Actors: Ultimate Warrior
Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: WWE
Release Date: April 1, 2014
Run Time: 540 minutes
Collection: 5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Ever since I started watching wrestling in the late 80’s, no question Ultimate Warrior was and still is my absolutely favorite wrestler. When this Blu-ray was released on April 1st, I reached out to WWE for to request and also inquire about an interview with the man himself aka Jim Hellwig. Well, I ended up hearing back on April 9th from WWE and unfortunately it was a little too late for the interview. On April 8th, my childhood wrestling hero passed away. This was just three days after he was inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame on WWE RAW. I have had this Blu-ray for a few weeks now and honestly it has been hard to review. I know he has a rocky career in the business but Ultimate Warrior, he was a her of mine growing up. Luckily WWE has really delivered a truly amazing collection of his work and it feels even better because it was before he passed and not cashing in on his death. A must have for any true Warrior fan!
Official Premise: He is one of the most colorful and intense Superstars of all time, the Ultimate Warrior! Now for the first time ever, WWE honors his illustrious career with this ultimate collection of bone-crunching matches. Feel the power of the warrior over 3-discs, featuring battles against all his biggest rivals such as Hulk Hogan, Jake Roberts, Ravishing Rick Rude, Sgt. Slaughter and more! WWE fans have long awaited another Warrior DVD since the controversial release of 2005’s The Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior. Finally, with over 7 hours of matches from this larger than life Superstar, the action on this home entertainment release is truly OUT OF CONTROL!!
“Ultimate Warrior: The Ultimate Collection” is among the best Blu-rays from WWE Home Video label to date. The Blu-ray is presented with a 1080i transfer with both 1.78:1 and 1.33:1 aspect ratios. The 1.78:1 content is comprised of interview clips with The Ulimate Warrior. The matches are presented with an 1.33:1 aspect ratio, which it should be so that it retains the original appearance and image integrity. Due to this, in terms of Blu-ray quality, there is some issue with some finer details but it is expected and in no way ruins the experience. These are amazing to have all on one Blu-ray.
Disc One includes some matches that really speak to me because I remember seeing these for the very time when I was younger. I even have seen a few of these live, which makes them even more special to have on home video.
- Career Match: Blade Runners vs. Perry Jackson & Shawn O’Reilly. UWF — April 11, 1986.
- Career Match: Dingo Warrior vs. Chris Adams. World Class Championship Wrestling — August 8, 1986.
- Career Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. Barry Horowitz. Challenge — November 7, 1987.
- Career Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. Steve Lombardi. Superstars — November 14, 1987.
- Career Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. “King” Harley Race. Boston Garden — March 5, 1988.
- Career Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. Los Angeles Sports Arena — July 15, 1988.
- SummerSlam Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. Honky Tonk Man. SummerSlam — August 29, 1988.
- WWE Intercontinental Championship Match : Ultimate Warrior vs. Honky Tonk Man. Philadelphia Spectrum — December 17, 1988.
- Title vs. Title: Intercontinental Championship Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage. Boston Garden — February 11, 1989.
- WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. “Ravishing” Rick Rude. SummerSlam — August 28, 1989.
- Career Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. Bob Bradley. Prime Time Wrestling — September 18, 1989.
- Career Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. Brian Costello. Prime Time Wrestling — December 25, 1989.
- Ultimate Warrior Confronts Andre the Giant: Brother Love Show. Superstars — July 29, 1989.
- WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. Andre the Giant. Madison Square Garden — October 28, 1989.
- WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. Andre the Giant. Saturday Night’s Main Event — November 25, 1989.
- Ultimate Warrior Promo: “Crash the Plane.” Challenge — March 10, 1990.
- WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. Mr. Perfect. Madison Square Garden — March 19, 1990.
- Title vs. Title: Intercontinental/WWE Championship Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. Hulk Hogan. WrestleMania VI — April 1, 1990.
- WWE Championship Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase. Tokyo Dome — April 13, 1990.
- WWE Championship Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. “Ravishing” Rick Rude. Saturday Night’s Main Event — July 28, 1990.
- WWE Championship Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. Ted DiBiase. The Main Event — November 23, 1990.
- WWE Championship Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. Sgt. Slaughter. Huntsville, AL — January 7, 1991.
If you thought that Disc One didn’t have enough, disc two continues right up with some more amazing matches from his career.
- Steel Cage Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. “Macho King” Randy Savage. Madison Square Garden — January 21, 1991.
- Career Moment: Ultimate Warrior Ends Brother Love’s Career. Superstars — March 2, 1991.
- Retirement Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. “Macho King” Randy Savage. WrestleMania VII — March 24, 1991.
- Career Moment: Ultimate Warrior on Paul Bearer’s Funeral Parlor. Superstars — April 13, 1991.
- Career Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. Undertaker. Maple Leaf Gardens — June 2, 1991.
- Career Moment: Gene Okerlund Interviews Ultimate Warrior and “Macho Man” Randy Savage. Superstars — July 25, 1992.
- Career Moment: “Riding on the Edge of a Lightning Bolt.” Superstars — November 14, 1992.
- WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Ultimate Warrior & “Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Ted DiBiase & I.R.S. Saturday Night’s Main Event — November 14, 1992.
- Career Moment: “Faster Than a Cheetah.” RAW — March 11, 1996.
- Career Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. Hunter Hearst-Helmsley. WrestleMania XII — March 31, 1996.
- Career Moment: Ultimate Warrior Returns — RAW — April 8, 1996.
- Career Moment: Mr. McMahon Interviews Jerry “The King” Lawler and Ultimate Warrior. RAW — June 10, 1996.
- Career Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. Jerry “The King” Lawler. King of the Ring — June 23, 1996.
- Career Moment: Ultimate Warrior Interrupts “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan. Nitro — August 17, 1998.
- Ultimate Warrior Promo: From RAW — October 26, 1998.
If the two dozen plus matches aren’t enough…there is still seven bonus matches listed under “Blu-ray Exclusives” section on the disc. Thanks again WWE for delivering this amazing Blu-ray to my collection and I will be sure to continue to keep the Warrior’s memory alive!
- Career Match: Dingo Warrior vs. Matt Borne. World Class Championship Wrestling — October 24, 1986.
- Career Match: Ultimate Warrior & The British Bulldogs vs. Demolition & Mr. Fuji. Maple Leaf Gardens — July 24, 1988.
- WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. Dino Bravo. The Main Event — February 23, 1990.
- Career Moment: WrestleMania 6 Contract Signing. The Ultimate Challenge — March 25, 1990.
- Career Moment: WrestleMania 7 Contract Signing. Road to WrestleMania 7 — March 17, 1991.
- Career Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. Sgt. Slaughter. Tokyo Dome — March 30, 1991.
- WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. Goldust. In Your House — April 28, 1996.
In closing, here is a little tribute to the memory of The Ulitmate Warrior…I dare you to try and watch this without a shedding a tear… RIP Warrior!