Bruce Prichard shoots on why Ultimate Warrior didn't draw well as champion

[@AWrestlingHistorian]

Having him destroy the entire heel roster before winning the WWF Championship didn't help.

[@duck_5150]

Very true.

[@melvynsngltn27]

I agree 100%. I blame Vince for not letting the Warrior lose the belt to Ted Dibiase or Macho Man or Rude. That would of shocked people and created a good fued. Warrior was good but needed another rival instead of like you said Warrior destroying everyone

[@johnepants]

Warrior didn’t destroy the heel roster before hand. He had a big feud with Rude and Andre in 89, that’s it. Hogan has Savage, Million Dollar Man, Mr Perfect before and after Wrestlemania, and then, when he was no longer the champ, he ran with the next big heel in Earthquake instead of Warrior.

[@poopsyko]

@@johnepants uh yeah Warrior did destroy the heel roster How many wasted potential pay per view matches that were on shows just blows my mind sometimes

[@johnepants]

@@poopsyko in 1989 Warrior had two feuds, Rick Rude and Andre. Yeah, he beat up some of Heenan’s lackeys, but guys like Haku, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard were never going to hit the main event in 1990 anyway. He started 1990 with a feud with Dino Bravo, and that really kicked off when Earthquake debuted and splashed his back. That was a natural and current feud that could have led to big Warrior vs Earthquake title matches leading up to Summerslam, but they fed Quake to Hogan instead. In 1989, Hogan feuded with Savage, Big Boss Man, Million Dollar Man and Mr Perfect, beating all 4 of them. By 1990, Bossman was turned face, Savage just got done with his title feud and went back to the mid card, Perfect was moved to fill the IC void, and Million Dollar man was also moved to the mid card. Hogan took all the potential main event heels and beat them up all during 1989, then took the fresh hot monster heel as his big feud of the year leaving Warrior with scraps.

[@benjaminclark4030]

"I don't know what he's looking at, but this is the drizzling fucking shits!" I have listened to this part on repeat at least 30 times and it keeps getting better. I'm dying.

[@TheRageaholic]

This comment section is deeply reassuring for the future of mankind's capacity to think. Bruce is blatantly and demonstrably bullshitting to cover for the company's failings, and it's heartening to see most people can spot his spin from space.

[@vampirascoffin870]

Thank you facts

[@sleazyfellow]

WWF did the same thing with Daniel Bryan decades later, what major feud was he placed in after his long run chasing the title for a year+? A feud with freaking Kane wasn't going to light the ticket sales on fire like it would of in the late 90s. His run to the title was a lucrative one for the company, the yes shirts sold like crazy, but once he got there he didn't figure into the overall plan of the company. Unlike the saying, you can't turn chicken salad out of chicken shit literally. Warrior was before the big belt, more over than Hogan easily, as I was a kid back then and the Hogan train was not as hyped as it was 3 years earlier. Once warrior got his reward for being the biggest draw in the company they made him no memorable feuds to be featured in. Ending the title reign at a feud with slaughter of all people who looked like shit at the time.

[@DJRitty]

They all know everything and yet nothing...great job being primarily for learning, internet lol :P

[@zachary_attackery]

I never knew you were into wrestling, I don't think I've ever heard you talk about it. That would be cool if you did a "mythos" series on people like Ultimate Warrior. If you listen to a lot of shoot interviews, most people actually LIKED Warrior, the few people that talk shit about him were all miserable and/or unsuccessful themselves

[@Bryan8329]

The 22-minute runtime is a bit of a giveaway

[@williamthomas5215]

Conrad “Meltzer’s gonna freestyle here” Thompson

[@RazorFoxDV]

Gawd, I wish I hadn't read this comment as the video was starting, because now, all I hear is "blah blah blah Meltzer freestyling blah blah..."

[@Jrocc811]

And Bruce "Fuck Dave Meltzer" Prichard. I love it every time he says that.

[@TheShaund]

🤣🤣🤣

[@ianmcandrew7893]

Ahh I always thought his middle name was rumor and innuendo

[@countdooku2781]

@@ianmcandrew7893 😂😂

[@Robotman4108]

I was a Warrior fan as a kid and him beating Hogan was a great moment, but once the wild unstoppable force gets to the top there isn’t really anywhere else to go. Hogan was a giant muscle bound freak but he still found a way to make his opponents seem like dangerous monsters and serious threats. It created drama even though everyone knew Hulk would win in the end. Warrior on the other hand didn’t have any great intimidating opponents so it seemed like the champion was punching down. They put him with Rude again because he was so damn good that he could actually make the Warrior seem competent in the ring. But there was still no chance of him winning.

[@ACOB]

Wrong. Earthquake was heating up and they fed him to Hogan.

[@DarthKripple]

Warrior was also in a bind physically. He was 5'11 packed with 260 pounds which is about 40 pounds passed too much weight so his high spots always had to be clotheslines and slams. He couldn't sell much because everything looked so stiff. In fact, his selling looked a lot like Lex Luger. Selling creates drama and guys who can't sell much like Luger or Warrior are limited.

[@EETMySheet]

​@@DarthKripplethere's no way warrior was only 5' 11". I'm 6' 3" and I met him at a signing. He looked like he was almost my height. At the same signing, I met Sid, and I look like a little kid standing next to him in the picture lol

[@P45316]

I think it was the booking. I was a Warrior fan and wanted to see him, Bruce just blames warrior because he don't like him and didn't like how he did business. Warrior could've fueded with Macho man, and or perfect, along with Rude as champ

[@ShadowAngel1860]

Except the fact that Warrior already didn't draw before he was Champion. Wrestlemania 6 and its buyrate was a total failure. WWF expected to go 1 million + buys and they made only half of that. It was clear that Warrior's 5 minutes of fame were already up (Hence why i call him the Vanilla Ice of wrestling and Wrestlemania 6 was basically his "Cool as Ice" moment)

[@YellowBrickRoad-x1f]

I'm hypnotized by the beer.

[@DevilFish69]

What about the mustard on the links?

[@dereks2042]

To Beer! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems! ;)

[@douglasjarnagan3835]

Warrior was misused. The Rick Rude feud had already been done, and Warrior was treated like a tag team wrestler going into Survivor Series. Meanwhile Hulk is battling the monster heel of the time, Earthquake. A 5 year old can accurately predict which of those will sell more tickets.

[@D2Kprime]

You are correct that after SummerSlam the Warrior did not have a dance-partner and even with Rude going into SummerSlam as you stated we had already seen this. The feud with Savage didn't start until AFTER Survivor Series. I have no idea why they didn't start the program with Savage sooner. The Savage-Rhodes feud pretty-much was done after SummerSlam. While I loved _The Perfect Team_ of Mr. Perfect and all three members of Demolition, I think Savage should have been captain of that team with Perfect and just Ax and Smash. That would have been a better match-off. Warrior-Savage Tornado-Perfect Ax-Hawk Smash-Animal As great of a match as it was, putting Savage in there and leaving Crush out would have been much better.

[@rscottrogers22]

Warrior sucked.

