Ultimate Warrior In WWE: How It Started, How It Ended
Amidst constant disagreements about money and usage, Warrior's time with the company seemed sure to be short-lived before he started missing shows. This was, however, the straw that broke the camel's back for Vince McMahon.
Electing to not use him without the posting of a sizeable (but refundable) appearance bond, McMahon distanced himself from the act whilst still trying to squeeze every last drop from one of his old favourite - but very expensive - pieces of fruit.
Warrior's last appearance is all the sadder for it. Opening the taped July 8th Monday Night Raw against Owen Hart, Jim Hellwig had already finished up with the organisation having worked one last dark match on June 24th against Vader.
On post-produced commentary, McMahon notes that "hopefully, we are not seeing the Ultimate Warrior for the last time" before throatily returning to salesman mode as he charges to the ring. Former opponent Lawler doesn't sound like he's working when he gleefully and cynically advises all the fans to set VCRs for this potential final appearance. An on-screen suspension was handed down by President Gorilla Monsoon, who commentated the Gibbs match and remains a tragic stitch between the two wildly different offerings.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett