The Ultimate Warrior

The Ultimate Warrior

Warrior in his last public appearance on April 7, 2014, the day before his death
Birth name James Brian Hellwig
Born (1959-06-16)June 16, 1959
Crawfordsville, Indiana, U.S.
Died April 8, 2014(2014-04-08) (aged 54)
Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.
Cause of death Myocardial infarction
Spouse(s)
  • Shari Tyree
  • (m. 1982–1991; divorced)
  • Dana Viale
  • (m. 1999–2014; his death)
Children 2
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Blade Runner Rock[1]
Dingo Warrior[1]
Jim Hellwig[1]
Jim Justice
The Ultimate Warrior
The Warrior[1]
Billed height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2]
Billed weight 280 lb (130 kg)[2]
Billed from Parts Unknown[1]
Queens, New York
One Warrior Nation
Trained by Bill Anderson
Rick Bassman
Red Bastien[1]
Debut November 23, 1985
Retired November 9, 1998

Warrior (born James Brian Hellwig; June 16, 1959 – April 8, 2014) was an American professional wrestler, who wrestled, among the others, under the ring name The Ultimate Warrior for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) from 1987 to 1991 and again in 1992 and 1996. During his 1998 stint in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), he was known as The Warrior.

While in the WWF, he became a two-time WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion and won the WWF World Heavyweight Championship once when he pinned Hulk Hogan in the main event at WrestleMania VI, making him the first wrestler to hold both titles concurrently.[3] Warrior retired from professional wrestling in 1998 and embarked on a public speaking career, but wrestled one final match in Spain in 2008.

Warrior died on April 8, 2014, at the age of 54 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Over the preceding three days he had been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, appeared at WrestleMania XXX, and made his final public appearance on Raw.

Early life

Warrior was born in 1959 as James Brian Hellwig,[4] in Crawfordsville, Indiana. He was the oldest of five children and was raised by his mother (along with, later, his stepfather) after his father left his family when he was 12. His father died at 57 and a grandfather had died at 52; Warrior himself would die at 54.[5] The family moved to Indiana, where he graduated from Veedersburg's Fountain Central High School and attended Indiana State University for a year.[6]

Bodybuilding career

Prior to his career in professional wrestling Hellwig was an amateur bodybuilder,[7] competing in a number of NPC contests and winning the 1984 NPC Mr. Georgia crown.[8] Hellwig started training with weights when he was 11 years old and has described himself as "the small, insecure kid who wasn't into any sports".[7] He moved to California where, after seeing bodybuilder Robby Robinson, he decided to take up the sport. His first contest took place in Florida where he placed 5th. Later, while he was attending Life University in Marietta, Georgia, he won the Junior Atlanta contest and placed 5th at the 1981 AAU Collegiate Mr. America. In 1983, he won the AAU Coastal USA, before taking the Mr. Georgia title the following year. His last bodybuilding contest was 1985's Junior USAs, which was won by future IFBB Pro, Ron Love. Hellwig finished 5th.[9]

In 1985, after spending six weeks in California training for a bodybuilding contest, he was invited to join a group of bodybuilders – Garland Donoho, Mark Miller, and Steve Borden – to form a professional wrestling team. Warrior accepted the invitation and abandoned his bodybuilding career as well as his plans to become a chiropractor.[10][11][12]

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1985–1986)

Main article: Blade Runners

Hellwig began his professional wrestling career as Jim "Justice" Hellwig of Powerteam USA, the group of bodybuilders trained by Red Bastien and Rick Bassman.[13]

Later, they wrestled as The Freedom Fighters (Hellwig was known as Justice and Borden was called Flash) in Memphis' Continental Wrestling Association under manager Dutch Mantel. Hellwig and Steve Borden (who would later have success as "Sting"), formed a tag team called The Blade Runners; Hellwig was "Blade Runner Rock" and Borden was "Blade Runner Flash". Debuting in the Memphis, Tennessee-based Continental Wrestling Association (CWA) promotion, run by Jerry Jarrett, the team played baby faces at first, but fans were actually slow to take to the hulking duo in a territory that had featured sympathetic "good guy tag teams" like the Rock 'n' Roll Express and The Fabulous Ones.

They were quickly turned heel as The Blade Runners. The Blade Runners went on to wrestle for the Mid-South Wrestling promotion, which became the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) in 1986. According to Joseph Laurinaitis (aka Road Warrior Animal), UWF owner Bill Watts created the Blade Runners and the intent was to make them a parody of The Road Warriors.[14] They were part of Eddie Gilbert's Hotstuff International group, before disbanding in 1986 when Hellwig left the UWF.[15]

World Class Championship Wrestling (1986–1987)

In 1986, Warrior debuted in the Dallas, Texas-based World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) promotion, where he wrestled for $50 a night. He has stated that he adopted the ring name "Dingo Warrior" after a member of the WCCW locker room remarked that he looked like "a warrior".[10] This stood in contrast with a claim made by Road Warrior Animal, who stated that the Dingo Warrior was a recreation of Warrior's Blade Runner gimmick and was an attempt to present himself as an offspring of The Road Warriors.[14]

