This Ultimate Warrior Blu-ray takes on a bitter taste since I was in the middle of reviewing it when Ultimate Warrior died at the age of 54 from a heart attack. I am happy to get to hear Warrior talk about his career, and tell his side of the story, at least this one time before he died.
This is a three-page review, with one page for each Blu-ray disc and the third page for the Blu-ray bonus features and my final thoughts.
The Blu-ray opens with Warrior talking and saying that, for 20 years, “they” have been trying to write a different story about the Ultimate Warrior and pretend there were not enough matches to make an “ultimate collection.” He then said that is a lie and now the Warrior will tell his own story.
The Blade Runners vs. Perry Jackson and Shaun O’Reilly
This was from Mid South Wrestling where Rock (Ultimate Warrior) and Sting were the Blade Runners. They were heels at this time in Bill Watts’ promotion and Warrior said that they based their looks and moves on The Road Warriors. They were also managed by Hot Stuff Eddie Gilbert at this time. Jim Ross was on commentary. This was a pure squash with Warrior dominating and then Sting came in and hit a splash for the pin.
The Dingo Warrior vs. Gentleman Chris Adams
Warrior said he left the Mid South because Sting liked to be told what to do but Warrior liked to take control of his own career. He headed to World Class, the Von Erich territory. They put him with manager Gary Hart but the fans started to cheer him and they had to turn him face. Warrior started with the advantage in this match because Adams was distracted by none other than Percival Pringle III (who would later become Paul Bearer). Chris was the WCCW world champion at this time and Warrior actually got the win in the match, although it looked to me like Adams kicked out before three.
Ultimate Warrior vs. Barry Horowitz
Ultimate Warrior vs. “The Brooklyn Brawler” Steve Lombardi
The WWF heard about Warrior and asked him to come and try out in a match with Jose Estrada. He impressed them and they signed him. These were typical Warrior squash matches where he no sold everything and just destroyed his opponents.
Ultimate Warrior vs. King Harley Race
Warrior had an interesting comment before this match about how Harley Race was very bitter at how professional wrestling was changing from wrestling into entertainment. This match wasn’t a squash, as Race got in a lot of his stalling and some solid offense, but Warrior won with a roll up. Warrior told a story about how he broke his ankle in a match against Race, and covered it up, but I couldn’t tell if this was the match it happened in or not.
Ultimate Warrior vs. Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
Warrior said there wasn’t a gimmick match he didn’t love and this was the match where, after Warrior knocked out Heenan with the sleeperhold, he put Heenan in the Weasel suit. This was classic Heenan and he was always at his best when being made the fool. Heenan made this match very enjoyable and the sleeper for the win was brilliant booking.
Intercontinental Championship: Honky Tonk Man vs. Ultimate Warrior
Intercontinental Championship: Ultimate Warrior vs. Honky Tonk Man
This was probably the greatest squash match in WWE history. For over a year, Honky Tonk Man cheated to win and took shortcuts. The fans were dying for someone – anyone – to beat him. No matter who fought him, no matter how good, Honky found a way to escape with his title. When Warrior’s music hit, the crowd went nuts and then he hit the ring and beat Honky in under a minute and the place exploded. Brilliant end to Honky’s title rein. The second match was the rematch between the two. Honky Tonk was a lot more competitive here, cheating throughout, but Warrior won when he threw Jimmy Hart onto Honky Tonk Man and covered him for the win.
Title vs. Title Match: Ultimate Warrior (IC title) vs. Macho Man Randy Savage (world title)
Warrior talked about how great it was to work with Macho Man Randy Savage, who he called one of the best in front of and behind the cameras. He said that Savage was inspiring because he would be in character when talking about the match before they ever went out to the ring. This was during the Mega Powers implosion. This wasn’t as good as their later retirement match but it was still a really good match. Ravishing Rick Rude came to ringside and kept posing while Warrior ignored him for about five minutes before going after Rude and getting counted out. It was a cheap ending to a good match.
Intercontinental Championship: Ultimate Warrior vs. Ravishing Rick Rude
This was the rematch for the IC title after Rude had won it from Warrior before. Warrior came into this match after getting hurt by Andre the Giant. I do wish the first match, where Rude won, was on here, but that was on the first Warrior DVD. However, this was a fantastic match as these two always worked well together. Rick Rude hit Warrior with like three piledrivers and still couldn’t pin Warrior. The end came when Rowdy Roddy Piper came down and distracted Rick Rude, allowing Warrior to get the win. Rude looked like a million bucks in this match.
