA DA, NAH NAH NAH NAH NAH NAH NAH NAH!
"wait a minute, wait a minute..."
"That's the music, brother!"
i remember as a kid watching Wm6 and just hoping Hogan would beat him.. He lost and was just in awe of the guy. Big, ran everywhere... just a force... i wasnt smart enough to see how he was as a wrestler but he was just cool.
sucks that he was one of the few that got out for his kids and his life. His kids are young too..
The passing of the Ultimate Warrior, literally hours after he returned home to Arizona following his first appearance for WWE since 1996 on Raw, is going to either be remembered as one of those tragic coincidences or a truly amazing final chapter in his life.
In a way, that's sort of fitting for the life and the career that Warrior led. There was no middle ground for him, no grey area. You were either on his side or you were against him - and it didn't matter if you were Vince McMahon, Hulk Hogan or an independent promoter....if Warrior didn't feel he was being treated fairly or was being represented fairly, you were going to suffer his wrath, publicly and privately.
That led to a lot of people seeing Warrior in one of two ways - the man who stood up for himself and would walk away from anything...or the man who was impossible to deal with. The reality is that he was both, sometimes at the same time, but he was also someone who was that way because he had a strong belief in himself, his family and his legacy - and that is something that has to be admired, especially today.
I spent about six hours with Warrior in a hotel room once in October 2004, filming a shoot interview that was later released by Ringside Collectibles. Off camera, he was warm and funny and friendly, even though he was very tired from his flight to NYC. His primary concerns were to call his family during every break.
Once the camera turned on, there was an intensity to him and on many points during the filming (and on a lot that was never seen - Warrior had final approval over the final cut, of course: he was Warrior) we argued about different points. He even at one point mocked me for asking him about different memories, which made his WWE Hall of Fame speech pretty amusing to me as he went on and on and on with what else? Memories.
At times, on camera, it felt like I was going to war with the man, but anytime the cameras were off, he was nothing but friendly and happy, especially when his long-time friend Jim Powers showed up. That visit was especially awesome, since the segment we had just filmed featured Warrior's statement that he didn't keep in contact with anyone from the business. Five minutes later, he's hugging Powers. Why? Warrior knew how he wanted to be presented on the DVD.
When the interview was over, Warrior asked for my information. When I left the hotel room, I could hear him very unhappy complaining about the line of questioning I used at times. I knew right then I'd never hear from him. I never did, but at a signing the next day, he greeted me warmly. That was just how he was. The experience led to one of the most unique interviews ever released on DVD: a dare anyone to find another where the interviewer and the subject are almost at odds the entire time. It remains in my personal "top ten" things I've done around wrestling just because of the surreal nature of the discussion.
I was often asked a lot over the years about what Warrior was really like and the filming of that DVD and it was certainly an interesting day. There were times when I would ask a question (he had demanded them in advance) and he had a great answer, but when I asked a follow-up, he would stare at me as if I had broken the rules before finally giving one. If you watched his WWE Hall of Fame speech, there were times when he seemed to lose his train of thought before coming back to his point - that was the same Warrior I met in 2004.
At the Hall, just like that day with me, he was focused and intense, and if you knocked him off that focus, he wasn't happy about it and needed a minute to refocus himself and his thoughts. The guy envisioned what he wanted in his head for himself and how he was to be portrayed and if he was off even a small point from what he wanted, there was going to be hell to pay. I can and do respect that.
For all the talk of the guy not being a great in-ring worker or hard to deal with, he was in the top echelon of all time great professional wrestling personalities. He went from being just another muscle-bound rookie in wrestling scene full of them to the man that handed the Hulkamania-era Hulk Hogan his first-ever clean pinfall loss in the WWF. He was undoubtedly part of the trilogy of the WWF's great three babyfaces of their first decade - Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage and Ultimate Warrior - that trio shaped the enjoyment, dreams and happiness of a lot of wrestling fans....and Warrior was the only guy to pin them both at Wrestlemania.
Anyone who denies that he was an icon or a legend or anything else in pro wrestling is completely insane - Warrior hit a level that very few ever have...and very few ever will...especially in the short amount of time Warrior accomplished the feat.
It absolutely sucks that he died when he did. The idea that this man left his home to come back and finally embrace his past - bringing his children to see what Daddy used to do - and never returned to his home again is pretty damn jarring and if anything, should be a reminder to us all that nothing is ever, ever promised to us.
It's also absolutely insane to think of the timing of his passing. If it had been 96 hours earlier, there would have been no WWE Hall of Fame speech that brought some around me to tears in New Orleans. Had it happened on Sunday, it would happened the same day as Wrestlemania. 48 hours sooner, it could have happened before, at or after Monday Night Raw.