Initially Warrior was still a heel in the territory, managed by Gary Hart, although he was cheered during a heel versus heel feud with WCWA World Heavyweight Champion Rick Rude after the two fell out during a tag match. After switching managers to Percival Pringle III, Warrior turned babyface permanently after a falling out with fellow Pringle proteges Buzz Sawyer and Matt Borne after a six-man tag match. Warrior formed a tag team with Lance Von Erich, and the duo began competing for the WCWA World Tag Team Championship. On November 17, 1986, Warrior and Von Erich defeated Master Gee (substituting for champion Buzz Sawyer) and Matt Borne to win the title. They held the Championship until December 1 of that year, when they lost to Al Madril and Brian Adias.[16]

In 1987, Warrior began competing for the WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship, losing to Bob Bradley in a tournament final on January 12. He won the title from Bradley on February 2 of that year. The title was held up in April 1987 after Warrior left the WCCW. He was reinstated as champion upon returning, but vacated it once more upon resigning from WCCW to join the World Wrestling Federation, where he adopted the ring name Ultimate Warrior.[17] Warrior began appearing on house shows in June and was initially billed as The Dingo Warrior in house card promos by Gene Okerlund, but soon had his name modified. There is dispute over who created the Ultimate Warrior name. Bruce Prichard stated that Vince McMahon did not know what a "Dingo" Warrior was, but because there was the "Modern Day Warrior" Kerry von Erich and The Road Warriors there should not be one more simple warrior, but the ultimate warrior.[18] Warrior claims after one of his first matches, McMahon had him do a pretaped promo. It was there Vince said we want you to do Warrior, but we don't want Dingo. The Warrior then proceeded to cut the promo and stated that he was not this warrior or that warrior, he was The Ultimate Warrior.[19]

Between 1987 and 1989, he appeared in several TV ads for Westway Ford, a car dealership in Irving, Texas. Warrior interacted in full wrestling costume with Westway's wacky character, "Mean Joe Greed."[20][21]

World Wrestling Federation

Early push (1987–1988)

Warrior was known for his high energy entrances

Hellwig joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in June 1987. First competing on house shows under his Dingo Warrior moniker, he defeated a series of jobbers, including Steve Lombardi,[22] Barry Horowitz[23] and Mike Sharpe.[24] He made his television debut as The Ultimate Warrior on the October 25, 1987, airing of Wrestling Challenge, where he defeated another jobber, Terry Gibbs.[25] The Ultimate Warrior became known for his high-energy ring entrances, which featured him racing into the arena at full speed, bursting into the ring, and violently shaking the ropes up and down. He was also known for his distinctive pattern of face paint. After several months of defeating jobbers, he was pinned for the first time in the WWF by fellow WWF rookie/future rival Rick Rude on December 28, 1987.[26] In early 1988, Warrior entered into his first real WWF feud with fellow strongman Hercules Hernandez. The two faced off on the February 7, 1988 airing of Wrestling Challenge, where Hercules was disqualified for using his steel chain.[27] Warrior then grabbed a hold of the chain and in the midst of a tug of war over it snapped.[27] This led to a match at WrestleMania IV, where Warrior was victorious in his pay-per-view debut.[26] Warrior lost twice by pinfall shortly thereafter: cleanly to André the Giant in April in Italy,[28] and to Dino Bravo, who put his feet on the ropes for leverage, in Montreal in June.[29] In the summer of 1988, he wrestled Bobby Heenan in a series of weasel suit matches, in which Warrior won by sleeper hold.

Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion (1988–1990)

Less than a year after his WWF television debut, Warrior, a surprise substitute for the injured Brutus Beefcake, won the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, defeating The Honky Tonk Man in a 27-second squash match at the inaugural SummerSlam on August 29, 1988.[26] As champion, he captained a team at Survivor Series '88, where he was the sole survivor, pinning Outlaw Ron Bass and Greg Valentine in succession to win the match for his team.[26]

As 1989 began, Warrior entered a feud with Rick Rude over the Intercontinental title. The feud was sparked at the 1989 Royal Rumble, where the two met in a "super posedown". After Warrior drew the support of the live crowd in their judging of the contest, Rude attacked Warrior and choked him with a steel bar. This led to a championship match at WrestleMania V, where Rude pinned Warrior to win the title with the help of his manager Bobby Heenan, who held down Warrior's foot from outside the ring as he was being pinned.[30] At SummerSlam, Warrior defeated Rude to regain the title and become a two-time Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion.[30] Warrior then began a feud with André the Giant, leading to a number of house shows in which Warrior defeated Andre in short squash matches, establishing Warrior as a main event level talent. The feud culminated at Survivor Series where the two captained opposing teams. Warrior eliminated André by knocking him out of the ring, where he was counted out. Warrior was again the sole survivor, pinning Arn Anderson and Bobby Heenan to win the match.[30]

WWF World Heavyweight Champion (1990–1991)

Hulk Hogan (left) endorsing The Ultimate Warrior after Warrior defeated him to win the WWF World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania VI

