The Ultimate Warrior vs. Sgt. Slaughter
Royal Rumble '91
This is Warrior's first loss on the list – prior to this match, he had very few major losses under his belt, and only one on PPV. But his time as WWE Champion couldn't last forever, especially with the company's desire to book Hulk Hogan against the most hated man in wrestling in 1991, the anti-American Sgt. Slaughter. Obviously they didn't want an extremely popular babyface in Ultimate Warrior dropping the belt to another popular babyface in Hulk Hogan, so the villainous Slaughter played the role of middleman.
What I particularly love about this match is the intensity of the crowd. An estimated 16,000 Miami fans made it sound like a sold-out WrestleMania arena, with every individual in the building on their feet, pulling for Warrior. Even the traditionally heel color commentator "Rowdy" Roddy Piper had taken up arms against Slaughter for this match. Which is why, when the final bell rang and Slaughter was awarded the WWE Championship, extra security was brought down, lining the entrance ramp so that no disgruntled patriots took a shot at the new champion. It is impossible to overstate how hated The Sarge was at that point.
And thus ends the one and only WWE Championship reign of The Ultimate Warrior. He would never win another major title again, as Hulk Hogan went on to take the strap from Slaughter in the main event of WrestleMania VII.
"While the Ultimate Warrior obviously had a troubled past with the wrestling business and many of the wrestlers, it was bittersweet to see a lot of that reconciled this weekend at WrestleMania and The Hall Of Fame. His top accomplishments will always be in the history books as some of the biggest moments in Pro Wrestling History. This is a horrible tragedy but in the end, I'm very happy to see him go out in an amazing fashion, having been one of the highlights of an unbelievable WrestleMania weekend. Warrior, your legacy will live forever and we will never ever forget your intensity & motivation. God bless."
-Frank Manzo, Wrestle Reaction Co-Host
