In Defense of The Ultimate Warrior

(culled and adapted from my initial post under a different pseudonym at Cagesideseats.com: http://www.cagesideseats.com/2012/6/13/3081645/css-pro-wrestling-tournament-match-3-gorgeous-george-vs-14-ultimate#105210931)

The Ultimate Warrior was, for a not-too-brief period, an absolute megastar in this-ah business-ah. He succeeded as a gimmick aimed at kids, and his legacy has been tarnished because Warrior the man is an epic weirdo (so much so that he legally changed his name to Warrior.)

From the late 80’s to the early 90’s (roughly 88-91, if we want to bookend it but I wouldn’t put too fine a point on it due to Warrior’s capricious nature), Warrior was an absolutely huge draw. Though we may look back and laugh, Warrior’s demolition of the Honky Tonk Man for the WWF Intercontinental championship made waves. His Wrestlemania VI match with Hulk Hogan was genuinely great, and he had a lengthy run at the top of the WWF. While business may have gone down during his title run, I think there are external factors which have to be considered. Warrior carried the belt during the height of a recession. After his first absence (which correlated perfectly with the federal ban on steroids), a noticeably smaller Warrior returned and was still a huge draw in a WWF which was still marketed towards kids. His final two runs, in 96 and 98, were basically nostalgia runs derailed by Warrior’s aforementioned capricious nature.

The Ultimate Warrior’s character was not aimed at smarks. That is obvious. What is also obvious is that Warrior was AMAZING at getting over with the kids he was targeted at and the gimmick he was given. He was meant to be confusing and awe-inspiring. His superhero physique and power style made buck, and he played the gimmick perfectly. 20 years after his peak, we still discuss wrestlers (and particularly monster babyfaces) in terms of Warrior – Cena’s shoulder tackles, Batista’s ring shaking, Goldberg’s snorting, Ryback’s entirely derivative gimmick. However much those references might be intended as derisive by the smark community, they remain indicative of Warrior’s lasting impact. You have to be very big, very famous, and very dominant in the pro graps industry to leave that sort of a lasting legacy, and that means you drew coin, even if your tenure on top is remembered less than fondly.

Finally, I think a big part of Warrior’s legacy (or lack thereof) is his acrimonious departure from both WWE and WCW. Think of how few wrestlers this is true of: Warrior succeeded in the business on his own terms, beat Vince McMahon in court, and is comfortably self-reliant in his retirement. Vince is well known for his ability to carry a grudge. No other wrestler has been a target of a DVD like “The Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior”. Warrior’s treatment has been the opposite of the lionization of Owen. He’d probably have even fared better historically if he’d simply been whited out like Chris Benoit. Instead, Warrior lurks in the margins as a Jimmy Carter-figure: years of scorn have reduced to a punchline what was, in reality, a very popular figure in his heyday.

Warrior was a shitty worker in the ring. He became unstable and unreliable after his first big run. His promos were bizarre. Dave Meltzer utterly hates his guts, and Warrior’s blog is not on par with the top dirtsheet. However, Warrior deserves his place in history: he’s a rightful Hall of Famer and frankly, something of a legend in this business-ah. Don’t let fans whose perceptions are colored by an ornery Vince McMahon obscure just how great Warrior was at his job in his prime.

- Anime