'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
If you ask the current generation of wrestling fans if they know who the Warlord is, they would either reply in negative or say that he held the record for the fastest Royal Rumble elimination. That is the unfortunate infamy associated with one of the most powerful wrestlers back in the day.
However, for those of us who grew up watching professional wrestling in the late 1980s and early 1990s, The Warlord was a part of our weekly television consumption. Standing 6'5" and weighing in excess of 320 pounds, the chiseled monster stood head and toe above his competition. It was an impressive feat, especially in an era known for giants.
From his time alongside The Barbarian in the legendary Powers of Pain tag team, to his solo run alongside manager Slick, The Warlord stood out as a comic book-esque villain made for the action figure era of professional wrestling.
The Warlord left WWE in 1992, leaving many wrestling fans scratching their heads wondering whatever happened to the big man. Since then he has had an eventful life, suffered some setbacks, found a dangerous new career, and lived to tell the tale. Join us for some good old-fashioned old school fun as we unpack 5 Things You Didn't Know About The Warlord.
#5. The Warlord used steroids and isn't ashamed of It
In an era dominated by headlines of federal indictments over steroids, The Warlord stood out as one of the most massive superstars in WWE. Considering the company had an embarrassment of riches in the 300 plus pound physique department, this says a whole lot.
The Warlord's physique stood out among the rest, but if anyone was inclined to believe that he was all natural, The Warlord is unapologetic about bursting your proverbial bubble.
A recent guest on the Prime Time with Sean Mooney podcast, The Warlord opened up about his past steroid use,
"I'm not gonna lie. I took steroids back then. There's no reason to lie. It's the way it was. It was that era. It's like baseball at that time: McGwire and Sosa. What do you think they were doing? They saved baseball because of that! Baseball was going down."
Steroids helped The Warlord move up to 340 pounds and he made strides in his physical strength, bench pressing more than 650 plus pounds in the prime of his professional wrestling career.
The former WWE superstar told Sean Mooney that his steroid use was primarily about giving wrestling fans what they wanted to see,
"People wanted to see the monsters. They wanted the monsters out there, so you did what it took to give the people the monster. That's what you did."
The steroid scandal rocked the foundations of the WWE during the early 90's. Former WWE megastar Hulk Hogan was the star witness on behalf of the prosecution. Vince McMahon was acquitted on all charges and the WWE has taken a tough stance against steroids and prescription drugs ever since.
#4. The Warlord never wanted The Powers Of Pain to split up
When it's all said and done, The Warlord will likely be known for his run alongside The Barbarian as one half of legendary tag team The Powers of Pain. The duo had memorable feuds with some of the all time great teams, such as The Road Warriors, The Hart Foundation, Demolition, and The Rockers.
Flash forward to the early 1990s, and wrestling was changing. WWE needed two massive Superstars to feud against the company's top two stars (Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior) in singles competition, so the company split up The Powers of Pain. The Barbarian would go on to join Bobby "The Brain" Heenan's stable of heels known as The Heenan Family. Meanwhile, The Warlord would be managed by the unscrupulous Slick.
Neither man knew of WWE's plans, nor did they approve. The Warlord wasn't anywhere near ready for singles competition and preferred tag team life with The Barbarian where the two excelled.
He told Sean Mooney,
"I was [lost] at first. I sucked. I'm dead serious. I sucked at first. It had been a long time. When you get into a tag team, you get into that rhythm of working with your partner and you know each other so well. All of a sudden you're doing it on your own and it's like OK, I am kind of lost here now. It's like growing back to ground zero and starting from the ground up again."
The Warlord's singles run wasn't nearly as memorable as his time in Powers of Pain and by 1992 he was gone from the WWE for good.
#3. The Warlord is a staunch Ultimate Warrior supporter
The Ultimate Warrior (Jim Hellwig) is better known for his bizarre promos and fast paced ring entrances than his technical prowess. Although he did have amazing matches against fellow Hall of Famers like Hulk Hogan and "Macho Man" Randy Savage, he also made some enemies backstage, as evidenced by WWE's Self Destruction of The Ultimate Warrior DVD. Coupled with a post-wrestling career move into the world of extreme right-wing politics, the Warrior is undoubtedly one of the most controversial figures in wrestling history.
