Just because of the fact that I’d rather watch the DVD as a fan and enjoy myself rather than recapping the story, i’m just going to be recapping the matches chosen on the disc.
I will rant about the extras the DVD has to offer though…
– I was very pleased with them. The Christian impersonating Ultimate Warrior was priceless and stuff like Jerry Lawler’s story about wrestling the Ultimate Warrior is unpassable. “Warrior University” might have been the best touch up next to Ted D’s story about Ultimate Warrior’s autograph signing.
– I was overall pleased with the choice of matches for the DVD as well. I chose not to do the wrestling challenge debut as one of the matches.
For the safety of all viewers, WWE Home Video reminds us to please, don’t try this at home. Somebody should have told Randy Savage that before he tried ending Ultimate Warrior’s career via double axe handle.
– Summerslam 8/17/1990
– Ultimate Warrior v. Ravishing Ric Rude – WWF World Title – Steel Cage Match
The start of this match made it special. Nothing more exciting for the crowd as well as home viewers than to see ON TOP cage brawling. Warrior drops Rude down and then hits a double axe handle off the top. Warrior whips Rude into the cage bars but proceeds to miss the blind charge and goes face-first into the steel. Rude is now busted open (already?) but wants revenge, as he does the same by whipping Warrior into the steel. Rude tries to set up the Rude Awakening early but Warrior gets out and tried the Splash but Rude lifts the knees in the nick of time. Well, after that pretty much good-for-nothing spot, Rude then connects with the Awakening. Rude climbs to the top of the cage where the cage door is opened for him offering the easy win, but in moronic fashion he refuses and jumps off the top to get pummeled by the counter. Warrior then tries crawling out but Bobby Heenan slams the doors on him. Talk about a “rude awakening.” Rude makes the pin after that which gets 2. Rude climbs the cage but to no avail as Warrior reaches up and pulls down the tights as we get to see the Flair-style ass shot. Warrior adds on some punches to continue the offense. Rude tries to come back but Warrior shakes the ropes, and you know what that means. Off the ropes, clothseline, off the other ropes, clothseline… and the Gorilla Press? Why he forgot about the third clothseline is well beyond me. Oh well, whatever gets the job done, and it did, as Warrior climbs out to escape the cage therefore retaining the title. **1/2, althought he match only spanned of my estimate to be about 10 minutes tops and wasn’t the best in quality, it had it’s fun spots and seemd to put Warrior over big time. A fun cage match.
Winner: Ultimate Warrior
– Summerslam 8/29/1988
– Ultimate Warrior v. Honky Tonk Man – Intercontinental Championship
So the big mystery opponent turns out to be Ultimate Warrior with special Jimmy Hart emphasis, and he squashes Tonk Man to win the Interconintental belt. Important yes, very, but couldn’t we have skipped putting the match in here and replaced it with something?
Winner: Ultimate Warrior
– no rating –
– WrestleMania VI 4/1/1990
– Ultimate Warrior v. Hulk Hogan – title v. title
Easily one of the most classic main events of all time. ELECTRIC crowd for this one. They trade pushes to start and then do a test of strength, won by Warrior as Hulk falls to his knees. Hulk won’t give up, and finally gets up and turns it into his favor, dropping Warrior to his knees. Hogan with a stepover takedown and elbow drop for 2. Hogan catches him with a scoop slam off the ropes, but afterwards Warrior does the exact same thing against him. Hogan bails selling the bad knee. Warrior greets him outside with stomps to the bad knee. Hogan still overselling the knee, yes, that’s right, Hogan is overselling, so Warrior is forced to throw him back in where Hogan sneaks in a double eye poke. Say it ain’t so, Hulk. Warrior accidently bumps the referee, allowing Hogan to slug away. Corner clothseline from Hogan setting up the turnbuckle 8 punch. Hogan hits a powerbomb and series of elbow drops for 2. Hulk locks in a front face lock which Warrior quickly and reluctantly counters into a small package for 2. Rear-naked choke applied by Hogan now and added punches. Chops in the corner by Hogan and then nails a clothseline for 2. Another scoop slam gets 2 and it’s back to the rear choke. Hulk breaks