With all due respect to Bret the Hitman Hart, the Ultimate Warrior was the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. He passed away on Tuesday night but not before having a significant impact on the lives of millions of kids and wrestling fans who grew up wanting to be like him.
The Ultimate Warrior was my favorite wrestler ever. Sure I was a Hulkamaniac too, but the Ultimate Warrior was in a class by himself. The dude was beyond jacked, had badass face paint, long hair, tassels on his biceps and when he talked it was more of a primal noise than intelligible words. His entrance music was unmistakable and the second you’d hear that first guitar riff you’d go just as nuts as him. The Ultimate Warrior would run down the aisle like he had just shotgunned ten Red Bull’s and snorted five lines of blow. He’d then proceed to shake the ropes like a madman possessed by some sort of Papa Shango like spell. Soak his entrance music up one more time, it’s as good as it gets.
As an impressionable 10-year-old I’d run around my house fake shaking the ropes and pumping my arms in the air like the Ultimate Warrior doing the gorilla press. I’d cap it all off by bouncing off invisible ropes in my parents bedroom and doing a running splash onto their bed. 1-2-3!
The pinnacle of my Ultimate Warrior fandom, and I know that I’m not alone in this one, was the Ultimate Challenge at Wrestlemania 6 when Hulk Hogan, the reigning World Champion, took on the Ultimate Warrior, the Intercontinental Champion. Good guy vs Good guy. Champion vs Champion. It was like watching Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final and the first weekend of March Madness all wrapped into one. There are few moments from my childhood that I remember being as excited for as this one. True to form this match was as epic as any ever.
While I don’t watch wrestling any more my love of all things old school WWF is just as strong as ever. A few years ago my boy Marty D and I ran the Warrior Dash and what better way to run a race named after our favorite wrestler ever than by dressing up like the Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan. There were endless amounts of invisible rope shakes, pumping our fists, leg drops, and promo videos that day.
Here’s to the Ultimate Warrior. He was raw, powerful, and brought out emotion in all of us that made us feel alive. He will forever be my favorite wrestler ever and I look forward to dressing up like him and the Hulkster again and reenacting the greatest match ever while running through mud and jumping over fire.
I want to hear from you. What are your favorite Ultimate Warrior memories, what did you like about him, and how did he effect your life? Holla in the comments or at us on Twitter @BaconSports.
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