Don't count The Warlord among Warrior's many critics, however. In fact, he doesn't have a bad thing to say about him and instead has high praise for the former WWE Champion.
He confided in Sean Mooney,
"I loved Jimmy [Warrior]. I always said, 'Jimmy is Jimmy. Let him be that way.' If you understand him that way, than you'll know what he's about. Jimmy was a different kind of planet person."
The two became close on a European tour when The Warlord saw The Ultimate Warrior stand up for the rest of the locker room,
"Jimmy had a good heart. He wanted a lot for all the boys. He did his best. When we went over there, they were trying to screw the boys and Jimmy stuck with me and tried to get everybody's money. He already had his money. He didn't have to do anything. He didn't have to care, but he did. He said, 'I'm not doing any more shows unless these guys all get paid,' which I felt was great because he didn't have to. He was a big Superstar already. He didn't have to."
The Warlord continued,
"Jimmy was a good person. He was a nice guy. He really was a nice guy. He was different, yes. He was different, but he did have a good heart. He was for the boys - he always was for the boys."
The WWE legend also had high praise for Tito Santana, "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith, and Bret "Hitman" Hart.
#2. Two terrible accidents changed his life
After The Warlord left WWE in 1992, he was involved in two very serious vehicular collisions that caused a debilitating career altering injuries. The first was a 1996 car accident that left the Warlord with a severe neck injury.
He told Sean Mooney,
"I screwed up my neck pretty darn good. My neck has never been right [since]. If you look down my right hand, you can see the nerve damage. My right hand is so much smaller than my left hand now. The right side (from the nerve damage) isn't quite the same size as the left side anymore. It's all from the nerve damage from the neck,"
The Warlord contends that his large frame was what helped him survive the impact and that if he had been smaller, he would have likely perished.
The accident didn't keep him off the road, however and only 5 years later in 2001, The Warlord was involved in a serious motorcycle wreck.
While riding his motorcycle, he hit a slippery spot and crashed, suffering a serious knee injury. His knee cap was cracked in half and his quadriceps was torn out. The injuries prevented him from reaching his previous physical heights and from ever competing for a major wrestling promotion again.
#1. The Warlord found a second career as 50 Cent's bodyguard
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, The Warlord transitioned into a career in security. Ironically, his newfound opportunity led him back into the world of entertainment. Instead of protecting his opponent in the ring; however, The Warlord would now protect world renowned hip hop artist 50 Cent.
After seeing the way the rapper carried himself, and how hard he worked, The Warlord came to respect and admire 50 Cent. The two would become close friends in the process, not that the job was ever easy, as it would involve The Warlord risking his own life.
On a recent episode of Prime Time with Sean Mooney, The Warlord described exchanging gunfire with rival rappers,
"We were in downtown Manhattan. He [50 Cent] went to this radio station to surprise them. All of a sudden all these cars were around the complex with spinners on them and all that stuff. There's four of us bodyguards and all of a sudden we see these SUVs and we kind of go toward it. We see something in their hands and I know they have guns in their hands. We get back and we let 50 know, 'We're pulling up to the side of the building real quick and getting you out of here.'"
The Warlord and the other bodyguards rushed 50 Cent into his bullet proof SUV and safely escorted him into his hotel room, but the excitement was far from over.
When the bodyguards returned outside they found themselves under gunfire,
"It was probably about 15 shots. I just got behind the SUV and sat behind the SUV. After that, there was nothing for awhile and then they just kind of took off. I guess they were just shooting handguns and they were not very good shooters."
(Transcription: Michael McClead, Sportskeeda)
Readers may listen to Sean Mooney's full interview with The Warlord below:
Do you remember The Warlord? Do you have any memories of his time in the ring? Share them down below in the comments section!
