Unfortunately, the man known as the Ultimate Warrior left us last year at the age of 54, just three days after finally being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Prior to his induction, Warrior finally came to terms with Vince McMahon and company after nearly 20 years, signing deals for his likeness to be used on action figures, in video games, and a proper DVD not named “The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior” (more on that later) chronicling his career, that was fairly well received.
That would be followed up with this set, which not only covers his career, but documents his journey back to WWE, including everything leading up to his final days. The DVD opens up with a message to fans from his widow, Dana Warrior, thanking everyone for their support, as well as discussing how much Warrior appreciated the support throughout his life and career.
[adinserter block=”1″]From there, the DVD goes into the documentary, and fortunately, Warrior is doing most of the talking. He recorded several different sit-down interviews for WWE prior to his passing in order to give his side of the story. We start with his days of getting trained by Red Bastien along with Sting and the two other guys no one remembers that made up Power Team USA, and how that in turn evolved into him and Sting becoming the Freedom Fighters, who later became the Blade Runners.
His time in the regional circuit is somewhat glossed over, although Warrior talks about his days in WCCW quite a bit, where he worked as the Dingo Warrior, and how he actually started as a heel in Gary Hart’s camp, but the fans turned him face. We move onto his signing with WWF. Most everyone knows these stories by now, but it’s nice to finally hear Warrior’s versions of the story, which add a little more insight and make taking a side in some of the more controversial moments a lot harder to do.
During these segments, we hear stories from tons of people who worked with him, including JR, Sting, Bill Irwin, Zeb Colter, etc., along with the typical stuff from John Cena and company. While you could really do without a lot of these stories, I’ll forgive them due to the fact that they were mainly stories from guys who were fans of his in their youth.
Some of the best moments on the DVD are Warrior discussing his relationship with Vince McMahon and the McMahon family on a whole. While they were very close during Warrior’s height of popularity (going so far as Warrior admitting he used to call Linda McMahon “mom” and stayed at their house frequently, even when they weren’t home), Warrior makes no bones about the hostility had towards Vince (as well as Hulk Hogan), and goes into great detail all of the problems he had during his career. Surprisingly, Vince, Hulk and others that are called out at this point do not sugarcoat how bad things got, from Warrior holding Vince up for half a million dollars at SummerSlam 1991 (Warrior does not deny this), to leaving the company again the next year. Contrary to popular belief, Warrior did not leave due to a money dispute during that time, but was in fact suspended (along with Davey Boy Smith) due to use of hGH, which came at a time not long before WWF was about to face the infamous steroid scandal.
His return in 1996 is briefly mentioned, but not a whole lot is said overall. Considering how abysmal that run was, that’s probably for the best. He also discusses his run in WCW, which was beyond absurd. The rumor has always been that everything that happened during that run was all his idea. According to Warrior, Eric Bischoff came up with the whole bizarre “superhero” schtick Warrior was doing, and Hulk Hogan admits the match at Halloween Havoc was completely his fault. Warrior goes on record to say that, had he known how bad it was going to get in WCW, he never would have taken the money they gave him.
As I mentioned before, a few years ago, WWE released the controversial “Self-Destruction” DVD, which was more or less an outright personal attack on Warrior, with pretty much everyone on the DVD slamming him at every chance. Surprisingly, WWE fully acknowledges s this set on the DVD, and there is an extensive segment dedicated to it, with both sides telling their story. I didn’t realize Warrior sued WWE in response. Somehow, that story went under my radar. Also included is footage from the trial itself, including Hulk Hogan making himself look like a complete idiot (big surprise, I know). According to this DVD, the case was eventually settled out of court, with little to no money exchanging hands. Dana, who is a fixture throughout the DVD, discusses how badly the DVD set and the following trial hurt both Warrior and his family, and how it was one of the catalysts for Warrior not rebuilding the bridge with WWE until years later.
The last hour or so of the DVD is dedicated to Warrior’s return to the company, including contract signings and him making amends with Vince McMahon, Triple H and many more. Like the rest of the set, Warrior and others are very candid about how everything came about and how he finally came “home”. It’s probably the best part of the set, because it’s nice to see how happy Warrior was to make amends, as well as how much it meant to him, his family, the McMahon family, and the rest of the superstars & legends. At the same time, it’s bittersweet when you consider he did not get a very long time to enjoy the new reunion. In fact, it actually gets uncomfortable to watch toward the end. I admit I got choked up, especially when, after his final appearance on RAW, he filmed a small segment that ended with, “I look forward to the future.”
