5 Wrestlers who sabotaged their own careers.
A number of promising pro wrestling careers have fizzled out with a whimper rather than a bang. There are often a variety of factors to blame. Perhaps the wrestler suffered an injury that limited their in-ring ability, or maybe they had to step away from the ring to deal with family matters.
And sometimes, no matter how hard a promotion tries, a certain wrestler just doesn't get over (we're looking at you, Ludwig Borgia.)
But then there are those performers who have no one to blame but themselves when their career ends up in flames. Here are five such wrestlers.
1.The Ultimate Warrior
In the 1980s, a slew of former bodybuilders turned toward pro wrestling as their next career. Among them were such luminaries as Doug Furnas and Sting.
Another man who followed this career trajectory was the Ultimate Warrior. When he debuted in WWE he was an instant sensation, from his running to the ring to his shaking the ropes. The face-painted warrior quickly catapulted to the upper mid-card when he defeated 'Greatest Intercontinental champion of all time' Honky Tonk Man at the first SummerSlam.
Then Warrior went on to be the first man to hold both the IC strap and the WWE World title when he cleanly pinned Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania 6. It seemed there was no stopping the Warrior.
Unfortunately, the Warrior was as despised backstage as he was beloved in the ring. Warrior was known for being much stiffer in the ring than was necessary. Stars such as Rick Rude and Andre the Giant often complained that the Warrior legitimately injured them during matches.
On top of this, the Warrior's ego grew to massive proportions. He sometimes no-showed events and demanded better treatment, pay, and perks from backstage officials, using his stardom and position in the company as leverage.
Eventually, his reputation grew so bad that most promotions, including the WWE, didn't want to deal with him in spite of the money to be made from his moniker. The WWE even released a DVD detailing his fall from glory called "The Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior."
Ultimately Warrior would redeem himself in the eyes of many when he gave a chilling speech on Monday Night Raw after his Hall of Fame induction. Warrior passed away a day later, perhaps salvaging some of his tattered reputation with that final interview.