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| Scrooge's Tribute to Warrior | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Apr 8 2014, 11:02 PM (676 Views) | |
| Scrooge McSuck | Apr 8 2014, 11:02 PM Post #1 |
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I'll get you next time, toilet!
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[I wasn't sure if I should've sent this for Da' Site, but decided to post here instead. I don't want to look for Facebook plugs and Twitter shares over such a topic. Forgiveness for grammar and spelling mistakes. Long day, long night, getting ready for sleep, and found out this horrible news.] Less than a week ago, I was eager to purchase and enjoy the latest WWF production released on DVD: The Ultimate Warrior's Ultimate Collection. Over eight years ago, WWE originally released a DVD set that could best be described as one of the worst, most mean-spirited and spiteful DVD's ever done (credit to Scott Keith for that line, which sums it up perfectly). Through some kind of voodoo magic, the burned bridge was repaired, and not only were Warrior and WWE on speaking terms, but he was also inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the night before WrestleMania XXX. The night after on Monday Night Raw, Warrior made his first appearance on Raw in over 18 YEARS, with one of his signature jackets and a Warrior mask to cut the following promo: "Every man's heart one day beats its final beat. His lungs breathe their final breath. And if what that man did in his life made blood pulse through the body of others and makes them believe in something larger than life, then his essence, his spirit, would be immortalized by the storytellers, by the loyalty, by the memory of those that honour him and make what that man did live forever. You, you, you, you, you, you are the legend makers of Ultimate Warrior. In the back, I see many potential legends, some of them with warrior spirits, and you will do the same for them. You will decide if they live with the passion and intensity so much so that you will tell your stories and you will make them legends as well. I am Ultimate Warrior, you are the ultimate warrior fans, and the spirit of Ultimate Warrior will run forever." 24 hours later, we lost him. He was only 54 years old. We can talk until the cow's come home about being hyporites. Being overly critical of a man and his career. Was he the greatest wrestler ever? Of course not. Was he the best promo? Most interesting sometimes, but far from the best. He did leave a legacy behind that seems unrivaled. Despite a relatively short run in the wrestling world, over 16 years removed from his final in-ring days, and over 20 years since he was at the top of the wrestling world, Warrior remained a hop topic among the wrestling community. Sometimes in a positive light, mostly in a negative. I'm not hear right now to talk about the negative. While I won't back down from my opinion of certain performances, I wish I could tell myself 10-years ago to not be such an asshole about a man I never met, using the words of others at face value to form my own opinion. I grew up in the latter half of the 80's. I was a Hulkamaniac, but damn I would be lying if I said I wasn't a Warrior mark, too. His colorful attire, face-paint, energetic entrances, and complete dominance was something to behold. There wasn't anyone else like him, and in the following 25 years as a wrestling fan, I've never seen anyone since. He was a one of a kind performer. What he lacked in wrestling ability he more than made up in charisma and energy. I don't want to feel like I'm going to be one of many geeks online writing up memories and lists about the Warrior, but dammit, I'm going to do it because I want to think about some of the positive of his career after so much energy had been focused on the negative. This is not a list that deserves critical arguements, and nothing wil lbe numbered to avoid confusion. We'll just go in a chronological order of each event I want to recognize... - vs. The Honkytonk Man; SummerSlam 1988 - We all know the history here, and probably for everything I'm going to mention, but here it is again: Honkytonk Man had been the reigning Intercontinental Champion for roughly 14-months, mostly holding onto the belt by taking Count-Out losses and getting himself Disqualified. His scheduled opponent, Brutus Beefcake, was kayfabe injured, and Honky was dumb enough to issue an open challenge to anyone the WWF could find... Warrior ran down the aisle, plowed through HTM with clotheslines and a shoulder tackle, and finished him with the Splash in less than 30-seconds. Watch the crowd: IT ERRUPTS LIKE YOU WOULD NEVER BELIEVE. Honky was hated so much that they went nuts for Warrior finally dethroning the bastard. You could argue they would've done the same for anyone in the same situation, but this is the moment that MADE the Ultimate Warrior. - vs. "Ravishing" Rick Rude; SummerSlam 1989 - This is one of the matches I grew appreciation for as I grew older. I'm much more familiar with their match at WrestleMania V, which, outside of Warrior's first pinfall loss (allegedly), was a fairly forgetable match. The rematch at SummerSlam that same year was probably the