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01-15-2014, 01:04 AM
The Ultimate Warrior Returning to the WWE, but What Took so Long?
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Yahoo Contributor Network
By Matt Durr 7 hours ago
| If there was one wrestler whose popularity could compare to Hulk Hogan's in the late '80s and early '90s it was without a doubt The Ultimate Warrior. With an incomparable look, unprecedented entrance and entertaining - if not puzzling - interviews, The Warrior was a huge influence on wrestling fans.
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But thanks to a tumultuous relationship with Vince McMahon, The Warrior hasn't been seen on WWE TV since 1996. In the two decades since Warrior's last appearance, fans have wondered when he would return.
On Monday Jan. 13, we got our answer as The Ultimate Warrior was announced as the first inductee of the 2014 class of the WWE Hall of Fame. The news was met with tremendous excitement on Twitter as fans and wrestlers such as CM Punk tweeted their excitement for the announcement.
For those who lived through The Warrior's glory days, his impact cannot be understated as he was a once-in-a-lifetime character. Warrior often gets hammered by fans and pundits for not being the most technically savvy worker in wrestling, but honestly, who cares? His connection with the audience at that time had nothing to do with working 45 minute matches.
Fans wanted to see him sprint to the ring and shake the ropes like a madmen before destroying his opponent. Wrestling is about entertainment and there is no question Warrior was entertaining. Warrior was so good at what he did, no one has been able to replicate his work since and it's likely that there will never be another character like him. At a time when over-the-top characters were the standard, Warrior was at the peak of those larger-than-life performers.
So what took so long to get Warrior back into the WWE?
Depending on who you ask and what you believe, there are a few reasons why The Warrior was gone for so long. First there were Warrior's behavioral issues while he was in his prime.
In 1991 The Warrior and McMahon argued over money for most of the summer and eventually Warrior was taken off TV for a few months over the disagreement. In 1992 - right in the middle of McMahon being investigated for steroids - Warrior was fired from the company for allegedly receiving steroids.
Four years later Warrior returned to the WWE but it was short lived as Warrior missed a handful of advertised matches. McMahon terminated Warrior's contract and that was the last time he appeared in the WWE.
In 2005 the WWE produced a less-than-flattering DVD on Warrior's career which featured numerous wrestlers ripping into him and basically trashing him throughout. As a response, Warrior sued the WWE over their depiction of him and that certainly didn't help the relationship. Aside from the legal issues, Warrior has long been a critic of the WWE and taken shots at the company on a handful of occasions.
Until recently it appeared neither side would back down and The Warrior would never get the chance to return; luckily that isn't the case.
As WrestleMania 30 rapidly approaches, Warrior's inclusion in the event only adds to what is quickly becoming the one of the biggest cards in WWE history. Thankfully the WWE and The Warrior have swallowed their pride and come together for an agreement so the fans can give him the respect and night in the spotlight he deserves
.
Yahoo Contributor Network
By Matt Durr 7 hours ago
| If there was one wrestler whose popularity could compare to Hulk Hogan's in the late '80s and early '90s it was without a doubt The Ultimate Warrior. With an incomparable look, unprecedented entrance and entertaining - if not puzzling - interviews, The Warrior was a huge influence on wrestling fans.
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But thanks to a tumultuous relationship with Vince McMahon, The Warrior hasn't been seen on WWE TV since 1996. In the two decades since Warrior's last appearance, fans have wondered when he would return.
On Monday Jan. 13, we got our answer as The Ultimate Warrior was announced as the first inductee of the 2014 class of the WWE Hall of Fame. The news was met with tremendous excitement on Twitter as fans and wrestlers such as CM Punk tweeted their excitement for the announcement.
For those who lived through The Warrior's glory days, his impact cannot be understated as he was a once-in-a-lifetime character. Warrior often gets hammered by fans and pundits for not being the most technically savvy worker in wrestling, but honestly, who cares? His connection with the audience at that time had nothing to do with working 45 minute matches.
Fans wanted to see him sprint to the ring and shake the ropes like a madmen before destroying his opponent. Wrestling is about entertainment and there is no question Warrior was entertaining. Warrior was so good at what he did, no one has been able to replicate his work since and it's likely that there will never be another character like him. At a time when over-the-top characters were the standard, Warrior was at the peak of those larger-than-life performers.
So what took so long to get Warrior back into the WWE?
Depending on who you ask and what you believe, there are a few reasons why The Warrior was gone for so long. First there were Warrior's behavioral issues while he was in his prime.
In 1991 The Warrior and McMahon argued over money for most of the summer and eventually Warrior was taken off TV for a few months over the disagreement. In 1992 - right in the middle of McMahon being investigated for steroids - Warrior was fired from the company for allegedly receiving steroids.
Four years later Warrior returned to the WWE but it was short lived as Warrior missed a handful of advertised matches. McMahon terminated Warrior's contract and that was the last time he appeared in the WWE.
In 2005 the WWE produced a less-than-flattering DVD on Warrior's career which featured numerous wrestlers ripping into him and basically trashing him throughout. As a response, Warrior sued the WWE over their depiction of him and that certainly didn't help the relationship. Aside from the legal issues, Warrior has long been a critic of the WWE and taken shots at the company on a handful of occasions.
Until recently it appeared neither side would back down and The Warrior would never get the chance to return; luckily that isn't the case.
As WrestleMania 30 rapidly approaches, Warrior's inclusion in the event only adds to what is quickly becoming the one of the biggest cards in WWE history. Thankfully the WWE and The Warrior have swallowed their pride and come together for an agreement so the fans can give him the respect and night in the spotlight he deserves