The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior (DVD, 2002, 2-Disc Set)

When I first watched this DVD, it was when I checked it out at the Library. I was pretty mad by the
end of it. I grew up on Warrior. He was my #1 for a LONG time when I was a kid. Well, I just bought
the DVD (from a GREAT seller) here on eBay. Upon watching it again I have to admit, as one sided
as this DVD can be at times, it's Warrior's fault just as much as anyone elses. Warrior WAS invited
to be part of this project. He refused. And of all the negative things covered in this DVD, well as you'll
find out, Warrior is the one that did them. No one made him hold vince up for money, no one made him
no show so many times, no one made him sue WWF for his character. Warrior did all of that. Not WWE,
not Vince, not Hogan, Warrior did. If Warrior's legacy is nothing more than a bad taste in the mouth of
fans and his peers, it's no one else's fault. It's very unfortunate to hear about all of the really crappy things
he did behind the scenes. But, this DVD isn't totally negative. There are a lot of good things covered
in this DVD like his love for the fans, his desire (even if short lived) to become a better wrestler and his
dedication to fitness. But for every ONE positive thing, there's about 5 negative things to be covered.

This DVD covers everything from his early days teaming with Steve Borden (who later became Sting),
his runs in Memphis, his time as "Dingo Warrior," getting into the WWF, his popularity growing, the
feud with Honkey Tonk Man for the Intercontinental Title, his HUGE feud with Hulk Hogan, and other
feuds with Andre, Macho Man, Rick Rude, Jerry Lawler and more. It covers his infamous Summer Slam
fiasco in which he held up Vince for more money or wouldn't go out, the fallout after the match including
his being fired, his return, then his returns and firings through the 1990s up to his final run in WWF.
Then we go into his Indie run, the Warrior-like Renegade in WCW, Warrior's debut in WCW and the
supposed ratings drop during his WCW debut, the feud with Hogan, the Halloween Havoc match that
"stunk up the joint" that including Hogan botching a spot with a fire ball, Warrior's release from WCW
that according to Bischoff and Hogan (who were running WCW) was because of the ammount of money
Warrior was asking for, but conveniantly happened after Hogan beat Warrior which in the opinion of many
fans, happened only to make up for Hogan dropping the belt to Warrior at WrestleMania VI. I for one was
extrmely excited when Warrior came to WCW. I remember it very well. DDP was feuding with Hogan and
the nWo and was trying to find someone that Hogan couldn't beat. As young as I was at the time I just had
this feeling it was Warrior. I don't remember if there were any hints that it would be, but I knew. No matter
what the circumstances for any of his hirings (and subsequent firings), the Warrior has left fans and the entire
business with some great (and some terrible) memories that will most likely never be forgotten.

Bonus features are very lacking. So lacking it's almost disgusting and are as follows...

2 cut stories, Christian's "best" impression of Warrior, a story and TV spot for the Warrior University and 5 matches

Warrior vs. Terry Gibbs

Warrior vs.Honkey Tonk Man

Warrior vs. Hulk Hogan

Warrior vs. Rick Rude

Warrior vs. Randy Savage

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Overall This was an Outstanding Documentary summarizing the career Of the Ultimate warrior. This will chronicle the days before the spotlight and rise to main event icon as the Dingo Warrior through his final appearance as The Solo member of OWN in WCW. Most people may this this as a bashing of this former superstar , butonce you watch you will the likes of compliments as well as some bashing. The Truth may be 50/50 here, but one thing is sure they give credit where credit is due. They note the true faults of Mr. Warrior, and tell a lot that most hardcore wrestling fanatics already know and those who dont may find this very Informative. Many stars past and present provide their opinions and memories of the warrior here , Bobby Heenan, Vince Mcmahon, Hulk Hogan, Sgt Slaughter, Edge, Christian, Triple H, Eric Bischoff and Mean Gene Okerlund amonsgt others. I found the story very entertaining, and well put together. The only flaw would be the match extras. Two Of the matches are extremely short , and There are only five complete matches in the disc. There was so much more they could have opened the vault for , but perhaps the strained relationship between The WWE and Warrior may have influenced WWE to decide not to spend as much money on the extras as they would have otherwise. Considering Other WWE Home video releases , It certainly does not scale as high as the likes Of the Rare Out Of Print Hollywood Hulk Hogan : Hulk Still Rules or even The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection. You will Enjoy nonetheless.

Watching this DVD set you'll learn a lot about the Ultimate Warrior. They'll give you a pretty brief account of his history in the business, prior to the WWE and other such stuff. After that, it's basically a bashing on the Ultimate Warrior. Superstars old and new will tell you what they feel and think about the Warrior from watching him on TV or working with him. This DVD has its hilarious moments, mainly because they all seem to take turns makign fun of the Ultimate Warrior and the man behind the muscle. On the other hand, you do get some interesting stories about him as well, which really clue you into why the Ultimate Warrior didn't reach a level of stardom the likes of Hulk Hogan. This DVD will cover the Warrior's break into the wrestling business, through his (several) times with the WWE, his time in WCW and even some accounts of what he has been up to after wrestling. It's a one disc set, so don't expect anything the likes of Flair's collection. Also, the extras aren't much to speak of, but then again, it's just the Ultimate Warrior - so there really isn't anything worth showing anyway. There's about 5 matches (if you can stand to watch the Ultimate Warrior that long) and some interviews/comments with superstars that didn't make the feature. I think anyone who enjoys hearing backstage stories and biographical wrestling DVDs will find this one a gem. As I said, it seems like most of the DVD is everyone bashing on the Ultimate Warrior, but there is a lot of entertaining information and stories shared. It's a must have for all wrestling fans - new, long-time, young or old.

This seems to be a reasonable overview of the career of Warrior. It is unfortunate that Warrior chose not to be involved. Some of the people being interviewed disliked him intensely, others seem to genuinely like him. I only have 2 complaints about the production:

1> It's too short. That's right, you read it correctly. A number of classic Warrior rants I remember from my childhood are not present. And I felt that there was quite a bit more story to tell, some tings just seemed to be glossed over.

2> Warrior's lack of involvement. The title of the DVD leads you to believe that he will be savagely attacked in this production. It doesn't happen. But Warrior is not there to present his side of the numerous controversies. It's a shame. My understanding is that Warrior wanted a puff-piece but WWE had other plans. While the former Mr. Hellwig may be a warrior, he is also a human being. I am sure he made mistakes. Insisting on hiding those mistakes is not realistic. Acknowledge them, apologize for them, and move on. If Vince and Warrior can get over the acrimony of the tumultuous relationship in the '90s, then so can the viewers.

This is an excellent overview of the career of the Warrior, and highly recommended. I hope that the WWE and Warrior can come together to make a longer more comprehensive documentary in the future. I would love to see both sides of the issues.

My only complaint is that the Warrior's lack of technical skill is focused on more than the (pardon the expression) "Ultimate" charisma. The guy could work a crowd like no other. He virtually exuded excitement. It's mentioned, but if I didn't watch Warrior's rise in the late '80s and early '90s I would be wondering "How could such a bad performer become the top guy in the industry?" This is by far the best wrestling documentary I've seen, but it just needs more.

And, for the record, I was not a fan of the Warrior back in the day.

Great WWE DVD great documentary about one of the most unique wrestlers of all time The Ultimate Warrior, the only negative I have about this dvd is there was no warrior side of the story. Great matches of the warrior vs Ravishing Rick Rude, Honky Tonk Man, Andre The Giant, and Hulk Hogan.