In some ways, we were watching Warrior give his own eulogy. Again, you never know. Nothing is a given for any of us.
Wrestling fans who love Warrior owe a great deal of thanks to Triple H, who spearheaded the drive to bring Warrior back into the WWE family, much as he did Bruno Sammartino a year before. Had it not been HHH trying to put out old fires and give wrestling fans what they wanted, had it not been HHH wanting important figures in the history of the business back in the WWE fold, there never would have been that final moment of farewell, that moment for Warrior fans to enjoy and that crazy picture of Vince McMahon and Warrior smiling together.
Don't believe me? As any die-hard Randy Savage fan what they would have given for that sort of closure and happiness.
It would have been very interesting to see what could have come for Warrior and WWE in the years to come. His appearance on Raw was as much about closing the door on his career as the Hall was. He was never going to let himself be one of the older guys appearing in a silly Wrestlemania vignette. He was more likely going to be presented like Bruno Sammartino was - this legend that WWE is lucky to have had blazing the trail and lucky to have around today.
Well, for two days, WWE and its fans were extremely lucky to have Warrior back.
The story of Warrior is going to be one that is told for many, many decades to come. There were the early days in Memphis and Mid-South with Sting. There were the Dingo Warrior days with the Von Erichs, who Warrior loved deeply. There was the first WWF run that saw him go from an unknown working B-shows to winning the Intercontinental title in 30 seconds to main eventing Wrestlemania VI before 60,000 fans to "retiring" Randy Savage. There was the first break-up with WWF over money, which as court documents would later show, WWF was willing to give him before things went sour. There was a return a year later before the inevitable change in the landscape in the business as Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels began to be pushed while larger characters were let go for different reasons that all began with the Dr. Zahorian trial in the early 1990s. There was the 1996 return, during a time period where WWF really needed as many strong characters as possible as WCW breathed down their neck, but heads began knocking and Warrior quit and went home. There was the WCW run that was as awful as anything and really just an excuse for Hulk Hogan to get his old loss back - one that was so bad that Warrior admitted on the WWE DVD release that just came out that if he had known what the deal was, no amount of money would have brought him back.
There were lawsuits. There were rumors of multiple Warriors (false). There were rumors he died and was replaced (again, false, although eerily sad given the news of today).
In the end though, Warrior best summed up his career with his appearances this past weekend. His character was one that inspired and one that gave fans something to believe in. I don't think anyone could ask for a better legacy than that.
Always Believe.
always believe
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I was watching RAW Monday night with my 10-year old. The guy look shaky in the ring. Guess the lifestyle finally caught up with him.
RIP Warrior
It has actualy changed a lot...a lot of the new guys do not drink or party like the older guys used to...the business has changed a great deal...the steroid policy is a lot stricter nowadays...
WWE pays for rehab for guys hwo need no matter when they were last in the company or for how many years...Scott Hall said WWE paid for 22 rehab stints...
quick question since you seem so into the industry, when was the last time Warrior fought?
RIP Warrior. I don't know what you were watching but he didn't look vibrant nor healthy on Raw. I watched it was sad goes he looked terrible, he looked like he wasn't Gina even make it back to the locker room.
I swear my first thoughts on Sunday when I saw him was, "is he having a heart attack?"
He kept grabbing his chest as he was introduced.
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The younger generation is very likely using HGH though, given what I see, also very likely the Rock and Triple H are using it, for that matter.
His entrance to the ring was a show in itself.Even if he just flexed for 5 minutes and ripped at the ropes a few times, worth the price of admission.
That tribute to his daughters at the HOF ceremonies is all I can picture at the moment.
Now double bummed!!
RIP WARRIOR!
I kept thinking, especially on RAW, that he didn't quite look 100% and was having trouble breathing or something, and I thought out loud jesus I hope he doesn't have a heart attack.
So sad. Prayers to his family.
I was lucky enough to cover an event that he spoke at at my alma mater in 2004 when he was doing the whole conservative bit. While he had strong opinions he mind was fascinating in that he wanted people to think for themselves.
Always trying to spread inspiration. To spread belief.
His speech on RAW was fitting. RIP Warrior.
Totally sucks he died, but sadly it was probably self inflicted to give us a great show.
Great performer, but what a lunatic.
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We talked,both forgave each other,we hugged ,we shook hands as we told each other I love you,I am so sad,God bless his beautiful family HH
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We talked,both forgave each other,we hugged ,we shook hands as we told each other I love you,I am so sad,God bless his beautiful family HH
i am glad he could make ammends with Vince and a lot of the boys in the back before he passed...there is a picture on Twitter of him and Nash hugging and those 2 had a big beef as well...