[1990-04-13-WWF/AJPW Summit] Ultimate Warrior vs Ted DiBiase

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

So the crowd totally mocked this match. That's the story here. However, if you don't know Japanese fan tendencies, it's apparently not something you'd pick up on. The back story is that Dave had predicted Warrior would get this reaction in the WON. The WWF was not aware that the "Whoooooooaaa" before each move and the "Yaaaaa" noise when it finally happened was a typically Japanese way that crowds entertained themselves during bad matches when they wanted to mock what they saw in the ring. So anyway, after the match, the WWF called Dave and said he was wrong, and that Warrior just got over great in Japan.

 

Anyway, more proof that Warrior was not the guy. Sure, Hogan was not Ric Flair, but Hogan was competent in the ring and could be good when presented properly. Warrior struggled with even basic wrestling.

[JerryvonKramer]

I've always cited this match as an example where DiBiase really carried someone shitty to a decent match, am interested now to watch it again. This was on the old WWF World Tour VHS.

[PeteF3]

Lousy match that the crowd is quite clearly shitting on. There's audible laughing during the early Warrior power spots and then it sort takes a Hack Myers ECW feel with the constant "Shah!"-ing from the audience on every move.

[soup23]

Thought the match was dreadful and it was telling that two things happened: 1. Warrior was not matched up against a native and 2. This match was still sub 10 minutes and he ran out of things to do. Hogan's selling is also far superior when he decides to sell. This match was awful but I am glad to see it on the set as it was a clear indicator that people should have been worried already with Warrior on top.

[shoe]

This was so bad. Warrior sucks, and Teddy hates working with Warrior so we get a bad match.

[Kevin Ridge]

Fans start chanting for both guys strikes. Seems like they are more amusing themselves then anything. This includes big buildups to a suplex and piledriver by Dibiase. Crowd was not too impressed with Warrior.

[Cox]

DiBiase lays out the simplest match he can to get through something watchable with Warrior. Not a memorable outing, but one with interesting crowd responses for sure.

[flyonthewall2983]

This aired on the network as part of their "Warrior Week". Very interesting hearing a Japanese match with Vince and Jesse on commentary (did this air on Prime Time?). Can't say I disagree with any of the negative views here, though the Andre match from SNME that preceded it makes this look significantly better.

[pantherwagner]

Also found amusing that they aired this one from Japan. They had a much better match at Main Event a few months later.

[thebrainfollower]

This match proves how different American and Japanese audiences are.

 

It's about average from what I have seen of Warrior's non big match title defenses. The fact that Dibiase could put on much better stuff with Warrior raises my eyebrow that this wasn't an attempt to humiliate Warrior

[bradhindsight]

The crowd is interesting - almost like a hijacked RAW crowd which mocks the moves and wrestlers but yet they still pop for the high spots and cheer when the Warrior wins (although he didn't get a great introduction reaction). Now maybe the sound is changed a bit - I'm watching the version on the WWE Network as part of the "Warrior's Greatest Matches" program.

[garretta]

They should have found a native willing to do the job here, although Teddy was at least a familiar name to the Japanese public. Warrior got decent pops on his entrance and exit, but the Japanese fans were used to seeing a much better DiBiase than we got here. I don't blame Teddy under the circumstances, of course, but facts remain facts. They were probably wondering why he couldn't do anything but throw weak punches and forearms that Warrior easily sloughed off, plus one suplex and one piledriver, which Warrior also sloughed off.

 

I would love to have heard a translation of the Japanese commentary to find out what they were really saying during the match, and also during the prematch segment where Warrior stomped around and growled like a crazy man. That was probably something like, "You call this a wrestler? He belongs in the nuthouse, for God's sake!"

 

I guess this is what happens when you're faced with chicken feathers and don't have the ingredients to make them into chicken salad. At least they had the good sense to promote Hogan/Hansen as the main event. Interesting story about the crowd reactions; they were used to seeing three-fall classics for World titles, and now they barely get ten minutes. Talk about a drastic change!

 

By the way, where was Mike Jones (Virgil)? Did he just stay home, or was there a special reason why he wasn't in Teddy's corner?

[drew wardlaw]

It looked like Dibiase was going to counter the big shoulder block into like a crossface or something. I would've been into that.