History YMMV / UltimateWarrior

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Downplayed. After the [[ComicBook/{{Warrior}} Warrior comic]] came out, WWE pushed an angle where Wrestling/JerryLawler, at the time an announcer, mocked the comic for its poor artwork compared to his own. This was supposed to end with Lawler painting a portrait of Warrior as a peace offering, which Warrior would then break over his head, but when Warrior came into the ring to recieve the painting, he ran in with his hair tied back wearing one of his own merchandise baseball caps, acting as if nothing were out of the ordinary. It's a minor one but Lawler claims that the sheer randomness of it completely threw him off and deflated the crowd.

* FranchiseOriginalSin: On paper, it can be hard to understand why exactly the Ultimate Warrior's title reign failed. He had the physique, the charisma, and many of his many deficiencies were shared by his predecessors in the Golden Era; he'd already demonstrated that clever booking could hide some of them. He wasn't a great technical wrestler, but even if Wrestling/HulkHogan was better than he gets credit for he was still ultimately a body guy who wasn't about to put in more work than he had to. His promos could become incoherent, but [[Wrestling/RandySavage the good ol' Macho Man sometimes let his mouth paint with impressionist colors]]. Aside from [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks changing tastes]], what was he missing? In a word, ''humanity''. Even if Hogan and Savage were larger-than-life, they were still just people at the end of the day. They could go out to the beach or play at a concert and not look out of place. They could still be related to in a way this bizarre cosmic space alien (maybe?) really couldn't. Also, not to put too fine a point on it, even if Hulk Hogan wasn't a great seller, he could still make himself look absolutely miserable when the cheating heels started getting one over on him; this further gave him a bit of humanity that Warrior, who often couldn't even do ''that'', lacked.

** Wrestling/{{Ted DiBiase}} ''alone'' [[http://thesmartmarks.com/old_site/artman/publish/article_683.shtml goes back and forth on the subject.]] [=DiBiase=] credits Warrior for trusting him to lead a match when they were both in Mid-South and says that Warrior was "tremendously dedicated to keeping his body in shape. That's about it." He says that Warrior was very calculating, rude to the fans, and repeatedly held Vince up for more money. This might explain Vince's reticence with putting the belt on wrestlers who reside outside of his inner circle.

** His promo on RAW the night after Wrestlemania 30 about living forever in the hearts of his fans is especially harsh considering that he passed away the next night. [[NightmareFuel It was almost as if he knew he was about to die]].
--->'''Warrior:''' Every man's heart one day beats its final beat, his lungs breath their final breath. And if what that man did in his life, makes the blood pulse through the body of others, and makes them believe deeper in something larger than life, then his essence, his spirit, will be immortalized by the storytellers, by the loyalty, by the memory, of those who honor him and make whatever the man did live forever.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: His theme song [[https://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36OHZ51o2qo "Unstable"]]. Its high tempo captures the essence of his character perfectly.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLrzLNgBG3k His theme song]]. Its high tempo captures the essence of his character perfectly.

** Wrestling/BobbyHeenan hated the man. Once, during an interview with WrestleCrap, RD Reynolds asked Heenan about Warrior. Heenan told Reynolds to bring the microphone with him and lead Reynolds into a bathroom. He asked Reynolds to say Warrior's name again and once he did Heenan flushed a toilet repeatedly. He then stated something along the lines of "that's what I think of that man."

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLrzLNgBG3k His theme song]].

* HarsherInHindsight: As cruelly amusing as it is to watch him splatter HHH in 90 seconds, given how it clearly led to HHH realizing he'd have to do everything possible to protect his spot if he ever got to the point where something like that would actually mean something, it looks more and more like a bad idea.

** Thanks to Spoony: "HOAK HOGAN!". Or "SKRONK!"

* EarWorm: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLrzLNgBG3k His theme song]].

