On one side we have a guy who was never really a fan of the business.
I don't know that this was the case. I think it would be more accurate to say that Warrior put himself
above the business, and had an inflated ego because of what he accomplished in a very short time.
never really had to prove himself and got a direct path to the big time, babbled incoherently to the camera about absolutely nonesense that sounded good at the time, but poorly on reflection, was able to no-sell about half the offence he ever took and essentially was able to coast on having a great body and a lot of energy.
He also had undeniable charisma, was over with the crowd, and was a physical specimen.
How he got there isn't as important as
what he did when he got there. All he did was end Honky Tonk Man's record Intercontinental reign, was the sole survivor for his team in three consecutive Survivor Series elimination matches, slammed and pinned Andre a number of times, beat Hogan clean at Wrestlemania VI to win the WWF title, and "ended" Randy Savage's career.
Whether Warrior deserved the prestige and rubs he got is questionable, but there's no disputing the results. Yeah, he quickly fell out of favor with Vince due to threatening to hold out if Vince didn't acquiesce his every desire, but this isn't about Warrior's attitude, it's about what he did in his peak. And in his short peak, he accomplished more then most did in their entire careers, including Golddust.
Conversely, we have a guy who had a gimmick that seemed like it was destined to fail, had the weight of his father on his shoulders and worked for 'the other company' when his Dad was at WCW, someone who was methodical and considerate about what he did and was very good at it, was able to work well in the ring and make people care about him not long after his début, someone who had longevity and a good career because he had the nouse not to let himself implode.
Goldust was a great gimmick, and the performer, Dustin Rhodes, made it work. But the notion that he didn't self-implode is a fallacy: He's acknowledged he used Cocaine before matches, drank heavily after, and was taking 40 Vicodin a day at the height of his addiction. It was
because of his drug use that he was released from WWE and bounced between there, WCW, and TNA for several years. Like William Regal, he never rose above mid-card level, and part of it has to be attributed to his own self-destructive behavior.
No matter what I try to detract from Warrior or add to Goldust for the undeserved gap in the quality of their two careers, I can't think of enough good reasons to vote a career midcarder over the first and only man to beat Hulk Hogan clean at Wrestlemania in his prime, no matter where the rub rubbed off after it happened.
The gap is simple: While both men were self-destructive, in different ways, one had the undeniable ability to legitimately draw and perform at an elite level, while the other could not. Warrior's beaten more accomplished and difficult opponents in shorter time. He'll have tougher matchups down the road, but Goldust is a cakewalk in the first round. A Warrior Splash ends this in about 5 minutes.
Warrior short idiotic years in wrestling were much more impactful than Goldust's and so to Dustin Runnels, I am sorry.
Yet you voted for Goldust over Warrior....