Ultimate Warrior vs. Bob Bradley
Ultimate Warrior vs. Brian Costello
Ultimate Warrior talked about the jobbers at the old school TV tapings and how that is not an insult because these wrestlers were all great and helped make the stars into stars. In the Bradley match, Warrior tossed Bradley all over ringside, and into a table. He also wore his title belt through the first half of the match. There was also an Andre the Giant promo during the match about coming after Warrior. After the match, he stuffed Bradley under the ring. In the Costello match, he started looking under the ring for something, in a strange move. Dino Bravo cut the promo here about trying to win the IC title. He then picked up Costello, threw him over his shoulder and carried him to the back.
Brother Love Show: Bobby Heenan and Andre the Giant
Intercontinental Championship: Ultimate Warrior vs. Andre the Giant
Intercontinental Championship: Ultimate Warrior vs. Andre the Giant (Saturday’s Night Main Event)
Heenan and Andre talk about people thinking they are intimidating but that Warrior is nothing compared to Andre. Brother Love said that Warrior would be shaking in his boots. Warrior ran out, grabbed the mic and told Andre that when they wrestle, he will beat Andre one-two-three and then left as Andre looked frustrated. Warrior said that the matches with Andre were to get Warrior over. He said that Andre was so great as a character that his disadvantages in the ring never mattered because he was Andre. Warrior said that he was very honored that Andre would put over Warrior because Andre could do anything he wanted to do. He said that he always loved working with Andre and that he was always in a good mood when they were together, although Andre had no tolerance for those who “worked” the business. The Warrior vs. Andre match was a squash match with Andre trying to attack but Warrior running non-stop until he hit Andre with a clothesline and pinned him in under a minute. Andre said that the bell never rang to start the match. The second match ended with Bobby Heenan got Andre the Giant disqualified.
Ultimate Warrior Promo about Fighting Hulk Hogan
Warrior told the story about how they wanted to turn Warrior bad so he could fight Hulk Hogan, but he convinced them that the fans wouldn’t allow it.
Ultimate Warrior vs. Mr. Perfect
Title vs. Title Match: Ultimate Warrior (IC title) vs. Hulk Hogan (world title)
This match was the first loss for Mr. Perfect in the WWE, breaking his unbeaten streak, just two weeks before Warrior faced Hulk Hogan. They also showed the highlights leading up to their big match, where the two kept saving each other before their big match, which made the other mad every time. This then leads into the big Wrestlemania VI match. Warrior talked about how awesome the match was, good guy vs. good guy, Warriors vs. Hulkamaniacs. He also joked about not being able to lift Hogan all the way up in the press slam at the end of the match.
WWF Championship: Ultimate Warrior vs. The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase (In Japan)
WWF Championship: Ultimate Warrior vs. Ravishing Rick Rude
WWF Championship: Ultimate Warrior vs. The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase
WWF Championship: Ultimate Warrior vs. Sgt. Slaughter
Ted DiBiase was competitive in the first match, but at the end, Warrior just ran over him. The match with Rick Rude is interesting because, at this point, Rude was the only person to have beaten The Ultimate Warrior before. Unlike DiBiase, Rude was really, really strong, just like he always has been against The Warrior. Warrior ended up winning by count out.
The second DiBiase match was a ton better than the first and DiBiase fought a great match. It ended in a DQ finish when Virgil interfered. After the match, Macho King Randy Savage attacked Warrior and totally beat him down. The Slaughter match was for a Coliseum Exclusive, but not the match that Slaughter won for the WWF title. Once again, these title matches so far are proof that Warrior actually put on competitive matches during his title rein.
Steel Cage Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. “Macho King” Randy Savage
Brother Love Show: Ultimate Warrior
Warrior opens the second disc by talking about how Vince McMahon went to the newspapers to find current news topics to set up storylines. Warrior said that he liked the idea of losing the title to Slaughter to set up the Hulk Hogan return and instead fighting the match with Randy Savage for Savage’s retirement. Savage is the reason Warrior lost the WWF title (that match was not shown).
The first match shown here was the cage match that Savage actually won by escaping the cage. Warrior ripped off Sherri’s top and skirt after the match and ended up press slamming Sherri at the end. In the Brother Love segment, Warrior said he would end Savage’s career and would start ending careers now and tore up the Brother Love set. He then chased Brother Love to the ring and beat him up.
Retirement Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. “Macho King” Randy Savage
When it came to WrestleMania VII, Warrior said this match was just as equal a status as Hogan vs. Warrior was the year before. He said it was also a good matchup because both men were very over-the-top in their personalities. He said the five flying elbow drops and three press slams in the match were negotiated between the two wrestlers. He said that the two men really respected each other.