first time a national audience got to see that Warrior was more than a two-move guy who only went 30-seconds before things went to hell. Credit Rick Rude as much as you want for "carrying" the match, but we all know it takes two to dance, and both men brought an A+ effort. Even to this day, I feel like this match hardly gets the recognition it deserves. - vs. Hulk Hogan; WrestleMania VI - The Ultimate Challenge. WrestleMania VI was a completely worthless show immortalized because of this one match. I can say without any doubt in my mind, this was the ONLY time I routed against the Warrior. I already admited to being a Hulkamaniac and a little Warrior, but when it finally came down to it, little five year old Scrooge was pulling for the Hulkster and darn near heart-broken when he walked out the loser, and the show came to a close with Warrior holding both the WWF and the Intercontinental Championship. This was a once in a lifetime performance that never needed a sequel, and thankfully the WWF never had that play out. - The Casket Incident with the Undertaker; April 1991 - I hate bringing up the morbid moment that involves Warrior gasping for air inside of a coffin, but this was one of those moments that stayed with me for 23 years, and really convinced me how haunting and unbeatable the Undertaker was going to be. After being ambushed on the set of the Funeral Parlot, the Undertaker threw Warrior into a nearby coffin decorated with Warrior face-paint and sealed it tight. Minutes felt like hours as WWE Agents such as Rene Goulet and Blackjack Lanza tried and failed to open the coffin. I was terrified the entire time, and remember being at least on the verge of tears as I was worried over the well-being of one of my heroes. Warrior was rescued, but at what price? When it came time for the Undertaker to challenge Hogan for the WWF Title at Survivor Series, I was convinced Hogan had no chance of retaining the Title. The Undertaker had arrived, and it was Warrior's efforts in showing weakness and vulnerability who had me convinced of it. - vs. The Macho King, Randy Savage - WrestleMania VII - There should be no secret about it: This is, has been, and will be, my favorite match of all time. Both men fighting for their career makes the WWF Championship seem like such a childish thing to battle over. Warrior makes one of his grandest entrances, casually walking to the ring to conserve his energy. Miss Elizabeth, after a year long absence, is seated halfway down the aisle in the front row. Sherri and Savage cheat relentlessly, doing everything in their powers to gain an advantage, but Warrior keeps coming back for more. Warrior survives an incredible FIVE flying elbow's, while Randy Savage kicks out of the press slam and Splash, something never done before by a non-Hulkster. Warrior "talking to the God's" as Gorilla Monsoon puts it over for the television audience is one of those memorable moments you never forget. "He's asking those God's right now, is this my destiny?!" I will NEVER FORGET THAT LINE. Savage forces Warrior's hand, resulting in Warrior crushing him moments later. Sherri turns on Savage for his failures, only for the most unlikely person to make the save, the lovely Elizabeth. Hopping the rail and sprinting down the aisle (just hear it out), she grabbed Sherri and threw her out of the ring. After a long "what do I do" moment from the former Macho King, the two embraced each other in what can best be described as one of the most heart-warming moments in WWE History. Everything about this match worked. It just depresses me to great lengths knowing all four magnificent performers are no longer with us. I hope those of you reading this have your own Warrior memories to share, and be it Facebook or Twitter, or some message board you still frequent, I urge everyone to share some of their favorite Warrior moments. We can all have the same moments, but for different reasons. It's the magic of letting another person's entertainment touch your soul and leave a lasting impression. I didn't think I would have to big farewell to Warrior after an amazing weekend, but this goes to show to not let hatred and anger rule your world: Don't push people away over petty arguments. You never know when you're going to lose someone and the chance to reconcile. |
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| Erick Von Erich | Apr 9 2014, 08:06 AM Post #2 |
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I'm Big E and I tell it like it is
