Wrestling Deja Vu 03.02.09: The Warrior’s Way
Posted by Joseph F. Martinez on 03.02.2009
Stealing the rope shaking mannerism rubbed the Warrior the wrong way, but are there any other comparisons between the Ultimate Warrior and Batista?
Hey yo
Today is Monday, March 2nd, 2009, and this is Wrestling Deja Vu, but I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. I got a lot of comments requesting guys like the Macho King and King Billy and the ultimate king, former WCW Luchadore, Silver King, but we'll get to that in a minute. The column for today is going to focus on two guys that played similar roles in the company, Dave Batista and The Ultimate Warrior. It's been well-documented that the ring-shaking maneuver that Batista does in the ring is the same thing that Warrior did back in the day. 411mania's own, Aaron Hubbard described the two as "as shallow characters with no depth" back in this November article. Other comparisons have been created between the Animal and Warrior, so with all that said, let's head on to feedback from last week's column.
Looking back
Jonberg: Are you Vince's best mate? Is that why there's no Macho? Also, shame on missing out Owen with the comedy big crown. And if you want to talk epic failure, at least Mabel got some main events. What did King Billy ever do?
I considered putting Savage into the column, but I already discussed him in an earlier column. I didn't want to write two columns on a guy already.
Horhay: No Mention Of The Great Jimmy King.. I will Rule You
Like Savage, I considered putting him into the column, but I figured more people would've hated it than enjoyed it.
And introducing the participants
He's currently injured, but when he returns to in-ring competition, he's sure to recapture his spot as the Animal of the WWE. He is Dave Batista. Batista has been a mainstay in the main event since 2005. His feud with Triple H put him on the map and despite injuries, he has stayed at the top of the card for a while. Age is catching up with the Animal meaning his time in the WWE could come to an end soon, but he still can put on a great match with the right opponent.
Warrior was never known for his technical prowess or anything of that nature, but his over the top antics and intensity have preserved him a position in the memories of wrestling fans. His match with Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VI positioned himself as a main eventer for years to come, but various problems with the WWE caused him to leave. He performed in WCW for a while, but retired soon after.
Basketballs don't hold grudges
Batista on a hardcore match.
Warrior says…something about Survivor Series being a war
Promos make the wrestling world go round and they can make or break a young wrestler. Not every promo delivered by Batista and Warrior contains the type of wackiness as seen in the videos above, but a lot of the dom. The Ultimate Warrior delivered his promos in a spacey manner and ended up making little to no sense. His vignettes directed at Hulk Hogan may have elicited the correct response back in the early nineties, but today just look goofy. Even people contracted with the WWE operate under this mindset (although, they may have some bad blood with him).
I'm not quite sure if Warrior's promos were scripted, but they were definitely odd. It is confirmed that promos of today are scripted, so when one discusses the promos of Batista, they can't place all the blame on him. He does deliver them in an odd manner. Normally, he comes out looking swank in a suit with glasses and whatnot, then he talks and everything seems to be going as planned, but sometimes Big Dave says the oddest things. His intensity comes off as an awkward ploy to get himself over, and it works to an extent.
Paralyzing Power
The way I see it, wrestling as a big man cannot be compared to wrestling like Bryan Danielson or William Regal. Big men are limited due to many reasons (booking, size, etc.) and thus have a difficult time putting on a wrestling clinic. They do get the fans involved, so they're a major asset to any company they're involved with. Batista has shown in the past that he is able to put on a helluva show with the right partner. Batista's feud with the Undertaker showed that he had the ability to perform at a high level. Warrior had his fair share of good matches, but as earlier stated, it's almost unfair to compare big men with other wrestlers.
