WWE Vault YouTube channel – mywarriorwritings.com

The REAL You 🫵🏻🧡💚

Welcome back readers to another week of these writings I bring your way every Wednesday. You’ll see a video pic below of Ultimate Warrior reacting to one of Hulk Hogan‘s promos during the buildup to WMVI. That was from the WWE vault YouTube channel mentioned a few posts back but thought it was a great shot to use today. Another mention of Hulk is a new doc series premiering tonight on Netflix. It’s called : “ Hulk Hogan: Real American” and it’s 4 1 hour segments detailing his life~~~ both personally and professionally being the immortal one we as fans will always remember. I will be watching in parts but I’m interested to view it all. I had mentioned how they should do a separate special on him, so I’m glad they were able to film an interview before his passing.

The REAL you coincides with Hulk’s title above but also gets roped in with yet another idea I am expanding upon from “The Masters of Wrestling” podcast. Recently, he was discussing figures well known such as the Hulkster, but one of the reasons? Their names. Yes, that does factor in with those of us old enough to know the gimmick characters of yesteryear. Sure, some still exist in a way but will they be memorable years from now? That’s up to us and culture but the name they choose to use does define them throughout their wrestling career. Besides HH, there’s The Ultimate Warrior ( of course!) The “ Macho Man” Randy Savage, and countless others but I decided to stick with the big 3 of that era. We will know who they were for various reasons and have our own memories of them but without that ever famous name, would they be the same? Many guys back then did use their real name or part of it * BUT* included a moniker inserted. Take “ The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase or Bret “ Hitman” Hart even. Those were their real names but “ The Million Dollar Man” and “ Hitman” are what we remember most, right?

Now, we can move into today’s talent or slightly farther back. How about John Cena who has been mentioned frequently on here and who just hosted WrestleMania 42? Yep, that’s his real name and it totally worked for him in the business. He did go by other names (as I had to look that up,) but WWE fans know him by his real name which will be his legacy. Another one to think of his Daniel Bryan, who as probably many know is not his real name. He just switched it around from Bryan Danielson so there’s that approach as well. Let’s look at a woman example. Alexa Bliss’s real name is Alexis so see what she did there? Another minor tweak but what would’ve worked better? We will never truly know as some do not fully change their entire name. I am thinking of Becky Lynch as another woman example. Becky is her real name, but Lynch~~~ nope. She actually wanted to use her real last name as I did not know that. I assumed with her, both names were legit. A few years back, she went by “ The Man” so that worked for her then.

Another I will state is “ The Undertaker.” He did briefly go by his real name years ago before making an impression with the WWE universe. Look at all the names he used overtime! I believe most were successful but which one stands out or gets remembered most? He’s a tough one to figure out but you fans will know based on what he brought to the arena during his prime. So, I will ask you this after those choices~~~ which is REAL to you as a performer in wrestling? Is it their real name which did work for many (as there are a lot more) or is it the gimmick name you prefer? I cannot imagine Ultimate Warrior becoming famous as Jim Hellwig, can you? As a bodybuilder, that was what he needed to do but as a pro wrestler, going to work. Would we remember Terry Bollea if it wasn’t for Hulk Hogan? Maybe if he stuck with acting or became more of a musician with his guitar playing, but I’m thinking a solid *NO* at that.

I believe if one does decide to use their real name like many did or do, you need to have something added to it like a back up moniker with your gimmick. Vince knew that as I mentioned with “ The Million Dollar Man” or “ Hitman” above. If you didn’t have something like that attached, you got a rhyming name. Jake “ The Snake” Roberts had both but the other factor used was alliteration. We know “ Ravishing” Rick Rude. ROOD was his last name. I use that much with my writing too. HH, MM, you know those guys? I just wrote about them. The Ultimate Warrior had no addition, rhyme, or alliteration, and yet will always be known in the wrestling business. Absolutely will he be forever in our memories other than just his name, but when you say it~~~ you know it. It’s like the lyric from the song: “ Uptown Funk.” “ Say my name, you know who I am…” I love that song~~~ but you get my idea I bet.

Emir had said~~~ in his opinion how he believes the gimmicks of the Golden Era and a little beyond worked better than the names of today. He’s right in many ways regarding longevity and being in peoples minds with what they remember. If your name doesn’t sell with fans, something else should~~~ whatever that might be. Daniel Bryan’s chant of : “ YES!” caught on and yet it seems so simple. Today’s Superstars will be tomorrow’s memories just like I always have mine. Things need to be in place to create a lasting impression fans will keep forever. Well I remember John Cena the same way I will remember Hulk Hogan? Ultimate Warrior? Macho Man? No way, but there are those who were too young are not even born when the other guys were around so is it fair to compare? You be the judge but we are conditioned to follow and like what we like as generations come and go. It can be fun being a certain character with a different name, but at the end of the day~~~ we are just us. The REAL you is true to your core and Warrior knew that always.

So, whatever name you choose or go by and whatever stage of life you were in~~~ be remembered for MORE than just those letters. Your YOU is defined by much more than that.

