This photo is somewhat out of center since I had to cut off a little girl who is probably close to 40 by now. Do any of you fans remember “Amanda Ultimate Warrior?” I’ll link her appearance on “The Brother Love Show” at the end. It gets my heart every time. I would LOVE chatting with her now, wonder what happened to her? So, most that saw the Ultimate Warrior back then with little face paint or just his logo like above, thought he had softened his image and in many ways he did. He started as a rockstar of sorts who became a little tame as years went on. I always wondered how it all came to be with his changes. Was it mostly Vince or were some of the ideas Warrior’s?
Some say they wanted to soften his look to be more like Hulk Hogan. Not exactly I know but possibly more approachable, less intimidating to fans, or whatever else. I always loved when his face paint peeled off but people liked it on since it identified the character. I have said this before. Let’s see what things changed besides his face. Blonder hair, less screaming in promos with more actual talking, having kids around in interviews like Amanda, etc.
In the beginning, the Ultimate Warrior was like that crazy nonsensical rockstar running around to his “Unstable” theme music, shaking ropes, thumping his chest, and so much more. Sure, he still did those things later on but his physical appearance just changed a bit. He must’ve liked the blonde hair look since that stayed throughout many years after he left the business, came back, and resurfaced yet again in 1998. The length changed too over the years. He even got an earring and tattoo later on which many weren’t doing at the time.
Have you ever felt the need to change something or perhaps many things about yourself to please another? Yes, I know with Warrior it was for different reasons but I always wondered about the stories behind it all. Did he agree just because he was the new Heavyweight champ? O.K., I have had my hair highlighted or done things differently than the norm but never did I feel like I had to do something drastic for a job. Many wrestlers change their look several times over the years but man, the backlash over Warrior and a few “new” things got people talking. Am sure the higher-ups felt some aspects with the character needed to move in a different direction and we as fans embraced it all, well we had to didn’t we? He even become quite smaller which started other rumors…
If any of us reset our physical traits, it’s usually because we want to or at least that’s how it should be. Kids will do things to get approval from friends but we as adults know better. We still want approval but just in other ways. When I became blonde, ( yes there were a few pics on here!) I did it for fun. I even had a pink streak in it for a while. Blondes don’t necessarily have more fun as the saying goes but it’s what we make of it. I just wanted to try something different I hadn’t before. Fame has its own rules though.
Am sure you can possibly think of someone who maybe had a certain reputation for years and then instead of a physical change, it was more of their personality that changed. I had talked about “sowing your wild oats” when younger and then when we age, maturity and tamer ways creep in. Sometimes, it needs to based on our life experiences and yet sometimes people hold on to their old ways. Warrior kept his long hair for a while but then fatherhood later on made him lop off his locks. Some won’t let that go since it so defines them like Hulk or even someone like Bret Hart. Everyone is different but Warrior wanted and needed to move past the hair that defined him.
Well, that’s enough about that as hair was also part of a past post but it is an obvious difference. Warrior bald- now that shocked a lot of people who followed him later on. We all tend to hold on to things in other ways because it’s like our security blanket. Sometimes though, you gotta drop the blanket Linus and move on. Despite all those attributes that made the Ultimate Warrior evolve, he still was that rockstar to me. Of course it was in a much other way and even though he became somewhat tame, it was still him underneath it all.
That’s what we all need to be. No matter what types of changes we go through physically, our inner person will remain the same. We may need to adapt somewhat but our core is still us and Warrior never wavered on his. There were many that have tried to duplicate the Ultimate Warrior but none truly succeeded because they weren’t really him. Maybe some were fooled but I never was. Amanda Ultimate Warrior and those other kids got to see their rockstar hero become a little tamer. It worked for a few but others missed his wilder ways. I loved it all because to me, behind that exterior was a man with a great message of belief in yourself. That meant so much more than any rockstar performance he put on with paint, no paint, blond or no hair, screaming or whispering. Whether or not he wanted to be tamed, the character succeeded. You’ll always be a rockstar Warrior- in or out of the ring. Plus, he ROCKS too as the most ultimate spirit!
*** Here is a link to Amanda on the “Brother Love Show.” If it isn’t working, just look up Warrior’s appearances on B.L. or her name…
*** Follow me here for book info on how Warrior’s energy inspired my intuition and psychic gifts to grow. It’s filled with wrestling tidbits, family stories, humor, dreams, and more. You can find it on Amazon and other outlets too. *** I also write a more spiritual blog over there on various topics such as psychic development, intuition, meditation, and lots of other goodies!
*** I am also on some U.W. Facebook groups, Twitter, and YouTube where I just posted an end of the year video! Check it out… 💙🙏🏻🙋🏻♀️
mywarriorwritings.com 