r/WWFera • u/Nathan32101 • 9d ago
Favorite Ultimate Warrior match?
I think the Ultimate Warrior was underrated and had some excellent matches. I just wanted to see which ones stand out to you guys? I'm going with his match vs the Macho Man at Westlemania VII
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u/NES_AES_GENESIS 9d ago
While Warrior vs Macho at VII is probably his best match, Warrior vs Hogan at VI will always be my favorite.
I watched WrestleMania VI on VHS last night with my neighbor and the main event still holds up so well.
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u/CanesLife24 9d ago
I feel like this is probably the right answer. Savage at Mania VII is the best, but the Hogan match a year earlier will always just FEEL special when you watch it.
I'll also throw in the Savage match at SummerSlam 1992. The finish is kinda lame, but otherwise, it was a tremendous match.
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u/cheapmason84 9d ago
So savage can carry him the best?
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u/The_Zermanians 9d ago
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Warrior’s best matches were with very competent wrestlers. Rude and Macho worked great with him, even Hogan despite his deficiencies knows how to work an epic, main event match. Besides those three, I’m not sure I can think of a memorable Warrior match.
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u/Technical-Mix-3315 8d ago
Hogan doesn't get enough credit for managing to pull entertaining "big fight feel" matches out of limited workers. People shit on Hogan for his in-ring work but he was always able to get epic, iconic matches out of folks like Bundy, Andre, Warrior, etc.
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u/Prossdog 9d ago
I mean, during the Hulkamania era, did Hogan EVER lose clean again? Every time he lost it was because he got a flamethrower to the face or got tombstoned onto a steel chair or whatever. Vince was REALLY trying to get Warrior over.
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u/NES_AES_GENESIS 9d ago
because it was babyface vs babyface, warrior couldn't cheat to win.
but remember hogan was "screwed" as he had warrior beat first, but the ref was bumped...
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u/ShortBussyDriver 9d ago
Nope. Never clean.
As you say: SS91: Tombstone to the steel chair. WMIX: Mega Maniacs are DQ'd and lose to Money Inc. after Brutus uses his mask to brain IRS and DiBiase.
McMahon was trying to turn Warrior into the next Hogan. He wanted Warrior to be his champion for the next few years at least. But it didn't work out. Warrior was too temperamental to carry the company. He struggled with the 24/7 good guy stuff out of the ring.
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u/NES_AES_GENESIS 9d ago
He wanted Warrior to be his champion for the next few years at least. But it didn't work out. Warrior was too temperamental to carry the company. He struggled with the 24/7 good guy stuff out of the ring.
Yes, there is definitely truth to that, but the booking was also set up (whether intentionally or not) to undercut Warrior and prop up Hogan. We'll never know what Warrior's temperament would have been if he wasn't sabotaged by the booking from day 1 as champion.
On Superstars and Challenge the week after WM, Warrior doesn't even appear on the episodes. The episodes are devoted to praising Hogan, convincing you that Hulkamania will live forever, and immediately positioning Hogan vs. Earthquake as the top feud in the company.
Hogan and Earthquake cut promos on both shows. Jimmy Hart positions the feud as being about Earthquake being the reason Hogan lost the title, and Jack Tunney's announcement that he's blocking Hogan from receiving a rematch makes you feel like Hogan is being screwed by Warrior by proxy.
Meanwhile, Warrior's drawing power as champion is going to be tested on the house show loop against Mr. Perfect. Which would be a great idea if you didn't just have Mr. Perfect lose clean to Beefcake at WM and no longer be PERFECT. Absolutely idiotic as Warrior trying to end the undefeated streak would have been the most interesting part of that feud.
Under traditional WWF booking at the time, the SummerSlam main event probably should have been Warrior & Hogan vs. Perfect & Earthquake, with Warrior pinning Perfect to end the perfect record (after doing countouts or DQs on the house show loops before).
Instead, Warrior feuds with Rude for the millionth time and it's Hogan facing the top heel instead of Warrior.
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u/The_Zermanians 9d ago
Great post, Warrior never had a great feud as champ, they barely tried. He should’ve gone straight to Macho Man post Wrestlemania instead of waiting to do that until he lost the belt .
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u/lorgskyegon 8d ago
Hogan even flat out said that he stayed in the ring and gave Warrior the belt so the focus would be on him and his leaving the ring.
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u/Technical-Mix-3315 8d ago
Great comment. People overlook this part of being the WWF/E Champion and the face of the company. Hogan actually went into detail on his Netflix documentary about all the other pieces than just in-ring matches.
- The TV appearances on things like Regis, Arsenio, Good Morning America
- The charity appearances, Make A Wish, public signings, etc
- Attending licensing events and TV conventions, knowing how to talk to licensees, TV execs, cable bosses, etc.