The Warrior received a push as WWF's main event successor to Hulk Hogan, who had remained wrestling's biggest star throughout the 1980s. Following a few confrontations with Hogan, most notably at the 1990 Royal Rumble, the Warrior was written in as Hogan's opponent in the main event for WrestleMania VI at the SkyDome in Toronto. The match was billed as "The Ultimate Challenge", as both Hogan's WWF World Heavyweight Championship and Warrior's Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship were on the line. Warrior pinned Hogan after a Warrior Splash to become the only wrestler to hold both championships simultaneously.[31] Warrior vacated the Intercontinental Championship, as WWF rules prohibited a wrestler from holding both titles.[32]

After WrestleMania, Warrior successfully defended the championship against Haku, Mr. Perfect and Ted DiBiase. At SummerSlam, he retained the title over Rick Rude in a steel cage match.[31] "Macho Man" Randy Savage was also introduced as a potential rival after interfering in a The Main Event title match at the behest of DiBiase.

Warrior was inserted into the feud between The Legion of Doom and Demolition, leading to victories for the Warrior and LOD in six-man tag team matches in house shows as well as the October 13, 1990 airing of Saturday Night's Main Event. The feud culminated at Survivor Series, where The Warriors (Ultimate Warrior, LOD and Kerry Von Erich) defeated The Perfect Team (Mr. Perfect and Demolition). For the third consecutive year, Warrior was the sole survivor for his team. He later survived the "Grand Finale Match of Survival" with Hulk Hogan.[31]

Warrior wrestling Randy Savage, who he retired at WrestleMania VII

In January 1991, Warrior faced Sgt. Slaughter at the Royal Rumble. Slaughter's gimmick at the time was a traitor who had betrayed America by aligning himself with an Iraqi (kayfabe) military general, General Adnan. In the context of the Gulf War, this made Slaughter one of the most hated heels at the time. After rejecting an earlier request to grant a title shot to Savage, Sensational Sherri interjected herself in the Warrior's championship match to distract him. Her interference eventually led to a Savage sneak attack, where he struck Warrior over the head with a metal scepter and allowed Slaughter to pin Warrior to win the title.[15] Warrior went on to feud with Savage, and the rivalry culminated in a "Career Ending" match at WrestleMania VII which Warrior won, forcing Savage to retire.[33]

Various feuds (1991)

The next chapter of Warrior's career was an encounter with The Undertaker, after Undertaker and his manager, Paul Bearer, locked Warrior in a coffin on the set of Bearer's Funeral Parlor. WWF officials worked feverishly to break the casket open, finally revealing Warrior's seemingly lifeless body, and the torn fabric inside of the coffin indicating Warrior's desperate struggle to get out. Warrior was finally revived by the officials performing CPR. This led to Jake "The Snake" Roberts offering to give Warrior "the knowledge of the dark side" in order to prepare Warrior to take his revenge on the Undertaker. This involved Roberts giving Warrior three "tests" shown on WWF TV in consecutive weeks. For the first test, Roberts locked Warrior inside of a coffin for a second time.[34]

For the second test, Warrior was "buried alive" by Roberts.[34] For the third test, the Warrior entered a room full of snakes,[34] to find "the answer" in a chest in the middle of the room. Waiting inside the chest was a Spitting Cobra, which bit Warrior in the face. As Warrior weakened from the effects of the cobra's strike, Roberts made a heel turn and was joined by the Undertaker and Paul Bearer, revealing the three were working together all along. Roberts then uttered, "Never trust a snake."[34] The stage was now set for a feud between the Warrior and Roberts. The feud never took place, as Warrior was involved in an alleged pay dispute with WWF owner Vince McMahon over the SummerSlam main event, where Warrior was teamed with Hulk Hogan in a handicap match against Sgt. Slaughter, Colonel Mustafa, and General Adnan.[35]

Departure

On July 10, 1991, Warrior sent a letter to Vince McMahon requesting inclusions in his new WWF contract. He wanted $550,000 for performing at WrestleMania VII, a guaranteed number of working days, travel accommodations and a higher percentage of merchandise sales. He remarked that $550,000 "was not fair", and that "[Warrior] meant as much or more to the show than Hulk [Hogan]". He ended his letter with "Whatever your decision, I can and will live with it. Till then I remain home with one who cares".[36][37]

The WWF responded on July 13, agreeing to $550,000 for WrestleMania VII, a higher royalty rate and promising no other WWF performer would be paid more than him on WWF pay per views. Vince McMahon personally ended the letter by saying, "I would like to express my deepest appreciation and admiration for you as a performer, as a member of the WWF family, as a man, and as my friend".[38][39]

Following WWF's annual SummerSlam event, Warrior was handed a letter dated August 26, 1991, from Vince McMahon, saying Warrior was suspended effective immediately. Among other things, McMahon said, "You threatened to stay at home thereby not even appearing at Titan's major summer pay-per-view event SummerSlam. I had no choice but to accede to your exorbitant demands. This was a serious mistake on your part". McMahon later testified that the only reason the company agreed to the contract was to "acquiesce to his demands temporarily" to ensure Warrior would perform at the SummerSlam event.[40][41]

