The Ultimate Warrior is my favorite promo man of all time. The wonderful thing about his style is that at first glance, it may seem to be just insane, rambling drivel. And while it definitely is rambling, there was method to his madness, some truth hidden amongst his far-reaching metaphors. In a way, he was like a jazz musician, or even more like an improv comedian. He rocketed forward with the speed of a meteor, crossing light-years between topics, the comet’s tail a visible thread holding it all together. He was absolutely fearless in everything he said and did, no one could match his style, it would only false. Only the Ultimate Mind could pull these whoppers of lines off. Whether by design or not, there are tons of great easter eggs hidden within his quotable quotes.  His use of the words “juice”, “injection”, and “flowing through my veins” are noteworthy as the Warrior’s heyday with the WWE came around the time of their highly-publicized steroid scandal. He also used wrestling industry terms like “shoving down the throats”, which the IWC commonly uses to describe a wrestling company relentlessly “pushing” a wrestler (current example: Roman Reigns).

The Ultimate Warrior seemed to believe everything he said, and relished the idea of public speaking and philosophizing. Post-WWE, he went on to be a motivational speaker, and dabbled in politics before his controversial quote “queering doesn’t make the world right” stalled his political progress.

The Warriors quotes are a treasure. In a time of falseness, he was the truth. In a sport that is scripted, he was the unplanned. The Ultimate Warrior and his quotes allow us a brave look into the mind of a WWE legend. The Ultimate Warrior feared nothing. Even in his promo on RAW the night before his death, there was some eerie truth to what he was saying.

Let us bask in the pure light of the Ultimate Warrior, so that all of us can truly realize what it is to fight, and raise above our shallow mortal selves, and achieve pure glory.

11 10. Not "normal"

VIA nbcnews.com
VIA nbcnews.com

"Normal people, the people that walk the streets every day, we cannot understand."

So poignant. At first this lines seems unrelated to anything he was saying before or after. But upon further inspection, this line encapsulated everything he has said. He is well aware of his larger-than-life proclamations, that the common man may not understand. He is aware because he cannot understand the common man himself. This is abundantly clear in every promo he has ever cut. The Warrior is not normal, he does not walk the streets every day, he does not buy vegetables. We cannot understand.

10 9. Shove it down everyone's throats

via huffingtonpost.co.uk
via huffingtonpost.co.uk

"Send the power of the Warrior down everybody’s throat in the WWE, until they become sick of it. Well you’re gonna get sick of it, because this freak of nature right here is just beginning to swell, and when I get big enough, brother, there ain’t gonna be room for anybody else but me and all the Warriors floatin’ through the veins and the power of the Warrior!"

This is a quote that resonates today. The biggest story in the WWE Universe is the controversial decision to push Roman Reigns “down the throats” of the fans, pushing aside the incredibly over Daniel Bryan. The Warrior’s proclamation of “you’re gonna get sick of it” proved he was very in-tune with the fans.

The line “floating through the veins and the power of the Warrior!” definitely stands out during the time of the steroid scandal. The Warrior had the ultimate physique of any wrestler at that time, and his choice of words stand out.

9 8.  Gods, Skeletons, and the eighth wonder of the WORLD!

via cinemablend.com
via cinemablend.com

"I look up to the gods, and when you fall below the skeletons of the Warriors past, the power of the Warriors will become the eighth wonder of the WORLD!"

This is a lot of information to take in as the Warrior seems to be combining three ideas into one. The Warrior mentions looking up to the gods but then falling below the skeletons of his past. Only by doing this, his fans can become the eighth wonder of the world. Could this mean that you must look at the highest peaks, and then accept the faults and problems (skeletons of the past) before you can truly have the ultimate power? Only the One knows.

8 7. More about gods

via businesswire.com
via businesswire.com

"In my final meeting with the gods from the heavens above, they spoke to me and hit me with the power of the Ultimate Warrior. They told me: action stage left, action stage right. There is no place to run, all the fuses in the exit signs have burnt out."

I love this one for the stage direction quotes, “exit stage left, exit stage right”. You can tell that when the Warrior began to speak, nothing was off-limits, he discussed everything at the same time. Whether he happened to see some cue cards or was merely reciting some stage direction the WWE director mentioned before the promo, nothing was off-limits for the Ultimate improviser. In his “fuses in the exit sign have burnt out” line we are perhaps seeing directly into his mind as he realizes he doesn’t have an end to this promo.

7 6. Quotes about family

via theboombox.com
via theboombox.com

"The family that I live for only breathes the air that smells of combat. With or without the face-paint I am the Ultimate WARRIOR!"

