WWE news on the Ultimate Warrior DVD

[Guest stringerbell]

It does appear as if WWE's upcoming "The Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior" DVD will look at the former star in a very negative light. The following is from the latest edition of Smackdown Magazine:

 

"One of the most enigmatic figures in WWE history adored by many, but not highly regarded within the industry. At one time the most popular superstar on the planet, his bizarre behavior assured it could not last.

 

The Warrior DVD pulls no punches dishing all the dirt on Jim 'Warrior' Hellwig. Featuring Interviews from Vince, Hogan, Heenan, DiBase and Slaughter.

 

From his early days as a Blade Runner, to the Dingo Warrior to his WWE breakthrough in 1987, viewers are taken through every step of the Warrior experience. What makes the DVD compelling for fans is the other side of the story that was not seen by the public at the time. Warrior’s colleagues tell the story of a man who was unstable, unprofessional and ungrateful for the chance given to him by WWE. Despite his charisma Warrior failed to attain the success many felt he was destined to, and this DVD analyzes those reasons.

 

Included in the DVD are the Ultimate Challenge vs. Hogan at Mania 6, his IC title win over Honky Tonk at Summerslam, and the retirement match vs. Savage.

 

Unlike many DVD tributes which sugarcoat things to glorify their subjects, The Self Destruction of Ultimate Warrior is a brutally honest take on one of sports entertainment’s biggest stars. For any fan of Warrior or WWE from this era it is nothing short of a gem."

 

A source within WWE who has viewed the "Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior" DVD has confirmed that the DVD is a total burial of the former star to the "point of ridiculousness."

 

Ric Flair, Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan, Sgt. Slaughter, Eric Bischoff, Pat Patterson, Hulk Hogan, Ted DiBiase, and The Brooklyn Brawler are all interviewed on the DVD and apparently spend most of their interview time making fun of the Warrior and portraying him in a negative light.

 

Below is the promotional material for the DVD:

 

"The Ultimate Warrior – a household name and icon in sports-entertainment. A driving guitar beat heralded his explosion to the ring with his signature arm bands and face paint. His intensity was unparalleled. His controversial personality was equally unmatched. Learn about the man and the myth from the people who witnessed his meteoric rise to the WWE Championship in a victory against Hulk Hogan before 67,000 fans at Wrestlemania VI. Hear from the Superstars who worked with the man. Did he burn out or drop out? Relive his feuds with "Macho Man" Randy Savage, "Ravishing" Rick Rude, Hulk Hogan and more. Exclusive interviews with Vince McMahon and Eric Bischoff break down the Ultimate Warrior's stints in WWE & WCW. Find out exactly what happened at Summerslam 1991 when The Ultimate Warrior held up the WWE for more money!"

 

Credit: PWInsider.com

[Dangerous A 0]

This DVD will probrably get some laughs from the TSM crowd, but commercially it's gonna fail.

 

Warrior fans (all 9 of them) are not going to want to get a DVD that buries a guy they like. And if you're not a fan, why would you get a DVD of a guy you don't like?

 

Making burial DVD's just seems bad for business when you sit down and think about it.

[Epic Reine 0]

Not super bad for business.

 

WWE will still make at least even on it, and there will be tons and tons of smarks buying it.

 

Its basically the first WWE shoot in a real way, be happy, maybe more will come of it.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Making burial DVD's just seems bad for business when you sit down and think about it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

When it comes to getting their revenge, WWE have been known to do worse things than make bad business decisions.

[notJames 0]

Are people really that interested in UW? I don't know anyone who would want to buy his DVD, even if it was a positive retrospective.

 

Feh.

[razazteca 0]

How many "good" matches has Warrior had in his career?

[Guest *KNK*]

How many "good" matches has Warrior had in his career?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

WMVI and VII are the only matches that hit **** from various opinions (***1/2 and ****1/4 for me personally)

 

He's had a couple decent matches with Rick Rude and Dibiase.

 

Stick with a good worker (Savage, Rude and Dibiase) and he was very carryable or with a dynamite script and a very hot crowd, he was very acceptable.

[Guest Thrashist]

Honestly with DVDs coming out for the Road Warriors, Taker, Jake the Snake, etc, this one actually has a better chance of succeeding than it would have if it were a positive piece because it sticks out. I can't imagine anyone who legitimately likes Warrior for one thing, but for those who somehow do, I doubt they would hold out on buying the DVD because it has a negative slant towards him. The bottom line is that they still get his matches, promos, etc, except that instead of the typical heartwarming story part of the DVD, they slag him off. And another thing, it's not like the Warrior was a deep, meaningful character to start with, as he or his fanbase didn't have quite the integrity of, say, Bret, nor did he or his fanbase have the type of nostalgic diehard attachment to him as they do with, say, Hogan. As it is, not only will you get your fair weather Warrior fans picking this up, but it also has more appeal for the average internet fan interested in how they destroy him. And anyway, if anyone has seen Warrior or read his website for the past ten years, you could already see that Warrior's self destruction is not some WWE-fabricated, fictitious event--it's reality.

[Guest Desperate Housewife]

It's the WWE's new policy" don't badmouth us in Public, sign the legends deal, or we'll bury you. Bruno Sammartino is next, IIRC

[MillenniumMan831 0]

For as much as I can't stand how Warrior conducts himself, I still think this is a bad move on WWE's part. It's kind of depressing to see the depths WWE will sink just to ultimately appease Vince's ego.

[Guest *KNK*]

It's the WWE's new policy" don't badmouth us in Public, sign the legends deal, or we'll bury you. Bruno Sammartino is next, IIRC

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Vince HATES Warrior. Vince has had years to bury Bruno, and he hasn't yet.

