I trawl through the best and worst that modern entertainment has to offer, putting my health and my ...
I trawl through the best and worst that modern entertainment has to offer, putting my health and my santiy on the line, so you don't have to. Read more about my exploits in my reviews. I try to make them informative and fun at the same time.
Member since:13.10.2009
Reviews:42
The Ultimate Warrior is one of the true enigmas of wrestling. With his wild hair, huge muscular physique, frenetic ring entrances and high impact wrestling style, he was the ultimate example of Vince McMahon's vision for professional wrestling. His rise to fame in the late 80's was meteoric, and by 1991 he had won WWE's world heavyweight championship from the iconic Hulk Hogan. In the same way Hogan had taken the torch from Andre the Giant, so the Ultimate Warrior was to carry it through the 90's and perhaps beyond.
However, Warrior's career was mired in controversy, from back-stage arguments to contractual disputes, legal actions, steroid abuse and personality clashes. The WWE hired and fired him no less than three times, each time trying to recapture the magic of his first run, before they parted ways in 1996. He surfaced again two years later for a brief stint in rival organisation WCW before finally calling it a day and retiring.
As is common practice for retired wrestlers, WWE has put together
a documentary charting his career. Normally such things tend to be a bit of a love fest, with past and present wrestlers and industry insiders gushing about how great the guy was to work with and how much he achieved in the ring. But with ongoing bad blood and Warrior refusing to participate in the DVD, it was obvious that this one was going to be something a bit different. And here we have it - The Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior.
What's interesting about this DVD isn't so much the retrospective insight it gives on the man himself, but rather the lengths Vince McMahon and the WWE will go to to try to get one over on him. It's no secret that Warrior was a difficult guy to work with backstage, and I don't doubt that he let his fame and success go to his head, but even I have a hard time believing some of the stories being thrown around - this is very much Vince McMahon's version of the truth, in which he portrays himself as a patient, forgiving, understanding man who only has his wrestler's best interests at heart.
There are plenty of past and present wrestlers on hand to provide their thoughts on Warrior, and as you might expect, most of them are less than complimentary. Ric Flair, Ted DiBiase and Triple H (all good company men) really don't do anything except berate him at every opportunity. Their frustration with him is perhaps understandable given his sudden, explosive rise to prominence in the WWE ahead of other more competent but less charismatic wrestlers, and there certainly seems to be a feeling amongst them all that he never really paid his dues in the industry.
But it's Hulk Hogan (arguably the man who knew him best) who proves most surprising. At various times he describes Warrior as an idiot, an egomaniac and a money grabber, yet at other times he says that he liked the man on a personal level and had a lot of time for him. It's also quite ironic that he criticises Warrior so sharply for demanding more money, when it's pretty common knowledge that Hogan doesn't get out of bed in the morning unless there's a paycheck in it for him.
Just about every one of the interviewees goes to great lengths to highlight Warrior's lack of wrestling ability. And while this is true (he had a very limited move set and tended to blow up after a couple of minutes) it's unfair to criticise him for this since there were plenty of other wrestlers then and now who went on to great success despite lacking legitimate skill. Hogan himself was never known for wrestling technically proficient matches.
But wrestling skills aside, one thing Warrior will always be remembered for are his absolutely epic promos, which really have to be seen to be believed. There's never been anything like him before or since, for which we should probably be thankful. He rants and raves jibberish for minutes on end, he snorts and grunts and convulses for no apparent reason, he reaches up to the sky for something that isn't there, and sometimes turns away from the camera just so he can shout at the wall. Nothing I can say here could possibly do them justice, but the highlights are presented in all their glory on the DVD.
In the end, whatever its shortcomings as an objective documentary, The Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior is a surprisingly compelling experience. It offers some interesting insights into the backstage world of professional wrestling, and at least attempts to give us some kind of understanding of the strange, enigmatic man known as the Ultimate Warrior.
The Ultimate Warrior a household name and icon in sports-entertainment.A driving guitar ... more
beat heralded his explosion to the ring with his signature arm bands and face paint. His intensity was unparalleled. His controversial personality is equally unmatc...
![WWE - The Self-Destruction Of The Ultimate Warrior [DVD]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/79482255.jpg "WWE - The Self-Destruction Of The Ultimate Warrior [DVD]")
Oct 19th, 2009
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