For all the flack they get, Vince and Triple H are still human beings, and you definitely see their human side on display. Both men break down at various points when discussing Warrior coming back to WWE and accepting his HOF induction. Vince especially comes off as being deeply hurt. Considering he was one of the last people to see Warrior alive, and may be the last person Warrior ever took a photograph with, it’s not hard to see why.
The set ends on something of a positive note, however. The Warrior Girls, as they call themselves (Dana and their two daughters, Mattigan and Indiana) reunited with the WWE earlier this year. We learn they developed a very close relationship with Natalya, who apparently took Warrior’s death harder than you might expect, including Matti training a bit with Nattie in hopes of becoming a WWE diva later on down the road. It’s a bit cheesy and typical, but it makes for a nice “feel-good” moment, and it’s cool to see that one of his daughters hopes to follow in his footsteps one day.
Included in the set is one full disc of matches, and another full disc of promos. Like many recent sets, WWE included a lot of rarely-seen stuff this time around. While that’s not necessarily great all the time, I still appreciate that they’re going deeper into their massive library, rather than rehashing the stuff we’ve seen a billion times (Warrior/Hogan from WrestleMania VI, for example). There are a lot of squash matches on here, and none of them are real standouts as Warrior was not exactly a Rembrandt in the ring. However, there’s still some fun stuff to watch, especially if you’re feeling nostalgic. Some good bouts with Rick Rude and Sgt. Slaughter, to name a couple, are included and are definitely worth a watch. Not a single match from his WCW run is shown, but considering he only really had two matches during that time and both were atrocious, that’s for the best.
Disc three is all promos, and it’s pretty entertaining, whether the promos make sense or not. By Warrior’s own admission, a lot of the stuff he said made no sense, but sounded cool, and there’s plenty of those “load the spaceship with the rocket fuel” promos included. Plus, if you missed them last year, his HOF speech and speech the night after Wrestlemania are also included in full. In retrospect, the speech from RAW is very hard to watch. With what was said, you get the feeling he knew his time was up. While it was a fantastic speech, it’s eerie and unsettling when you consider he passed away less than 24 hours later.
Overall, this set is fantastic. I know I didn’t go into great detail with a lot of the DVD, but honestly, I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. This is one of the most “must-see” WWE sets I’ve come across in a long time, and every serious fan needs to check it out. The documentary alone is worth the price of admission, and the production quality is top-notch. It’s a fitting way to cap off the life of the larger-than-life performer Warrior was, and while it’s sad he didn’t get to live to see, I’m very glad he was alive during production so he could contribute.
DISC 1
“Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe” documentary portion, featuring: Warrior, Dana Warrior, Indiana Warrior, Mattigan Warrior, the McMahon Family, WWE Superstars and WWE Legends — with previously unseen footage included.
Chapters and runtime details of the documentary are still to be confirmed.
WWE Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe DVD/Blu-ray – Full Match List
[adinserter block=”2″]DISC 2
Matches
2-on-1 Handicap Match
Dingo Warrior vs. Perry Jackson and Chico Cabello
World Class Championship Wrestling * July 25, 1986
Dingo Warrior vs. Big Bear Collie
World Class Championship Wrestling * June 2, 1987
Ultimate Warrior vs. Frenchy Martin
Madison Square Garden * November 24, 1987
Ultimate Warrior vs. Brian Costello
Wrestling Challenge * November 29, 1987
Ultimate Warrior vs. Mike Sharpe
Philadelphia, PA * December 5, 1987
Ultimate Warrior vs. Conquistador #1
Wrestling Challenge * May 8, 1988
Intercontinental Championship Match
Ultimate Warrior vs. Honky Tonk Man
Boston, MA * October 10, 1988
Intercontinental Championship Match
“Ravishing” Rick Rude vs. Ultimate Warrior
East Rutherford, NJ * May 8, 1989
Ultimate Warrior & King Duggan vs. “Ravishing” Rick Rude & Andre the Giant
Madison, WI * June 6, 1989
Ultimate Warrior vs. John Weiss
Wrestling Challenge * September 24, 1989
WWE Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe DVD/Blu-ray – Full Match List
Intercontinental Championship Match
Ultimate Warrior vs. Andre the Giant
Maple Leaf Wrestling * October 29, 1989
Ultimate Warrior vs. Brooklyn Brawler