Upon receiving the letter, Warrior refused the suspension and left the WWF. Warrior formally sent a letter of resignation to the WWF in October 1991. The WWF refused to accept the letter since Warrior was under contract until September 1992.[42]

Return to the WWF (1992)

With Hulk Hogan about to leave WWF between mid-1992 and early-1993, McMahon contacted Warrior about returning. He made his comeback at WrestleMania VIII (to rescue Hulk Hogan from a beat down at the hands of Sid Justice and Papa Shango). Upon his return, he received a degree of creative control over his bookings. One storyline involved Papa Shango, a "witch doctor", casting a spell over Warrior, causing him to convulse and vomit in very odd colors, though Warrior says he hated that story and had no control over it.[15] The Warrior was booked for a WWF World Heavyweight Championship match against then-champion, "Macho Man" Randy Savage at SummerSlam in August 1992. The Warrior won the match by countout, but not the title. In November 1992, Warrior was scheduled to team with Savage (as The Ultimate Maniacs) to face Ric Flair and Razor Ramon at Survivor Series. Weeks before the event, Warrior was released for disputed reasons and replaced by Mr. Perfect.[43]

The initial plan for Warrior's 1992 return was to eventually give him another run with the WWF World Heavyweight Championship.[44] However, his return coincided with the government's crackdown on steroids in wrestling. Warrior was admittedly a heavy user of steroids during his professional wrestling career.[5] In his book Sex, Lies and Headlocks, ESPN writer Shaun Assael stated that Canadian chemist Mauro Di Pasquale, who had been hired in June to monitor the WWF's new drug testing program and was known for being tough towards anyone who failed a drug test,[45] nailed Warrior for steroid use in September and was able to successfully persuade McMahon, who was under federal scrutiny at the time for allegations of illegally supplying steroids to some of his wrestlers, to release Warrior from the company.[45] However, in the Warrior: The Ultimate Legend documentary Vince McMahon claims that it was Warrior's experimenting with growth hormone which led to his departure; Warrior was suspended and in return would skip dates as he took offense to McMahon's actions.[44] Warrior left the company on November 21, 1992.

Semi-retirement (1992–1996)

Between November 1992 and July 1995, Warrior was semi-retired. During his time away from the WWF, Warrior opened the short-lived "Warrior University", a professional wrestling school based in Scottsdale, Arizona.[46]

In December 1992, he wrestled as the Dingo Warrior against Hercules Hernandez in Billerica, Massachusetts, for Killer Kowalski's International Wrestling Federation.

In April 1993, he toured Europe for World Wrestlings Superstars and that same year he also played the role of "the swordsman" in the action movie Firepower.[47]

In July 1995, he returned to the ring for the National Wrestling Conference (NWC) promotion in Las Vegas, defeating The Honky Tonk Man. He had also wrestled a tour of Europe for Otto Wanz's Catch Wrestling Association (CWA) promotion.[46]

On February 10, 1996, he defeated Jimmy Garvin in an independent show in Princeton, West Virginia.

Second return to the WWF (1996)

Warrior returned to the WWF on March 31, 1996, defeating Hunter Hearst Helmsley at WrestleMania XII.[1] He made his first appearance on Monday Night Raw on April 8, where he gave an in-ring interview and credited the "voices" of the "warriors" (his name for members of the WWF audience) for his return; he was then interrupted by Goldust.[48] Warrior challenged for Goldust's Intercontinental Championship at In Your House 7; Warrior won the match by countout, but did not win the title.[1] The following night on Monday Night Raw, Warrior defeated Isaac Yankem, DDS.[1] A rematch with Intercontinental Champion Goldust, on the May 27 episode of the show, ended in a double countout, thus eliminating both men from the tournament and eventually giving Vader a bye into the semi-finals.[1] Warrior defeated Jerry Lawler at King of the Ring,[1] and defeated Owen Hart by disqualification on the July 8 episode of Monday Night Raw.[1]

Warrior was scheduled to team with Shawn Michaels and Ahmed Johnson to face Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, and Vader at In Your House 9 later that month, but the WWF terminated Warrior's contract when he missed several house shows and taking time off allegedly to grieve the death of his father. WWF owner Vince McMahon claimed that Warrior had not seen his father in ten years and did not care much for him; therefore, he did not take Warrior's excuse for missing house shows at face value. Warrior disputes McMahon's explanation, claiming that the real reason why he no showed those events was a breach of contract by McMahon, in which WWF sold Warrior's merchandise without giving him a percentage. He was replaced by Sycho Sid at In Your House 9.[48]

World Championship Wrestling and retirement (1998)

WCW signed Warrior in 1998. He formed a stable opposing Hollywood Hulk Hogan's New World Order (nWo): the "One Warrior Nation". The acronym oWn (One Warrior Nation) was a play on the name nWo. Highlights of the storyline included Warrior kidnapping and "converting" The Disciple and frequent instances of "magic smoke" knocking out all of the nWo members except for Hollywood Hogan and covering Warrior's movement through a trapdoor in the ring. The trapdoor was responsible for nearly paralyzing Davey Boy Smith, when he awkwardly fell on it during a match at Fall Brawl 98.[49]

