On a recent episode of the Shut Up and Wrestle podcast, wrestling historian and author James Dixon shared a fascinating revelation about his new book, Titan Shrinking: How Wrestling’s Muscle Lost Its Power — revealing that Vince McMahon’s original plan for the main event of SummerSlam 1992 was for The Ultimate Warrior to turn heel.
According to Dixon, McMahon wanted Warrior to betray “Macho Man” Randy Savage and align with Mr. Perfect and Ric Flair, setting up a major post-SummerSlam storyline shift. However, the plan was rejected outright by Warrior, who refused to alter his babyface persona, fearing it would “destroy his character.”
“My understanding is that there was certainly talk and certainly thoughts in Vince’s mind that he could convince Warrior to turn,” Dixon explained. “It’s my understanding that Vince’s initial plan was for Warrior to turn and side with Perfect and Flair. That that was his original plan. But as soon as it was broached with Warrior, it was completely dismissed.”
The storyline leading into the Wembley Stadium event centered on which competitor — Savage or Warrior — would have Mr. Perfect in their corner. The eventual match ended in a count-out with no clear resolution, something Dixon attributes directly to Warrior’s refusal to turn heel.
Dixon went on to explain that McMahon’s motivation for the heel turn came from a decline in Warrior’s drawing power and fan reaction during live events.
“House show attendance wasn’t good with Warrior on top, really, really poor in some places,” Dixon noted. “B-shows headlined by Savage were outdrawing Warrior’s A-shows. Vince recognized the spark was gone and thought, ‘Let’s shake things up a bit — let’s have Warrior as a heel.’”
Because the heel turn never happened, the WWF Championship bout between Savage and Warrior was moved down the card, paving the way for the Intercontinental Championship match between Bret Hart and The British Bulldog to close the show. That decision ultimately produced one of the most iconic main events in WWE history, with Hart and Bulldog’s emotional Wembley classic still regarded as one of the greatest matches of all time.
The full story and other behind-the-scenes insights from the early ’90s WWF era can be found in Dixon’s book Titan Shrinking, and the full interview is available below.
