The ONE WWE Superstar Who Never Lost Clean

Ultimate Warrior Rick Rude
WWE

Once it was established that the WWF was going with the Warrior, he never lost cleanly in canon. He literally sprinted to the Intercontinental Title, and while there were losses engineered unfairly by Bobby Heenan along the way, these were mere diversions to his ascent; Warrior never lost that Intercontinental Title for a second time. He vacated it after winning the big one, the winged eagle, becoming in effect the most powerful force in Federation history, looking at the literal worth of his accomplishments.

His WWF Title reign was a huge disappointment. He worked familiar opponents from his very recent past, which didn't help, nor did the imminent end of wrestling's popularity cycle. Warrior's work didn't have the same storytelling or emotive substance to it as Hogan's. A fad within a dying fad, McMahon took the strap off him at Royal Rumble 1991, and it's ironic; his selling of that infamous sceptre shot was superb, as was his performance at WrestleMania VII in the semi-main slot. Maybe the big man he always claimed to be dealt better without the pressure of assuming Hogan's spot, though he did not agree with that interpretation.

Ahead of SummerSlam 1991, Warrior requested vastly improved terms, out of nowhere, claiming he meant as much "or more" to the man he had statistically failed to replace in Hulk Hogan. McMahon acquiesced, to preserve the appeal of the upcoming SummerSlam show, before out-carnying Warrior. He suspended him indefinitely immediately after the show. Warrior couldn't do business on his way out because he was told to f*ck off.

CONT'D...(4 of 5)

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Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential 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 former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current 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!