Warrior only participated in three matches in WCW. The first was the WarGames match at Fall Brawl, where he competed as a member of Team WCW, competing against 8 other wrestlers for a shot at Goldberg's WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Halloween Havoc. Diamond Dallas Page won the match by pinning Stevie Ray. On Monday Nitro, he teamed with Sting to defeat Hogan and Bret Hart by disqualification, a match in which he had little participation; he was tagged in for a short exchange with Hart, then singlehandedly chased several nWo members down the entry way, whipping them with Hogan's belt. The third was his loss to Hogan at Halloween Havoc, in what is considered by Eric Bischoff to be one of the worst main event pay-per-view wrestling matches ever.[50] In the Halloween Havoc match, the timing of the maneuvers and hits was poor; an arm injury that Warrior received at WarGames further slowed the action. An attempt to "blind" Warrior with a fireball backfired when Hogan faced complications igniting a piece of flash paper, causing the fire to go up in Hogan's face instead. The match came to an end when Horace Hogan hit Warrior in the back with a chair while Eric Bischoff had referee Nick Patrick distracted. Hogan then scored the pinfall.[51]

WCW claimed that attempts were made to save the storyline though Warrior has claimed in interviews and convention appearances that the only reason he was brought back was so Hogan could get a win over Warrior in return for Hogan's WrestleMania job. Warrior's last appearance in WCW was on the November 9, 1998 episode of Monday Nitro, when he came to the rescue of The Disciple who was being attacked by members of The nWo. Warrior retired from wrestling that year.[52]

Nu-Wrestling Evolution (2008)

After retiring in 1999, Warrior only wrestled one match after that in 2008, against Orlando Jordan in Barcelona, Spain.[53] Warrior won the match and thus the Nu-Wrestling Evolution World Heavyweight Championship, but then immediately vacated the title.[54][55]

Third return to WWE (2013–2014)

Warrior makes a speech during his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, April 5, 2014

On February 20, 2013, Warrior confirmed on his official YouTube channel that he would be making an appearance at WrestleCon at WrestleMania 29 on April 7, 2013. In the same clip he spoke positively about Vince McMahon for the first time on his channel. His appearance was so popular that a second print run of tickets had to be ordered.[56]

On July 15, 2013, Warrior was featured in a WWE 2K14 game trailer and revealed he was in the roster as a pre-order bonus.[57]

On April 5, 2014, The Ultimate Warrior was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2014.[58] The next day, Warrior appeared at WrestleMania XXX, and the following night delivered a promo on Raw, his first appearance on the show since his final WWF TV match in 1996.[59][60] During what turned out to be his final public appearance, Warrior gave a speech to the fans and wrestlers past and present as his Ultimate Warrior character.[61]

Personal life

Warrior married Shari Lynn Tyree on October 2, 1982. They remained together for the majority of Warrior's WWF career before divorcing on March 22, 1991, two days before WrestleMania VII.[62] Warrior married for the second time to Dana Viale on January 31, 1999. They had two daughters, Indiana (2000) and Mattigan (December 16, 2002).[6]

Death rumors

Warrior returned to the WWF at WrestleMania VIII after nearly eight months on hiatus after SummerSlam 1991. Due to the drastic change in his appearance (shorter, blonder hair and a smaller physique), rumors began circulating that a new wrestler was playing the role. At the time it was rumored to be then-WWF contractor Kerry Von Erich. Some said Warrior died from liver failure due to years of steroid abuse or that his signature arm tassels cut off his blood circulation.[63] WWE claims that the theory that a different man returned to play The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VIII remains "[p]erhaps the longest standing urban legend in WWE history".[64] WWE announcer Tom Phillips claims that the rumors likely originated from Gene Okerlund's WCW Hotline as well as the WCW debut of Warrior doppelgänger The Renegade.[65]

Trademark and libel litigation

In 1993, Hellwig legally changed his name to the mononym Warrior.[66][67] This one-word name appears on all legal documents pertaining to Warrior, and his children carry the Warrior name as their legal surname.[68]

Warrior and the WWF engaged in a series of lawsuits and legal actions in 1996 and 1998,[69] where both parties sought a declaration that they owned the characters, Warrior and Ultimate Warrior, under both contract and copyright law. The court ruled that Warrior was legally entitled to use the gimmick, costuming, face paint designs, and mannerisms of the "Warrior" character.[3][70]

On September 27, 2005, WWE released a DVD documentary focusing on Warrior's retrospective wrestling career, titled The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior. The DVD featured clips of his more notable feuds and matches along with commentary from WWE stars past and present (most of which are unflattering), with Triple H (by this point one of WWE's top main eventers and the husband of Vince McMahon's daughter Stephanie McMahon) adding that his WrestleMania debut loss against Warrior at WrestleMania XII left him with mixed emotions, saying that Warrior "ruined the experience" for him and was "one of the most unprofessional guys" he's ever performed with.[71] The DVD has provoked some controversy due to Warrior's own allegations of libel by WWE against him. Originally, Warrior was asked to help with the production of the DVD, but as he refused to work with WWE (citing he did not want to be associated with their promotion), there had been some resulting animosity between Warrior and WWE over the Warrior claiming bias on the part of WWE.[72] In January 2006, Warrior filed another lawsuit against WWE in an Arizona court over the depiction of his wrestling career in The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior DVD.[73] On September 18, 2009, Warrior's lawsuit in Arizona was dismissed.[74]