[@D2Kprime]

@@rscottrogers22 Thank you for your riveting commentary, now go away.

[@kjuergens1985]

Yes! In fact it was worse than a tag team wrestler-it wasn't even his feud! LOD just needed a third guy with face paint.

[@dublinbrummie]

@@D2Kprime I remember seeing warrior beating savage in less than a min around summerslam on some home video release. Savage ran back behind the curtain after the defeat covering himself up in shame. Not sure if the promos from after ss90 where warrior said no was because of him whipping him in seconds before had but it was 30 years ago so I don't remember fully

[@MoviefanaticCg]

Anything to dis warrior, it was Bobby heenan who actually said warrior is selling more merch than hogan

[@TDL-xg5nn]

It was Bobby Heenan who said we all rode Hogan's coattails to the bank. That includes Warrior.

[@JR-qq7vu]

Hogan connected with fans on a personal level to the point to where fans wanted to pay to go see him specifically. Warrior was a shot of adrenaline and in the moment while you were already in the seat. So both got loud cheers but the reason for the cheers was different.

[@AndreNDP]

And Hogan, as a face, was a guy. He needed you, little Hulkamaniac, to help him beat (insert heel here)! Warrior was something else. He didn't need the fans. He was separate from the fans, while Hogan was of them.

[@abuhaadiyah9403]

Holy shizzy, both comments are so good. So true. I actually agree with what you guys said 100%. And I’m a Hogan “hater” But it’s so true. I’ll always remember when Hogan joined the NWO he had one match where he was bulking up again and I was going crazy as a kid thinking he was turning face at that moment.

[@Filmation77]

​@@AndreNDPboth very true points

[@SpuddersSpud-ps6dd]

@AndreNDP Right. Hogan in the ring had a connection with the crowd in the way Freddie Mercury did on stage. It's very special.

[@D2Kprime]

No one drew well as champion in that time frame, but because Bruce has a bias against the Warrior (not saying it is justified or unjustified but just pointing out that it is there) he loves to hang this albatross around the Warrior's neck. Wrestling in-general for EVERYBODY started to take a downturn in 1990. The 80's gravy-train had derailed by this time. When Hogan got the title back at Wrestlemania VII, numbers didn't go up. They continued to decrease. Every time they throw shade at the Warrior I'll keep bringing this up. Anytime you can have 'The Immortal' Hulk Hogan vs 'Nature Boy' Ric Flair in f'n MADISON SQUARE GARDEN and it *DOESN'T* sell-out, you have a serious-problem. If Warrior was such a terrible-draw, why was he brought back in 1992 after being fired after SummerSlam '91? Why was he in the main-event at SummerSlam '92? Warrior, Hogan, Flair, nor Savage drew well in that time. Think about what I just said here. THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR HULK HOGAN 'NATURE BOY' RIC FLAIR 'MACHO MAN' RANDY SAVAGE These are four of the greatest of ALL-TIME and yet during this time each had a run with the belt and business steadily-declined...........yet the Warrior gets blamed for it. At some point you have to learn to deprogram-yourself and learn to _think_ for yourself folks.

[@douglasjarnagan3835]

All excellent points.

[@rscottrogers22]

Warrior sucked.

[@mnyce16]

You're right - they gave Warrior a re-run fued with Rick Rude and a "Double Main Event" at SS, because Hogan couldn't stand seeing anybody else in the limelight - He always had to be there when Randy had his run with the belt in 88/89. Warrior could have fueded with Earthquake, Mr Perfect or Bad News (who really deserved a push at some point back then) or even Savage. Even as a young Warrior fan, I was really disappointed he didn't have fresh rivals with the belt.

[@D2Kprime]

@@rscottrogers22 Well that's certainly your opinion, but even if that were true the business as a whole sucked HARDER so acting-like it was his fault business was down is BS. We saw the AWA go under. We saw GWF come and go, and we almost saw WCW go under just within a span of 2 years. It was the business. Not him.

[@D2Kprime]

@Guerilla PSYOPS lol!

[@pj006marsden]

Didn't draw ? Fuck we all loved him here in Australia. Warrior was a lunatic of pure intensity. Loved it

[@nilanniruthan]

They put Warrior as the 6th wheel in the LOD vs Demolition feud and it felt like his addition was an afterthought. He was put with Rude, whom he had already beaten many times by then. It just didn't feel like the company revolved around him the way it did around Hogan or even Macho when he main evented Wrestlemania with Dibiase.

[@tennesseesgarage6048]

That's fair. Hogan was still having meaningful feuds and warrior was just keeping the belt warm.

[@willisapril]

To be fair to Warrior immediately after WM 6 they put him back in with Rude. In 1989 they shoved these matches down our throats WM5, Summerslam 89 and Saturday Night's Main Even and on the house shows where no wanted to see this match again as everyone was sick of it. Right before WM 6 they should have planted the seeds for a new Warrior feud such as Dibiase, Perfect, Bad News Brown, maybe even Rick Martel.

[@talkoftheday9861]

He's good with impressions Bruce is spot on!!!

[@jacobjones3916]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@rxtsec1]

Love it

[@JM-fr5ge]

Is bruce gonna shoot on why he can't write a competent show

[@ladistar]

Damn lol savage

[@American-Zero]

That question was not in the video....

[@shawnjames6714]

**** you!! **** you!!

[@ThatDoesntWorkForMeBrother]

You know the answer to that. Lol

[@sting7789]

Damn bro lmao

[@DJIronMike1981]

The Ultimate Warrior had no angle after defeating Hogan for at least a month or so, then they fed him Rick Rude again. Rude definitely worked his ass off against the Warrior but it was a case of been there, done that from the fans perspective. I believe Conrad mentioned it before, but having Mr Perfect beat Brutus Beefcake at Wrestlemania VI allowing him to maintain his perfect record would've been a proper set up for a fresh feud of Warrior & Perfect (title vs undefeated streak). Would that have prevented the numbers from going down? Probably not, but at least nobody could say it was a result of repetitive booking.

[@rokkvi1]

It would probably have helped somewhat at least. Perfect was said to have been supposed to win the Rumble originally. Having him do so and then beating Beefcake at Mania would have made him a good challenger. Imagine if Perfect had eliminated Warrior and Hogan at the Rumble as a result of them fighting each other and then gone on to win the whole thing. It would have set him up perfectly to challenge the Warrior.

[@DJIronMike1981]

@@rokkvi1 that's a pretty awesome scenario actually. I never thought of Perfect winning Rumble '90. The only points behind having Hogan win it was sending the fans home happy, scoring his first Royal Rumble match victory and because they probably already knew Warrior was going over at Mania VI which in the grand scheme of things doesn't mean that much. I don't think that Hulk loses steam if he doesn't win the Rumble match. Hogan didn't need to win the Rumble to look strong going into Mania VI.

[@knowyourroleboulevard7119]

I always wished WWF had a shot at bringing Dr. Death in for 1990. Fresh new star. I know they tried Vader and failed. But Dr. Death would have been nice.