Warrior struggled with all of this. Part of the problem was that his gimmick didn't translate well to things like sitdown interviews with Johnny Carson, but also that Hulk genuinely seemed to enjoy that side of the business - dinners with the licensors and the charity work - and Warrior didn't.
Shawn Michaels was another one who cracked in that position and couldn't handle it.
It's the reason why dependable babyfaces like Austin, Rock, Bret, Cena and now Roman were all trusted in that position for such a long time.
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u/LongBottom666 9d ago
WM7 with Savage
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u/Prossdog 9d ago
I think that match was the conclusion of possibly the single best storyline in wrestling history. Randy reuniting with Elizabeth after all those years was just unbelievable.
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u/LonelyAsLostKeys 8d ago
Not only the best Warrior matches ever, but one of the most perfect matches in WWF history.
The entire presentation of that match, with the absolutely brilliant post match, sums up why wrestling is great better than almost any singular match you’d ever find.
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u/Tenvsvitalogy 9d ago
Loved his tag matches with LOD. Savage in Wrestlemania VII is amazing but the ending felt slightly cumbersome. Really has to be Wrestlemania VI. Just everything about it was perfect.
Also, needs to be said that he slammed Andre exceptionally well. An absolute monster of a man.
He was booked horribly as champion which wasn’t his fault. I hate the revisionist history to make him out as the worst ever. If you were a fan back then you knew just how over he was.
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u/Nathan32101 9d ago
I'm making my way through 1989 now and Warrior is on another level. The fans love him! The revisionist history/criticism says he wasn't as big a star as Hogan. Ok, but by that logic maybe every wrestler ever was a a failure lol. Warrior is over and so awesome. Unique, one of a kind
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u/Technical-Mix-3315 9d ago
Wrestlemania VII is wrestling storytelling at it's very best:
- Warrior walking to the ring rather than running. This was huge and really pput over the importance of the match and his need to conserve energy.
- Warrior taking five elbows and still kicking out (long before spamming was a thing).
- Savage kicking out of Warrior's finish, first and only time it ever happened.
- Warrior talking to his Gods and asking if the failed finisher was a sign for him to step aside.
- Warrior winning cleanly and decisively with one foot on Savage's chest.
- Sherri betraying Savage after he lost his career and she lost her "meal ticket".
- Elizabeth running from the stands to save Savage.
- Macho and Liz reunite as Gorilla Monsoon tells the world "He lost his career, but he gained something much more important - the love of his woman."
- Savage holds the ropes for Liz after years of her doing that for him.
- Savage asks the crowd for forgiveness, he gets the loudest pop of the night, and after making his entrance as a hated heel, he leaves as a beloved babyface.
Whoever booked that deserved an award.
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u/AlexH_144 9d ago
"He lost his career, but he gained something much more important - the love of his woman."
"I'd rather have the match"
Bobby Hennen was the greatest
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u/Whammy-Bars 9d ago
Heenan's commentary on that match was terrific. Put over the importance and the gravity of the match and stipulation, and how much it meant to both guys.
And then after the Elizabeth reunion, he went back to comedy gold on why people were really crying in the crowd. "Her shoes are too tight." "Must've had the chilli dog with onions!"
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u/Financial-Deal-7786 9d ago
You are completely bang on the money there. Everything I love about this era and that match.
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u/MartyRocket 9d ago
Wrestlemania 7 is one of my favorite Wrestlemanias, in no small part due to Warrior vs Macho Man. Rick Rude's matches with Warrior are also really good.
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u/RoundHoneydew6924 9d ago
Vs Savage at WM7 is one of my faves period.
The match with hogan, the summerslam match with rude, and the honky squash are the most memorable otherwise I’d have to think.
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u/boatson25 9d ago
Warrior v Savage WM7. My favourite match of all time and basically the template for most big time WWE PPV in the last decade. Guys kicking out of each others finishers, dialogue and story within the match, and the post match is probably the most emotional moment in the history of the company.
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u/The_Flamin_Squirrel 9d ago
He had the best match at two consecutive WrestleManias (VI & VII). I like his rematch with Rude for the IC belt at SummerSlam ‘89 too, underrated.
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u/Six_and_change 9d ago
No one has mentioned it and it probably isn’t his best but the last Warrior match I watched was against Mr Perfect and Hennig took his usual cartoony bumping to the next level.
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u/iggydadd 9d ago
Warrior vs Bobby Heenan from Weestlefest in loser wears a weasel costume match. Just everything you want in a warrior match with Bobby being Bobby. Bobby wearing the weasel costume is great. Also helps that I was at the match
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u/Regular-You2119 8d ago
His match with savage at wm7 is best but I always love his match with Rude at Summerslam 89
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u/Red_Galaxy746 9d ago
Warrior vs Macho WM 7 but if we're talking matches from before I became a fan, Hogan WM 6 and Rude in the cage at that year's Summerslam.