Motivational speaking

Warrior formally retired from wrestling in 1999 and had a short-lived career as a conservative speaker and commentator, partnering with conservative spokesman Daniel Pinheiro, denouncing left-wing politics. In one instance, he mentioned that "queering doesn't make the world work" during a speech at the University of Connecticut.[75] Warrior explained those comments on his website as meaning that the human race would die out if everyone were a homosexual.[3][76]

Writing

In 1996, Warrior published a comic book titled Warrior, featuring himself as the main character.[77] The series was co-written with Jim Callahan and illustrated by the Sharp Brothers.

Warrior maintained a blog on his personal website titled "Warrior's Machete", where he discussed his personal life, his personal views on politics, sexuality, patriotism, and his legacy as a wrestler, amongst other topics. There were numerous instances where Warrior used his blog to address his viewpoint on members of his wrestling past (Vince McMahon, Road Warrior Animal, The British Bulldog, Owen Hart, Hulk Hogan, Lex Luger);[78] historical (Martin Luther King, George Washington) or religious figures (Jesus).[79] Warrior depicted celebrities who were newsworthy at the time of his blog (Heath Ledger and Paris Hilton). Warrior occasionally referenced his respect for the Founding Fathers of the United States, and also enjoyed books like Homer's Odyssey and James Allen's As a Man Thinketh.[80][81] In 2012 he started selling "Weapons of Wisdom", inspirational 6×9 pieces of watercolor paper with drawings, quotes and doodles on them by the Warrior himself.[82] He also used the blog to post replies to letters from fans.[83]

Death

The Ultimate Warrior in his last appearance on Raw, in a mask depicting his trademark face paint

Warrior died on April 8, 2014 in Scottsdale, Arizona. He had been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 5, appeared at WrestleMania XXX on April 6, and made his first Raw appearance in almost 18 years on April 7, the day before his death.[84] According to reports, Warrior clutched his chest and collapsed at 5:50 p.m. while walking to his car with his wife outside of their hotel in Arizona. He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead at age 54.[85] Warrior's colleagues said Warrior appeared frail during WrestleMania weekend, and said that he was sweating profusely and breathing heavily backstage.[86]

An autopsy revealed Warrior died of a heart attack caused by atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.[87][88][89]

Legacy

Warrior's last public appearance took place on Raw

Although Warrior's relationship with WWE was strained at times,[90] more recently WWE has recognized him as one of the legends of the company.[2] WWE described him as being "As devastating and intense as any Superstar who stepped through the ropes...", further saying that "The Ultimate Warrior may be the most enigmatic man to ever hold the WWE Championship."[91] In 2011, WWE called him "one of the most recognizable" wrestlers in WWE history, praising his ability to draw power from "the WWE Universe", and further spoke of his impact as having "brought Hulkamania to its knees" at WrestleMania VI, "retired the Madness at WrestleMania VII and press slammed a slew of the greatest legends of his era".[92] In WWE All Stars, in which Ultimate Warrior appears as one of the Legends, WWE stated that he was the "ultimate archetype of strength and intensity", and further stated that "without question, the Ultimate Warrior has etched his name in the pantheon of WWE greats".[93]

Warrior appeared in the Mattel Legends figures line in both Series 4 and Series 6. He was also chosen as one of six legends to be included in the Defining Moments series of action figures. Most recently he was one of a number of figures in the WWE Superstars line of Mattel action figures in an assortment called "World Champions". Warrior further appears as a playable legend in WWE All Stars and WWE Legends of WrestleMania. The Ultimate Warrior was featured in WWE 2K14, WWE 2K15, WWE 2K16, and it was announced June 14, 2016 he will appear in WWE 2K17.[94] In 2005, WWE released The Self-Destruction of The Ultimate Warrior DVD, which portrayed Warrior in a negative light. Warrior claimed that if WWE wanted to induct him into the WWE Hall of Fame they would have "to tell the right story" opposite of the one depicted in the 2005 DVD.[95] WWE released Ultimate Warrior: The Ultimate Collection, a 3-DVD, 540 minute-compilation of matches and stories, which portrayed Warrior far more positively, on April 1, 2014.[96] Warrior was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 5, 2014, the night before WrestleMania XXX.[58]'

Dana Warrior presents the inaugural Warrior Award in front of an Ultimate Warrior statue at the 2015 Hall of Fame ceremony