Anyone could see the Warrior was a driven force. He did everything at one level, INTENSE. He performed every action as if at war, he fought and conquered every step of the way. Could you imagine the Warrior making a sandwich? But if he did, it would be the most epic sandwich of history, designed only to make him stronger in order to vanquish his foes.  His remarks about with or without the face-paint allude to the fact that he is not playing an act, his soul is one with the One.

6 5. Nightmares, anger, frustration, combat

via worldinsport.com
via worldinsport.com

"Come on in where nightmares are the best part of my DAYYY. I live for anger and frustration. Combat is where I will be."

The WWE make an entire universe out of simple fighting.  The characters, the storylines, the glory and defeat, all live within this world.  The Ultimate One knows his fate, his name isn’t the Ultimate Baker.  He is a Warrior, combat is where he will be.

5 4. The Ultimate Preparations

via hdwallpapersmart.com
via hdwallpapersmart.com

"How must I prepare, you must ask yourself. Should I jump off the tallest building in the world? Should I lay on the lawn and let them run over me with lawn-mowers? Should I go to Africa and let them trample me with raging elephants?"

A great question. Is this an example of the Ultimate improviser building off of his first line? Or can you imagine the Warrior writing some of this down at home, after a particularly hot day of yard work. Maybe he relaxed with a lemonade and watched some National Geographic on the migration patterns of elephants.

The wonderful thing about this promo, is that it would sound totally different, but equally as impressive coming from Bobby “the brain” Heenan.

4 3. Spaceship juice and blood-red moons

via wwe.com
via wwe.com

"Full of the juice that carries the spaceship as far as it wants to go ... because when the moon is blood red … the heavens have opened up from above and the Warriors have spoken. You’ve got the power to make the skies rumble and the earth shake. In the sheets of the wind, then I will survive."

Here’s that line about juice again, carrying something as far as it wants to go. Taking a sharp right turn in the same sentence, the Warrior speaks of a lunar eclipse (the red moon) and the power that comes from that. If the Warrior wasn’t already frightening enough, imagine him harnessing the power to make the skies rumble and the earth shake. He gets bonus points for using the term “sheets of the wind”.

3 2. The Ultimate Mission Statement

via 3news.co.nz
via 3news.co.nz

"I was sent in a capsule from a place far from here, and I came here for one reason.To attack and keep comin’. Not to ask, but just to give. Not to want, but just to send."

Here we get a little back story. We already knew he was from "parts unknown", which isn't knowing much. Now at least we know how he got here. Sent in a capsule to attack. Shouldn't we have been more worried about this? He could have been the death of us all! Why were the kids cheering him? Thank god for us the nWo stopped him in a forgettable match at Halloween Havoc.

2 1. The Ultimate Warrior vs “Hoke Howgan”

“As you, Hoke Howgan, travel to WRESTLEMANIA!...experience malfunctions. As you realize ALL THAT IS LEFT is total self-destruction, do you, Hulk Hogan, show self-pity? DO YOU, Hulk Hogan, try to reason why?...

...Or do you, Hulk Hogan, kick the doors out? Kick the cockpit door down. Take the two pilots that have already made the sacrifice so that you can face the challenge. Dispose of them, Hulk Hogan. Assume the controls, Hulk Hogan. SHOVE THAT CONTROL INTO A NOSEDIVE, HULK HOGAN! "

This comes from the leadup to the greatest Warrior moment in WWE. A transition point for the company, as for the first time, they would have two baby-faces go head-to-head, title for title. Hulk Hogan was the greatest power in the WWE Universe at the time, it seemed unthinkable another fan favorite could face him and emerge victorious. Although, if you had listened to everything the Warrior was saying, how could Hogan or any man stand a chance?

This is his greatest promo as the Warrior delivers a truly dynamic performance. He not only uses the traditional wrestler shout, but masterfully mixes in intense whispers, animalistic snarls, and ends it by communicating purely through stretching his face like a demon.

The metaphor is another that only the One could pull off. The Warrior seeks to offer Hogan a chance to save himself, by mind-controlling the Hulkster into crashing his own plane into parts-unknown rather than meet his destiny at Wrestlemania IV.

Whether by mind or body, the Warrior knew he would emerge victorious, there was no other way.

1 Compilation

Finally, here are all the all-time greats for your enjoyment, wrapped into one. You'll hear many of the quotes you're now familiar with. You might find yourself asking, "what the hell did he say?" Well, he wasn't always clear, but his promos were all must see. Odds are we're never going to see anyone ever come close to spewing some of the lines we heard from the Ultimate Warrior back in wrestling's golden era. As Warrior told us with his parting words, "the spirit of the Ultimate Warrior will run, forever!"