* DumbassHasAPoint: Shortly after Wrestling/RandySavage's death, Hulk Hogan gave an interview about Randy, their rocky friendship and the details of Randy's marriage to Elizabeth, including how paranoid and protective Randy was of her. Warrior responded with a vlog that, predictably, rambled through the point, but he was right when he pointed out that Hogan airing the sordid details of his friend's failed marriage was kind of a dick move, especially [[NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead on the heels of the man's untimely demise]].

* MoneyDearBoy: He was not afraid of admitting the only reason he got involved with the business was to make money and that he wasn't a fan nor watched wrestling.

* NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead: Warrior was a divisive figure in life to say the least, but after his untimely demise, there has been a noticeable softening of opinion around him, including on Wiki/ThisVeryWiki. For example, Wrestling/TripleH spent much of the Self Destruction DVD blaming his squash at the Warrior's hands at Wrestlemania on the latter's backstage politicking, but backtracked and later considered it an honor to work with him.
** The fact that he spent much of his hall of fame weekend making a conscious effort to mend some bridges and make peace with a lot of people he was at odds with no doubt has a lot to do with this. Ted [=DiBiase=], one of Warrior's biggest critics on the Self Destruction DVD, utterly laments the fact that he never got the chance to speak with Warrior that weekend.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** How would the face of wrestling be different today, if Vince's original plans for the Warrior had worked out?
** Warrior's HOF contract would have had him making multiple appearances following Wrestlemania XXX. Sadly, we only got one before he died.
** According to legend, the then Dingo Warrior was approached to play the Wrestling/BigVanVader gimmick. He chose to follow the money to [=WWF=], and the rest is history.

** [[Wrestling/TheSheepherders The Bushwhackers]] [[http://thesmartmarks.com/old_site/artman/publish/article_500.shtml said]] that they got along fine with Warrior because they knew him from the UWF, but that he would ignore fans who asked him for autographs when he was at the gym. They say that Warrior did that because he saw wrestling as a way to get paid for working out, and that he stopped after Vince told him that [[HatesTheJobLovesTheLimelight everybody signs autographs]]. They also give Rick Rude credit for helping Warrior learn how to work the right way.

* {{Foil}}: To Hulk Hogan- an intense and charismatic power wrestler with limited technical skill but huge crowd support. They even had similar move-sets, and Warrior's look was in many ways an exaggeration of Hogan's (long hair, tanned skin, body-builder physique).

* BullyingADragon: On ''The Self-Destruction Of The Ultimate Warrior'', Bobby Heenan tells a (possibly apocryphal) antecdote about how, in his feud with Andre the Giant, he would run at Andre as fast as he could and slam him with a clothesline much harder than he needed to. Eventually Andre got sick of it and shot on the Warrior- holding up his fist and hitting Warrior right between the eyes as he ran in for the clothesline. After that, Warrior was apparently so cowed that he would barely touch Andre in their matches.
* CulturedWarrior: Sort of. He invented an entire philosophy out of whole cloth- Destrucity. It is both elegant in it's simplicity, and baffling in it's complexity.
* DrugsAreBad: He never took a test while employed by the WWE, but he's been accused of using steroids throughout his career. He almost certainly did, especially since Sting confessed to using them until 1990 and the two broke into the business together.

* DyingMomentOfAwesome: His surprisingly intelligible promo the night before his death, essentially having the message of "I wouldn't have been this star if it wasn't for the fans. Even after my death my fire will live on within you." In essence, Warrior performed his own eulogy.

