The BEST Wrestling Moment Every Year (1989 - 2026)

37. 1990 | Ultimate Challenge Previewed

Ultimate Warrior Hulk Hogan Royal Rumble
WWE.com

Things were simpler back in the golden age of the 1980s. 

Geared towards children, the WWF was a battleground pitting cartoonish, muscled heroes versus no-good villains against a vivid old glory backdrop. It was a silly, heightened but incredibly effective morality play. Your favourite got to win all the time. The pattern was predictable because kids don’t like peril. They watch TV for escapism and reassurance. The closing stretch of the 1990 Royal Rumble match disrupted everything about the pattern to shocking effect. 

Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior kicked the asses of every heel in the ring, but were wrapped up in their own respective battles. The melee was so intense and busy that the fans did not register the only eventuality. Warrior and Hogan were the two most powerful goodies in the match, but they couldn’t attempt to eliminate one another. That wasn’t how the WWF worked - until it did. 

Hogan recovered in the corner as Warrior dumped out both Shawn Michaels and Rick Martel. The place exploded when the realisation set in. Hogan and Warrior had to fight one another. 

Hogan’s facial expression was brilliant. Suddenly looking altogether less than immortal, he instead wore a look of concern before hulking up. The resulting sequence was blinding and measured to symmetrical perfection. Neither man could make the other budge despite rebounding off the ropes at full-force. When they collided, they each fell to the mat at the same time. 

Presented as equals, this scene set up the Ultimate Challenge at WrestleMania 6, which in turn posed the ultimate question: who could possibly win the closest contest in history?

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!