Wrestling Challenge * March 11, 1990
WWE Championship Match
Ultimate Warrior vs. Haku
Saturday Night’s Main Event * April 28, 1990
Ultimate Warrior vs. Sgt. Slaughter
Saturday Night’s Main Event * April 27, 1991
Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick “The Model” Martel
Wrestling Challenge * April 28, 1991
Ultimate Warrior vs. Smash
Superstars * May 18, 1991
Ultimate Warrior vs. Skinner
Superstars * May 2, 1992
Ultimate Warrior vs. Papa Shango
Lexington, KY * May 19, 1992
Ultimate Warrior & “Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. The Nasty Boys
SummerSlam Spectacular * August 19, 1992
Ultimate Warrior vs. Isaac Yankem
RAW * April 29, 1996
Ultimate Warrior vs. Owen Hart
RAW * July 8, 1996
WWE Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe DVD/Blu-ray – Full Match List
DISC 3
Promos/Interviews
Bill Mercer interviews Dingo Warrior
World Class Championship Wrestling * September 19, 1986
Nightmares are the Best Part of My Day
Superstars * February 27, 1988
I Live For Anger and Frustration
Wrestling Challenge * March 13, 1988
Normal People
Wrestling Challenge * June 5, 1988
I Won’t Let You Down
Wrestling Challenge * June 25, 1988
Legends Weren’t Built Overnight
Superstars * July 16, 1988
Craig DeGeorge Interviews the New Intercontinental Champion
Superstars * September 3, 1988
You Can Feel It
All American Wrestling * September 18, 1988
Totally Out of Control
Wrestling Challenge * January 29, 1989
A Test Like all the Others
Wrestling Challenge * May 28, 1989
We Shall Conquer the Giant
Superstars * July 15, 1989
Mean Gene interviews Ultimate Warrior about SummerSlam
Wrestling Challenge * August 13, 1989
The Eighth Wonder of the World
Superstars * September 9, 1989
Mean Gene interviews The Ultimate Warriors
Wrestling Challenge * November 5, 1989
The Brother Love Show Discussing the Royal Rumble
Superstars * January 13, 1990
I Speak to You, Hulk Hogan
Superstars * February 3, 1990
WWE Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe DVD/Blu-ray – Full Match List
The New WWE Champion
Superstars * April 14, 1990
The Brother Love Show Discussing SummerSlam
Superstars * June 23, 1990
Confined Spaces
Superstars * July 21, 1990
Leaving Nothing Behind
Wrestling Challenge * August 12, 1990
Useless Dreams
Wrestling Challenge * August 26, 1990
The Brother Love Show with Queen Sherri
Superstars * September 8, 1990
Sister Love
Superstars * October 13, 1990
The Commander in Chief
Wrestling Challenge * December 23, 1990
Your Ultimate Destruction
Wrestling Challenge * December 30, 1990
Total Surrender
Superstars * January 5, 1991
The Smell of Defeat
Wrestling Challenge * January 13, 1991
Mean Gene interviews Queen Sherri
Royal Rumble * January 19, 1991
I am the Wildness
Superstars * February 9, 1991
I Said Sew It In!
Superstars * February 16, 1991
You Have Found the Madness
Superstars * February 23, 1991
Don’t Look Back
Superstars * March 9, 1991
One More Step in the Destiny
Wrestling Challenge * March 10, 1991
A Battle Like No Other
Wrestling Challenge * March 17, 1991
Now We Are Back
Superstars * May 4, 1991
Then We Shall Feast
Superstars * April 11, 1992
These Are My Warriors
Superstars * April 18, 1992
The Papa Shango Curse
Superstars * May 23, 1992
Only Desperate Men Act with Impatience
Superstars * August 8, 1992
The Ultimate Maniacs Are Born
Superstars * September 19, 1992
The Ultimate Maniacs Are Out of Control
Wrestling Challenge * November 7, 1992
One Warrior Nation
WCW Monday Nitro * August 24, 1998
Running to Reappear
WCW Monday Nitro * September 21 * 1998
Ultimate Warrior – Hall of Fame Induction
Hall of Fame * April 5, 2014
The Spirit of Ultimate Warrior Will Run Forever
RAW * April 7, 2014
WWE Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe DVD/Blu-ray – Full Match List
BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVES
A collection of personal stories from: Warrior, Dana Warrior and Indiana & Mattigan Warrior. Specifics of these extras are still to be confirmed.
Dingo Warrior vs. Rick Rude
World Class Championship Wrestling * August 22, 1986
The Ultimate Challenge
WWE Championship vs. Intercontinental Championship Match
Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior
WrestleMania VI * April 1, 1990
Arena Hard Camera Version
Ultimate Warrior & Legion of Doom vs. Demolition
Saturday Night’s Main Event * October 13, 1990
Ultimate Warrior vs. Earthquake
Fort Myers, FL * February 19, 1991
Ultimate Warrior & Undertaker vs. Papa Shango & Berzerker
Ontario, Canada * June 3, 1992
WWE: Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe on Amazon.com
Grab discounted WWE DVDs, merchandise, t -shirts, figures, and more from the WWE Shop on Amazon.com