MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

The Ultimate Warrior (legal name: Warrior) was one of the most beloved icons in professional wrestling. Set to take over for Hulk Hogan in the late 80s and early 90s, The Ultimate Warrior seemed to fizzle from the spotlight several times before ultimately disappearing in the late 90s.

A 2005 documentary, The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior, produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) appeared to offer an argument for the demise of both The Ultimate Warrior (the character) and Warrior (the man). Christopher Medjesky’s (2019) essay “WWE’s Corporate Documentary: Convergence, Collective Memory, and the Case Against Warrior” in the volume Convergent Wrestling: Participatory Culture, Transmedia Storytelling, and Intertextuality in the Squared Circle argues this documentary makes use of the blurred lines of reality in professional wrestling to position Warrior as a delusional man who created his downfall. Medjesky argues that the documentary attempts to portray the WWE and its Chairman Vince McMahon as caring and loving while simultaneously position Warrior as selfish and dismissive of his fans. Given the love for The Ultimate Warrior, this documentary holds the burden of reshaping collective memory through undermining nostalgia.

Making money, however, trumps all, and, less than a decade later, both Warrior and The Ultimate Warrior were back in the WWE. Warrior’s sudden death created a need to rewrite history again, and the WWE produced another documentary, Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe, which serves to rebuild the mythology of the character and, now, the man.

This presentation analyzes this second documentary and argues WWE uses the documentary form as apologia. WWE’s choice to be only mildly apologetic for its previous rhetoric furthers its vision of documentary as a corporate marketing tool. This presentation examples how they use this form for marketing purposes and critiques the consequences of doing so on film, fans, and culture.