Hogans stablemate at both WWF and WCW and the man with whom he shared the top spot in WWF during the early nineties was a wrestler even more limited than he was, the Ultimate Warrior. Protected like Goldberg after him with the undefeated angle, squashing jobber after jobber in exciting but formulaic squash matches with the same formula over and over again, for two months you could only have told the difference between Warriors matches by who he was facing. A poor worker with an extremely limited moveset, Warrior was also clumsy in the ring, often sloppy, something the equally limited Hogan could never have been accused of. The quick matches were a blessing for the Ultimate Warrior as well as the fans: he was carrying a lot of steroid-inflated muscle, and his high-energy entrance, sprinting down the ramp to the ring, leaping inside and frantically shaking the ropes, would often blow him up so much that hed be winded before his match started. Never blessed with Hogans shrewd mind or instinctive ability to connect with the audience and work a crowd, Warriors appeal would never last as long. The car crash that awaited the pair of them at WCWs Halloween Havoc in 1998, when they attempted a rematch from their superior outing at Wrestlemania VI eight years earlier is proof positive as to the worthlessness of both men in the ring together. When you argue over which was better, HBK or Taker at Wrestlemania XXV or XXVI, youre debating over two long, technical and dramatic bouts that are rightly considered classics. When you discuss Hogan versus Warrior, youre really just talking about which one was least bad.
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
