'%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)
Steve Lombardi (f.k.a. The Brooklyn Brawler) has revealed that The Ultimate Warrior accidentally knocked him out twice during their time working together in WWE.
The Ultimate Warrior defeated Lombardi in his first WWE match at a live event in 1987. The two men faced each other 18 times between 1987 and 1988, with Warrior winning all 18 matches. The 2014 WWE Hall of Fame inductee also retained the Intercontinental Championship against Lombardi in 1990.
Speaking to James Romero of Wrestling Shoot Interviews, Lombardi said Warrior never intentionally tried to hurt him. However, he still suffered two injuries during matches against the WWE legend.
“He accidentally knocked me out twice,” Lombardi said. “Accidentally. You know, I got him in a hammerlock and then he throws an elbow to the back, hits me in the temple. His elbows were real elbows, hard, but he never did it viciously or on purpose. I never was in the ring with somebody that tried to hurt me on purpose.”
The Ultimate Warrior is a former WWE Champion and two-time Intercontinental Champion. He died at the age of 54 in 2014 after suffering a heart attack. Three days earlier, he had received his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Steve Lombardi’s Hall of Fame conversation with The Ultimate Warrior
During his 33 years in WWE, Steve Lombardi also worked as part of the company's production team. He produced a controversial WWE DVD about The Ultimate Warrior, titled The Self-Destruction of The Ultimate Warrior, in 2005.
Lombardi said Warrior thanked him before the 2014 Hall of Fame for not saying anything bad about him on the DVD. Warrior also wanted to thank Lombardi during his induction speech for allowing him to win a match between the two men in the 1980s.
“I find Warrior’s dressing room,” Lombardi said. “He’s got his own dressing room, private. I walk into the room, he starts crying. Well, not [crying], tears came down. ‘I was just thinking about you.’ He goes, ‘You better be prepared…’ He was stuttering like that... ‘Prepared to stand up tonight because I’m gonna tell that story about how the agent said that you were gonna beat me that one night to test my attitude, and you took me in a room and said [about changing the finish].’”
Lombardi was still working for WWE at the time of the 2014 Hall of Fame. He advised Warrior not to say anything about switching the finish of their match in case it landed him in trouble backstage. While Warrior agreed, he also shouted at Lombardi, “F***! It was 30 f***ing years ago! It was 30 years ago!”
Please credit Wrestling Shoot Interviews and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
