Review of WWE: The Self-Destruction Of The Ultimate Warrior

Introduction

On these pages, you`ll often find me referring to American wrestling`s first UK "boom" period, and for good reason. Although the current crop of 10 year olds can cheerfully rhyme off a list of WWE superstars like John Cena, Chris Jericho or Batista, it is the stars of 1991 that most of us at DVD Reviewer remember, the likes of Hulk Hogan, Jake "The Snake" Roberts and the Ultimate Warrior.

With a "Hulkster" retrospective already in distribution & one due in November for "The Snake", this was the turn of the Ultimate Warrior to give the DVD community another shot of nostalgia. But for all his "little Warriors" out there - what do you mean, you weren`t? - a note of caution first; the title of this DVD gives away its direction.

Video

Video is presented in 4:3 non-anamorphic PAL and is as you would expect from a digital satellite broadcast. Although you would expect high quality from archive footage that is less than twenty years old, it never disappoints, and the WWE have obviously taken great care in preserving their video history.

Audio

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 & is standard fare for anyone used to WWE DVDs, or their digital telecasts. Dialogue is clear at all times and there are no audio-sync issues.

Features

What a glaring idiocy it is that several of the Warrior`s most high-profile matches - lambasted elsewhere in this set for their lack of technical expertise - are packaged here as extras. Let me get this straight, Vince; you`re telling me that your product was bad?

It is true to say that none of the matches here are technical masterclasses in the mould of Dean Malenko, Bret Hart or even our own William Regal. But still, the bouts with Hulk Hogan (Wrestlemania VI), "Macho Man" Randy Savage (Wrestlemania VII), "Ravishing" Rick Rude (Summerslam 1990) are very entertaining and indeed dramatic, in a 1980s-wrestling sort of way. Those of you who were closet wrestling fans before it became cool, you now have your chance to get excited without your Dad telling you to stop watching that rubbish.

The same, of course, cannot be said for the lightning-quick matches against Terry Gibbs and The Honky Tonk Man (Summerslam 1988), but their inclusion is only to show the Warrior`s meteoric rise during the late-80s.

Also included are a couple of short stories told by "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and Jerry Lawler, as well as unintentionally-hilarious promotional vignettes for the "Warrior University". If you wanted proof that the Warrior was as much of a whacko as is suggested, you may just find it there.

Conclusion

Allow me to be blunt: "The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior" is not your expected retrospective of a performer who was adored by millions of children across the world. Rather, it is an indictment of a man who believed so fervently in the Warrior character that he legally changed his name to "Warrior" in the early 1990s. It is unknown what Mrs Warrior thought about the change.

In this documentary you will see the likes of WWE supremo Vince McMahon, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Jim Ross, Jerry "The King" Lawler and "Nature Boy" Ric Flair tear the Warrior to shreds both as a performer and as "one of the boys". No detail seems to have been forgotten, as the quality of his interviews, his lack of technical wrestling ability, and his apparent self-obsession are discussed unashamedly without opposition.

As is usually the case in pro wrestling - anyone who has seen the wonderful "Wrestling With Shadows" will attest - the real intrigue is in what happens behind the scenes. The facts behind this story are that Vince McMahon contacted the Warrior some months ago with the proposition of releasing a 2-disc DVD set that would not only allow the WWE to make some money from one of its greatest ever fan-favourites, but would also allow the Warrior the chance to put across his side of the story, taking to task those who malign him.

Although the exact reasons are unclear, the Warrior turned down McMahon`s offer and this set subsequently went from a 2-discer showcasing the career of a former WWF champion, to a single-disc burial. "The Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior" is not just an intriguing title, it is a chauvinistic stamp of authority from a man to whom few people say no. A case in point: Bret "The Hitman" Hart`s 3-disc set will be subtitled "The Best There Is, The Best There Was, And The Best There Ever Will Be...". Not surprising then, that the man who legitimately knocked McMahon out with one punch during the filming of the aforementioned "Wrestling With Shadows", quickly agreed to the his terms. The planned anti-Hart DVD was thus scrapped.

Notwithstanding the morality tale, this documentary falls flat because there is no counter-balance to the accusations levelled at the Warrior. This set would have benefited greatly from his point of view, no matter how scathing it may have been against McMahon, Hulk Hogan, or any of the other icons of the time. Instead - despite how interesting it is to see footage previously unavailable commercially - by the end you wonder what other issues the protagonists could have brought up, just to put the Warrior down.

That said, the documentary itself is still worth watching, and the extras are fabulous reminders of days of yore.