[@DJIronMike1981]

​@@knowyourroleboulevard7119 ​ A Hulk Hogan vs Dr Death Steve Williams program could've been cool, But I don't know about Dr Death & Ultimate Warrior. Warrior needed good dancing partners to have good matches (Randy Savage, Rick Rude). I think Warrior would've pissed Dr Death off in the ring and Williams probably would've beaten the facepaint off of him.

[@knowyourroleboulevard7119]

@@DJIronMike1981 It's something that sounds good on paper/pay-per. Also if they have a good/bad match you know who's getting the credit/hate anyways. My point is that the Rude/Warrior matches in 1989, WM5 was short of a classic. SL' 89 was an instant classic. Though SL' 90 was bad for what it was and too short. Any thing quality wise would have been bad for the length of that Summerslam match. Steve would've been a superior opponent had he been used right.

[@kalewilliams2603]

I just love Bruce's Dusty Rhodes impersonation.. I wish Conrad to an omnibus of Bruce impersonation.

[@toddkurzbard]

The only thing better are Stu Hart impersonations.

[@blakecollie8770]

He was more over then any star today

[@deelove7518]

Oh stop it. It failed because you gave him Andre who could barely move, this wasn't the same Andre from 3 years prior and even then he wasn't in good shape health wise. You gave him Rick Rude and the fans already seen that feud which btw, their intercontinental championship feud was better. You had a heel macho man yet wait until he drops the title to put them in the ring together and they tore the house down at WM7. I'm not even going to comment on Sgt Slaughter. It was poor booking, I'll say it because I'm not on Vince's payroll.

[@CaptainColdyron222]

These are all very good points.

[@adamandanna]

Not to mention having him feud with Demolition a tag team. Hogan wasn't feuding with the Tag teams unless he was with the Megapowers not when he was champion unless it was a house show or special show. Warrior had a was a akin to Goldberg. He won a lot of basic squash matches and then once he was champion the best match he had was with Rude. His match with Savage was one of his best. But again that was after he was champion. Why not put Earthquake with Warrior? Or what about if you were determined to get the belt off Warrior and back to Hogan. Have Earthquake win it and drop it to Hogan at Mania. Yes that feud had run its course but Hogan didn;rt get a lot of wins on Quake. Just some food for thought

[@deelove7518]

@Edgehead10075 thank you sir you are correct

[@goonernaz77]

@Dee Love spot on. Also I’d like to add to your points that as a brand new champ they should have given him the Earthquake for his first feud. Technically Earthquake attacked warrior in his first tv appearance it would have made sense to have warrior and earthquake feud. But no bitch hogan probably pissed to Vince to give him earthquake for his summerslam 90 comeback. Instead we get warrior v rude again. Macho was injured so then warrior could have feuded with million dollar man, Warlord.

[@carl5381]

I can't listen to Bruce anymore. He's just a revisionist at this point that says anything and everything to the benefit of Vince.

[@504Chosenone]

Dats cause the warrior was treated like he wasn’t champion

[@tharealest8190]

Exactly !

[@jimminyxmas]

Never liked the Ultimate Warrior as much as the rest of the champions. Even as a young kid, something felt like it was missing, Hogan was just more relatable. Warrior seemed to be totally unaware oh how cartoonish he actually was. All spectacle no substance.

[@thisismichaelac]

I think he knew cartoonish he was - when you’re in a company where Hogan is drawing without having to work matches like Tito or Bret, and you have a look that the boss likes, he’d ride just on his looks and figure out the rest. It made him a lot of money. Sid and Kevin Nash figured that out too. It’s bad for the fans of good technical wrestling, but good for their wallets and the merch buying kids that like their superheroes.

[@frankricard3853]

Wasn’t the US in a recession at this point? Families didn’t have the disposable income to go to events or buy pay per views?

[@D2Kprime]

That is also true. One thing I forgot to add was that they "intended" to run Wrestlemania VII at the Rose Bowl, but they only managed to sell around 15,000 tickets so they moved it to the Los Angeles Sports Arena instead. The whole Sgt. Slaughter story is not _THE_ reason why. That may have happened, but if Vince had a legitimate shot a putting 100,000 butts in seats for a Wrestlemania, nothing and I mean *NOTHING* would have stood in his way of doing that.

[@jacobjones3916]

I believe you're right there was a recession in 90-91. And baseball did lose its audience in the early 90s. Not until the mid-90s during the Steroid Era did baseball's popularity go back up

[@chevyolds7188]

@@jacobjones3916 The Good Old Days!

[@attiepollard7847]

@@jacobjones3916 it wasn't no recession in 1990

[@jacobjones3916]

@@attiepollard7847 actually, there was. It started in the 3rd quarter of 1990 and continued until the 2nd quarter of 1991. (fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GDPC1) Check the source.

[@SonOfBmore]

He still draws better than anyone today

[@MattSingh1]

The Anabolic Warrior was the shits.

[@normangrimm4581]

Doesn't matter he still drew more than anyone today.

[@dreampopwavestudiob7282]

HULK HOGAN HAD A NUMBER OF VILLANS TO WRESTLE AGAINST AND BUILD A SOLID STORYLINE. I DONT THINK ANYONE OUTSIDE OF RUDE WAS WORTH IT. IS THAT CORRECT TO SAY ?

[@kelman727]

...?

[@SonOfBmore]

@@dreampopwavestudiob7282 Good point thinking about it he did the same with Anyone not named Cena

[@khamla616]

So if he didn’t draw as much as Hogan it’s a failure? I’m pretty sure he drew more than Bret and Shawn

[@Dizzy1980]

Everybody drew more than Bret and especially Shawn.

[@lioicxc6827]

You guys are ridiculous. Internet sheep. Diesel drew more than Bret and Shawn??

[@Dizzy1980]

@@lioicxc6827 I doubt Diesel, Shawn, and Bret were far off each other.

[@lioicxc6827]

@Shadow AngelYour statistics only prove that a lot of wrestling fans in the US are morons just like yourself with no taste in good wrestling.

[@GoodTasteArchives-ye5bw]

@@lioicxc6827 The facts don't care about your feelings kid.

[@Jay-sy5yf]

STUNNING to hear Warrior didnt draw well (?) with the title. I LOVED him! Bought all his stuff. Including the foam "hand". Anyone remember that? :-)

[@geneanthony3421]

Loved Warrior as a kid but Hogan always was WWF in the day (even though I wasn't a fan). Never felt as big as Hogan.

[@windcatcher331]

If Warrior was given the feud with Earthquake I wonder how he would have drawn. Hogan made sure he had programs with the monster heels when Warrior was champ. Hulk vs Earthquake and Hogan planned to have a program with Tugboat. Warrior got Rude who was good but not a monster like Earthquake.

[@Mewse1203]

It's not that he didn't draw, he just didn't have the drawing power of Hogan who was a massive draw. Not only that but you can only stay up for so long and the business was taking a slide down 8n general and this was the beginning of that. Even Hogan's drawing power waned in the coming years before it shot back up again with the rest of the business in 96 and beyond. Same thing happened after the Attitude/Monday Night Wars Era. Popularity isn't static.

