At the recent WWE 2K14 Pre Order announcement press conference, Sam Roberts of Opie & Anthony fame got a chance to sit down with the star of the event, Warrior, previously known as The Ultimate Warrior.
As we told you yesterday, the character that Warrior made famous in the late 1980s and early 90s is a downloadable roster member for the new game. The code is only available if you pre-order.
In the video, brought to you by Robert's YouTube channel, the two get together for a quick chat on the game, what his presence in it means and wrestling in general.
On his relationship with WWE:
Warrior handles his own licensing, and this deal is with 2K, not WWE. Of his relationship with the company, he says, for the first time in a long time, "we're not fighting...but I can't tell you anything about the future."
On who he'd like to face in a return:
He doesn't watch wrestling, so while he's aware of the "top guys", he couldn't give an answer. Warrior is "indifferent" to the idea of a return. "Chances are good my days in the ring are done," he said.
On a match with Vince McMahon:
In a great moment, while Warrior considers his answer to whether or not he would like a match with McMahon, his ten year old daughter Matty chimes in with a quick "Yep" from off camera. For his part, while he agrees that it could be great due to "real heat" between the two men, he doesn't make it sound like something that will happen.
Rather than making their issues sound too personal, however, he chalks it up to the fact that, "Vince's intensity for things hasn't died...and neither has mine."
On the business today:
The man from parts unknown notes that there aren't "characters" today like there were in his day, and points out internet and social media as the cause. He didn't have to worry about Twitter critiques or how to interact with the fans outside of his time as a performer, and he's not sure how that would have effected him or The Ultimate Warrior character.
_______________________
It's a good interview from a real legend of the business, and not one that it sounds like we'll see in a wrestling setting again, outside of video games and archival footage.
Editorial aside - he gets a lot of crap from us for having been a crappy worker (he was) and having controversial politics (he does), but I admire his worldview. The man legitimately doesn't seem interested in living in the past outside of how it can provide financial stability for he and his family, and speaks often of giving everything he has to whatever he's doing at the moment. His advice to fans, "if you love the game...don't be bothered by other stuff...just get into it - all the way", makes me a happier smark when I remember to follow it.
Load the spaceship with rocket fuel and enjoy!