Everybody’s first time is awkward, Hunter

Scott–

What, if anything, is the story behind the Ultimate Warrior/Triple H match at WM12? On the ("decanonized?") Self Destruction DVD Hunter repeatedly denounces Warrior for being an unprofessional ass and ruining his first Wrestlemania Moment (TM.) Did Warrior go off-script, or demand an overhaul behind the scenes? Were we robbed of a twenty minute scientific-clinic-cum-emotional-roller-coaster-ride? Was Warrior supposed to sell the quick Pedigree like a shotgun blast and work some sort of half-concussed slow-burn comeback spot? As far as I can tell, the match followed a pretty standard "returning A-ish lister squashes C-lister" formula, and strikes me as little different from the contemporary practice of having a visiting legend cut some midcard heel’s balls off during a lull or tacking a Brock squash onto a Network special. Am I missing something?

​Not really. HHH has long been butt-hurt that he planned out a long match, as you note, where he got his shit in and Warrior would sell for him for a while and then make the big comeback and blah blah blah. Problem is, that would have been shit because Hunter in 1996 was not a miracle worker who could get that kind of match out of Warrior in 1996. His "unprofessional" stuff was because Warrior blew him off and told him what they were doing instead of listening to whatever Hunter’s brilliant plan was. I think a lot of it was just bashing Warrior for the sake of it after the fact, though. ​