[@Dejays_lifestyle]

He didnt draw as well as Hogan

[@geneanthony3421]

He was my favorite during that time as well, but looking back he was a pretty one dimensional character which makes it hard to make him interesting as a champion. Plus he never had anyone interesting to work with. I never cared for Hogan but he was definitely a better champion than Warrior was.

[@119Agent]

There were several reasons. 1. The Ultimate Warrior beat a popular babyface and not a heel 2. The industry was down as a whole 3. There was a recession. This was the last time a sitting US president lost reelection. 4. They gave the Ultimate Warrior, the WWF Champion, no feud. His first match on PPV as champion was against Rick Rude, a guy he beat in a blow off match 1 year prior and who hadn't had any feud since that time. No one was interested in a rehash of a feud the Ultimate Warrior had already won. 5. They gave Hulk Hogan the major WWF feud against the top heel -- Earthquake. He even got the injury angle. That should have been the Ultimate Warrior's feud and injury angle. 6. Suburban Commando got bad reviews and flopped. That pretty much closed the door on Hogan's movie review and he was now available to be a full time wrestler again so he lobbied to get the belt back.

[@richmuscle8316]

That dusty and savage impression was legendary and funny as shit

[@durden2480]

Punkinhead

[@richmuscle8316]

@@durden2480 huh

[@richmuscle8316]

Oh I got it... pumpkinhead 😂😂😂😂

[@skribiller]

Truth.

[@ultracartoonartist7635]

I think the Ultimate Warrior or even Hogan is a perfect example of when the higher-ups put merchandising over the wrestler. But those were damn good times I will admit.

[@justafanofnerdculture7602]

Those were awesome, awesome times!

[@PatkaBoy831]

It's a business. That is the entire point.

[@chuckjames3173]

I would love a call from Vince saying in the Vince voice.... "Congratulations pal, you drew the worst house in history"....That be a a career defining moment.

[@joeru9208]

Lmao at his impersonation of him!!😂😂😂

[@bz3105]

Why didn't Warrior draw well as champion? This is an interesting question to me because I was a middle-schooler in my prime wrasslin'-watching years when this was going on and I remember having thoughts on this even then. But here's my two cents' worth in retrospect: (1) By the time they gave Warrior the belt, he had been the Intercontinental champion for quite awhile and I think a lot of people just came to see him as that and couldn't get it out of their heads. One example: when Warrior did eventually lose the main belt, I remember a buddy of mine telling me "I think he was better as the Intercontinental champion" and I agreed. (2) There was really no "story" behind the Warrior and/or characteristics about him that people could relate to on any kind of pragmatic level. Not really, anyway. He was basically a jacked, adrenaline-laced wildman who sprinted into the ring, shook the ropes, etc. and whose microphone skills were famously lacking (he would generally just ramble on about random things that didn't really mean anything to anyone). And don't get me wrong; he was obviously IMMENSELY popular so no one could say he wasn't doing something right. I'm just saying that I'm not sure what he brought to the table was ever going to bode well for him as "the" guy. But with Hogan, on the other hand, you had the classic all-American boy (there's the relatability part), great mic skills involving messages of "saying your prayers and taking your vitamins" (there's the pragmatic part), etc. Again, just my two cents' worth on an interesting topic.

[@davidmorrison9099]

Vince panicked and as mentioned no one was going to draw like Hogan. Hogan perfected the baby face persona. Warrior was never going to work long term due to his personality and stubbornness, and attitude. You have to play ball to be the figure head of the company. Warrior just didn’t have the personality to do all the outside the ring stuff Hogan was great at. The Warrior made a shit ton of money for the WWE and still does. A lot of things wrong and flawed in regards to the Warrior. However His drawing power was not one of those

[@willisapril]

Funny thing was Warrior couldn't draw in 1990 but keep in mind in 1988 with Randy Savage as champion he could draw big as he always sold out MSG, Boston Garden and all the rest of the house shows. With him as a face and as the champion he was so over. Myself and others thought they should have kept the belt on him for at least 4 years as by 1988 people were sick of Hogan as he peaked at WM 3.

[@ultracartoonartist7635]

I think the reason why he didn't draw as much as he did is because when he was the champion he fought against people he's already beaten. And he's also fought against people Hulk Hogan already beaten. With the exception of Sergeant Slaughter at that point. Warrior could have been great if Hogan was a heel and they had a program. But I don't think Vince or Hogan went with that. But I'm just speculating.

[@mnyce16]

You know Hogan wasn't going to do anything more than he had to lol.

[@carl5381]

I would have loved to see Warrior turn heel with dark face paint and dark tights, dropping the tassels and colorful schtick and become more serious.

[@mnyce16]

@@carl5381 I agree, I thought a heel turn was possible in 92. That really would have been fun. In 96 I think we got a glimps of a more "real" Warrior that might have worked in that time, his promo with Golddust on Raw was awesome.

[@KDubb-ws9zc]

I think it was two things. One Warrior not having any heels to work with and Hogan still being on the card

[@derekintrovert5619]

@@KDubb-ws9zc yes i agree

[@gregorykrug8034]

I would love to see someone's list of the top ten most imitated wrestling voices. Bruce's Dusty and Randy are very good... and those voices are done by many people.

[@leestens5539]

His Roddy Piper is good too

[@zachosborne6577]

Jake the snake does a good Randy too

[@weownbullard5]

A comedian named Dan Soder does an impression of Savage that sounds 100% like Macho Man, it’s uncanny

[@thetruth72667]

Marco: YES HE DOES!! The guy from madtv does Jessie Ventura spot on as well!!

[@KD_SWAGGER]

Saying Ultimate Warrior didn't draw well as champion because he didn't draw like Hulk Hogan is basically saying he drew better than everyone else at the time. It's like saying LeBron James is no Michael Jordan, but you're admitting he's better than every other player basically.

[@Nostalgicguy2242]

Exactly! No matter what these centennial kids say.. their beloved Batista didn't drew 1/10 of what Warrior did...

[@KD_SWAGGER]

@@Nostalgicguy2242 YEP!

[@scotrugby4529]

Let's face it, until Austin blew up, there was no real replacement for Hogan. Austin changed everything.

[@KD_SWAGGER]

@@scotrugby4529 The Rock?

[@platinumpagoda3079]

When someone as out of touch as Bruce Pritchard says something, I remember why I turned off my Tivo recordings of Raw and SD.

[@yoholmes273]

Pagoda knows 👍

[@ironcrosstrainingltd6482]

Still talking about him Hopefully I create an impact this powerful

[@jonalbertson10270]

The WWF ( At the time ) Totally botched Warriors run. Now, Warrior didn’t do himself any favors with his every swelling ego. But, Andre, The Million Dollar Man ( Japan Tour Title Defense ) Rude, Slaughter... He mowed through heel after heel prior to defeating Hogan. WWF totally botched his booking after winning the Title.

