RIP Ultimate Warrior

Damn. Still hard to believe the guy just dropped dead the day after his appearance on Raw and a few days after his induction speech. Definitely surreal. Wouldn't say I'm a fan, but I really enjoyed his days in the WWF. RIP

Also, it's depressing that as a journalist, my first instinct these days is to question the validity of the report. But given the fairly recent phenomenon of wanting to get it first rather than getting it right, that's where I am. Also find it interesting that TMZ is one of the few outlets to offer any new information.

 

Warrior was batshit crazy. That explains a lot. He once starred in a self-published comic book in which he raped Santa Claus.

http://www.i-mockery.com/minimocks/warrior-xmas/

 

As stunning as Warrior's death is, it's almost as stunning that he was the first (well, technically the second) member of the dysfunctional 2014 WWE Hall of Fame class to die. Five years ago, I doubt anyone would've thought Scott Hall and Jake Roberts would outlive Warrior.

 

Yeah, my money would have been on Hall.

 

I'm talking about during a very specific time in their careers, the late '80s-early '90s. Overall, it's Hulk by a mile. But when Warrior blew up in the late '80s, everyone in the company knew he was the biggest star in the world.

By 1990, Hogan's shtick had started to get stale, and he was out of WWE within three years, during which he'd show up every now and then and disappear for large chunks of time. In fact, if Hogan hadn't turned heel in 1995, he would've faded into irrelevance in short order. It's a testament to him that he was able to revive himself like that.

Warrior should've been the top guy during that whole time, but he couldn't sustain it. The guys who really benefited from Hogan's fade in the long run were Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, and maybe Kevin Nash and Scott Hall.

 

I think I missed these screeds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF4ZTcuhixc#t=90

Edit: That is seriously some of the funniest shtick I've ever seen.

 

DDP should not only be inducted into the Hall of Fame, he should get a 30 for 30 special.

 

I dunno - They both seem to be of the Keith Richards mold, where if they were going to die from an overdose, it probably would have happened by now. It's weird, Warrior always had the steroid rumors and seemed unhinged mentally, but you didn't hear stories on shoots or read about him ingesting massive piles of cocaine. Living on the road like they did in the 80s and 90s couldn't have been good for anyone, but Warrior also had far less of an in-ring career than others of that era, between his absences and quick matches.

 

He's definitely getting enshrined, between the in-ring career and how loved he is out of the ring. I'm not sure how much credit he should get for the yoga stuff. I think it's more that he's a personable son of a bitch, and that with his background in the sport makes it an easier sell for recovery for those guys.

 

I dunno. Watch that E:60 from a few years ago on Scott Hall. He was more than halfway through death's door.

The biggest tragedies to me were the Von Erichs. Especially Kerry.

 

He's an amazing story. He's probably the biggest reason Jake the Snake is still around.

 

I know there's been much written about that family, but it seems to be begging for one more all-in longform extravaganza. Actually, the whole of World Class Championship Wrestling would make a fascinating documentary/book/Grantland-style feature, giving the tragedies that took place during and after their run. I know WWE did a DVD, but something with a little more oomph.