Bryan Storkel, director of Hulk Hogan: Real American, has addressed the criticism surrounding the documentary’s portrayal of The Ultimate Warrior.
During a recent interview with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard, Storkel reflected on the largely negative comments about Jim Hellwig (The Ultimate Warrior) included in the Netflix-produced documentary.
“Hindsight, right? I guess it’s easy to say that now. I don’t think so, though. It kind of was the consensus from everybody I talked to, but I think there are definitely people who have other opinions.”
He explained that most of the perspectives he gathered during production leaned negative, though he made an effort to include at least one differing viewpoint.
“It was important for me to put Cody [Rhodes] in there and say I was an Ultimate Warrior fan. I needed at least someone saying that because most of the interviews were very negative. You have Jake the Snake saying the Ultimate Warrior was sh*t, and basically everyone I interviewed was really negative about him.”
Director explains timeline changes made for storytelling in Hulk Hogan: Real American
Storkel also noted that the documentary condensed timelines for storytelling purposes.
“I think there’s also another step or two in there. It’s not like it just went to Warrior and then came back to Hogan again. I was condensing things for time.”
He added that his understanding of Warrior came directly from the people he interviewed, many of whom felt he was not ready for top-tier status at the time.
“But I learned what I knew about Ultimate Warrior from the interviews I did. The consensus was that he was not ready, and that most of the wrestlers were not making as much money once he took over and had the reins. They wanted Hogan back.”
Storkel concluded by acknowledging there is likely more nuance to the story than what was shown in the film.
“I know there’s more to it than that, though, and you probably know a lot more about it than me.”
Hulk Hogan: Real American is currently streaming on Netflix.
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