Foot, meet mouth
Everyone says or does something outrageous every once in a while, but these two individuals seem to do it more often than others. According to some of the dirt sheets, Batista was starting to gain a "Warrior-like" reputation backstage back in 2007. His fight with WDV favorite, Booker T had him looking bad (since he reportedly started it and was the loser). He also has gained a reputation for being unfaithful with his wives. Most of these reports should be taken with a grain of salt but they have definitely hindered the reputation of the Animal. Of course, this is mostly on the interwebs as Batista is still enjoyed by millions of fans. The Ultimate Warrior's outrageousness comes in the form of political and social views and action. There's nothing wrong with having a different opinion, but he spouts about everything. He even changed his name to Warrior in 1993, so that should give you a hint of his antics.
WDV Face-Off
Batista V. Warrior
The two individuals start off with a test of strength. Batista wins and suplexes Warrior. He tries to kick Warrior while he's down, but UW rolls out of the ring. Batista goes out of the ring to confront him, but Warrior gets back inside. Big Dave follow suite and the two stare down one another. Warrior strikes first with a shoulder block, but Batista is unphased. Tista tries one with similar results. Warrior gives Batista a body slam and attempts his big splash, but Batista rolls out of the way. Both men are back up and Batista spears Warrior successfully out of nowhere. He teases a pin but instead shakes the ropes taunting Warrior and pumping the fans up. Batista lifts Warrior up for the Batista Bomb, but the Ultimate Warrior flips Batista over. The Big Warrior Splash is hit and Warrior pins Batista for the victory.
The Rundown
On the outside, Batista and Warrior may only be similar in style and forced intensity. Afterall, the rope-shaking that Batista does is the exact same thing that the Ultimate Warrior did back in his day. When one takes into consideration actions outside of the ring, these two seem more alike. These guys are both fan favorites and time will tell if Batista's legacy (good or bad) lives on like the Warrior's.
In Case You Missed It
The following are all the columns posted over the weekend, in case you missed it.
- Don West's tirade was fun TV. I know he was meant to be serious, but it was unintentional comedy gold. Especially when one realizes that it seems the pinnacle of the MEM-Frontline feud is Sting-Angle. Things can always change, of course.
- Last week CM Punk qualified for the Money in the Bank match and we'll probably get someone else tonight. I wanted to see John Morrison get in last week, but there's always another chance for him to qualify. Tonight should also see some more Orton-HHH interaction.
- That's going to do it for me this week. I'll be back in seven with another trip down memory road.
Am I the only one not looking forward to Batista's return, like I hope it takes him 6 more months to return?
Posted By: Black (Guest) on March 02, 2009 at 03:23 PM
Hella lame. What was the point?
Posted By: Guest#4550 (Guest) on March 02, 2009 at 03:59 PM
I think you should do Goldust and "Exotic" Adrian Street since they have a ton of stuff in common. They both played gay (or at least displayed gay qualities) to great heel heat. They also had female managers who they were both married to in real life.
Posted By: JLAJRC (Guest) on March 02, 2009 at 04:34 PM
what's the story on the Batista / Booker T altercation? Did big Dave get his ass whipped like I did when I trash talked Chris Jericho?
Posted By: Bill Goldberg (Guest) on March 02, 2009 at 04:43 PM
Warrior needs to return to the WWE and reinvent himself as JBL's new d*ckhead heel manager or something like that
Posted By: T (Guest) on March 02, 2009 at 05:12 PM
personally i always thought goldberg was more like warrior then batista,
both were limited in the ring, had short runs and were pushed to the moon as unstoppable no selling monsters who were cheered like crazy by the fans and are still fondly remembered by all the casual fans
Posted By: Guest#4504 (Guest) on March 02, 2009 at 05:13 PM
In my final meeting with the gods from the heavens above, as they spoke to me and hit me with the power of the Ultimate Warrior, they told me 'Exit stage left! Exit stage right! There is no place to run; all the fuses in the exit signs have been burned out!
AAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA You can feel it dude, you can feel it!!!!
Load the spaceship with the rocket fuel! Load it with the warriors! Full of the juice to carry the spaceship as far as it wants to go!!!
