I had the opportunity to briefly sit down with the Ultimate Warrior this past Sunday and talk to him about his recent return match with the European promotion New Wrestling Evolution, as well as his fitness regimen, and his thoughts on returning to WWE or TNA.
Here's is the first half of our short interview, along with some photos from the NWE match last month. You can also see video highlights of our conversation here.
I'll be back tomorrow with the second installment.
Warrior on how his first match in ten years with the NWE came about:
"It was just the timing of things. I've been doing a lot of different things in my life entrepreneurly. I have a family, a couple of young children - a couple of beautiful young girls. I've been living in New Mexico keeping myself busy doing a bunch of other stuff other than wrestling. This company had contacted me a couple of years ago and told me some of their ideas they had about what they wanted to do. Actually they’re a media company and they wanted to do wrestling as part of what they do. They’re a huge print publisher of magazines and stuff and I guess they started printing and publishing their own wrestling magazine and it became very popular.
The producer, Roberto Indiano, actually worked with WWE a few years ago and then he left there and wanted to stay there in Italy. They’ve been doing shows there for the last three or four years. When they contacted me a few years ago, it just didn’t work out. They didn’t have their act together. They basically just presented me their ideas of what they wanted to do. And then they called me a few months ago and said they were ready to reach out and develop television programming. They wanted to get attention and they wanted to see if there was a chance we could work something out for me to make a ring return.
So it was all good. Me and my family take a vacation every summer typically for a month. So I negotiated as part of the deal that we would go over an spend a whole month there and be able to train and stay in Barcelona where I was going to perform on June 25.”
Warrior on staying in shape:
I still continue to be very intense with exercise. I love exercise. I wouldn’t say I’m a muscle head at heart, but I love to get in the gym and bang it out. And I’ve been around physical fitness and exercising and weight training and bodybuilding since I was 11 or 13 years old. And I’ve seen the chances in the health and fitness industry. It’s just all very mediocre – the way people train today compared to the way they used to train and what they needed in a gym to get their training done... people have always been curious about the way I train and how I stay in shape. People write me all the time - "How can I get in shape? How can I get on an exercise program?" And you know, I was just getting ready to turn 49... Every morning I wake up and affirm to myself that I’ve only lived one third of my life and 50 years of age. “
Warrior on his reasons for making a return:“You know the challenge of it all. After 10 years, could I still do it? Could I still get in the ring?… Age wasn’t the factor that prevented me. That was never something that I thought about, but as far as an opportunity presenting itself here in the states and stuff – No, I didn’t see it on the horizon. I had forgotten about (wrestling) totally until NWE contacted me a few years ago.”
Warrior on his past life as a WWE superhero:“I don’t spend a lot of time sitting around thinking about those glory days if you will. My kids know they’re dad did the Ultimate Warrior as a wrestler. We don’t do any of that. I have some unique licensing deals where stuff shows up in the mail with Ultimate Warrior stuff. Intellectual property is always being used. People are very surprised when they come into my office. There’s hardly anything in my office that represents (my wrestling career.) There’s boxes and boxes and boxes of stuff going back to the Dingo Warrior days - stuff I have. But my office isn’t set up like a showcase piece for the Ultimate Warrior.”
(Note: Thanks again to Jared at PSI Marketing Group for setting up the interview and for the photos.)
Comments (22)
No offense, but this is why you should never send a fan of a person to interview said person. As a fan of both Warrior and Alfonso's column, I have to admit that reading this was like watching paint dry.
We didn't learn anything, and it seems that it was all just an opportunity for Al to show the world he got to shake Warrior's hand.
Now I wonder if this will see print, or if it'll go the way of the hard-hitting questions Warrior *could* have been asked.
Jon, That's a fair enough criticism. There's a big back story to how this interview unfolded, and sufficed to say, I too was a little disappointed with how it all worked out in the end.
I had about 50 questions prepared and hoped to spend about an hour with Warrior. Instead, I got all of about seven minutes to talk to Warrior, and got about three questions out in that time. That's why the transcript above is divided into topics and not questions - there weren't many.
I certainly would have liked to ask him about a myriad different subjects, including the "Self Destruction" DVD, but spent most of my interview getting the rap-up sign. To his credit, I don't think Warrior would have had any problem talking about most anything, as I heard him discuss the DVD, his litigation with WWE, and other stuff with anybody who asked.
None of this is to make excuses or be defensive, just to offer a little background. I spent about six hours Sunday trying to make this happen, and tried to salvage what I could here. Thanks!
Clearly the whole gimmick of the Ultimate Warrior hinged on a few key elements, including his long, wild hair. Today his physique looks tremendous for his age, but these current photos are just laughable due to the buzzcut.