P.S. Don’t forgot the HH doc. TONIGHT!!! *** Hulk’s statue was also revealed during WrestleMania 42 weekend. I got a little teary 🥹 as I believe it to be a very great likeness. 💛❤️ I heard this WM was very underrated as many said it was not as successful as it could’ve been.. Hmmmmm…… 🤔

Never April Fool’s…

Here we are warriors to April once again. As I always say~~~ like that title above, it will NEVER be called April Fools’ Day to me and hasn’t been for 36 years now on this date exactly. To be clear on another note~~~ these dates lineup just like they did 6 years ago in 2020. That number 6 connecting to WMVI being 36 right NOW. My 6 makes an appearance once again. You will see a shot of the contract signing between Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan with then WWF President Jack Tunney in the middle. Last week was part of the contract with 7, today is 6. Oh, and these dates also repeated back in 2015 as I did check on that. I did not know how April lined up until just a few weeks ago so if you do math correctly, you will get to the number 8… More on that next time.

Thanks to Warrior’s good friend Peter, I was shown through our UW fb group a new WWE Vault video that I will link at the end. It’s called: “ The story of Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior (1990)- the Ultimate Challenge of WMVI.” It’s over an hour with interviews, promos, and much previously shown clips but some had been a while for me. A few I vaguely remembered. Parts of their match is shown at the end so a must see for fans wanting to relive that nostalgic time. Who remembers when WM’s started at 4 PM ET instead of the evening? Yep, that was when they were held so Hulk and Warrior probably took to the ring around close to 6:30 PM. Their championship bout was about a half hour, give or take.

My story has been told on here of that late afternoon when I was 17 and a senior in high school. This year watching will be very bittersweet with now both Warrior and Hulk having left us. My birthday viewing this past year was the same. I did watch shortly after Hulk’s passing, but it was too soon. The next time~~~ as I promised myself would be different and it was. Sure, I still had new tears but I celebrated them both in my own way and that will happen again this year, this time. This month brings many dates, milestones, and anniversaries of sorts, mostly in the beginning as I finally look back on them all with so much emotion mixed in.

March flew by, but partly because we had to say goodbye to our much loved dog of almost 14 years. 🐾😓💔🤎 It was one of the hardest things I ever had to face and I asked Warrior if he could check on her for me. I hope he does when visiting his beloved dogs in the Animal Kingdom. I’ve known of other pups passing in April and with my Warrior memories~~~ it would’ve been so much to bear. I’m grateful for her life and ours how it happened when it did as my son was home for his spring break. He just celebrated his 22nd birthday too. I thank all those who have reached out to me with such words of comfort, they truly matter in many appreciative ways you will never know. 🥹

To quote Ultimate Warrior in his WMVI promo: “ physically, none of us can live forever!” That is of course true but the spirits do of those two guys and even my precious pooch. This is what I believe is I hope you do too. The Hulkamaniacs and Warriors came together as one that evening in Canada as many fans were certainly divided, were you? Many also debate if the Ultimate Warrior character was indeed ready to be the brand of WWF back then. I certainly believe he was headed that way like when defeating HTM for the IC belt. Time is always of the essence though, isn’t it? The world of pro wrestling never seems to slow down and speed was at the heart of UW’s gimmick for sure. Without any of it lining up the way it did, we would not have our memories the way they became as this is true for any WWF or WWE moment in history, even today.

Sometimes, just like in our everyday lives~~~ things don’t get lined up exactly as we want or hope but it happens anyway. That’s how it is for all of us in life and I gotta say, it makes stuff so much more interesting at times. Remember those roadmaps of last week? Well, the map doesn’t give us all the answers and we have surprises along the way too, some unexpected and some disappointing. UW winning that Heavyweight title from Hulk did not surprise me all that much (as without being biased,) I knew a change was probably coming.

I could feel and sense it but was not 100% convinced. I think Vince wanted to move forward with UW as champ but then wasn’t sure how to promote or market him as he was so used to it primarily being HH for many years. Again, (without being biased,) being a writer I probably could’ve come up with some great storylines for UW not mimicking Hulk but sometimes that got in the way, which might’ve alluded fans somewhat. I’m not entirely sure on this but it’s one of my theories. This can be another highly talked about area concerning UW’s title reign and the 80s guys did an entire podcast episode on it. You better believe I called in to voice my opinion.

The Ultimate Challenge has so many feelings attached to me as I’ve shared much over the years. I watch to remember, to be entertained, to celebrate, and know the good without the negative aftermath coming to the ring. I slam all that down to the mat, as it has no place during my viewing time. I loved when I heard Hulk say how much fans continued to tell him on socials that the match with him and Warrior was their favorite. I hope they both can maybe meet up where they are now and reminisce together in some spiritual way. Wouldn’t that be truly ultimate?

OK, there were so many other matches that day as I loved the mixed tag team one and Demolition 3peating as tag team champs! So grateful they are getting into the HOF finally!! *** Here’s to WMVI turning 36, 1990 was a great year for me too. I can hear UW’s theme of “ Unstable” anytime! And, my ear was ringing when writing this near the end… 🥰

P.S. Here’s the link to the WWE Vault YouTube channel. “Story of Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior (1990), the Ultimate Challenge of WMVI.”

https://youtu.be/watch?v=4yGfK5VWs5M&si=45dl-cRUjjlXByX- 1:18:02 in length.

