Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10122 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-10-17
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 186 minutes

Customer Reviews

Ultimately degrading and ultimately fascinating
Normally WWE honours wrestling legends with their DVD releases. And whenever that happens, they always do an excellent job in portraying their legacies as they're supposed to be portrayed. That they were great wrestlers/characters who contributed so much to the wrestling business and should never ever be forgotten.

In the case of The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior, WWE shows that they can do just as good a job at burying a guy as they can worshipping a guy. And it really frightens me how easily they could've done this same burial to Bret Hart if he hadn't agreed to partake in The Bret Hart Story project.

Regardless of this negative portrayal of one of the biggest stars in WWE's illustrious history, The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior is actually very enjoyable to watch. Reason being is that it has that same level of high-quality production and presentation that WWE puts into its documentaries. And it's the Ultimate Warrior we're talking about here.

Right away, the story dives into how the Warrior's career started out. And like all wrestlers' life stories, it's compelling to learn of Jim Hellwig's beginnings in wrestling. And it's worth noting that during the first few moments of this, everyone pretty much gives an impartial, `giving credit where credit is due' view of the Warrior and his talents. And it's excellent to see things about the Ultimate Warrior being attributed to greatness, particularly his ring entrance and awesome music. The Warrior's entrance was always the stuff of legend and it's great to be recognised as such.

This isn't an ENTIRELY degrading WWE production. Guys like Chris Jericho, Christian (Cage) and Steve `Brooklyn Brawler' Lombardi make fair comments about the Warrior and give him deserving praise about his skills and accomplishments. The naysayers also acknowledge his charisma, talents and how big a star he became and I'm happy to see this, especially during moments like when Warrior crushed the Honky Tonk Man to become the Intercontinental Champion.

But guys like Ted DiBiase, Bobby Heenan, Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross (surprisingly), Vince McMahon among many more are not ashamed at all to tear down the Ultimate Warrior most of the time. Especially during the discussion of his interviews, where they dub them as rambling, ranting and incoherent nonsense. Although I admit that some of the Warrior's stuff was just blurted out with no real creativity, I found potential there and believe his interviews got better and more refined as the years passed.

When his feuds with the late great Rick Rude and Andre the Giant are discussed, Warrior is buried even further as the naysayers say that they essentially carried him throughout the whole duration of those programs. While both Rude and Andre are true legends and should be acknowledged as such, Warrior really deserves more than this. Okay, he was in no way a technical wrestler but so what? A lot of legendary wrestlers were limited but did that ever stop them from being great performers and having classic matches? No. The same rule applies to the Ultimate Warrior.

When the documentary finally covers the Ultimate Challenge at WrestleMania VI, where the Ultimate Warrior scored his unforgettable WWE Championship victory over Hulk Hogan, it's treated as it should be. One of the greatest moments in the history of WWE and wrestling itself. Everyone acknowledges it as a truly awesome moment and quite right, too. Even though there's still a few nitpicks, Warrior's WWE title reign is generally regarded as unforgettably great. And you soon realise that it's really not the Ultimate Warrior the wrestler that's being targeted here. It's Jim Hellwig the human being.

Aside from people saying they had personal problems with working the Warrior, there's also the issue regarding SummerSlam 1991, where Warrior held Vince up for more money according to WWE. Things definitely take a darker, uglier tone here, as it's no longer funny. It's serious. The Warrior's real-life name change, his subsequent returns and departures, his lawsuit against WWE and the disaster of his WCW run all paint an ugly picture of Jim Hellwig.

But is it all JUSTIFIED? Well, given the Warrior's dubious reputation and his VERY controversial and disgusting response to WWE's invitation to give his side of the story (which I HAVE read), I can understand why WWE have done this. I think what shocks me the most about this DVD release is to see Vince McMahon and the WWE tear down one of their greatest stars in such a frightening way.

So why am I giving this high marks, then? Because as I said, this has typical high-quality WWE production and presentation values. This is another excellent documentary that's boosted by an extremely fascinating subject matter. And it's very compelling viewing because of it. It also ends well with people giving the Ultimate Warrior his due and acknowledging him as one of the truest legends of all time.

Backed up by a classic selection of matches against the likes of Hulk Hogan, Rick Rude, Macho Man Randy Savage and Honky Tonk Man, some interesting extra stories regarding the Warrior and a truly hilarious impersonation by Christian (Cage) of the Ultimate Warrior, this DVD is one of WWE's most outstanding releases. It's controversial and that's its greatest strength. As Eric Bischoff has said, controversy creates cash.