Yeah, not sure why he lost the long mane. He had it shoulder length just a few years ago, but still graying. Maybe it's just cheaper to have Mrs. Warrior run the clippers over his head in the sink than go to a barber.
As a kid, I loved UW...then I grew up and realized that he was not a good worker, sucked in interviews and honestly do not get the entire thrill of a roided man in tights and arm tassels running down the aisle. His music was great, but again this was the 80s. This gimmick, if debuted tomorrow, would get laughed out of the building and abused on websites like your own. UW is indeed a shill and that he would not let you talk to him says something about the man. I highly doubt he had so many people lined up to talk to him. Whatever he is going to fade away with that other embarrassment Hulk Hogan.
M.T.
www.itraveler.weebly.com
qoute of the day:
"queering doesn't make the world work."
---the warrior
april 2005
Deepak- That kind of crap is one of the main reasons this guy is the worst of the worst.
And then there's this: "Every morning I wake up and affirm to myself that I’ve only lived one third of my life and 50 years of age. “
I THINK what he's saying is that he will live forever. Or at least until he's 150. As long as he keeps "banging it out" at the gym, and stays away from the "queering", he should be good to go 'til at least 2050. God help us.
I, for one, would love to see a 149-year-old Warrior get a rubber match against Hogan at WrestleMania 125.
Alfonso - With the power of the little warriors, anything is possible. And when I say "little warriors", I mean "enough prescription pharmaceuticals to choke a rhino".
But really Mr. Warrior, fill us in on your work-out routine. We are all DYING to know more.
Sorry, trying to stem the tide of hate. I'm begging for a non-Warrior related post here. For my blood pressure's sake.
I'm glad to hear that I am not alone in loving the Warrior as a kid and when you get older, realizing his promos mad no sense whatsoever. I still loved him as a kid though. I think of him as Goldberg before Goldberg was Goldberg. That's not necessarily a slight to either guy or anything. I'm just saying that both had great entrances, short matches, and nothing to say on promos.
I don't know why everyone hates on his promos.
Sure we loved them as kids. Sure we now realize they make no sense. But WHO CARES, they are hysterical. Warrior would be just as successful now as he was then, because fans would be enthralled with the randomness of his promos.
By the way Mad, you say that Warrior would be laughed out of the arena today. Well, Batista is the same as Warrior, except his promos are more logical. I would rather have Warriors illogical promos, as supposed to Batista's logical, but terribly performed ones. I don't see people laughing Batista out of the building.
OH CRAP, I just realized something.
He wouldn't be successful, because he would have gotten the 3 steroid strikes in a span of 8 months, and been fired. My bad.
Haha Pete...true...UW would not last long now with the wellness policy. Ugh Batista-vs-UW...battle of the rope shakers. Yikes.
The thing is, almost none of the great promo artists' promos actually made sense. Between Dusty, Rocky, Flair, Hogan, Warrior, Piper, Savage, and to an extent Austin, they were all entertaining as hell and got everything over, but they pretty much make no sense. Picture a transcript of one of any of their promos. It would look like something an illiterate person tried to write. But they all went out there and just said what came to them, with the energy amped up to 11, and we all loved it.
I think it's a bit of a shame that everything is so scripted now. Just about no one has that same level of energy (that any of the above had) when they're reading from cards.
leatherface. im not a homophob. i just think warrior can be pretty funny sometimes. guy is bat-crazy
Deepak - I was definitely not accusing you of anything. I just personally think the guy is a prick for spouting off crap like that. And he thinks he's some kind of role model.
But yeah, it is mostly hilarious. That Self-Destruction DVD is great for laughs. Promo after promo of complete nonsense, delivered at top volume. And the stories about him wrestling Andre are priceless.
He's a lunatic and a moron. I do not care for Ultimate Warrior or Warrior Warrior or whatever his name is one bit.
Barring the whole wellness thing and if he had never existed 20 years ago I think Warrior would do pretty well for himself today too. He's big (which matters), intense as all hell and sells the character like no other. That's the problem with most of the WWE farm system grads these days - with few exceptions pretty much everyone is just a young athletic man with no character at all outside of maybe being a little bit of a jerk. Wow, look at how athletic that guy is! Why if this was a real competition it would almost matter!
NO ONE lives the gimmick like Hogan, Flair, Austin, Dibiase, Warrior or any number of old school guys did and that makes the whole show less enjoyable. It's characters that put asses in seats so to speak. The people that want to see top notch athletes just being top notch athletes are watching something sanctioned by the NCAA, not the WWE.
-E-, the thing about gimmicks is that most of the top tier guys don't even have them. Look at the top guys from the late 90s/2000s (the people who put asses in seats). They all for the most part were themselves with the volume way up, so to speak. Maybe they used stage-names, but they were just themselves.