[@crazyjim9380]

There was definitely a lack of booking paired with kind of a limited amount of places they could go with Warrior. People had suggested putting him with Earthquake, instead of Hogan, but from what I have seen with Warrior, he didn't really like to sell for anybody. Hogan was about the comeback. He could do injury angles and then come back as the sympathetic hero or let the monster heel beat him down for the majority of the match then do the superhero comeback at the end. Warrior seemed to like steamrolling through guys, which made his list of challengers, kind of small. The Rude feud when he was world champ in 1990 kind of went on for way too long and lacked any real meat to it beyond Rude being able to say he was the only guy to beat Warrior. There was never any real reason to think he would do it again or care if he did. If you look at all the top matches at Summer Slam, it was one of the longest built but had no real build to it as. By comparison, Demolition and Hart Foundation had gone on from the road into WrestleMania and had incorporated a Demolition heel turn, added third member, beatdown ambush on the Harts, and the added storyline aspect of the LOD arriving in the company. It was a feud that came naturally of the last one Demolition was in and built up into a strong segue into the feud they were going to be in after. Oddly, enough they ended up putting Warrior into THAT feud in the fall as a third guy joining forces with Legion of Doom on house shows, Saturday Night's Main Event, and Survivor Series. As champ, it was a little odd that they had nothing else for him to do. They really didn't give him any feuds with meat to them until Savage and he really didn't go the vulnerable route until they put him with Taker and had him tossed into that coffin.

[@colingram8785]

yeah agreed, but you look at the heel talent back then - DiBiase, Perfect, Rude, Savage - all could have been worthy heel champions, but the company just didn't flex that way back then, it was mostly Hogan or bust. Warrior became champion maybe a bit too quickly - although the Wrestlemania VI idea was a great angle and something the fans were keen to invest in - but by then it was too late...the summer Rude feud had no real interesting angle as you mentioned; already been done the year before so it was a foregone conclusion that Warrior would defeat him at Summerslam, so who was next in line? Wasn't really anyone, Quake would have been a worthy choice, but he would have worked horrendous matches with Warrior, whereas he worked really good matches with Hogan - their program was just better and it probably put Warrior as a champ when kayfabe still ruled quite strongly and people took it as more legit, in the shade. Warrior, in the ring just wasn't that great to watch. If you wanted that adrenalin madcap squash match type moment - like Honky at Summerslam '88 and Hunter at Wrestlemania 12, he was 'perfect' (sorry Curt!). As a long-reigning champion and head of the company, probably wasn't a great fixture even though he was so over with the babyface fans, especially the younger crowd. 2 major problems: Hogan and a lack of heels that could contend legitimately in the eyes of kayfabe that he either hadn't already defeated or weren't considered strong enough to push in that moment. Even though late 80s/1990 roster was pretty stacked it almost wasn't, if you know what I mean....

[@wmsmith7346]

@@colingram8785 True facts. If you beat everyone with Hogan the expectation continues that the Face is gonna overcome every time and it's hard to have been sympathetic to the Face if he don't sell. And is like LOD romp stomp everyone. Hogan was like iconic in the comeback but he always sold. Warrior was jus limited in the ring and who could really work with him beyond Rude who was so talented, and not get left in the exhaust fumes almost like Hunter got at 12? Dibiase was probably in play, he coulda sold and got heat..but it's been done you know? You're right sometimes when the roster is loaded it ain't.

[@Hangingwithfarrah]

I remember when warrior was champion as a kid I went to the shows to see him and it was always packed !!!

[@thelionsshare6668]

Warrior put on an exciting act, like a lot of modern wrestlers do. But... so what? If you can't SELL, you're telling a bad story. During the match's "heat" portion, selling is required. The audience must suffer fear and pity for their hero. Hogan was awesome at that, as was, quite famously, Ricky Morton. Dusty Rhodes was great at that. All three men were phenomenal at selling out arenas, consistently. Because they could make the audience CARE about them. All Warrior could do was make the audience excited.

[@IrishCarney]

Who was heading up the C shows / 3rd shows?

[@philipclarke9696]

Tito Santana. End of story. Good worker but it tells you the whole story.

[@JUSTaGinVA]

I think one thing that might've shot Ultimate Warrior in the foot in his presentation was how they tried to have Warrior doing a "Hulk Up" just like Hulk Hogan did. Looking back at that I always thought they were trying to make Warrior basically a rip-off of Hogan rather than allowing him to continue to be a unique entity.

[@karlepaul6632]

Conrad's "Learn a new word a day from the thesaurus" is: Freestyle. 😉

[@smarkslowplay3512]

As a lifelong rap fan I bet he knew that expression for a while

[@JUVI9596]

As someone who watched it all back then I’d say Hogan was done in 1992. That’s why Bret Hart was a good idea to be the champion. It was a really good breath of fresh air.

[@hw5091]

hogan was only done in 92, even late 91, because the steroid scandal made him get off the gas for a while, and he shrank down n flabbed up a bit. That took the comic book hero super hero look away from him. That's the only reason. You can literally look back at his physical changes, and match them with crows reactions during that time. It worked in his favor when he was hollywood, because that thinner, more movie star look lined up w the character better. Fast forward to mania 18, he was a monster again, and was over like rover. No coincidence.

[@ShadowAngel1860]

Hogan was still the biggest draw in Europe, a market that amidst all the scandals in the US got more and more important for the WWF. Bret never drew, lowest drawing Champion until 2001, still holds the record for worst PPV Buyrate of all time, worst MSG attendance all time, worst Calgary attendance all time and worst Meadowlands attendance all time on top of it. In 1992 they should've stuck with Savage for some time until he passes the torch to somebody or go with Yokozuna.

[@4Horsemen4Life]

Credibility challenge: Can Conrad produce ONE podcast without mentioning Dave Meltzer?

[@based9930]

Impossible

[@ronaldsprowal9978]

Warrior should have faced Randy Savage at Summerslam ...Than Sgt . Slaughter after words ...

[@Stoneycomic]

Only reason Slaughter made a resurgence in the era was because of Desert Storm and art imitating life so it was a good angle running parallel to society & current affairs

[@smarkslowplay3512]

Savage was killed by Hogan throughout 89

[@franklaudicina9786]

Bruce's Dusty impersonation is on point!!! 😂

[@sxhbk]

I will always say I loved Hogan and I loved Warrior... but when warrior won.. as a kid i felt the wrong guy won... and i never knew why.... guess i was always a hulkamaniac

[@2pe79]

So Hogan was the only one sold as champion back in those days?

[@josephellingson4739]

They should have done Hogan Warrior 2 at Wrestlemania 7 that would have been awesome.

[@ultracartoonartist7635]

I think Hogan was pushed so hard in the 80s that there was nobody that could have wrestled The Warrior to make it a believable Feud With any other wrestler..

[@ultracartoonartist7635]

They would have have to turn the warrior heel for him to fight anybody of any value as far as angles and feuds are concerned.

[@ExponentialGainzzz]

Not many can handle the weight of the proverbial “Brass Ring.” The championship should never make the superstar. The superstar makes the championship. They should make the belt mean something again. It’s too diluted right now in today’s product.

