It's still such a shock to me that the Ultimate Warrior is gone. I saw his Hall of Fame speech last Saturday night, taking center stage with the rest of the inductees at WrestleMania that Sunday, and his amazing farewell promo to the fans on RAW the night after...and now he's gone.
Since being a fan, I've had my fair share of wrestling deaths that devastated me: Paul Bearer, Randy Savage, Chris Benoit (BEFORE all the details were revealed), and am also aware of the ones that stunned others before my time, like Eddie Guerrero, Owen Hart, Mr. Perfect, and others. What hurts so much about the death of the Ultimate Warrior is that fans hoped this would signify a comeback for him. Maybe not answering the request of "one more match," but rather by establishing and immortalizing his legacy left in the late '80s and early '90s as one of the company's top 3 superstars, along with Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage.
The '80s was a period of great characters who could cut amazing promos, and got by on average wrestling skills thanks to the overall popularity or hatred that their characters received by the fans. Ultimate Warrior was one of the most charismatic characters, considered to be on equal footing with Hogan around 1989, and especially in 1990. What got him over with the fans? His unique and confusing promos? His look with colorful face paint and tassels? His energetic entrance of running to the ring and shaking the ropes to one of the most beloved theme songs in wrestling history? Was it a combination of all three?Apart from mediocre wrestling skills, Ultimate Warrior could be considered a "total package" kind of superstar that the WWE (then WWF) needed in the late '80s, as the next superstar in line once Hogan started getting older (picture how the WWE has experimented with Sheamus, CM Punk, and now Daniel Bryan to be the next in line if John Cena were to step down). This led to their classic match at WrestleMania VI, where 1990 became the experimental year of the Ultimate Warrior as "the man." A year later, he'd have another WrestleMania classic with Randy Savage at WrestleMania VII. These two 'Mania moments are really the heart of Warrior's legacy, of being able to having amazingly epic matches with top talent when motivated. His 1989 feud with Ravishing Rick Rude is also something to check out, with a few memorable matches at WrestleMania V and SummerSlam.
Go back and watch his 3 appearances this previous week (his Hall of Fame speech, his appearance at WrestleMania XXX, and especially his promo from Monday Night RAW). The man looked tired, he was clutching his heart, speaking in short sentences, and seemed fatigued through a lot of it. Add the intensity of his character over the years, and the excitement of this previous week, it all adds up to one thing: The man had a heart problem (which was confirmed in the autopsy report this week). Whether he knew he would be going THIS soon after being inducted in the Hall of Fame, it was clear that it was important for him to mend his grudges within the industry as soon as possible. I'm thankful he did, because Warrior and his fans were given a wonderful moment during WrestleMania weekend that we had been waiting years for.I offer my sincerest condolences to Warrior's family, and I know what he said on RAW rings true...
"No WWE talent becomes a legend on their own. 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 makes the blood pulse through the body of others, it makes them bleed deeper and something larger than life, then his essence, his spirit, will be immortalized."
R.I.P. Ultimate Warrior...and Thank You
No
WWE talent becomes a legend on their own. Every mans heart one day
beats it's final beat, his lungs breathe their final breath. And what
that man did in his life makes the blood pulse though the body of
others. It makes them bleed deeper in something larger than life. Then
his essence, his spirit will be immortalized by the story tellers, by
the loyalty, by the memory of those who honor him and make the running
the man did live forever.
Read more at http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/news/319084/ROH-Releases-Statement-on-the-Passing-of-Warrior.htm#4TOeDCCyAeS9K4TZ.99
Read more at http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/news/319084/ROH-Releases-Statement-on-the-Passing-of-Warrior.htm#4TOeDCCyAeS9K4TZ.99
No
WWE talent becomes a legend on their own. Every mans heart one day
beats it's final beat, his lungs breathe their final breath. And what
that man did in his life makes the blood pulse though the body of
others. It makes them bleed deeper in something larger than life. Then
his essence, his spirit will be immortalized by the story tellers, by
the loyalty, by the memory of those who honor him and make the running
the man did live forever.
Read more at http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/news/319084/ROH-Releases-Statement-on-the-Passing-of-Warrior.htm#4TOeDCCyAeS9K4TZ.99
Read more at http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/news/319084/ROH-Releases-Statement-on-the-Passing-of-Warrior.htm#4TOeDCCyAeS9K4TZ.99
No
WWE talent becomes a legend on their own. Every mans heart one day
beats it's final beat, his lungs breathe their final breath. And what
that man did in his life makes the blood pulse though the body of
others. It makes them bleed deeper in something larger than life. Then
his essence, his spirit will be immortalized by the story tellers, by
the loyalty, by the memory of those who honor him and make the running
the man did live forever.
Read more at http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/news/319084/ROH-Releases-Statement-on-the-Passing-of-Warrior.htm#4TOeDCCyAeS9K4TZ.99
Read more at http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/news/319084/ROH-Releases-Statement-on-the-Passing-of-Warrior.htm#4TOeDCCyAeS9K4TZ.99
No
WWE talent becomes a legend on their own. Every mans heart one day
beats it's final beat, his lungs breathe their final breath. And what
that man did in his life makes the blood pulse though the body of
others. It makes them bleed deeper in something larger than life. Then
his essence, his spirit will be immortalized by the story tellers, by
the loyalty, by the memory of those who honor him and make the running
the man did live forever.
Read more at http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/news/319084/ROH-Releases-Statement-on-the-Passing-of-Warrior.htm#4TOeDCCyAeS9K4TZ.99
Read more at http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/news/319084/ROH-Releases-Statement-on-the-Passing-of-Warrior.htm#4TOeDCCyAeS9K4TZ.99
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