I am a child of the 80's. I loved all the Schwarzenegger & Stallone movies. bodybuilding, pro wrestling, Lou Ferrignos The Incredible Hulk TV show, comic books and superheroes. I loved it all. I became hooked on wrestling watching Ted Turners TBS station and always preferred southern rasslin to the then WWF.
But then a character showed up around 1988 in the WWF that sucked me in. I watched both the NWA and WWF, but this guy seemed to be tailored made for a teen like myself. Someone who loved the fantasy world of science fiction, superheroes, Greek mythology and jacked up muscle men.
The Ultimate Warrior spoke to me. Those crazy out there interviews people made fun of years later I completely got. That intensity he showed in his interviews and his entrance as he raced to the ring with his drumbeat of a song blaring in the background, man I loved that. I wanted to be that, emulate it. I wanted to have that passion and intensity in the gym when I was pumping iron.
Little by little he became my favorite wrestler. When he won the Intercontinental title back from the great Rick Rude at Summer Slam I watched every episode of Superstars hoping to see an interview or a match with the Warrior. When I got my January 1990 PWI in the mail and it had an awesome picture of Warrior on the cover saying "Next victim....Hulk Hogan?" I could feel a changing of the guard coming.
Inside the editor of the magazine Stu Staks wrote about Warrior having this momentum that could lead to him facing and maybe beating Hulk Hogan. Staks wrote a line that I still remember to this day. He said anyone can get motivated in front of a large sold out arena but champions like Warrior and Hogan got motivated in the gym, which was "lonely, tedious and boring." For those that laugh at the Apter mags and any lessons in life they would have had I disagree. twenty years later I read Mark Cuban quote Bobby Knight saying, "everyone has the will to win, not everyone has the will to prepare to win."
Sure enough Warrior and Hogan collided in the Royal Rumble in a perfect set up to tease a collsion course at WrestleMania 6. Soon after WWF aired a Saturday Nights Main Event where Warrior cut a classic intense promo that was so full of testosterone and warrior spirit my sixteen year old self was convinced this man really had a destiny, just like Luke Skywalker and other heroes of my fantasy and science fiction world.
I went down to my cable system in town and with my own money I earned flipping burgers I rented a box that would allow me to watch this epic battle. Warrior and Hogan battled in a monumental struggle that had twists and turns, classic storytelling and the suspense of two good guys fighting. The Toronto Skydome was filled with over 60,000 people and the enthusiastic crowd was split.
Hogan kicked out of Warriors gorilla slam and splash when Hogan he was hulking out it looked like this would end the same as all other champions bouts. But Hogan missed the big legdrop and Warrior won after a splash. It was an amazing match.
Warrior would later have another unbelievable match against the legendary Randy "Macho Man" Savage at WrestleMania 7. I also would see him live five different times. I'd never paid to see one star so many times.
I never stopped following Warrior. From his ventures away from wrestling, his blog after retiring from wrestling and then his great YouTube channel, Mr. Ultimate Warrior, I always enjoyed seeing his evolution.
He was one of the very few who seemed to have a healthy normal family life. He was not a drug addict or desperate for another run in the WWE. He spent his mornings training hard, his afternoons painting and his evenings with his family. He never lost his enthusiasm for pumping iron and the bodybuilding lifestyle.
When you get older you appreciate those that inspired you in your youth. Your thankfull for their contribution to your memories. I smile at that Hispanic kid that used to work out with maximum intensity in the basement of his parents house while a poster of The Ultimate Warrior hung on the wall.
After this years WrestleMania weekend I hope your daughters have a better understanding of your legacy as time goes on. Thank you Warrior. Always Believe.