it with kicks to the spine and then hits a delayed back suplex for 2. Back to the rear choke. This time Warrior is able to fight out of it with elbows then the two collide with DUELING clothselines. Both men are up and it’s the ROPE SHAKE OF DOOM by the reenergized Warrior. He blocks Hogan’s punch and returns it with a headbut. Clothseline by Warriot, and another, and another. Warrior with chops and then a hard Irish whip. Suplex by Warrior gets a near fall. Bear hug applied by Warrior. After what had to have been the longest and most boring bear hug in history, Hogan is able to punch his way out and dodge a clothseline thus it nailing the ref instead. Warrior up top, double axe handle. Warrior up again, second double axe handle. Hogan dodges a flying forearm and covers but no ref. Hebner finally wakes up to count a 2. Hogan’s roll up gets 2. Hogan fires away and then hits an elbow smash that sends Warrior to the outside. Brawling occurs outside until back in Warrior goes off the ropes and hits a clothseline setting up the Gorilla Press. The preceeding splash only accounts for a 2 count. At this point Hogan has seen enough of Warrior’s big moves and hulks up. Slugfest and then he sends Warrior off the ropes, BIG BOOT. Hulkamania Leg Drop… it misses! This allows Warrior then to connect with the Splash for the final 3 count. ***3/4
Winner: Ultimate Warrior
– WrestleMania VII 3/24/1991
– Ultimate Warrior v. Randy Savage – Retirement Match
The lockup to start results in a Warrior takedown. Savage knees him and goes Hogan title v. title style with the early eye pokes, but it doesn’t stop Warrior from going on the offense so Savage takes some time outside. Warrior hits a clothseline back in the ring setting up an atomic drop. Sherri tries the run in to no avail as Warrior whips Randy into her. Warrior locks Savage up in the ropes allowing the stomping offense to kick in. Vintage clothseline hits, and Savage goes up top. In dramating fashion just for the shock value, Savage attempts a CROSSBODY. Well, you knew it wasn’t going to hit anyway, and Warrior makes the catch to block it. Cocky slap by Warrior.. Savage has no choice but to bail again. He gets a chair and slides it in to distract the ref allowing him to slip in behind and fire away. Warrior stomps in the corner and attempts a corner charge but Savage dodges it. Sherri with a dirty tactic cheap shot from the outside. Savage gets on the apron and gets a double axe handle to the outside. Later back in the ring, Savage pummels him down and gets a knee drop for 2. Gorilla Press hits. Warrior gets a roll up for 2 forcing him to bail. At this point Warrior knows what the Macho Man is up to, and nails a clothseline as soon as he comes back in. Warrior misses the shoulder and Savage covers for 2. In Hogan-Warrior fashion, Savage locks in a chinlock, Warrior gets out of it, and the two COLLIDE with the theatrical dueling clotheslinet. Sherri gets on the apron for ref distraction allowing Warrior to roll Savage up for 2. Warrior loses control of his attitude and takes out the ref. This allows Sherri to once again make her way in and attempt the shoe shot of doom, but she hits Savage by mistake. It still works out in her favor though, as Warrior goes after her allowing Savage to roll him up, but it only gets 2. Savage shoots him off to the corner and hits a neckbreaker that gets 2. Another followed by punches and a powerslam get 2. Top rope flying elbow connects followed by more elbow drops. 3 more to be exact. 4 total. Think it’s over? NO! It only gets a 2 count. Warrior goes back into control, slugs away, nails the three clothselines, and hits the Gorilla Press. He hits the big Splash but it only gets 2. Well, Warrior is a little floored along with the crowd that he didn’t get the pinfall there, so he questions the whole match thus jeapordizing the rest of his career. He gets on the apron but Savage knocks him off of it. He sets Warrior up on the barricade and then climbs back onto the apron attempting a double axe handle which misses. This allows Warrior to roll him back in along with himself. One shoulderblock hits, a 2nd, a 3rd, and that’ll do it for Randy Savage’s career. ****, this was not only a special match but probably my all-time favorite match for the Ultimate Warrior, and being that it was a retirement match of all things is damned impressive.
Winner: Ultimate Warrior