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Thanks for this, Scrooge. I originally posted this in the "news of death" thread, but it's more appropriate here. This has saddened me and I need a hug from my (Da') Wrestling Buddies. This is it. I was a huge Warrior mark, back in the day. I've babbled about this, often, around here. As I got older, I was a little disappointed that Warrior had "flaked" (my words) and walked out on the WWF a few times. Had he stuck around, I always felt he'd be on their "Mount Rushmore of Wrestling". First saw (Dingo) Warrior while channel-surfing on ESPN, sometime in the fall of 1986. Thought he was an absolute monster and...cool. His presence in the ring was awesome. Whenever I'd be channel-surfing and see this guy, I'd always stop. Fast-forward to a little over a year later. One of the reasons I got into the WWF, again, was that I saw THEY had the Dingo Warrior! Turns out, he was just coming in at that time. Great, so was I! Other kids at school still loved Hogan, JYD, Steamboat, etc, but I felt a connection with this "new guy with the facepaint and armbands". My dad got into the WWF a few months later...and it turned out HE also loved Warrior. He reminded him of Tarzan, his boyhood hero. Awesome! My favorite wrestler has the Dad Seal of Approval. Sweet! Conversely, NOT having the Dad Seal of Approval was one reason I always hated the Rockers. We loved his insane, rambling promos and it became one of our in-jokes. After his promos, we'd both pause...then look at each other and say: "what the HELL was he talking about"?! Then laugh. To this day, my dad and I will still joke and say "we are not like the NORMALS". The first live card we went to in May 1988-- big reason we did was because Ultimate Warrior was wrestling Hercules. Me, my dad and my brother. Enjoyed seeing him work his way up the card in 1988-1989. Saw him again, live, in September 1989, when he SLAMMED Andre the Frickin' Giant in a 30 second squash; went with my brother. Last time I saw him, live, was in June 1990 when he beat Rick Rude while defending the WWF title; went with a good "BFF" buddy who was one of my groomsmen. I can safely say that I have never cheered ("marked out") more for a wrestling match than when he beat Hogan at WrestleMania VI. I remember pounding the floor and happily shouting. MY guy had made it to the top! I remember painting my face for a water balloon fight at summer camp like Warrior. I remember using eye-black during high school football to do a Warrior outline. Sure, he could be a little odd, but the guy truly entertained me. I would not be into wrestling were it not for him. Thank you, Warrior. |
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| Erick Von Erich | Apr 9 2014, 03:47 PM Post #3 |
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I'm Big E and I tell it like it is
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I'd also throw in the 1990 Royal Rumble; or at least his participation in it. His confrontation with Hogan was epic. Prior to the event, there was zero build-up at the possibility they might meet. Aside from the usual "every man for himself" stuff. Before the match, Warrior and Hogan each cut promos about the other...and you kinda' knew something might be up. Then when the ring cleared and they both turned around to face each other-- the place went nuts. Good Guy vs. Good Guy was ON. It happened organically. And it was awesome. That really validated Warrior's place in the WWF. It also breathed some life in the Royal Rumble concept and showed that, if used properly, it could be much more than a long battle royal. |
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| Scrooge McSuck | Apr 9 2014, 04:05 PM Post #4 |
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I'll get you next time, toilet!
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The Rumble '90 and Rumble '91 stuff was on my mind and regrettably left in the "wanted to talk about it, but damn I'm tired and this is depressing, so let's hit a few that really resonate with me." His loss to Slaughter was the first time I experienced, live, the "holy shit, my guy LOST the title?!" to a bad guy and actually bothered me. I commented I was upset Hogan lost to Warrior, but that was on viewing Coliseum Video a few months later, and was more bittersweet than anything. |
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| Erick Von Erich | Apr 10 2014, 09:10 AM Post #5 |
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I'm Big E and I tell it like it is
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Royal Rumble 1991 ticked me off in so many ways. We all thought Warrior would pummel Slaughter in a show of "U-S-A! U-S-A!". So when he actually won, it was a shocker. Worse, I knew that Warrior's chances at regaining the title were now slim-to-none, since it'd be easy to toss in Hulk Hogan as the main event flagbearer (pun intended). The "Real American" thing FINALLY was hot and topical, which musta' been a wet-dream for McMahon and Hogan. Sarge was nothing more than a transitional champ. Funny Warrior incident that I discovered via old Prime Time re-runs. His first match on PTW, against Frenchie Martin. Martin breaks his arm in the match and tries to whisper it to Warrior. Warrior loudly says: "HUH?!" then realizes what's going on, so he finishes him with a simple clothesline. I'm trying to find a "Wrestling Challenge" match between Ricky Steamboat and Rick Rude, circa January 1988. Towards the end, Heenan Family members Harley Race and Hercules arrive. So Warrior comes in to chase them into the ring. Hacksaw makes the save to clear the ring. Just kind of a big deal, cuz' seeing Hacksaw, Steamboat and Warrior celebrate in the ring was one of the first televised signs that this guy might stick around for awhile. He was presented on the same level as Steamboat and Duggan, who were both kinda' big deals at the time. |
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12:06 PM Jul 11