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Ultimate Warrior's best tribute is new DVD set

Ultimate Warrior's best tribute is new DVD set

Posted: Apr 17th 2014 By: Alfonso A. Castillo

The WWE has undertaken separate tributes to the late Ultimate Warrior this week, including a live ?Monday Night Raw? dedicated to his memory.

But strangely, the company?s most fitting tribute to the Warrior came a week before his death, with the release of the ?Ultimate Warrior: The Ultimate Collection? DVD set.

The two-disc set?the centerpiece of the reconciliation between Warrior and WWE chairman Vince McMahon following a 17-year-feud ? not only does a fine job of compiling some of the Warrior?s most memorable matches and interviews, but it also captures Warrior in a light in which most wrestling fans never saw him before his Hall of Fame induction three nights before his April 8 death: reflective, appreciative, and very much at peace.

Warrior, who was born James Hellwig, died Tuesday from a massive heart attack, according to authorities.

The DVD set was, undoubtedly, WWE?s attempt to make good with Warrior following its petty 2005 home video release, ?The Self-Destruction of The Ultimate Warrior? ? mostly a compilation of WWE talking heads poking fun at the Warrior, and downplaying his contributions to the business. That DVD?now a collector?s item listed on Ebay for as much as $80?only served to deepen the rift between Warrior and McMahon.

The ?Ultimate Collection? attempts to right history by having Warrior himself, looking grizzled but healthy while talking in front of a fireplace, walk viewers through the evolution of his iconic wrestling persona. The DVDs span Warrior?s entree into wrestling as a competitive bodybuilder, through his earliest days in the ring teaming with Steve ?Sting" Borden, through the earliest incarnations of his legendary character in World Class Championship Wrestling, through his meteoric rise in WWE.

In addition to the Warrior?s most famous bouts, including his ?Ultimate Challenge? of Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VI and his ?career-ending match? with ?Macho King? Randy Savage at WrestleMania VII, the DVD set features several rare treasures that even the most ardent Warrior fan has likely never seen. They include a Blade Runners "squash" match in Bill Watts? UWF territory, a WCCW singles bout against ?Gentleman? Chris Adams, and several WWE house-show matches from the 1980s, including one against Harley Race and a title-for-title bout against Savage during the first WWF heavyweight title reign for the "Macho Man."

As is usually the case with the Warrior, four-star showcases of technical wrestling acumen are nowhere to be found. But the chosen matches effectively capture the excitement and frenzy that followed the Warrior every time he sprinted to the ring. The atmosphere at the Warrior?s higher-stakes showdowns, including a pair of matches against Andre the Giant in 1989 and a 1991 cage match with Savage at Madison Square Garden, was particularly electric.

But, by far, the most compelling parts of the DVD set are the new sit-down interviews with Warrior. Far removed from the scornful, delusional and resentful ex-wrestler whose eccentricities are well-documented on YouTube, the Warrior depicted here is wise and gracious. He has a realistic grasp on the contributions he made, and on the business of wrestling in general.

Warrior ? often criticized for not respecting his colleagues ? gushes about Andre, "Ravishing" Rick Rude and, in particular, Savage, and shares some lighthearted stories about his years working and traveling with them. He recalls not having a problem dropping the WWE championship to Sgt. Slaughter, and how much it meant to him that Savage allowed him to pin him with one foot at WrestleMania VII.

The ?Ultimate Collection,? combined with Warrior?s touching Hall of Fame induction speech and what turned out to be his farewell promo on ?Raw? last week, all combine to paint a picture of someone who had turned a corner sometime in the last few years, let go of a lot of anger, and was able to look back on his career with pride and gratitude in his final days.

 

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Spotlight in History

  • 1969 Wahoo McDaniel & Thunderbolt Patterson became the WCCW American Tag Team Champions
  • 1971 Johnny Valentine def. Toru Tanaka for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 1976 Jose Lothario def. The Mongolian Stomper for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 2009 Randy Price def. Dustin Heritage for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 2009 Martin Justice became the OECW Southwestern Champion

