Saturday Night's Main Event #3



Ultimate Warrior vs Papa Shango

When I was a kid, there was no other wrestler that could get me as excited for a match as the Ultimate Warrior. Surpassing even "the Hulkster" in terms of sheer, hyperactive charisma the Ultimate Warrior offered fans an exuberance that could literally be felt through their television sets. From the distinctively bright face paint to his high-energy ring entrance, the Warrior shone like a beacon of unbridled mania in every match he was in. His one weakness would have to be his horrible speaking skills, being that they were the equivalent of listening to Christian Bale's Batman reciting Dr. Seuss in reverse. Ugh.

On the other end of the ring, we have Papa Shango, inspired by voodoo mythology and shrouded in the same, strange schtick as the Undertaker (who happened to be a good friend of his). Essentially Shango would use "spells" and "potions" (complete with plastic skulls and dry ice) to jinx his opponents into submission. It made for a fairly interesting character, straddling the gap between offensive stereotype and tongue-in-cheek parody. One of the highlights of his tenure at the WWF was a feud with Ultimate Warrior, from which the bout shown above is a part.

So, the real question remains: can Shango's Voodoo Piledriver compete with the Warrior's Gorilla Press Slam? Let's find out...





5 comments:

  1. Scare Sarah said...:

    I found wrestlers scary as a kid!

  1. Strange Kid said...:

    There were quite a few that frightened me too, mostly either the larger athletes or the more intensely violent ones such as the Undertaker or George "The Animal" Steele.

    Then, of course, you had the good guys like Rowdy "Hot Rod" Piper and Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka who helped to balance things out.

  1. Unknown said...:

    This had to be one of the strangest fueds ever in the WWF. I remember when that black stuff started coming off Warriors head when he was doing an interview and then another time when Shango put a spell on the Warrior and it made him puke on TV. Ahhh, the good old days.

  1. Strange Kid said...:

    Now those were gimmicks, weren't they! I think the reason I love that particular era of wrestling is because it was so much like watching a comic come to life.

    The wrestlers were too crazy NOT to be real.

  1. The Man-Cave said...:

    I admit that I was a Warrior mark back in the day, even though he had like 4 moves in his arsenal. And Demolition. Loved the Demos.

    Papa Shango causing Warrior to vomit is a hilarious moment in wrestling history!

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