WWE: 10 Talking Points Of The Ultimate Warrior's Career And Legacy

8. He Was Actually A Great Worker

Ok, so Warrior is never going to be talked about in the same conversations as Shawn Michaels or Kurt Angle as all time greats. But is that missing the point? In a chapter of Steve Austin's autobiography, you might recall a conversation about 'working'. One of Austin's mentors told the Rattlesnake to grab his ear. Austin obliged and the trainer yelled at him in pain, making the future WWF Champ think he had hurt him. He hadn't. The lesson Austin learned was that you didn't need to be jumping off ladders of breaking your neck in suplexes to sell something. You could be a star with simplicity. Ultimate Warrior understood this notion. His work was all about brevity, incorporating pace and power. It worked for him. If you revisit the 'Ultimate Collection' DVD you'll remember how over Warrior was. His reactions make the Yes movement look quiet. This was a man who knew how to work the crowd and get the biggest reactions of the night. In this respect he was a great worker, the whole point of the job is to get the loudest reactions. As for longer technical matches, I feel Warrior deserves some credit too. Watch his contest with Rick Rude at SummerSlam 1989, even today that would be considered a great match. Sure, Warrior was in with a talented guy, but he pulled his weight too. He was a good wrestler.