The Ultimate Warrior's 5 most epic matches

1. The Ultimate Warrior vs. Hulk Hogan – WrestleMania 6 Title vs. Title Match

Finally, the most epic Ultimate Warrior match ever – his showdown with WWF Champion Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 6. This really was a dream situation as a kid; the top two “good guys” in the company facing off in a straight up competitive match with no interference or crazy story involved. At the 1990 Royal Rumble, the shocking moment that left Hogan and Warrior in the ring facing off was something that you always wished would happen in a rumble – two guys that you could NEVER imagine going against each other, but having to due to the Rumble situation. Those 30 or so seconds in the Rumble of Hogan vs. Warrior were electric, but little did we know that it was a precursor to something much bigger.

WWF President Jack Tunney made the announcement that Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior would challenge WWF Champion Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 6, and not only that but BOTH championships would be on the line. It was beyond comprehension – nothing like this had headlined a PPV before, and I don’t believe Hogan had even defended his title against another “good guy” during any of his reigns since 1984. The Warrior represented a new generation, and it felt like nothing could ever be bigger than this match.

When April 1, 1990 had arrived, the hype was at an all time high. 60,000+ fans packed the Toronto Skydome to see the match that would see the proverbial “torch” passed from Hulk Hogan to The Ultimate Warrior. Some may have worried at the time about two guys like Hogan and Warrior pulling off a main event level match since neither were looked at as “technical” guys in the ring, but the match delivered on all fronts and gave us the emotion needed to make it the classic it was.

The Ultimate Warrior pinned Hulk Hogan after a big splash, clean in the middle of the ring…something I hadn’t seen in my years of being a fan at the time. If Hulk ever lost it was always a screwy situation, and even then that had very rarely happened. Warrior beating Hogan for the WWF Champion was a clear signal that a new era had arrived, and I wasn’t even sure Hulk would return following this loss. The moment Hulk handed over his belt to Warrior and the two embracing in the center of the ring was an image that will always be a part of WrestleMania history, a moment the likes of which are rarely seen if ever these days. The Ultimate Warrior was elevated to the next level at WrestleMania 6, and it was this day that officially made him a main event star. The match, the emotion, the history, all reasons we chose Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior as the Warrior’s most epic match of all time.