Warrior had been largely alienated from his peers in professional wrestling in the decade before his death, and was sometimes described as a bitter man on bad terms with various wrestling figures such as Vince McMahon, Hulk Hogan and Jake Roberts. With Warrior's reconciling with the professional wrestling industry just before his death, some of his former adversaries offered their condolences. McMahon stated that "We are all so sad that the Ultimate Warrior has passed away. Our heart is with his wife Dana and his two daughters." Hogan said, "RIP WARRIOR. only love ... We talked, both forgave each other, we hugged, we shook hands as we told each other I love you, I am so sad, God bless his beautiful family". Roberts said that he was "Deeply saddened. We just had a great talk & buried a senseless hatchet. Talked working together. RIP Warrior. Taking solace we made peace." News of his death spread the next day on sites such as Bing, Facebook, and Twitter. It was also mentioned on ABC News, HLN and CNN.[97][98][99] Reportedly almost immediately after Warrior's death, WWE sent two senior officials to Arizona to assist his widow in handling personal things such as grocery shopping so that she can focus on being with her and Warrior's daughters.[100]

WWE paid tribute to Warrior on the April 14 episode of Raw with a ten bell salute and a video.[101] The WWE Network aired a lineup dubbed "Warrior Week" in Warrior's memory. The lineup included a four-part special.[102] A wrestling themed episode of The Goldbergs, which aired on May 6, was dedicated in Warrior's memory.[103] The 2015 film The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown!, which stars The Flintstones and WWE Superstars and Divas, was dedicated to Warrior's memory.

At the UFC Fight Night 40 weigh-ins, fighter Lorenz Larkin wore an Ultimate Warrior mask, tassels and wristbands as a tribute.[104]

Warrior was awarded a posthumous Slammy Award for Return of the Year in December 2014. A WWE-sponsored biography, entitled Ultimate Warrior: A Life Lived Forever: The Legend of a WWE Hero, is scheduled for release in September 2015.[105]

WWE also followed through with his request of adding a category into the WWE Hall of Fame by establishing the Warrior Award in his honor which will be given annually to honor WWE employees behind the scenes. The first recipient of the Warrior Award was a young fan named Connor Michalek. In April 2016, Joan Lunden was honored as the recipient of the 2016 Warrior Award.

