WWE: Vince McMahon Pays Tribute To The Ultimate Warrior

When The Ultimate Warrior left WWE in 1996, it seemed as though that he had finally completely burnt his bridge with WWE, and in a world where you should never say never, nearly everybody said that there was no way WWE would welcome back The Ultimate Warrior. But, with Warrior’s name still having major value among WWE fans, Vince McMahon — as he almost always does — decided to put his personal feelings aside, and do what was best for business.

The first time WWE asked Warrior if he would be interested in going into the WWE Hall of Fame was in 2010, when WrestleMania was taking place in Warrior’s home state of Arizona, and Warrior refused to go in unless WWE “told the right story.” Just a few years prior, WWE released a DVD titled The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior, where WWE superstars, past and present, bashed and belittled Warrior for for 90 minutes, and Warrior wasn’t interested in going into the Hall of Fame until WWE made it right.

Last year, WWE finally agreed to make it right, and Warrior finally made up with WWE after nearly 18 years, so, Warrior finally agreed to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Unfortunately — as everyone knows — the story didn’t have a happy ending, as Warrior passed away just three days after being inducted into the Hall of Fame. But, before he passed, he was able to make up with a lot of the people he had been at odds with for many years, including WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

Almost immediately following Warrior’s death, WWE released a one-hour special, documenting the career of The Ultimate Warrior, and the last three days of his life. In the documentary, everybody saw just how much Warrior meant to Vince McMahon, and how much Vince McMahon meant to Warrior.

With the release of the new Ultimate Warrior documentary called Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe, McMahon paid tribute to the WWE Hall of Famer, and quoted his prophetic speech that he delivered less than 24 hours before he tragically passed away.

Just three years ago, nobody would have expected that Warrior would be welcomed back into the WWE family and have his career and life celebrated by the same people who went out of their way to marginalize his accomplishments. But, it’s definitely great to see Vince McMahon and WWE giving The Ultimate Warrior the respect that he deserves, as he’s a true professional wrestling legend.

[Image via WWE]