Interestingly, this is one of the only times that Warrior did not run down to the ring full speed. This might be the best Warrior match of all time. Of course, this is the match that Savage lost and Miss Elizabeth came in to save him from a Sensational Sherri attack after the match.
The Funeral Parlor w/ Paul Bearer: Ultimate Warrior
Ultimate Warrior vs. The Undertaker
Warrior called The Undertaker the first character the WWF created from ground zero and Vince McMahon told Warrior he wanted them to work together so they could put Undertaker over onto the next level. He said the first match they fought each other, the fans liked the Undertaker character, which he said worried Undertaker. Warrior said that he told Undertaker that it was a great thing that the fans loved his character. Warrior said when they told him that Undertaker would put him in a casket, he joked that it would be the most rest he had in months.
The Funeral Parlor segment was very, very uncomfortable to watch based on Warrior’s recent death. They talked about dying, with Warrior saying it wasn’t his time, and it ended with Undertaker putting Warrior into the casket and locking it. It took officials forever to get him out, and it was looking like he almost died.
The match itself was very bad. Warrior was full speed and Undertaker was slow and methodical, no selling everything. There was almost two minutes of Undertaker with a chin claw on Warrior. The end came after Warrior kicked out of the tombstone and Undertaker hit Warrior with the urn for a DQ. They then put Warrior in the body bag after the match.
Mean Gene Okerlund Interview: Ultimate Warrior and Macho Man Randy Savage
Up next was Ultimate Warrior returning to the WWF after a six month absence and he returned about a month before WrestleMania VIII. Warrior said that when he ran in to save Hulk Hogan from Psycho Sid and Papa Shango, it was the biggest pop he has ever heard. They showed parts of the press conference when he returned to the WWF.
The interview with Mean Gene was to advertise a WWF title match between champion Randy Savage and his challenger at SummerSlam, Ultimate Warrior. The two argued about who was the best, which brought out Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect. Flair had a great line about beating guys with painted faces his entire career. Flair challenged both men to come to the ring and lose to him. Savage ran in, but was double teamed until Warrior saved him.
Promo: The Ultimate Maniacs
Tag Team Championship: Money Inc. (The Million Dollar Man and IRS) vs. The Ultimate Maniacs
Warrior talks about the formation of the Ultimate Maniacs tag team with Macho Man Randy Savage. He talked about how much Savage taught him about adapting and changing styles to remain fresh. This was supposed to lead to a main event at the Survivor Series against “Nature Boy” Ric Flair and Razor Ramon, but Warrior left again right before the event, so they had to change things up. After that, he was gone for a long time. The match provided here was awesome because Randy Savage ran out full speed, just like Warrior, and they were a house of fire. This match was on Saturday Night’s Main Event, the week before the Survivor Series. Money Inc. walked out for a count out, but this was a high intensity match with Savage and Warrior looking incredible. They had the fans eating out of their hands. This could have been huge if Warrior hadn’t walked out again.
Ultimate Warrior vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Warrior said he wanted to make a business out of his name and that is why he left. Warrior said Vince McMahon called him to come back and Warrior refused if he had to come back under a regular contract because of his outside businesses. Linda McMahon called him and asked him to come back under a special agreement three years later. He then said that they wanted him to re-establish himself quickly, which led to the squashing of Triple H at Wrestlemania XII. He said he caught a lot of heat for that, but it was ok. Sable accompanied Triple H to the ring for that match. The worst part of the match was Triple H hitting the Pedigree and Warrior completely no selling it and standing right back up. However, the fans in attendance loved it.
Vince McMahon “Raw” Interview with Ultimate Warrior
Vince McMahon “Raw” Interview with Ultimate Warrior and Jerry Lawler
Ultimate Warrior vs. Jerry “The King” Lawler
Warrior said he was not really concerned with where his character was heading. All he knew is that Ultimate Warrior would be a main event star when he returned. He said that he only cared about making his character as good as he could, and didn’t care about winning titles anymore. He feels, at this point in his career, he was the best he ever was. In the interview on WWE Monday Night Raw, Goldust interrupted and the two had words before Warrior clotheslined him down. Lots of Goldust innuendo in that interview. The second interview was Jerry Lawler explaining how he cost Ultimate Warrior from winning in the King of the Ring tournament. Lawler presented Ultimate Warrior with a painting he made of the Warrior as a gift, but ended up smashing it over Warrior’s head. The match itself was from the same King of the Ring PPV that Stone Cold Steve Austin won. The entire first part of the match was Lawler cheating and using all kind of underhanded tactics. Then Warrior “Hulked Up” and hit his clotheslines and won with a shoulder tackle.