If you're die-hard fans, The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior will please because of its subject. But it's guaranteed to offend many fans of someone who may or may not deserve to be portrayed this way. Frankly, you're guess is as good as mine when it comes to deciding for yourself the kind of person he is/was. Whatever the case, this is fascinating viewing and more than merits a look.

ah the memories!
lets head back in time,my time firstly,i got into wwf as it was then in 1992,the royal rumble to be precise,what an event,from there i got all the videos prior to that and many of them after,so for me i saw the ultimate warrior in his more hated backstage days as a wrestler,in summerslam 1991,he held vince mcmahon to ransom over his pay cheque and was fired after the match,he came back a while later and thats when i saw him more,i liked him,thought he was great and liked his music and style but i was always a hogan fan,that was my childhood hero,for many the ultimate warrior was their hero but the man had an ego,a bad attitude and couldnt be trusted,plus when i look back,he wasnt a great wrestler,as bobby the brain states here,he had the style of a man that came from the gym,straight into the ring and knew nothing of the business' history and who to respect.
All of this is probably true,however this dvd charting the rise and fall of the wrestler,is very one sided,the ultimate warrior doesnt appear today giving his side of events,mind you,he is a bit of a recluse,he is also mad in the head if what we hear is too be believed.
The dvd talks us through the career of the warrior with interviews with howard fink,jerry the king,hulk hogan,who didnt like him either,jim ross and most importantly vince mcmahon,they all praise him more or less but then they sweep the legs from under him and slag him off,none the least bobby the brain who hates the man.
The ultimate warrior certainly thought alot of himself,he travelled to matches alone ,dressed alone and forged no friendships of note,but he had his own reasons im sure,although we aint gonna learn them here.
This is a good dvd,pretty educational but spot on for entertainment,the bonus matches are good and highlight how popular he was and how effective in the ring he could be,the honky tonk match is one quick highlight,the warrior wasnt the greatest wrestler this world has seen but he fitted the time when he was most successful,a fine dvd,but certainly one sided.

WWE should be ashamed of themselves!!
The Ultimate Warrior (Jim Hellwig) was one of the greatest gimmick characters ever to grace the then WWF screen. I know, because I've been watching wrestling since 1989 and can confidently state that the Ultimate Warrior was one of the greatest creations, ok maybe his wrestling was not perfect but the man was so incredible to watch back then and most of all was very entertaining to kids and even grown-ups (who might not admit it).

Consider the now appalling WWE we see on television today, it's got nothing to do with creating new stars and it certainly doesn't produce lively entertainment like it used to and if you don't believe me, all you have to do is put the words Diva and Playboy mixed with useless wrestlers like Batista and Mark Henry and you'll get the idea.

There's no doubt wrestling was different VERY different. Some wrestling folks could argue that the Ultimate Warrior was not any better than recent useless champions (John Bradshaw Layfield anyone!) but you have to remember the Ultimate Warrior was an 80's derived character, think marvel comics with the combination of long hair, face paint and you know where your getting. The character was incredibly popular (hence all the merchandise) and no matter how weak or strong the warrior worked in the ring, the fans loved him anyway.

However, on the DVD its more of a one sided story than you'd imagine, Vince McMahon, Ted Dibiase, Jim Ross (what the hell is he doing in this?), Hulk Hogan (his comments surprised me big time) all loathe (and credit) the Warrior in a compelling documentary with some of the Warriors memorable matches BUT what really got me baffled (and upset in a way) was Bobby Heenans harsh comments about the Warrior.

Of course anyone who remembers the Ultimate Warrior should also remember the fun loving Bobby Heenan manager character (remember the word "Wiesel", I'm sure you do)
who used to be one of the most entertaining characters to watch, forget the washed up Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler you see on raw each week, Heenan was a character everyone would love, so seeing him in this documentary swearing and criticising the Warrior (like someone who had a real grudge) was quite a shock for me.

I think the situation is this; most wrestlers, managers and even commentators cannot separate the difference between fantasy and reality. Trust me there are many wrestlers out there who think they are "it" and managers who think they are the only ones with the ideas, maybe that's why WWE has become so stale to watch.

And with the subject on Heenan, I have one thing to say: "You should be ashamed of yourself". The Ultimate Warrior was a great creation whether Bobby Heenan likes it or not. And if he can be so harsh about the Warrior, just imagine what he would say about Hulk Hogan if WWE decided to do a similar DVD project. Anyway, regardless of the critical comments, Christian and Chris Jericho give a good impression of the Ultimate Warrior. It's a difficult DVD to judge but if you are a dedicated warrior fan, you will lap it up.