WWE's Ultimate Warrior: The Top 10 Matches of His Career

Guess who's making headlines again.

Recently, we have been in caught in the middle of a war between Hulk Hogan and his '80s-'90s rival, The Ultimate Warrior.

The character's alter-ego Jim Hellwig, now legally known as Warrior, has been unleashing some pent up anger towards "The Hulkster" claiming that man is the ruin of all and deserves to pay the price for his alleged crimes.

True or not, Warrior has often been at the center of controversy and his often homophobic or racist remarks have made headlines on many occasions.

How the mighty have fallen. He is suffering from a slight case of "the madness of King George" I believe.

I find this very unfortunate because not only is this man deserving of a place in the WWE Hall of Fame for all his achievements, he also was my all-time favorite back in the day.

No one could really defeat him unless through plotting and treachery.

Often I have wondered what it would be like to see him on RAW one of these nights. It certainly would make the ratings go through the roof.

Like him or not, this man was an icon. His career may have been short but he accomplished so much in the span of only three to four years.

Many current superstars remember him and partly owe their career aspirations to the Ultimate Warrior.

I now take it upon myself to take a trip down memory lane and deliver to you my pick of his top 10 matches.

You'll follow me, won't you?

Honorable Mention: The Ultimate Warrior's Debut

Watch this. You'll notice the Warrior performing a leapfrog...simply WOW! ;)

The Ultimate Warrior arrived in the WWE around June 1987 and was known shortly by his earlier incarnation of "Dingo Warrior," but it was quickly dropped.

When asked what he was, he replied not being like Kerry Von Erich and the Road Warriors but something else...the ULTIMATE warrior.

Even his early interviews were different. He seemed more coherent and snorted a lot less.

Anything can happen in the WWE, or so they say. Could he be the anonymous RAW GM?

A Prelude to WrestleMania IV: The Warrior vs. Hercules in a Chain Match

This first encounter led to their eventual rematch at WrestleMania IV where the Ultimate Warrior won the decisive victory.

I believe this to be the first time I ever laid eyes on him. I was so impressed. He wasn't like Hulk Hogan at all yet we loved him so much.

Face paint, big muscles and interesting ring attire is what this character was primarily known for back then. Running to the ring and shaking the ropes, you just didn't see that...ever!

We ate everything up because he was simply amazing.

His first feud came against another strong man: Hercules.

Both guy were big and strong but Warrior was the one who stood out most. He was new, fresh and a "face" character, why wouldn't we like him?

When you think about it...not many people can claim they defeated him 1-2-3. 

1988: The Inaugural SummerSlam and the Intercontinental Championship

Well, the actual match didn't last much longer than the video I chose for this slide.

The Ultimate Warrior finally ended Honky Tonk Man's legendary long title reign of 454 days. A feat in the history books for all time.

He came out of nowhere, delivered some clotheslines, a flying shoulder and the big splash. New champion!

Nine seconds to be exact. That's how much time it lasted. A record.

It was so great to see the crowd react as it did for the victory.

The Warrior was an undefeated champion all the way from August 1988 to April 1989. An eight-month reign of pure power and domination.

That's how some champions should look like nowadays, face or heel.

Then again, the Ultimate Warrior was cut from a special mold, there will never be another like him. 

The Warrior Battles the King...inside a Steel Cage

This match took place days after "Macho King" Randy Savage screwed Warrior out of the WWE championship at the Royal Rumble.

Prelude to Treachery: Sgt. Slaughter Challenges for the WWE Championship

Who would have thought the Ultimate Warrior would lose his coveted championship, the same one he won from Hogan, to Sgt. Slaughter of all people.

It is believed Vince McMahon was starting to feel Warrior could not become the next Hogan and thus decided to end his nice run with the gold.

I was so angry back then. You cannot say the Sarge didn't play his role well. We all hated him! However, I hated Hulk Hogan even more for once again stealing the spotlight.

The end result was what it was: WrestleMania VII bombed except for the Savage-Warrior match...what a surprise.

The match chosen in this slide has some good action and the classic "superhero" revival which led the Ultimate Warrior to victory.

I prefer this one over the Rumble counterpart because the outcome was different and Sgt. Slaughter got what was coming to him.

Here is the link to the championship match at the Royal Rumble (Part 1 and Part 2). 

Enjoy.

So Close to the Edge: The Career Match at WrestleMania 7

Well, I cannot find the actual match to fit here so you'll get the promo between the Ultimate Warrior and the Macho King.

What more could you ask for in this one. You had two amazing legends taking each other to the limit and it is with the entire career on the line.

You don't get bigger than that.

The match started with the Warrior on the assault, but quickly changed to Savage taking control for the most part.

Macho King ended up dropping numerous flying elbows and still failed as the Warrior rose again and took out his opponent for the ultimate win.

Th ironic part here is, Savage was the ultimate winner because he regained Elizabeth's heart, moved on in the company as a commentator and eventually became WWE Champion again.

The Ultimate Warrior didn't have such luck. He got fired right after SummerSlam 1991 because of an alleged pay dispute for the WrestleMania VII match.

Here is the Career match: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

The Lord of the Dead Knock on Your Door Warrior

The Undertaker is a phenom, a spectacular performer and what an honor for him to have the Ultimate Warrior as the superstar to feud with him in 1991.

