[1996-03-31-WWF-Wrestlemania XII] Ultimate Warrior vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

To be honest, the pop for Warrior's return isn't as significant as it should be, considering the hype and how long he was gone. I don't know whether to blame that on Warrior or the typically terrible Anaheim crowd. This is notable for a few things:

 

* Hunter getting squashed and gaining political favor for not complaining about the nature of the match

* Sable's debut

[BackToBionic]

"WCW have all those old stars from the 80s! They suck! Now here's the return of the ULLLLLLLLTIMATE WARRRRRIOR!!!"

[El-P]

To be honest, the pop for Warrior's return isn't as significant as it should be, considering the hype and how long he was gone. I don't know whether to blame that on Warrior or the typically terrible Anaheim crowd. This is notable for a few things:

 

* Hunter getting squashed and gaining political favor for not complaining about the nature of the match

* Sable's debut

In other words, everything about this match is a tragedy.

[Dooley]

Did HHH really gain political favor? The MSG Curtain Call was only a little more than a month after this, which he took the brunt of.

[flyonthewall2983]

Doing the job is probably why they had him originally win the King of the Ring that Austin won (and the rest is history...)

[PeteF3]

And afterwards, Helmsley gets into it with a debuting "Wildman" Marc Mero backstage. Helmsley's offense looks terrible here, by the way.

 

This Warrior thing was likely doomed from the start. I get what the WWF was going for, especially after the pop Jake got at the Royal Rumble, but his having the match changed from a competitive bout to a squash was a bad omen (even if the match was probably an improvement as a result).

[soup23]

Nothing match and I agree the heat wasn't I remembered it being.

*

 

Also cant believe after suffering through those skits, we don't get the Nacho vs. Huckster payoff.

[flyonthewall2983]

Also cant believe after suffering through those skits, we don't get the Nacho vs. Huckster payoff.

 

It was on the pre-game show, with McMahon and Lawler calling the match MST3K-style.

[soup23]

Yeah, I remember ordering the ppv and being like wtf, I just fig it would make the yearbook proper as the feud of the year so far.

[Loss]

If I remember right, we just couldn't find it.

[cactus]

Sable makes her debut as Helmsley's valet and Lawler and Vince can't stop ogling her and it's clear that she's going to stick around and go on to big things, even here. Knowing all the terrible stuff that Triple H has done throughout his career, it's oddly satisfying watching him get squashed in seconds and have his finisher completely devalued in the wake of Warrior no-selling it. The post-match sees Helmsley argue with a debuting Marc Mero, who ends up leaving with Sable. The crowd love Warrior and it feels like a lifetime since he last wrestled in a WWF ring, when in reality it was only three and half years. I do wonder what would of happened with Warrior if he had stuck around the fed and not left after a disastrous four months. 
½★

[dawho5]

I honestly did not expect this at all with the push Hunter had been getting.  Also had never seen Sable's debut.  I preferred Hunter's valet from the previous Raw if I'm honest.  Also, the entrances were longer than the match.  Waste of however long it was of PPV time.