The Ultimate Warrior is one of the most iconic wrestlers of all time. He was rarely ever beaten and became a huge fixture in the WWE for almost a decade. Although his skills in the ring have been panned in the years since his retirement, his impact is on par with any wrestling legend. One aspect of his career that detracts from his legacy, however, was his time in WCW.
Warrior spent less than six months in WCW and every moment of it was one disaster after another. Although it's never been admitted, many assume he was hired so that Hollywood Hogan could avenge his loss to Warrior that occurred at WrestleMania VI. True or not, he ended up at the company and this list examines ten things you may have forgotten happened during Warrior's WCW run.
10 Warrior Wrestled In His Jacket During His Only Nitro Match
Although he made multiple appearances on Nitro, including his debut, Warrior only fought one match on the program. His attire is as well known as any huge superstar to ever set foot in the ring. Ultimate warrior's addition of a jacket actually helped evolve his look for the better.
The huge coat, however, does not make for the best wrestling gear. In his tag team bout (with Sting) against Hollywood Hogan and Bret, not only was Warrior basically absent from the match, he fought the bout in his jacket. It was the only match he fought in WCW with the coat, so it was either a mistake or another creative misstep.
9 His Only Singles Match Received A "Negative Five-Star" Rating
Warrior's match versus Hollywood Hogan was supposed to be the "rematch of the century." Unfortunately, the build-up to the match was strange and it was clear neither Hogan nor Warrior was the same athletes they were when Warrior defeated Hogan at WrestleMania VI. It was also the only singles match of Warrior's few months at WCW.
Their rematch at Halloween Havoc ’98 was an absolute disaster. Dave Meltzer, a legendary wrestling critic, usually rates his matches on a 1 to 5 scale. He gave this match the lowest rating he's ever given out, a -5, which most fans don't dispute.
8 An Episode Of Thunder Hinted At Warrior's Arrival To WCW
Warrior arrived at WCW on the August 17, 1998, episode of Monday Nitro. On the episode of Thunder that preceded Nitro, there was a subtle hint that Warrior would arrive at WCW at the end of the program. This was before the age of the widespread internet where hints like that had huge staying power and caused a ton of chatter among fans.
After Bret Hart defeated Lex Lugar to retain the WCW United States title, the last shot of the program was two men in the crowd dressed like Warrior hinting at his arrival.
7 Roddy Piper Competed Against Warrior For The First Time Ever At WCW
An interesting fact about Roddy Piper and Warrior: they were both in the WWE for at least five years and never fought a single match against each other - not a singles match, a tag team bout, nothing. The two finally clashed at WCW, but unfortunately, it was at the worst War Games in the history of WCW. Although there were seven other guys in this match, this was the only (non-Royal Rumble) bout where Piper and Warrior competed against each other.
6 Warrior's WCW Entrance Injured Davey Boy Smith
Warrior started appearing in a cloud of smoke upon arrival to WCW events. The secret behind the entrance was a trap door that Warrior used to enter the building unseen. Unfortunately, due to miscommunication Davey Boy Smith took a bump that left him hospitalized. It's estimated this injury also played a huge role in the painkiller addiction that plagued Davey Boy at the end of his life.
5 Warrior Had A Batman-Esque Symbol
In another strange creative decision, a Warrior symbol would shine in the arena anytime he was needed. He would stand in the symbol oftentimes. It was a strange addition to the "WCW Warrior" saga and did very little to move the story forward. It's often forgotten because it had so little impact.
4 The Bladerunners (Sting and Warrior) Reunited For The First Time In Over A Decade In WCW
Sting and Warrior entered the wrestling industry together. The two were known as The Bladerunners and took two completely different paths and became huge stars in their respective worlds. The reuniting of these two on WCW should have been massive. It was Pay Per View worthy.
Not to mention, their opponents were Hogan and Bret Hart. It ended up being a throwaway match that lasted less than six minutes. Warrior hardly competed in this match and it is one of the worst reunions of icons ever.
3 Warrior Started A Faction (That Lead to Nothing)
WCW was full of stables. It was not uncommon for a new one to appear at any moment after the NWO was established. Warrior established One Warrior Nation, OWN (NWO backward). The Disciple (aka Brutus Beefcake) was the only other member of the "faction" and the whole idea slowly faded away before the Halloween Havoc match with Hogan and was never mentioned again.
2 His First Promo In WCW Was Over 20 Minutes Long
Warrior's insane, mostly incomprehensible, promos were a big part of his persona. He carried that aspect of his character to WCW and cut a long promo upon debuting. Bischoff has said not even he anticipated the promo that lasted over 20 minutes. Most fans were okay with this promo since it was exciting just to see Warrior in action for the first time in years on WCW.
1 Warrior Got Superpowers (For Unknown Reasons)
One of the biggest changes to Warrior in WCW was the sudden superpowers that gave him the ability to teleport and have mind control. He brainwashed The Disciple into joining one Warrior nation and used smoke as a way to teleport a few times. His powers failed him at War Games when Hogan locked him in the cage and he injured himself kicking down a part of the cage to escape. There was also him appearing in Hogan's mirror, which is one of the strangest moments of both Hogan and Warrior's careers.