WCW Monday Nitro: Ultimate Warrior Confronts Hulk Hogan
WCW Monday Nitro: Ultimate Warrior Promo
Warrior talked about leaving wrestling. He said there were some independent bookings but he really felt like most of the promoters who called him seemed to think they were doing him a favor by booking him. He said Hulk Hogan was no different when he called him to come to WCW. The Warrior’s first appearance in WCW was legendary when it happened and is still an awesome segment today. Warrior said it was for a lot of money and Warrior came in to do something special, but the WCW people didn’t seem to care about it on their part. He said that no one really knew what direction the stories were going, Eric Bichoff would have panic attacks and they just rode the nWo for as long as it would carry them. He said they just used Ted Turner’s money to buy stars and he realized soon they just bought him for Hogan to beat and get his win back. If he knew that going in, he would have never went there for all the money they paid him. The second promo was the night after Hulk Hogan pinned him and Warrior beat up Hulk Hogan, Horace Hogan, The Giant (Big Show) and Eric Bischoff.
The feature ends with Warrior saying that he is getting into the WWE Hall of Fame and he will tell the fans the full true story, which is still to come. He then said this was just the beginning and he will tell more of his story down the line. That was a very sad statement at the end, looking at what happened. We got the WWE Hall of Fame speech and the WWE Monday Night Raw promo the night before his death, but outside of that, this was the Warrior’s final words.
Blu-Ray Exclusives
World Class Wrestling: The Dingo Warrior vs. Maniac Matt Borne w/ Percival Pringle III
Warrior used more rest holds in this match than I think he ever used in his entire WWE career. The match ended when Bourne used Pringle’s cane on Warrior and the referee disqualified him. This match showed, if anything, how far Warrior came from his WCCW days and his WWE debut.
Ultimate Warrior and British Bulldogs vs. Demolition and Mr. Fuji
WOW! I had no idea this match ever happened. It is always great to see Dynamite Kid wrestling again and Ultimate Warrior was hilarious in the tag team match because he never seemed like he knew what to do when he wasn’t in the ring. The end was kind of weak, with Warrior pinning Smash (one half of the tag team champions) with a flying axe handle.
Intercontinental Championship: Ultimate Warrior vs. Dino Bravo w/Earthquake and Jimmy Hart
Ultimate Warrior was on his was to squashing Dino Bravo but Earthquake kept interfering. It didn’t matter because Warrior won in relatively unimpressive fashion. Bravo and Earthquake beat down Ultimate Warrior after the match, but Hulk Hogan ran in for the save. This was leading into the big Ultimate Warrior vs. Hulk Hogan title match. Warrior didn’t appreciate the save and referees had to separate them.
Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior Contract Signing
Unlike now, where the contract signings are in the ring and ends up in fights, this one took place in the offices. It still included the two men cutting promos just like today, just sitting at a table and talking.
Randy Savage and Ultimate Warrior Contract Signing
This was more like today’s contract signings, with the two men signing in the ring. This was for the Career Ending Match from Wrestlemania VII. It ended with Warrior tipping over the table and then The Undertaker came down to the ring and stared down Ultimate Warrior.
Ultimate Warrior vs. Sgt. Slaughter (JAPAN)
The commentary in this match was in Japanese, which is fine. It was also apparently a no-DQ match because Warrior picked up a table and smashed it over Slaughter’s back and then Slaughter started using a chair. It was a typical Warrior match with Slaughter looking good but Warrior coming back at the end to hit some clotheslines and a splash for the win.
Intercontinental Championship: Goldust w/Marlena vs. Ultimate Warrior
Goldust had a “bodyguard” in his corner for this match, which took place at In Your House 7. Goldust tried to walk out. Warrior grabbed Marlena’s cigar, and then pulled her director’s chair into the ring, threw Goldust’s robe into the chair and sat on it until Goldust came back to the ring. Goldust finally came to the ring and offered to shake Warrior’s hand. Warrior responded by burning his hand with the cigar, hitting one clothesline and Goldust ran to get counted out. All of this took seven minutes.
Ultimate Warrior: The Ultimate Collection proves that there was more to Warrior’s career than just squash matches. There is a slight problem when watching all the matches back-to-back to see the clear formula for all Warrior’s matches, but it doesn’t make them any less enjoyable. With Warrior’s passing, the Blu-ray was very hard to get through, but for all Warrior fans, this is one that can’t be missed. It totally makes up for the burial on the last DVD that the WWE put out on the star. Great work to The Ultimate Warrior and the WWE and may he rest in peace. Always Believe.