If Warrior had came back to the WWF in 1998 instead of WCW?

A new look and a heel turn for starters.

I am a big Ultimate Warrior fan and even I think he wouldve flopped hard in the Attitude Era. One of the reasons he failed in WCW is that nobody was going to buy into a superhero-like character destroying his opponents when you had a more real-life version in Goldberg doing the same thing at the time. Supposedly, after Vince McMahon screwed Bret Hart, he offered Warrior a 4 year contract to return in early 1998. If Warrior did return to the WWF in 1998, realistically, he wouldve quit the company again a few months later.

If the Warrior came out on Raw in 1998 and stood toe to toe in the ring with Steve Austin or The Rock, fans would side with Austin or Rock. If it came down to Warrior getting cheered or DX getting cheered?? The fans would choose DX. That era of wrestling - which started in early 1997 on through to late 2006 - had edgier fans, that wanted something completely alternative than what they had all through out the 80s and early 90s. And the Ultimate Warrior screamed 80s and early 90s.

However, if Warrior came back in the mid 2000s and did random special appearances like Hogan did, I think he would have been accepted as a nostalgia act, as long as he wasn't over used.

I love to re-book stuff all the time. In my 91 year I had Warrior holding his title until just pass Mania and turning heel. Which would set up the rematch of Hogan Warrior.

But if I were to ignore the 91 stuff and it plays out as it actually did. I think Warrior could fit it. We have to turn him. Not right away. We want him to come in and do the usual gig. The idea is to get the fans to boo the Warrior because they've seen this all before. Have him win some matches over some guys build up the wins. Don't make them quick or squash matches. Make them a little longer than most Warrior matches. Put him in a feud with Taker. Taker at the end of the year was doing the Ministry of Darkness stuff and The Corporation was going on at the same time. So Warrior could be feuding with both. Put Taker and Warrior in a buried alive match and have Taker win it with the help of Vince McMahon. This writes Warrior off TV and from here you can do two things:

A) Bring him back as a monster heel with the Corporation. Warrior at this time in his career was very focused on Warrior as a brand and probably would have taken a lot of persuading to do this. But if he comes back as the monster heel he can go back to beating guys in a minute or two. Eventually you can have a baby face "Show warrior the way" and eventually he can turn on the heel group.

B) Have him return as a face to get even with McMahon. Remember we wanted to take him off TV because you'll almost always get a pop whenever someone returns. If it's done properly and the guy is coming back to get revenge then he'll get a huge pop. We would only ask Warrior to do one match in 1999 seeing as he retired in 98 from in ring work in real life. So just keep it to the one match at Wrestlemania XV against McMahon. He can retire this way.

This is just something I came up with off the top of my head. If I sat down and thought more about it I would have broke it down by feuds but this is the overall story you could tell.

Good points. I just feel his persona more than anything else is what really made the Warrior and what most fans remember him for. I just don't think lines like:

"LODGED IN MY SKULL ... WAS A PIECE OF THE CRYSTAL OF YOUR KINGDOM! YOUR MADNESS! THEY SAID, "BUT WARRIOR, IT'S LODGED INSIDE YOUR SKULL," AND I SAID, "SEW IT IN! LEAVE IT WHERE IT LAYS!"

... would have really fit into the Attitude era, that's all. And if you take away outbursts like this, then you take away everything that represents the Ultimate Warrior. 

I understand guys like the Undertaker transcended seamlessly, however, his character is pretty timeless whenever it exists. 

Dont get me wrong, there's nobody who would want Warrior to have evolved as much as me! Maybe he could have but we'll never know now.