*** Again~~~if this link is not active on here, head on over to the WWE vault YouTube channel. 💪🏻💪🏻💙💙

Indiana for the WIN!🏈❤️🤍

That title is encompassing many things today as I close out January but first, I’ll share some info of last week. Below you will find that happy photo of Warrior taken from an interview ( on TV probably?) back in 1998. He was in the WCW then and the interviewer asked a question about his face paint. He made a joke which I loved! You can find that clip along with many others on the WWE vault YouTube channel. The video is called: “ Amazing Ultimate Warrior footage found in the WWE vault.” That’s a mouthful to say… It was released in December and is 27:08 in length. I mentioned it already but there you have the specifics today. Some footage I had seen prior but much was new. Head on over and check it out if feeling inspired!

Now, let’s get into Indiana and the WIN! I did use the word Indy several years back pertaining to that certain race in Indianapolis every year, but never Warrior’s state fully. It is also his oldest daughter‘s name and he did attend Indiana State for one year so was a Hoosier! That football team recently won the National College Championship game against Miami and had an undefeated season. No, I did not just want them to win because of Warrior (readers know me better) but also because it was the * FIRST* time in school history that the Hoosiers won a championship. I’m always for teams that never or rarely win. Can you tell how that is also an Ohio reference?

Here’s some fun and interesting connectors with me and that historic win. The team resides in Bloomington where my book publishing company is located. It is about 1.5 hours from Crawfordsville where Warrior grew up. Yep, had to look that up again as I did years ago but still super cool to know. The Hoosiers one by 6️⃣ which as many know is one of my “special” numbers that follow me around so welcome back old friend… 🥰 Another cute reference is this: My daughter loves the band ABBA as yes she is into “older” music even though she’s almost 20. I can’t remember if she was playing a certain song lately in the house but I do remember it playing while riding with her in the car. It was “ Fernando” , which is the name of Indy’s quarterback who ironically is from Miami! Soooo, a few days before this big game, I woke up with a song in my head. I bet you can guess which one! Yes, readers it was “ Fernando.” Not sure if it was my girl’s activities or maybe a premonition of sorts. I do get those ya know so I can’t be totally sure but do I wonder? You bet I do! Ah, I love it. 🎤

I wanted to look up the meaning behind a Hoosier actually. What prompted this was a similarity with my son’s college of Akron here in Ohio. They are The ZIPS, which also confuses some. They do have a mascot~ Zippy the 🦘 kangaroo, but many aren’t sure of what a ZIP is? It was shortened from Zippers long ago as part of a contest the school head back in the 1920s. It is talked about often because most schools have animal names or something similar but not Ohio and Indy being one state away. That state proximity is part of a chapter in my book as it fits here so I had to plug it! You can find “ Spirit and Belief” 📗 on Amazon and other book outlets.

Back to the Hoosiers, there are MANY stories that pertain to how the name originated but it did tie in with woodsman who had grit and resilience. Warrior epitomized those words fully I believe as many in that area were either farmers or worked in factories. That I knew. The story surrounding the Hoosier origin are in great detail and since not just one could be adapted with the state~~~ towns people kept ones they liked. You can look them up as I did not know but it made me think of our ZIPS with another compelling background.

Our two states have much in common but never have any of the sports teams in Ohio finished with zero losses in a season so they beat us on that. These nailbiter games are exciting but I did leave the room for a bit. I rarely watch the college bowl games but this year, I did. My family of course doesn’t know the Warrior connection to Indiana~~~ but it doesn’t matter. They know my other reasons though, as to why I root for some teams over others~~~ including the pros. None of the pro football teams won that weekend who I wanted so I just had to have the college team win, right? They did just that even though it could’ve gone either way.

I do hope Warrior in his “ Terrain of Testament” witnessed or was made aware in some form of his Hoosier’s big win as I bet he’d be super excited to know. I can share that enthusiasm with him definitely. 😉 If any of your readers watched, I can only imagine your emotions too even if you were a fan of Miami. It’s always super tough to lose in front of your home field, but it happens. The state of Indiana DESERVED that win as Miami has several. I can’t help but be biased. Remember my post on the Ohio State buckeyes winning last year and the signs I received then? This time wasn’t the same but signs nonetheless.

Who could’ve guessed I would write an entire post on a college football game, but I did. Originally, I said no that would be too much but it just transpired so I hope you enjoyed it. Next week is February already with a big anniversary of sorts coming up for my husband and I. You’ll have to stay tuned on that. I wish you all a beautiful day wherever reading and check out the WWE YouTube vault for Warrior’s full interviews. Oh, I guess the Super Bowl is next. Well, I probably won’t care too much but will have to check on team stats to see who I will pick as it gets closer. Way to go Hoosiers, you earned that trophy! 🏆 And, the Royal Rumble is this weekend, but we were all about football today.

P.S. Research some meaning behind your town’s name or history. You just might learn something new. I know I do and have.

P.P.S. Indiana for the WIN brought Mr. James Hellwig 💙so without him, us fans would not do what we do…