[tbondrage99 0]

Well I never cared about either owning or seeing this dvd before now and though I still wont be buying it I would like to see it now.

[Scroby 0]

You know I just might just get this DVD just so I can hear Bobby Heenan go off on the Warrior. If Heenan goes off about the Warrior, it'd be the worth the price alone.

[MillenniumMan831 0]

Heenan did a swell job burying Warrior in his shoot interview.

[Gary Floyd 0]

Normally, I don't agree with burials...but this ones an acception. Besides, Vince isn't the only person in the wrestling biz who doesn't like Warrior. Hell, alot of people in the biz hate the guy.

 

Also, didn't he say something like "Rick Rude deserved to die"?

[Guest JMA]

Also, didn't he say something like "Rick Rude deserved to die"?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, he did.

[CanadianChris 0]

How many "good" matches has Warrior had in his career?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Four. WMVI with Hogan, Summerslam 90 with Rude, and the two PPV matches with Savage.

 

EDIT: Come to think of it, he had a pretty good champion vs. champion match with Savage right before WMV, so make it five.

[Guest TheGreatWesuke]

It's the WWE's new policy" don't badmouth us in Public, sign the legends deal, or we'll bury you. Bruno Sammartino is next, IIRC

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Vince HATES Warrior. Vince has had years to bury Bruno, and he hasn't yet.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Other than not mentioning Bruno ever other than a blurb here and there in one of their magazines.

 

It wouldn't surprise me at all if 5 years from now they tried to induct Warrior into the Hall of Fame, then end up wondering why he declined.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

I can see this doing well on say, WWE 24/7 or Fanatix. I can't see it selling well in stores.

[Fökai 0]

This DVD will probrably get some laughs from the TSM crowd, but commercially it's gonna fail.

 

Warrior fans (all 9 of them) are not going to want to get a DVD that buries a guy they like. And if you're not a fan, why would you get a DVD of a guy you don't like?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Both the WCW and Road Warriors DVDs were advertised as "rise and fall" stories. The ECW DVD is the best-selling WWE home video title ever, while the LOD version will settle into the top 5. The Warrior DVD will be advertised subtly over advertisements, so unless you're reading internet reviews of the product, nothing will sway you from buying this DVD.

 

I can't imagine anyone who legitimately likes Warrior for one thing, but for those who somehow do, I doubt they would hold out on buying the DVD because it has a negative slant towards him. The bottom line is that they still get his matches, promos, etc, except that instead of the typical heartwarming story part of the DVD, they slag him off. And another thing, it's not like the Warrior was a deep, meaningful character to start with, as he or his fanbase didn't have quite the integrity of, say, Bret, nor did he or his fanbase have the type of nostalgic diehard attachment to him as they do with, say, Hogan. As it is, not only will you get your fair weather Warrior fans picking this up, but it also has more appeal for the average internet fan interested in how they destroy him. And anyway, if anyone has seen Warrior or read his website for the past ten years, you could already see that Warrior's self destruction is not some WWE-fabricated, fictitious event--it's reality.

 

Thrashist sums it up best.

[Guest rawmvp]

Um, it was the SummerSlam 89 match against Rude that was a good match, not the SummerSlam 90 one.

[Guest *KNK*]

I'm buying simply because I never cared for Warrior and always felt he was a complete nutjob and will take pleasure in watching a long line of people slam him.

 

Also, it will offer some good matches in DVD quality as well.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Buy it? No thanks. Obtain it for free by other means? Sure.

[Guest *KNK*]

Buy it? No thanks. Obtain it for free by other means? Sure.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

It's going to be no-more then $20 bucks and I got piles of Best Buy cards from x-mas and my birthday still laying around.

[Guest Askewniverse]

But you could be using that money for something else instead.

 

Also, it will offer some good matches in DVD quality as well.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As far as I'm concerned, the extras aren't good enough to warrant a purchase.

 

Warrior vs. Terry Gibbs - Wrestling Challenge 10/24/87

A two-minute squash. Nothing to write home about.

 

Warrior vs. Honky Tonk Man - Summerslam '88

Another squash. This could easily have been covered in the main feature instead.

 

Hogan vs. Warrior - Wrestlemania VI

Already have it in DVD quality, so this doesn't do anything for me.

 

Warrior vs. Rude - Steel Cage Match - Summerslam '90

The match was pretty bad. Again, this does nothing for me.

 

Warrior vs. Savage - Wrestlemania VII

I can wait until the WM box set is released.

[nl5xsk1 0]

If they showed his work in the Blade Runners or as the Dingo Warrior, I'd be willing to watch it (but not pay for it) but since VKM doesn't have acess to either library, I'll take a pass.

[pochorenella 0]

How many "good" matches has Warrior had in his career?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Four. WMVI with Hogan, Summerslam 90 with Rude, and the two PPV matches with Savage.

 

EDIT: Come to think of it, he had a pretty good champion vs. champion match with Savage right before WMV, so make it five.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Good to see somebody remembers this match from MSG. It was on a Wrestling Superheroes tape IIRC, and both Savage and Warrior did a great job. I also think the SSlam you might be referring to is the IC Title rematch from 1989. The WWF Title cage match was not that good.

[CanadianChris 0]

I always get those two mixed up. Yes, it was the IC title match in 89 I was thinking of.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

Damn, too bad it doesn't include Slaughter / Warrior from Rumble 91.

[Guest Sternchen]

Yeah, I always wanted to hear the comments from Hogan who criticizes Warrior for using his power and holding up for more money.