[@ExponentialGainzzz]

@Junior Sanchez that might be fine for the devoted fan, but the business was always hotter, drew more ratings, more merchandise, and more revenue whenever there was one star that carried the company on his back. I’m talking about Hogan, Austin/Rock, Cena. And right now, the company is lacking in that premiere star. The proof is always in the $$$.

[@ericfischer9008]

Man that is probably the best Dusty impersonation yet! That was great

[@LusterThomas-sl7zw]

Let's face facts Hogan was a tough act to follow. Hell they even booed Rock out of the building when they wrestle and Austin didn't risk his legacy to face Hogan. I loved the warrior but he was a great transition cham.

[@jonathanhockey9943]

The Warrior worked as the the underdog, outsider figure, WWE didn't master how to use that with their main guy until Stone Cold

[@cameronlestat3246]

I call bullshit. In 1990, Warrior toys were by far the most popular, so was his wrestling buddy, he was the character EVERYONE went for in both WWF Wrestlefest and Wrestlemania Challenge on NES. Warrior in the minds of the fans who were mostly kids was the guy. Now did he draw as much as Hogan. No primarily because of bookings and push factor. Plus he quit in 91 and then again in 92. Had he been booked like Hogan to squash monsters and such of course he would have been a huge draw but he didn’t get those opportunities, Ric Rude then Macho Man non title and I think some tags was all he got after his title win in 90.

[@willisapril]

Funny thing was Warrior couldn't draw in 1990 but keep in mind in 1988 with Randy Savage as champion he could draw big as he always sold out MSG, Boston Garden and all the rest of the house shows. With him as a face and as the champion he was so over. Myself and others thought they should have kept the belt on him for at least 4 years as by 1988 people were sick of Hogan as he peaked at WM 3.

[@gregoryturner9530]

Conrad looking older than Bruce these days

[@matthewg1472]

Take a shot everytime Conrad says "freestyling."

[@debbieburns3848]

Omg ...his impressions are spot on.....Dusty impression is indistinguishable from the real thing. And Randy impression is a classic.

[@foreverred105]

RIP Ultimate Warrior. Still very sadly missed.

[@BabysitterSky]

I'm sure he appreciates that down where he is.

[@foreverred105]

@@BabysitterSky Cheers babe.

[@BabysitterSky]

@@foreverred105 I like women but you have a good night.

[@nv5781]

A flop would’ve been hogan winning at wrestlemania six. He was a huge draw but it gets boring when the belt is on the same person for a long time. I liked that warrior had a chance to shine even though it was for less than a year

[@thabadguy0000]

These dummies made him soft...took off his face paint and had little kids doing cartwheels!we were used 2 seeing warrior every other week beat the hell out of some jobber when he was ic champ now seeing him as a smiling goofball!No1 thought warrior would lose to rude,perfect,or dibiase when he just beat hogan clean!they should of did the fued with the undertaker immediately...they didn’t know what that had with warrior or taker then!

[@xUnrealWarriorx]

They had to mess with perfection, no wonder Jim left a year later

[@rscottrogers22]

Warrior changed his face paint. It was his decision. Next time, try watching the video before commenting.

[@fahidhussain2780]

Boomers hated Warrior period, he wasn't the kind of wrestler that they were used too or could connect with him. He was for kids, while Hulk could connect with everyone, even Bret could.

[@thabadguy0000]

@@rscottrogers22 Bruce said they wanted to “humanize” the warrior to make him more relatable in the SNME podcast which ruined his character that made him more like lovable hogan than an unstable maniac...next time don’t talk out of turn to a true warrior fan!*snort*

[@thabadguy0000]

@@fahidhussain2780 yea that’s y we liked the warrior he wasn’t some goody 2 shoes like hogan...he came to the ring in a warpath and destroyed everything in his way...and that’s y when we got 2 be young adults we liked the nWo and Austin...hogan was nearly played out and they didn’t realize it...they took the title off of warrior way too soon imo

[@millesrenquest7997]

The warrior did draw. The warrior drew every match he had.

[@EarlSkakel]

I think Warrior was perfect for the time given his look. He might not have been the greatest technical wrestler but Hogan wasn't exactly Lance Storm either. As bad as his promos were in terms of making sense we still talk about them nearly 40 years later. I mean who here can tell me one memorable thing Don Muraco said in a promo? And I'm a fan of his but just using him as an example.

[@99somerville]

Good points. For some one who was as over as UW was, I can’t understand why he didn’t draw.

[@EarlSkakel]

@@99somerville Honestly I think it's like when Carolla took over for Stern on radio, the ratings were actually good but it didn't matter his name wasn't Stern and I think it was the same for Warrior. I also think Warrior wasn't booked that well and so his feuds never really got going while he was champ.

[@donp977]

The difference is that Hogan knew how to sell and he knew how to work the crowd. Warrior just steamrolled people. That's fine in the run up to the title but when you're the titleholder, you need to appear vulnerable

[@EarlSkakel]

@@donp977 I mean as a Warrior guy I can't disagree with you, Warrior wasn't a great seller by any stretch. I. honestly think my Carolla/Stern example applies perfectly here. The could have picked anyone be it Warrior or Vicious or anyone else and ultimately there problem was their last name wasn't Hogan.

[@capnv1]

I’m getting triggered by the beer tap

[@stevendrumm4957]

Prichard is good at doing impersonations. I loved his impersonation of Roddy Piper at Wrestlemania 5.

[@djray369]

Isn’t it a coincidence that Sting and Warrior both won their titles in 1990 and both lost their titles in January of 1991 after both underdelivered? I remember seeing the top stars in both companies and were both face paint wearing babyface. It was too similar. Neither had super strong contenders

[@mrsain19]

yep. and in Sting's case, the WIN took the steam out of his reign before it even got started. No one truly wanted to SEE Sting as champion, if that makes sense. Ppl were invested in the chase, especially after the knee injury. Once he won it.......ok then what. They had nothing for him. Even Sid......no one truly expected Sid to win. The horsemen werent going to turn on him like they did with Sting, for chasing the title. But it was the same thing with Warrior, in regards to just not having anyone to truly work with and actually be a threat to the title, like Hogan had.....or even like Flair had. Heels always work as champions, because thats what you wanna see. There really hasnt been too many babyface champions over the years where it truly worked to have a fruitful reign. Hogan......Austin.......arguably Cena, maybe Bret and The Rock depending on viewpoint. Thats it really.

[@carl5381]

oh please Warrior was just as big as Hogan and their match together proved it. It was just after his title win, he was fed people he had already faced. There was no buildup in anticipation or obstacles to overcome whereas Hogan literally had every heel on the roster fed to him like a machine. It was almost impossible for Hogan to fail. So by the time they get to Warrior, it's like if you can't beat Hogan's leftovers, how are you champ after beating Hogan? Ugh.

[@mikenayers5981]

Another thing I’ve seen other people point out, is that with Warrior he didn’t really face down anyone Hogan didn’t already beat. Yes, they had Rick Rude cut his hair, and start training but Warrior already had more wins over Rude than losses, so no one saw him as a legitimate threat. I almost wonder if in the months leading to Mania VI, they would’ve been better off building up several heels, but keeping them away from Hogan.