Week of Sun 06-21 to Sat: 06-27

  • 06-21 1982 Junkyard Dog def. Bob Roop for the MSW North American Heavyweight Title
  • 06-21 1987 Al Perez def. The Dingo Warrior for the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Title
  • 06-21 2003 Kitty def. Manservant for the TPW Womens Title
  • 06-21 2008 Tim Rockwell def. El Super Colibri for the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Title
  • 06-21 2008 Li'l Joe def. Xavior for the GPCW Cruiserweight Title
  • 06-21 2014 Buster Cherry def. Havoc for the SWCW All-American Title
  • 06-21 2024 Big Sed def. Sam Adonis for the TexPro Heavyweight Title
  • 06-21 2025 Dan Webber became the LCW Lionheart Champion
  • 06-22 2005 Phillip def. Se7en for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 06-22 2018 Joe Cuedo def. Brock Baker for the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Title
  • 06-22 2024 Pastor Brent def. Daniel Aaron Michalles for the WAH Hunger Dojo Title
  • 06-22 2024 Daniel Aaron Michalles def. Pastor Brent for the WAH Hunger Dojo Title
  • 06-22 2025 Billie the Kiid def. Dan Webber for the ASP Heavyweight Title
  • 06-23 1972 Billy Red Lyons def. The Spoiler for the WCCW American Heavyweight Title
  • 06-23 1980 Mr. Hito & Mr. Sakurada def. Jose Lothario & Tiger Conway Jr. for the WCCW American Tag Team Titles
  • 06-23 1982 Ted DiBiase def. Junkyard Dog for the MSW North American Heavyweight Title
  • 06-23 1984 Gino Hernandez became the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Champion
  • 06-23 1989 The Stud Stable (Robert Fuller & Brian Lee) def. Jeff Jarrett & Mil Mascaras for the WCCW World Tag Team Titles
  • 06-23 2001 Big Daddy Moore def. Adam Lacroix for the OPW Oklahoma Television Title
  • 06-23 2001 Grenade became the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Champion
  • 06-23 2009 Joshua Michael & Epic became the ACW Tag Team Champions
  • 06-23 2023 Dustin Tibbs def. Thrash for the WFC Prime Title
  • 06-24 1972 Stan Stasiak def. Red Bastien for the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Title
  • 06-24 1974 Bull Ramos def. Rip Tyler for the TSW North American Title
  • 06-24 1977 John Studd became the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
  • 06-24 1985 The Dynamic Duo (Gino Hernandez & Chris Adams) def. The Fantastics (Tommy Rogers & Bobby Fulton) for the WCCW American Tag Team Titles
  • 06-24 2000 Great Bolo [2nd] def. Ichiban [2nd] for the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Title
  • 06-24 2000 Ichiban [2nd] became the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Champion
  • 06-24 2005 Spoiler 2000 became the NWA-U Television Champion
  • 06-24 2006 Prophet SteVens became the AACW Television Champion
  • 06-24 2007 Matt Garza became the MSWA Mid-South Cruiserweight Champion
  • 06-24 2016 Dynamic Shields (Justin Dynamic & Shawn Shields) def. Terry Montana & Mighty Mouse for the ComPro Tag Team Titles
  • 06-24 2016 Seth Angel def. Steven Cruze for the ComPro Showtime Title
  • 06-24 2016 Adrian Dell def. Nathan Estrada for the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Title
  • 06-24 2017 Drake Gallows became the ASP Heavyweight Champion
  • 06-24 2017 Excellence Personified (Duke Swellington & Dustin Heritage) def. Shawn Hendrix & Aaron Anders (substituting for Anthony Andrews) for the ComPro Tag Team Titles
  • 06-24 2017 Dynamic Shields (Justin Dynamic & Shawn Shields) def. Big Smooth & Zakk Sinizter for the UWE Tag Team Titles
  • 06-24 2018 Shawn Sanders def. Chaz Sharpe for the ASP Inter-County Title
  • 06-24 2018 Canadian Red Devil def. Adam Patrick for the ASP Mid-American Title
  • 06-24 2020 Warren Powers def. Giganto for the BPW 365 Title
  • 06-24 2023 Stage Dive Mafia (Rook Tyler & Axel Savage) became the BCW Tag Team Champions
  • 06-24 2023 C. M. Burnham def. Lunchador for the WAH Hunger Dojo Title
  • 06-24 2023 Lunchador def. C. M. Burnham for the WAH Hunger Dojo Title
  • 06-25 2011 Sam Stackhouse def. Shane Morbid for the BYEW Heavyweight Title
  • 06-25 2011 The Sons of Ireland (Devan Scott & Shane Scott) def. The New Age Syndicate (Scott Sanders & Shawn Sanders) for the BYEW Tag Team Titles
  • 06-25 2011 Chris Chaos became the BYEW Caution Champion
  • 06-25 2011 The Future Hall of Famers (John O'Malley & Brad Michaels) def. Bernie D & Aaron Neil (subbing for Max McGuirk) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 06-25 2016 Brian Breaker def. Zakk Sinizter for the UWE Heavyweight Title
  • 06-25 2017 The Cub Scouts (Grizzly Gates & Brock Landers) became the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Champions
  • 06-25 2026 Bang Bang Bennett def. Jacob Edwards for the RDW Na'Cho Momma's Hardcore Title
  • 06-26 1961 The Bolos (The Great Bolo [1st] & The Mighty Bolo) became the TSW Champion
  • 06-26 1987 Frankie Lancaster & Eric Embry def. The Fantastics (Tommy Rogers & Bobby Fulton) for the WCCW World Tag Team Titles
  • 06-26 1999 Tarantula def. Original Renegade for the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Title
  • 06-26 2005 Li'l Joe def. Phillip for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 06-26 2009 Brandon Groom def. The Handsome Spoiler for the TOPW Oklahoma Heavyweight Title
  • 06-26 2009 Kevin James Sanchez def. Bobby Starr for the BYEW Entertainment Title
  • 06-26 2009 The Handsome Spoiler became the TOPW Oklahoma Heavyweight Champion
  • 06-26 2021 Most Wanted (Dan Webber & Reese) def. Los Loco Moscas (Elijah Sparks & El Greengo Loco) for the WAH Tag Team Titles
  • 06-26 2025 Microman def. Mini Abismo Negro for the EDW Heavyweight Title
  • 06-27 1969 Wahoo McDaniel & Thunderbolt Patterson became the WCCW American Tag Team Champions
  • 06-27 1971 Johnny Valentine def. Toru Tanaka for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 06-27 1976 Jose Lothario def. The Mongolian Stomper for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 06-27 2009 Randy Price def. Dustin Heritage for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 06-27 2009 Martin Justice became the OECW Southwestern Champion
06-27
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  • Li'l Joe Jul 1st
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  • Crowson D. Calhoun Jul 2nd
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