The Ultimate Warrior vs. The Honkey Tonk Man
SummerSlam '88
In his first few years with the WWE, The Ultimate Warrior would become a staple for the SummerSlam pay-per-view, but it was at the inaugural SummerSlam in 1988 where he made his biggest splash.
At that time, The Honkey Tonk Man had held the Intercontinental Championship for 454 days; longer than any other Superstar in titles long, prestigious history. In the process, and with more than a little help from “Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart, Honkey had become one of the most hated individuals in the Federation at that point.
At the start of the PPV, it was announced that Brutus Beefcake would be unable to compete in his scheduled match-up for the Intercontinental Championship. Later on, with Honkey in the ring, he challenged any man in the back to step up and face him for the strap. The Ultimate Warrior answered the call, winning in a matter of seconds. As the referee counted the 1-2-3 for Warrior, Madison Square Garden erupted into joyous celebration and the rest, as they say, is history.
"I was very very blown away as a little boy by the debut of The Ultimate Warrior. I got to see it on the MSG channel when I was living in Connecticut as a little boy. I'll never forget where I was or what I was doing, being in my parents room watching the television on MSG the night The Ultimate Warrior made his debut. He had the coolest music. The fact that he came running out like a bat out of hell made him even a bigger badass as to a little kid like me, back in the day. And I also remember having a very distinct feeling, with goosebumps and all, that only Hulk Hogan's entrance music gave me, up until then.
-Matt Morgan, former WWE/TNA star
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