How must I prepare you must ask yourself. Should I jump off the tallest building in the world? Should I lay on the lawn and let it run over me with lawnmowers? Should I go to Africa and let it trample me with raging elephants? Dig your claws into my organs! Stretch into my tendons! Bury your anchors into my bones! For the power of the Warrior will always prevail! I look above to the gods, and when you fall below the skeletons of the Warriors past, the power of the Warriors will become the eighth Wonder of the World!!! Come on in where nightmares are the best part of my daaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!!!!!!
Posted By: Ultimate Warrior (Guest) on March 02, 2009 at 05:54 PM
I wish WWE had a mad mysterious unpredictable colourful character like the Warrior today. I think it could actually work if the guy had the body, charisma and was booked seriously.
Posted By: Andrew Barbarash (Guest) on March 02, 2009 at 06:55 PM
I m with U Black
I Hope he never returns
I Have no grudge agianst the guy but he has become Boring
face it
he was great as a heel when he was a true animal
Posted By: The Siddhant Dash (Guest) on March 02, 2009 at 11:21 PM
Batista cannot hold a candle to the glory of the Ultimate Warrior.Back in the day,Batista would have been a sidekick of Warrior's rival Rick Rude rather than be anywhere near Hulk Hogan and a Wrestlemania Mainevent .And the Warrior could have crushed him with his intensity, madness and strength . No Comparison. The Warrior is a much maligned figure but can any of the Pundits tell me whom the WWF could hae chosen to go over cleanly at WMVI and take over the torch. No ONE. Not Macho,Not Piper,And certainly Not Flair.Admit it or not even with his limited technical prowess the Warrior had at the time that Magic and Charisma that very few greats could match up to or substitute him then.I mean ,Cmon the guy stopped HULKAMANIA in full Sway. Had he been on good terms with Vince the guy would have been heavily pushed(though he would not require it) and been a multi time WWE Champion and Fans would have Judged him more Favorably .His Flame burnt briefly but admit it or not very few flames have burnt as Bright or Explosively since then .Give the man his due . HE WAS THERE AND HE WAS GREAT.IF NOT HIM , WHO ?? THE HONEST ANSWE IS NO ONE AND CERTAILY NONE LIKE HIM
Posted By: danx (Guest) on March 03, 2009 at 01:26 AM
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In my final meeting with the gods from the heavens above, as they spoke to me and hit me with the power of the Ultimate Warrior, they told me 'Exit stage left! Exit stage right! There is no place to run; all the fuses in the exit signs have been burned out!
AAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA You can feel it dude, you can feel it!!!!
Load the spaceship with the rocket fuel! Load it with the warriors! Full of the juice to carry the spaceship as far as it wants to go!!!
How must I prepare you must ask yourself. Should I jump off the tallest building in the world? Should I lay on the lawn and let it run over me with lawnmowers? Should I go to Africa and let it trample me with raging elephants? Dig your claws into my organs! Stretch into my tendons! Bury your anchors into my bones! For the power of the Warrior will always prevail! I look above to the gods, and when you fall below the skeletons of the Warriors past, the power of the Warriors will become the eighth Wonder of the World!!! Come on in where nightmares are the best part of my daaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!!!!!!
Posted By: Ultimate Warrior (Guest)  on March 02, 2009 at 05:54 PM
I think I just came a little.
Posted By: little warrior (Guest) on March 03, 2009 at 04:06 AM
In response to Danx, I agree with most of what you say, but there is one guy I'd of put ahead of Warrior at the time and that man is Sting.
Similar character, similar look, more adaptable promo ability, better in-ring worker and a better attitude outside the ring to boot.
Posted By: Guest#9401 (Guest) on March 03, 2009 at 05:21 AM
In conclusion Batista cant wrestle and is a pile of shit, the end
Posted By: Brad (Guest) on March 04, 2009 at 11:37 PM
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