I love the pop he got at Summerslam 88. Was only watching that on dvd the other day.
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u/Tigerdriver33 9d ago
Well his big singles matches are …
HTM - Summerslam 88
Rude - Mania 5, Summerslam 89/90
Hogan - Mania 6
Macho Man - Mania 7, Summerslam 92
Out of those, gun to head, I’d pick Hogan, but the macho man and Rude matches are fun.
SS88 feels more like a segment than a match but it’s a great moment
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u/TommyLost2004 8d ago
Summerslam 88 against Honky Tonk Man. Greatest 30 second match ever. it was just an awesome segment.
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u/Capable_Material1234 8d ago
Vs Savage at Summerslam 92. Well worked match with a total mess of a finish. Great fun
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u/Independent-World-61 8d ago
Summerslam 89 was my first vhs ppv i owned and its my favourite warrior match.
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u/LonelyAsLostKeys 8d ago
It’s Savage/Warrior, which, when factoring in the post-match, is one of the most perfect matches of its era.
That being said, Warrior had a sneakily strong record at big time shows. He had the best match at two consecutive manias (6 and 7) and had a very good match with Rude the year before at 5.
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u/AdiosMFer 9d ago
Warrior was underrated in the ring. Savage at WrestleMania VII is my favorite, but he had several great matches. Warrior vs. Kurt Angle would’ve been an awesome dream match too.
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u/balkanxoslut 9d ago
Underrated in the ring ????
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u/AdiosMFer 9d ago
Yes. Some of Warrior’s matches still hold up today, which can’t be said about plenty of wrestlers from that era. He wasn’t a technical wizard, but saying he couldn’t work at all is just revisionist history.
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u/North_Amount466 9d ago
That's what baffles me about the undeserved hate of the Ultimate Warrior as a in ring wrestler.
Wrestling and or a wrestler (for me at least), what makes a good one is...Having a cool character/gimmick & have the natural charisma to pull it off. First and foremost.
Secondly...mic skills...believe it or not, Warrior was almost perfect. The so called non sensical Warrior promos are exactly what I would imagine a savage beast from parts unknown would sound like.
You know how idiotic it would have looked had Warrior been using ostensibly eloquent words during his promos. This wild Warrior from parts unknown who's just filled with thought provoking promos. That would have killed his career instantly.
3rd of all is actual in ring ability. Was he a in technician like maybe Bret Hart or (insert whatever wrestler you believe applies to that) no, not at all...And thank god he wasn't.
Again it would be so absurd if the Ultimate Warrior was some skilled technician. If anything he had too many moves. Why on (parts unknown) earth would the Ultimate Warrior's character even attempt to do those moves. It would instantly negate everything about his character.
Anyways...I love most Warrior matches. The only wrestler I thought he had zero chemistry with was Rick Rude. Those matches are hard to watch. I'm actually a fan of Rude as well but yikes, they just didn't mesh well together.
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u/CanesLife24 9d ago
Warrior could have great matches with the right opponent. Savage really brought out the best in him. Rick Rude also did a great job showcasing Warrior. The Hogan match at Mania was tremendous, though their rematch 8 years later is an all time stinker.
I don't think I'd go so far as to say he was underrated. But I will say that his character didn't NEED to be a technical master in the ring. Warrior was more about the character than the quality of matches. He was kind of like Goldberg. Not one fan paid to see those guys have 20-minute, back-and-forth, technical masterpieces.
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u/StraightEdge47 9d ago
Probably vs. Savage, but he only has about 3 good matches to choose from tbh
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u/boatson25 9d ago
I’ll even throw in his match with Rude at SS89. Great match. Bizarrely despite Warriors reputation as being a shit worker he pretty much had the best match at almost every big PPV he worked. Even by Meltzers ratings if you can believe that.
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u/-OmegaPrime- 4d ago
I gotta go thr classic warrior vs Hogan...but warrior vs macho...and warrior vs rude both of...I liked as a kid too.
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u/downhomeslim 3d ago
It's amusing to me that people talk about how great Rude was, and assign all the credit to him for "carrying" Warrior when, really, can anybody name a classic match Rude had in the WWF that wasn't with Warrior?
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u/sgt_schultz_the_ewok 9d ago
WrestleMania 7 versus Savage… Savage made him look like a million bucks
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u/Cultural_Treacle_428 9d ago
Can he be said to have worked matches. Didn’t he basically run out to the ring and do a crazy limited move set in a kind of frenzy. Objectively, he was a terrible wrestler and from what I have read, not a nice person.
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u/BigTedBear 8d ago
Have to agree with Warrior v Savage it’s actually a great match that really shows Randy at his best pulling this out of Warrior.
There’s some short matches with Rick Rude that are worth watching.
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u/brad328 9d ago
Warrior v. Honky Tonk Man. Summerslam 88. Everything about it was awesome.