Austin: redneck guy, no gimmick really.
Rock: NO gimmick whatsoever
HHH: No gimmick
'Taker: NO GIMMICK (Biker-Taker obviously)
Angle: No gimmick
Jericho: No gimmick
Now look at todays "ass-in-seat" stars;
Edge: No gimmick
Cena: No gimmick
HHH: No gimmick
CM Punk: No gimmick
HBK: No gimmick
Jericho: No gimmick
JBL: No gimmick
The only "ass-in-seat" star that is a gimmick is 'Taker.
So there is only 1 really successful "ass-in-seat" gimmick.
Pete,
Although I would argue that some of the guys on your list aren't really stars, even if they did hold the title, that's a different conversation. I more or less agree with you about all those top guys but maybe I didn't word it the right way.
Austin, Angle, Hogan, Flair and most of the guys on your list ARE their gimmicks. These guys have personality and it comes through AS their gimmick. They live the gimmick because they ARE the gimmick. They didn't have gimmicks given to them by committee they just amped themselves up 1000%. The Rock is very much a gimmick, it's Dwayne Johnson kicked up a bunch of notches, my guess is that he doesn't walk into his dentists office for an appointment and tell the secretary to have the jabroni doctor get his candy ass over to the chair (if you smell what he's cookin'). It's not a gimmick in the sense of Stephanie McMahon telling him he's going to be a wrestling janitor and handing him a bucket, but it's very much a gimmick. It's a gimmick that he created for himself from what's inside of him naturally. Warrior is the same, in real life he's a nut and when he cut a promo it was just him kicking up the nutjobbery. He sells the gimmick because he IS the gimmick. Maybe gimmick isn't the right word exactly maybe character works better. Every top guy including Warrior has sold their character very well because they ARE their character and that's why I think Warrior as a fresh young guy would still go over pretty well today. Certainly better than whatever vanilla great athlete comes out of the farm system next.
Austin: Redneck asskicker
Rock: Ridiculously cocky dude
HHH: Dude who tells dick jokes -> Driven top dog heel
'Taker: Zombie/Biker
Angle: Dork and/or tough legit wrestler dude
Jericho: Cocky dude who softened when he fell in love with girl
Edge: Jerkoff who sometimes does the Victoria "pull his own hair because he's going craaaazzzyyyy" thing
Cena: Ok, not really a gimmick at this point
HHH: Neo-nazi who tells dick jokes
CM Punk: Driven underdog
HBK: Male stripper who loves Jebus
Jericho: Heel who is sure he's the babyface
JBL: Millionaire jerkoff
when you die you can't take your intellect and subjectivity with you ...can you? all your little anti warrior opinions will be sucked out of your veins along with mine(unless of course we ascend for real)so ...get my drift? oh well,
Jules
p.s. i think Warrior's promos and interviews were *&#$%ing AWESOME; i think his WCW return speech was pretty damn cool
"Do in your life what will Live forever!"
Original Warrior vs. Hogan match???
I remember there were two matches of Ultimate Warrior with Hulk Hogan in WWF. First one was original (the fight was not fake). Let me tell u a few of its points which differentiate it from the second match which was fought at Wrestle mania 6:
1. It was about 45 + minute long.
2. In it Warrior entered the arena after Hogan; Hogan was introduced first.
3. Warrior lost his face colour completely by the end as he sweat a lot during the match.
4. In it the refree was injured and it was accidental.
5. Warrior used his anger (his typical style of charging up before his finishing move) first and used his first signature move; he picked up Hogan and then slammed him then ran onto him. (I don't know the names of the moves)
6. Later Hogan used his fury and Leg Dropped Warrior. But Warrior rose before 3rd count. It was the first time I ever saw someone getting up from Hulk Hogan's leg drop. This is significantly different from the fake match of WM-6, in which Warrior moved aside and finished Hogan directly.
7. Finally Warrior used his second finishing move after charging up again and this time he eliminated Hogan, although Hogan did got up immediately after the third count but it was a bit late.
8. Hogan was very disappointed and dishearted and kept on thinking for long after the match and finally brought the belt and gave it to Warrior which was a surprise for Warrior.
9. Hogan left on some vehicle that I've never seen before or after in Wrestling.
Later on the repeat of this match was performed by both the wrestlers on WM6, perhaps the intention of management was to sell more tickets as this time it was a main event and a lot of capacity was there in this stadium. History has deleted the first wrestling to avoid shame, but it cannot delete it from my memory. After all it was the best wrestling that I saw in my entire life.
If anyone has the original in any form (VCR, DVD etc.) Please do let me know. salmanzaheerlse@hotmail.com