[@dannyconti8433]

Yo Conrad I'm a big fan would love more info on comic con s and stuff like that

[@zombiefulci3301]

Warrior was just there to make a big pop, a one time spectacular and that was what he was

[@nicholasfarrell8403]

Too god damn many commercials

[@jetrobertsdj]

Warrior was a perfect character for kids, because of the bright colors, the music and the general craziness. BUT there wasn't much to connect with from a personality perspective, and the gimmick never really evolved. If anything, his opponents would have to change their character a little bit just to work an angle with him so he could do his stuff. Hogan's hero booking was much different as he was always positioned to lose, but somehow won. Warrior's character was more of a Tazmanian Devil where you never thought he could lose and they didn't often put him in a position where you thought that it was even 50/50. If you book Warrior to struggle against an opponent, it took away what was special about him -- being a buzz saw. Goldberg had the same image, if you make him struggle, the flaws begin to appear. It was fun, but it would never be able to carry the entire company for longer than the run he had. Really the only thing (from a writing perspective) that would have extended Warriors career would have been a year long heel turn where he plows through babyfaces, almost wins the title and then flips back to a face.

[@greengoblinrulz]

Both companies loved their angles that got old quick in that era. WCW loved the DQ/CO to save Flair which frustrated fans & VInce loved the "Hogan must pose" angle crushing every heel. Their was nothing else but those main event finishes & fans just finally quit paying to see the same endings

[@jademonolith]

Bryan Sande the face of the company crushing every heel angle is again their main playbook today and has not made any new superstar in years!

[@adamrobinette139]

I think the biggest problem with Warrior is that, unlike Hogan, who made literally everyone that wrestled him look good, Warrior just wasn't a great World Champ performer. When you are World Champ, the champ himself has to be able to tell a compelling story with anyone, both in and out of the ring. You can't have to line up people that needed to carry him. When you think back, outside of Hogan, Savage, and Undertaker, I can't think of anyone else he ever told a Main Event level story with.

[@stevenramirezmistersmokes6379]

THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR WAS A DAM GOOD CHAMPION. SHOULD OF GAVE HIM A LONGER RUN.

[@manifestgtr]

This perfectly represents the grammatical aptitude I would expect from a devoted ultimate warrior fan lol

[@initra25]

When kayfabe died so did wrestling. Back then we believed in the characters. Todays entertainers are trying to pass off as legitimate fighters but we know its not.

[@tonyk501]

The Ultimate Warrior (aka James Hellwig) was mostly a visual character in the same vein as a comic book superhero, and was very limited from a verbal standpoint, and also from an in-ring skill standpoint. As a result, it would be difficult to sell any kind of long-term angle given those limitations, so high-energy, quick squash matches were the ideal type of booking for his particular character and look. And squash matches can only get so much mileage with the fans, and only so much buy-in from all the other in-ring talent on the roster. On top of all that, he wasn't an easy guy to deal with business or personality-wise, either. That said, however, he was a phenomenal character and his entrance theme music is still the best ever for any character in my opinion. A long term rivalry between the Warrior and the Undertaker would have been interesting to see evolve over time, as someone of Undertaker's maturity, professionalism and business sense, could have potentially been leveraged to great success between those two bigger-than-life characters.

[@Joseph-lz5er]

Hogan carried WWF as the top draw and the Warrior only carried himself.

[@noahrios5302]

I was a huge wrestling fan in the mid to late 80’s as a kid. Going into the 90’s I was starting high school and my interest changed. WWE became corny and boring to me as a teenager and I stopped watching and going to events. I wonder if this was also a rest for the drop in attendance at shows. WWE is the 80’s was marketed to kids and once those kids grow older they lose interest in the product.

[@danski6694]

Same exact timeline for me! When were you born? I was born in 1980 But once the NWO was formed I started watching again. I’d say from 1993-1997 I couldn’t care less. Then I watched again

[@noahrios5302]

@@danski6694 yeah. Same here . Born in 76. Started watching again in wcw i.n 97 and stopped by 2000.

[@watsonvillian]

Warrior became like Mike Tyson...no one wanted to pay money, travel, and spend hours to watch a thirty second match.

[@TDL-xg5nn]

He matches were short because he couldn't fucking wrestle. If they went any longer he would have been exposed. All he could do were clotheslines.

[@Cazz8203]

I would....I don't need to see a ten minute fake fight. its all about the show, not that doofy pretend fighting.

[@kurtshastany1945]

@@TDL-xg5nn thats nonsense he had great press slam, body slam, atomic drop, pile driver n vertical suplex.

[@TDL-xg5nn]

@@kurtshastany1945 Any muscle bound idiot could do those. Warrior didn't know a wrist lock from a wrist watch and had no desire to learn. He was stiffer than a cigar store wooden indian and it is an absolute fact his matches were kept short because he couldn't wrestle and everyone knew it.

[@kurtshastany1945]

@@TDL-xg5nn so his move set was limited, and yet ur dated joke is meant to be acceptable? Most wwf guys only do the same 6 or 7 moves in every match. And everybody knows that too.

[@KizzMyAbs]

The problem with warrior was he could only wrestle one type of match. It was the same with hogan but he could have many different stories and he had a different type of charisma. Savage could work many different matche types had the charisma but needed a partner to dance with. When savage had the right opponents he was THE BEST hands down.

[@onyoutuberightnow]

By 1990, Hogan had been WWF Champion for 5 out of 6 years (1984-1990) so it's not as if the WWF had any sort of experience on how to push anyone BUT Hogan as champion. Warrior was there to see how the WWF booked the ONE guy who got the top spot (Savage 88-89) other than Hogan and Savage was basically holding the title for another Hogan WrestleMania moment. It should also be pointed that, unlike Hogan and Savage, Warrior actually defended the WWF title on PPV. Warrior defended the title at SummerSlam 1990 and Royal Rumble 1991, which Hogan and Savage never did. Hogan and Savage were always in tag matches at SummerSlam or competed in the Rumble itself. Meaning that Warrior didn't have the luxury of hiding behind a stacked PPV tag team match, which is ironic because if he was so bad in the ring, then Warrior would be the perfect candidate for a tag match in order to hide the lack of in-ring skills.

[@rd24life]

This is a lie. I lived in the Los Angeles region when Warrior was champion. During the summer my parents took me to 2 shows - one where the Warrior headlined against Rick Rude and another one where Hogan headlined against Dino Bravo. Both events were after Wrestlemania 6 but before Summer Slam. Both drew well. However, the Warrior’s show was at the larger arena and drew more fans. So this clip is a blatant bull crap lie

[@doubles7533]

I believe this

[@joelmalone7922]

I was only four years old in 1990 but was already a die-hard fan, primarily of the great heels like the great Rick Martel and Rick Rude, as well as Randy Savage who hadn't gone back to being a face just yet. My faces were Hulk, Sting, the Road Warriors, and My biggest of all was of Ricky Steamboat. I know he had that run with Flair in '89 but it was simply not long enough for my young eyes. Martel was over big-time in '89-'90 as the Model. You can't tell me that he wouldn't have made a better IC champ then Kerry von Erich and the by then HWChamp Warrior. I know Rick had just gotten into his new real-estate venture but I bet if Vince had went to him with a proposition to make him the IC champ, the 2nd most important title at the time for awhile as well as a significant pay raise for awhile that he would've denied the opportunity. The Ultimate Warrior, even to my young eyes was lame. Does anybody else agree with me here?

