Ultimate Warrior: 5 Things To Forget And 5 Things To Remember
1. The 1996 Return
The Ultimate Warrior's return to WWE at 1996's WrestleMania XII should have been the beginning of a career renaissance for one of the most popular characters in company history. Unfortunately, questionable actions by the Warrior led to another bitter parting of ways between he and Vince McMahon's promotion, robbing a new generation of fans some classic matches between he and the likes of Shawn Michaels, Vader, Mankind and Undertaker. His win over Hunter Hearst Helmsley at the event was shocking in that Helmsley was considered one of the bright young stars in the company and had the backing of the infamous Klique. When Warrior completely no-sold the Pedigree and dispatched of the future COO of WWE in under two minutes, it made a major statement to fans and those in the locker room. Warrior feuded with Goldust and Jerry Lawler in programs that never really clicked and were certainly beneath the star power of the former WWE champion. From there, it looked as though he would be inserted into the main event storyline involving the aforementioned Michaels and Vader but a series of no-shows at WWE live events led to him being fired for a second time by McMahon.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
