SummerSlam By The Numbers WWE DON'T Want You To Remember

There's a litany of reasons why WWE shouldn't lionise the late Ultimate Warrior, the most obvious being the rampant, hateful bigotry which characterised his life post wrestling. Obviously, the company were happy to cravenly excuse all that in order to monetise his legacy, particularly as it largely occurred outwith their auspices.

In fact, it probably never even entered into consideration. The extent of Warrior's remarkable rehabilitation is less understandable in the context of the bitter, long-term feud between the two parties. That WWE felt moved to produce a pre-mortem DVD burying the tasseled renegade's tenure tells just how much of a headache he was for Vince McMahon, making his posthumous celebration all the more astonishing.

The conflict traces its roots back to 1991, when Warrior demanded $550,000 parity with Hulk Hogan for his WrestleMania VII turn, lest he'd no-show his pre-billed SummerSlam '91 main event. Apocrypha says he barged into Vince's office to demand this on the day of the show itself, with Hogan and Sergeant Slaughter waiting in the wings to step in.

This testimony comes from Hogan himself, so doesn't count for much. However, Warrior's demand was real, even if it came over a month before the show. McMahon agreed in principle, though he never planned to follow through: as soon as SummerSlam was over, Warrior was immediately suspended. It's an ignoble episode WWE are now sure to ignore - in spite of what's said on their own DVD - when waxing charitable for what's in reality a glorified PR gong.