Not many times you actually see somebody rise up after a tombstone, but Warrior did. What a silly gimmick placing your opponent inside a body bag but it is classic Undertaker.

This feud followed after Savage lost his career match and should have leaked into a Warrior-Jake the Snake feud which never materialized due to his being released from the company.

It still amazes me how many times The Undertaker had the advantage in their matches. Even in the one here, we see Warrior winning by disqualification and not pinfall.

Mark Calloway (The Undertaker) must have been an incredible politician to have been able to pull that off.

I hope the Ultimate Warrior can be accessible in the new WWE '12 game so I can recreate this battle between him and the Phenom.

Watch Part 2.

The Ultimate Nemesis: "Ravishing" Rick Rude

This is such an excellent match between two amazing WWE legends.

Rick Rude made the Warrior look great every time they met in the ring. He not only took the Intercontinental championship, but also handed the Ultimate Warrior his very first defeat in WWE.

I was in shock and so angry at this injustice!

Up to this point, no one could stop him, Warrior destroyed everyone until he met "The Ravishing One." 

Their feud would continue on for the most part of 1989 right up to the official rematch at SummerSlam '89.

Ultimate Warrior vs. "Ravishing" Rick Rude II: Feel the Heat!

The rematch was just as great as the original.

So much back-and-forth action. Everything was great in this one: the actual superstars themselves, Bobby Heenan (exceptional as ever) and the commentators.

Jesse Ventura and Tony Schiavone added an extra level to this spectacular match. 

This was my first ever WWE live experience and on my birthday, no less. The Warrior regained the Intercontinental title!

What an amazing moment! The crowd literally exploded. 

A fine example as to why we don not need TWO world titles in the present WWE.

Make EVERY match as important and it wouldn't matter to me if Orton or Cena defended the IC championship in such an awesome way.

Real Talk! Learn the lesson here people!

No matter what match these two were in together, Warrior and Rude brought out the best in each other and this one will forever be my greatest match ever.

Watch Part 2 and Part 3. 

Ultimate Warrior vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage II: Feel the Power!

The first time WWE held a pay-per-view overseas was in London, England live at Wembley for SummerSlam 1992.

Though the actual main event was between Bret Hart and British Bulldog for the Intercontinental championship, another match caught everyone's attention almost as much.

The awesome battle between former enemies over the WWE championship. This is what WrestleMania VII should have had at the top of the card.

There have been many who wrote here on B/R saying how much they loved this match and how great it was.

I agree totally. You also had Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect playing such great heels, and Bobby "The Brain" on commentary eclipsing the chairmain Vince McMahon.

Perfect recipe. 

Here are the links to the entire thing: Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4. I hope you have fun like I do every time I see it. 

Notice how the Warrior started to sport some Olympic trunks back then. It fueled the rumors that the "real" one had passed away and this was another.

Get real!

There was a steroids scandal back then, you just had to tone down on the drug use...or so I believe.

WrestleMania VI: The Greatest Match of the Ultimate Warrior's Career

This is the one, the only, the best ever!

This match was held at WrestleMania VI in Toronto. For the first time it went across the border, to my delight.

It was just awesome. There are no other words to describe it. The next morning, on the school bus, my friend read the results out loud and everyone went nuts! 

Imagine, tens of young six-12ers screaming like psychos! Poor bus driver.

I couldn't wait to get this one on VHS. I still have it but the quality is not so good anymore. Thank you, YouTube!

Everyone blew the roof off the Skydome. What did you expect? It was the match of the decade.

The Hulkster and Warrior literally gave everything they had at each other. Were they enemies back then, too?

I know in Bret Hart's biography, he states numerous times how the Ultimate Warrior was a total prick, acting like a virtual god and making outrageous demands.

I am certain Hulk Hogan had his "Diva" moments as well. Isn't he the king of all "SuperDivas?"

Hogan knows best.

Watch Part 2 and Part 3.  

Honorable Mention: Some Other Great Warrior Matches

Here are some other great picks. 

I chose other matches to illustrate the majestic feuds the Ultimate Warrior had with Rick Rude and Randy Savage.

Watch them all below.

SummerSlam 1990: WWE Championship —The Ultimate Warrior vs. "Ravishing" Rick Rude Part III

Personal fave of mine

February 20th, 1989: Champion against Champion—"Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. Ultimate Warrior

Prior to WrestleMania V

Watch Part 1 and Part 2.  

I love these matches.

For Nostalgic Fans Like Me

Here is the Ultimate Warrior's theme music during his WWE years. It is classic! I would just explode if I heard this on RAW next week.

Warrior for RAW GM!! NOW!

Vote below.

The Warrior: Ultimate Classic Hall of Fame Bound?

What will be the outcome of his personal war with Hulk Hogan?

There are strange days ahead of us, and hopefully there will be light at the end of the tunnel.

The Ultimate Warrior was, is and always will be an enigmatic character. His career may have been brief, but he took the WWE by storm and left his mark forever.

Could this whole thing be a huge buildup for a storyline match or is it really that personal?

After watching this, what do you think?

Thanks for going back and forth through time with me. I hope you enjoyed the ride. 

Were there any other matches you think should have been in the top 10 rather than these?

Please list in the comment box.