10 WWE Careers That Were Transformed In One Year
2. Ultimate Warrior - 1990
Hulk Hogan's thirst for more beyond wrestling only really worked for Vince McMahon because WWE had a replacement lined up to take his place. Or so they thought.
The Ultimate Warrior's 1988 Intercontinental Title victory had made good on an awful lot of early promise from a figure that embodied Sports Entertainment more than he ever did Pro Wrestling. Children could get drunk on the bright colours and frenetic energy of this comic book hero brought to life, whilst adults could escape into his absurdist aesthetic and physical, dominant squash victories.
The WWE World Heavyweight Championship was - and christ, imagine any belt meaning this much now - a step too far for the gimmick.
Warrior had to be humanised in a way not unfamiliar to the company's myopic view on top stars, and his matches weren't the artful super-heavyweight showdowns of the monied and marvellous era that came before it.
Business was dwindling on a larger scale, but before the company could see the reality of that, (partially fair) blame fell on the muscular traps of their first "next Hulk Hogan". Warrior had terrific control of his character and aura, but it never reached previous peaks after it fell from the summit.