WWE: Ultimate Warrior: The Ultimate Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

WWE: Ultimate Warrior: The Ultimate Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

His story.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 8, 2014

Note: Word came down just hours after this review was posted that Warrior passed away. May he rest in peace. He will be missed.

He's like a runaway locomotive when he gets going!

He remains one of the more polarizing, love-him-or-hate-him figures in the history of the WWE, some calling him "trash," others "treasure." He came out of nowhere and crashed the scene, quickly rising through the ranks of professional wrestling while crossing paths with some of the biggest names the sport has ever seen, including Randy Savage, Rick Rude, Andre the Giant, Hunter Hearst-Helmsley, and Hulk Hogan. A lightning rod outside the ring and a hard, heavy handful inside it, The Ultimate Warrior brought a flavor, a uniqueness, a stand-apart-from-the-crowd persona to the sport that has never been duplicated. Nearly a chiropractor by trade and a bodybuilder in his spare time, Warrior, as he is officially known as today, left an indelible mark on the professional wrestling landscape. This is his telling of his story, and his alone, a separate and in many ways vastly different look at the man who was previously the subject of the somewhat less flattering home video release The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior.

Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Considering his tremendous physique, unexpected intellect, tremendous talent, huge personality, and distinct look, it's no wonder why The Ultimate Warrior so quickly rose through the professional wrestling ranks on his way to highlight matches at WrestleMania against stars such as Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. Once close to completing his chiropractic studies and making a name for himself in the bodybuilding community, Warrior took a gamble and shifted his focus to the world of professional wrestling. He landed at Mid-South Wrestling and found himself part of a tag team with Steve Borden (who would go on to become "Sting") known as "The Blade Runners." His story continues with his pivot to World Class Championship Wrestling, taking the name "Dingo Warrior," and making the jump to the WWE where adopted the name "Ultimate Warrior" and grew into his trademark style. The documentary examines his rise to stardom, earning his first of many belts, his interactions with his fellow wrestlers, his absence from and return to the WWE, his transition to the WCW, and Hall-of-Fame acceptance.

The Ultimate Warrior's detractors may be inclined to turn away from his documentary considering the baggage the wrestler carries. While the film doesn't fully explore every avenue and address every criticism -- how can it considering it's primarily a bulky full-match highlight reel rather than a full-blown retrospective in the same fashion as the Steve Austin film -- there's enough surface engagement to make it a worthwhile perspective piece from the man himself. The matches are of suitable entertainment value, but the meat of the program lies in Warrior's often candid, first-person recollections both of his broader career arc and specific moments that defined himself, his career, and the fans' perception of his in-ring and out-of-ring personas. There's certainly enough backstory to warrant a deeper, uninterrupted narrative -- Warrior himself says at film's close that it's but part of a larger story -- and fans may rightly be disappointed at the piecemeal structure. Still, Warrior's comments and perspectives merit attention and they're delivered smartly and passionately, putting a different light on a career thanks both to the personal accounts and the passage of time. The Ultimate Warrior was inducted to the professional wrestling Hall-of-Fame with the class of 2014.

The following matches and moments are included in Ultimate Warrior: The Ultimate Collection:

Disc One:

• 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.

Disc Two:

• 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.

WWE: Ultimate Warrior: The Ultimate Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Ultimate Warrior: The Ultimate Collection's 1080i transfer, presented in both 1.78:1 and 1.33:1 aspect ratios, is amongst the best so far released under the WWE Home Video label. The bulk of the 1.78:1 material is comprised of straightforward Warrior interview clips. Here, detail is suitably revealing and colors appear accurate though limited. Flesh tones go slightly pink, particularly noticeable in a few side shots that are also a touch softer than the straight-on images. Between-match and during-interview career highlight footage has been reformatted to fit the 1.78:1 frame, presumably to avoid jarring aspect ratio jumps between the interviews and the footage. The matches, however, are appropriately presented at a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, retaining the original appearance and maintaining image integrity. Here, the image is typical of late 1980s and 1990s WWE SD material brought to Blu-ray. It lacks the razor sharpness, precision color, and general stability of high definition but looks fine considering the source limitations. The score reflects only the HD content.

WWE: Ultimate Warrior: The Ultimate Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Ultimate Warrior: The Ultimate Collection features a nuts-and-bolts basic Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. The track proves a little more dynamic than expected in its myriad of throwback matches, with even the first match featuring very well integrated, spaced, and presented entrance music. It's surprisingly dynamic, clear, and hefty, almost to the point that it sounds laid over and not original. Crowd cheers underneath don't dominate but they, too, enjoy a fair stage presence. Musical delivery throughout is solid, as are various in-match sound effects and ringside commentary. The Warrior interview clips play with realistically accurate dialogue. In short, a basic WWE soundtrack but one with a little more punch than normal.

WWE: Ultimate Warrior: The Ultimate Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Ultimate Warrior: The Ultimate Collection contains seven bonus matches and moments labeled as "Blu-ray Exclusives."

• 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.

WWE: Ultimate Warrior: The Ultimate Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

No matter what one may think of him outside the ring, or even in it, there's no mistaking that The Ultimate Warrior brought to the wrestling ring what's missing in today's entertaining but largely vanilla landscape: flavor, style, and distinction. Ultimate Warrior: The Ultimate Collection doesn't do a whole lot to settle controversies -- Warrior and the WWE would need to craft an entire feature-length film for that in which both sides are presented, discussed, and analyzed -- but it does offer a new, somewhat candid, and well-spoken series of interview snippets with the man himself, jammed into a collection of matches that highlight Warrior's finest moments throughout his career. It's a solid WWE release, one that could stand a lengthier retrospective but that serves its purpose rather well. The Blu-ray features strong video and audio presentations along with seven bonus matches and moments on disc two. Recommended to wrestling aficionados, be they Ultimate Warrior fans or not.