* {{Irony}}: After being dumped by WCW, Warrior didn't have another match until 2008. The match was with the Italy-based Nu-Wrestling Evolution against [[DepravedBisexual Orlando Jordan]], giving us the irony of a fight between Mr "Queering doesn't make the world work", and the man who would a few short years later be sexually assaulting his way through both genders in the TNA roster.
* LegacyCharacter: Subverted, he would often try to claim that he and his opponent du jour (usually Hogan), were the latest in a long line of champions or heroes representing two sides in an ancient conflict. Needless to say, they weren't.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: As cruelly amusing as it is to watch him splatter HHH in 90 seconds, given how it clearly led to HHH realizing he'd have to do everything possible to protect his spot if he ever got to the point where something like that would actually mean something, it looks more and more like a bad idea.
** Post-9/11, is any wrestler ever going to do a promo where he threatens to crash a plane?
** His promo on RAW the night after Wrestlemania 30 about living forever in the hearts of his fans is especially harsh considering that he passed away the next night. [[NightmareFuel It was almost as if he knew he was about to die]].
--->'''Warrior:''' Every man's heart one day beats its final beat, his lungs breath their final breath. And if what that man did in his life, makes the blood pulse through the body of others, and makes them believe deeper in something larger than life, then his essence, his spirit, will be immortalized by the storytellers, by the loyalty, by the memory, of those who honor him and make whatever the man did live forever.
** And his Hall of Fame Speech about how the Ultimate Warrior would continue to run throughout the spirits of the WWE for generations to come....You know what, everything about the Warrior in regards to Wrestlemania XXX is ''built'' on this.
** Even worse: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDmjBesg4-8 the WWE 2K14 promo]], which STARTS OFF with Warrior claiming that "NOT EVEN....the Grim Reaper himself, STARVING to get his hands on" his soul, could keep him from appearing in the game.
** Oh, and let's not forget [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNg95xuwuCs the time]] Wrestling/TheUndertaker locked Warrior in a casket back in 1991.....
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: Beyond being a big guy who beat people up in a berserker rage, it's difficult to pin down exactly what the Warrior character was supposed to be, especially since it was almost impossible to understand his promos; at various times he seemed to claim to be an alien, an ancient mystical warrior or some kind of superhero. Or perhaps it was intentionally a mix of all three, something akin to a really coked out version of The Mighty Thor from Marvel Comics.
* RunningGag: In re TheOtherDarrin on the Trivia page: This created an early one on the Website/{{Usenet}} newsgroup [=rec.sport.pro-wrestling=] that said, "he died and was replaced by Steve [=DiSalvo=]". The gag [[Memes/ProfessionalWrestling took on a life of its own]] and when some new poster would ask, "Who is <Wrestler X>?", some joker would answer, "Steve [=DiSalvo=]."
* ShoutOut: "I was sent in a capsule from a place long from here", is a either a reference to Franchise/{{Superman}}, or another bit of rambling nonsense, or somehow, [[TakeAThirdOption both]].
* SmugSuper: He would occasionally refer to non-wrestlers as "normals", and express contempt for their weakness compared to him and his opponents.

* WarriorPoet: Sort of. He invented an entire philosophy out of whole cloth- Destrucity. It is both elegant in it's simplicity, and baffling in it's complexity.

* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: His return to the WWE after being an exile for 18 years, and the RAW following Wrestlemania XXX. ''JESUS CHRIST''
* CulturedWarrior[=/=]WarriorPoet: Sort of. He invented an entire philosophy out of whole cloth- Destrucity. It is both elegant in it's simplicity, and baffling in it's complexity.

* HarsherInHindsight[=/=]NiceJobBreakingItHero: As cruelly amusing as it is to watch him splatter HHH in 90 seconds, given how it clearly led to HHH realizing he'd have to do everything possible to protect his spot if he ever got to the point where something like that would actually mean something, it looks more and more like a bad idea.

* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: Beyond being a big guy who beat people up in a berserker rage, it's difficult to pin down exactly what the Warrior character was supposed to be, especially since it was almost impossible to understand his promos; at various times he seemed to claim to be an alien, an ancient mystical warrior or some kind of superhero.

** The fact that he spent much of his hall of fame weekend making a conscious effort to mend some bridges and make peace with a lot of people he was at odds with no doubt has a lot to do with this. Ted DiBiase, one of Warrior's biggest critics on the Self Destruction DVD, utterly laments the fact that he never got the chance to speak with Warrior that weekend.