[@MrTees-yl2hn]

“How can I miss you when you won’t go away?” definitely rings true in Hogan’s case here. He should have taken six months to a year off after dropping the belt to Warrior, instead he stuck around and his continued presence seemed to undermine Warrior’s claim on being the “top guy, top babyface and even the rightful WWE Champion.” It was almost as though Hogan was presented as being “bigger than both the Warrior and the WWE Championship combined.”

[@MrTees-yl2hn]

I thought at the time that they were using Hogan to build Earthquake up as a monster heel who would eventually be fed to Warrior. I assumed Earthquake would defeat and reinjure Hogan when Hogan returned looking for “revenge” and after putting Hogan back on the shelf again for a more prolonged period of time, Earthquake would then target Warrior and the WWE Championship. But again, Hogan just had to directly and immediately get his revenge on Quake and was back getting it a short time after being “injured.” Earthquake went nowhere but further down on the card after this program.

[@IrishCarney]

What's the "that new gas station might not have opened" reference about?

[@EGarrett01]

I think just a random event that you could blame for something.

[@Tim85-y2q]

Conrad looks like he already drank the boot in that thumbnail.

[@Keepitgreasy11]

12:10 OMG had a tears in my eyes lol when Randy spoke later and Vince too😆👀

[@Halbared]

How hypnotic is that lager tap and hotdog

[@hoodtohollywood]

The Warrior was a one and done champion. A train wreck in and out the ring. He lacked the drive and professionalism to be a champion therefore he had no drawing power. Shame on Hogan and Vince for not dropping the title to Randy Savage.

[@stevendrumm4957]

Hogan didn't leave right after Wrestlemania 6 (which was on April 1, 1990) as he wrestled Mr. Perfect in late April and wrestled the Earthquake in May before Earthquake kayfabe injured him. Hogan was really only gone for two months.

[@CLewey44]

It makes you wonder on days where this example with Dusty Rhodes out Drew Hogan at Madison Square Garden, if there was something going on other than wrestling. Maybe a World Series game at Yankee Stadium or two baseball games going on with the Mets and the Yankees or two NFL game possibly or Knicks

[@showtime90310]

One big issue with that era is they rarely did face vs face or heel vs heel so the amount of talent to go vs warrior was limited with the heels and people saw that already when he steamed rolled through the entire heel roster so people grew bored easily

[@hw5091]

hogan was only done in 92, even late 91, because the steroid scandal made him get off the gas for a while, and he shrank down n flabbed up a bit. That took the comic book hero super hero look away from him. That's the only reason. You can literally look back at his physical changes, and match them with crows reactions during that time. It worked in his favor when he was hollywood, because that thinner, more movie star look lined up w the character better. Fast forward to mania 18, he was a monster again, and was over like rover. No coincidence.

[@jimherleva4541]

They only stripped the Warrior to capitalise on the Iraqi/Kuwaiti conflict and the subsequent Gulf War. Not much else to it.

[@lockardthegoat5157]

Hogan was just more interesting and more captivating than Warrior. He was more relatable too, I think Warrior was too "out there" for a lot of people

[@rokkvi1]

Maybe the Ultimate Warrior just didn´t have nearly the same drawing power as Hogan, but there were other factors that may have played against him. 1) Wrestling in general was probably just taking a bit of a dip in popularity at this point 2) He didn´t really get the best storylines or opponents. He´d already beaten Rick Rude and had 2 PPV matches with him, then he goes into an angle where he teams with the LOD against Demolition. He had good angles with Savage and then with the Undertaker, only after dropping the belt. A good way to have better angles for him as the new champion would have been for him to get Earthquake as the next opponent or they could have had Hennig win the Rumble, beat Beefcake at WM6 and challenge Warrior at Summer Slam. Hogan´s angle with Earthquake really eclipsed Warrior´s feud with Rude and after Rude he really had no good feud or angle until he lost the belt.

[@alanguages]

Nobody had as much drawing power as Hogan. It would be unfair to compare anyone to Hogan.

[@Dizzy1980]

You bring up an excellent point -- Warrior had a better run in 1991 than he did as WWF champion in 1990. Just imagine if he'd had those runs with Savage and Undertaker WHILE he was WWF champion? Or even a stronger series with Slaughter while WWF champion? (Yes I know Undertaker wasn't there until November 1990, but just consider it all.)

[@devangpatel5227]

I agree-- his best fueds came AFTER he dropped the belt in savage, taker, jake the snake, etc. WHen he was champ he was beating the same guys hogan had already beaten or he himself had beaten over and over again.

[@rokkvi1]

Exactly Dizzy and Devang. The Warrior had his flaws as a wrestler and as a person, but he didn´t really get a proper run as the champion. As you correctly pointed out, he just beat a lot of guys who he and/or Hogan had already beaten and didn´t really get any good storylines, while Hogan got to have a good angle with an undefeated monster in Earthquake. His feuds with Savage and the Undertaker in 1991 were very successful though, Savage because of the good angle and Savage´s skills, even though Savage had been beaten so many times by Hogan he didn´t seem like such a threat and with the Undertaker, cause the Undertaker felt like an actual threat. With the Undertaker, I think they traded victories and it was the PWI feud of the year despite never having a PPV match. With Savage, many felt that was the actual top match of WM7. Now if you´d have had Earthquake be Warrior´s main feud after WM6, which would have made sense since it was originally the Warrior who Earthquake attacked in his first appearance, it would have been much better for his run. Also, like I stated before, if they had made Mr.Perfect more successful, he´d have been a good feud. Alternatively, there are other things that could have been done perhaps, if Rowdy Piper hadn´t been leaving, maybe turning him heel against the Warrior would have been interesting. Have him beat Zeus in a squash, just for the hype (and cause Zeus couldn´t work). There are definitely more interesting things they could have done with him, despite how limited he was as a wrestler.

[@devangpatel5227]

@@rokkvi1 id say even the Sargent slaughter fued when he lost had more juice then his same old routine matches. felt like everything else prior was recycled garbage that hogan already did

[@willisapril]

To be fair to Warrior immediately after WM 6 they put him back in with Rude. In 1989 they shoved these matches down our throats WM5, Summerslam 89 and Saturday Night's Main Even and on the house shows where no wanted to see this match again as everyone was sick of it. Right before WM 6 they should have planted the seeds for a new Warrior feud such as Dibiase, Perfect, Bad News Brown, maybe even Rick Martel.

[@CarlosGonzalez-sz4jh]

His macho man fued should have been used when warrior was champion. Slaughter was garbage at that time. And if they were gonna reuse rude which their other fued was great, they should have made rude win title at least once and warrior win it back. Macho n rude were the best people to use against him in that run. Even taker could have been used.