Thanks to Mike Johnson for this interview transcript:
Former WWF champion The Ultimate Warrior appeared on Chicago radio show Puddin’ and the Playhouse this morning to discuss his return to professional wrestling. Here’s the recap:
– The “Warrior” Name: Warrior said that his full, legal name is Warrior and has been since 1993. He noted that is the name on his driver’s license and passport and he changed it when he was trying to break into action movies in California. When the name was compared to Madonna, he noted that the difference is that Warrior is his actual full name now. He said he does everything all or nothing, so he took it on as his name. He said the name came to epitomize the fiery philosophy of life that he has.
– His Return to Wrestling: Warrior talked about his return to the ring on 6/23 in Barcelona, Spain and plugged the Nu-Wrestling Evolution website. He said NWE is owned by a media company that got into pro wrestling a few years ago. He said they had discussions with him a few years back but couldn’t come to terms but have since built their business. He described NWE as a company that wanted to do child and family oriented shows similar to the old days of WWE and that they were working on getting TV exposure (he didn’t specify where). Warrior said people are still nostalgic for the old days of wrestling. Warrior said he needs a challenge and wanted to push himself.
– His WWF character: “Ultimate Warrior was a bad cat. He was a great character. The funny thing now is that people who were kids, that are now parents themselves and have kids and long for the days where pro wrestling and entertainment across the board was just better and not so provocative and risqué, they write me all the time about what the Ultimate Warrior meant to them – I thought the bullies were going to get me at school…my dad wasn’t around and my mom was always working – I have some really classic stories about that. It really touches my heart.”
– Wrestlemania VI: Warrior said that the match meant something different at the time and most people understand what he means by that. “That match meant something different because there weren’t a bunch of different stars at the time,” said Warrior. “There was one white tiger – Hulk Hogan and here was Warrior coming up.” Warrior explained that around Wrestlemania, there would usually be some sort of heel turn to build up a Hogan challenger, but since his merchandise was selling as well as Hogan’s, turning Warrior would hurt that. Instead they did the Warriors vs. Hulkamaniacs angle.
– Being Recognized: Warrior said it was hard to go out in public because the TV was so powerful. He said that today is different because while he still has his hair, unlike Hogan, his hair is short.
– Steroids: Warrior said that he did them when they were legal and the last time he did them was around 1991. When asked about the proliferation of steroids in life today, Warrior said it comes down to role models for today’s generation. He said that today, some kids are running amuck and have no direction or control. Warrior said he’s been around college athletes who set them straight about the consequences of what usage could be short and long-term. Warrior says it comes down to the influence or lack thereof of the family and parents on their children.
– Personal Responsibility: Warrior said that as a culture, we want to blame our problems on something as opposed to taking the blame for their own problems and errors. He said the media focused on steroids after the Benoit tragedy, instead of focusing on who was to blame. Warrior said that it’s incredible the lack of responsibility people have for themselves. He said we need to focus more on why people have the problems they do instead of working on quick fix solutions.
– Rumors of Multiple Warriors: he scoffed and said the rumor has been around for 20 years. He said there are people who impersonate him, including one guy in New Jersey, but anyone who looks at the tapes can see it was always him.
– Deaths in Wrestling: Warrior said the majority of guys who have died are people he’s personally worked with. They ran down some names. When Jake Roberts was brought up, Warrior said, “he should be dead because the world would be a better place.” Warrior said Roberts wasted his own life and disrespected his family. He called Roberts, “a totally immoral human being.”
* VIDEO of the ULTIMATE WARRIOR’s RETURN to the Ring Last Weekend in Spain [>]