In wrestling

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "Ultimate Warrior's OWoW Profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 "Ultimate Warrior". WWE.com. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 The Lilsboys (June 21, 2004). "The Ultimate interview". The Sun. Retrieved May 17, 2008.
  4. ↑ Warriors Texas Divorce Certificate
  5. 1 2 Caldwell, James. "Breaking WWE news: Ultimate Warrior cause of death". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  6. 1 2 Steele, Ray (April 9, 2014). "Ultimate Warrior, Pro Wrestling Legend, Indiana Native, Dies at 54". WIBC (FM). Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  7. 1 2 "NPC News On-Line". Archived from the original on June 9, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
  8. ↑ Doc's Sports – Georgia Bodybuilding Contest Information and More. Georgia Bodybuilding. Retrieved on January 5, 2012.
  9. ↑ "NPC Junior USA Championships results 1985". musculardevelopment.com. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  10. 1 2 Robinson, Jon (February 14, 2004). "Ultimate Warrior Interview". IGN. Retrieved May 17, 2008.
  11. ↑ "Power Team USA". October 3, 2012.
  12. ↑ Oliver GREG OLIVER, Greg (December 10, 2007). "Friends remember Dave Sheldon's life".
  13. ↑ Alexander, Kyle (1999). The Story of the Wrestler They Call "Sting". Chelsea House Publishers. ISBN 0791055515.
  14. 1 2 Joe "Animal" Laurinaitis; Andrew Wright (2012). The Road Warriors: Danger, Death, and the Rush of Wrestling. Medallion Press. p. 261. ISBN 978-1605425788. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  15. 1 2 3 Flynn, Daniel (June 28, 2004). "Interview with the Ultimate Warrior – Part 2 of 4". FlynnFiles.com. Retrieved May 18, 2008.
  16. 1 2 Duncan, R. & Will, G. (1998). "WCCW World Tag Team Title History". Solie.org. Retrieved May 17, 2008.
  17. 1 2 Duncan, R. & Will, G. (1998). "WCCW Texas Heavyweight Title History". Solie.org. Retrieved May 17, 2008.
  18. ↑ Prichard, Bruce (2005). The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior. WWE Home Video.
  19. ↑ Warrior (2005). Ringside Collectibles Shoot Interview with the Ultimate Warrior. Ringside Collectibles.
  20. ↑ Warrior, Mean Joe Greed (1989). 1989 Westway Ford Commercial with Dingo (Ultimate) Warrior. "ntnwebpro". Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  21. ↑ Warrior, Mean Joe Greed (1988). 1988 Westway Ford Commercial with Dingo (Ultimate) Warrior. "ntnwebpro". Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  22. ↑ Cawthon, Graham (2013). The History of Professional Wrestling: The Results WWF 1963–1989. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 642. ISBN 978-1-4928-2597-5.
  23. ↑ Cawthon, Graham (2013). The History of Professional Wrestling: The Results WWF 1963–1989. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 652. ISBN 978-1-4928-2597-5.
  24. ↑ Cawthon, Graham (2013). The History of Professional Wrestling: The Results WWF 1963–1989. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 655. ISBN 978-1-4928-2597-5.
  25. ↑ The History of WWE. "1987 WWF results". Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  26. 1 2 3 4 The History of WWE. "1988 WWF results". Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  27. 1 2 Cawthon, Graham (2013). The History of Professional Wrestling: The Results WWF 1963–1989. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 688. ISBN 978-1-4928-2597-5.
  28. ↑ Cawthon, Graham (2013). The History of Professional Wrestling: The Results WWF 1963–1989. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 701. ISBN 978-1-4928-2597-5.
  29. ↑ Cawthon, Graham (2013). The History of Professional Wrestling: The Results WWF 1963–1989. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 712. ISBN 978-1-4928-2597-5.
  30. 1 2 3 The History of WWE. "1989 WWF results". Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  31. 1 2 3 The History of WWE. "1990 WWF results". Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  32. ↑ Keith, Scott (2008). Dungeon of Death. Citadel. p. 146. ISBN 0806530685.
  33. ↑ Shields, Brian (2006). Main Event: WWE in the Raging 80s. World Wrestling Entertainment. p. 137. ISBN 1416532579.
  34. 1 2 3 4 Sammond, Nicholas (2005). Steel Chair to the Head. Duke University Press. pp. 47–48. ISBN 978-0-8223-3438-5.
  35. ↑ Shoemaker, David (2013). The Squared Circle: Life, Death, and Professional Wrestling. Gotham. ISBN 1592407676.
  36. ↑ Ultimate Creations Inc. vs. WWE Inc. Document 178 P. Jan 2–3, 2006. Case 2:06-cv-00535-ROS. PACER.GOV. WEB.
  37. ↑ "vinceletter.pdf – Google Drive". Drive.google.com. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  38. ↑ Ultimate Creations Inc. vs. WWE Inc. Document 178 P.January 3, 2006. Case 2:06-cv-00535-ROS. PACER.GOV. WEB.
  39. ↑ Ultimate Creations Inc. vs. WWE Inc. Document 185 P.January 2, 2006. Case 2:06-cv-00535-ROS. PACER.GOV. WEB.
  40. ↑ Ultimate Creations Inc. vs. WWE Inc. Document 178 P.January 4, 2006. Case 2:06-cv-00535-ROS. PACER.GOV. WEB.
  41. ↑ Ultimate Creations Inc. vs. WWE Inc. Document 185-2 P.January 27, 2006. Case 2:06-cv-00535-ROS. PACER.GOV. WEB.
  42. ↑ Ultimate Creations Inc. vs. WWE Inc. Document 185 P.January 10, 2006. Case 2:06-cv-00535-ROS. PACER.GOV. WEB.
  43. ↑ Mr. Tito (November 25, 2012). "On This Day in Pro Wrestling History... 20 Years Ago, the Ultimate Warrior missed Survivor Series 1992". Lords of Pain. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  44. 1 2 Trionfo, Richard (April 17, 2014). "Ultimate Warrior: Legend of The Ultimate Warrior Special Summary". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  45. 1 2 Shaun Assael; Mike Mooneyham (February 24, 2004). Sex, Lies, and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment. Crown Publishing. p. 117. ISBN 978-1-4000-5143-4. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  46. 1 2 Burgan, Derek (June 28, 2005). "DVD Review: Burgan reviews Shoot Interview with the Ultimate Warrior – WWE, WCW, Von Erichs, Sting". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  47. ↑ Firepower at the Internet Movie Database
  48. 1 2 "THE MANY COMEBACKS OF THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR, PART 2: WARRIOR RETURNS TO THE WWF FOR THE FINAL TIME IN 1996, SQUASHES A MCMAHON AT WRESTLEMANIA, AND HAS A CIGAR PARTY WITH GOLDUST AND MARLENA". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  49. ↑ Reynolds, R.D. (2003). Wrestlecrap: The Very Worst of Pro Wrestling. ECW Press. pp. 77–78. ISBN 978-1-55022-584-6.
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  51. ↑ "Oct. 25 in history: Hogan vs. Warrior on WCW PPV 15 years ago today, plus Goldberg vs. DDP main event". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  52. ↑ "The Ultimate Warrior dies at 54: Pro wrestling mourns loss of one of its greats". Fox News. Retrieved April 9, 2014. "Warrior retired from the ring in 1998 after briefly working for WWE's rival, World Championship Wrestling"
  53. ↑ Varsallone, Jim (April 9, 2014). "WWE announces death of WWE Hall of Famer Ultimate Warrior". Bradenton Herald. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  54. ↑ "Warrior returns and wins title". The Sun (UK). Retrieved April 9, 2014.
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  57. ↑ "The Ultimate Warrior is back in "WWE 2K14"!". WWE.com. July 15, 2013. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  58. 1 2 3 Ultimate Warrior to be inducted into WWE Hall of Fame's Class of 2014
  59. ↑ 1996 RAW results, from TheHistoryOfWWE.com
  60. ↑ Caldwell, James. "Raw news: Bryan's first night as champ, Taker update, Cesaro joins Heyman, Warrior returns, RVD returns, Paige debuts & wins Divas Title, other NXT intros, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  61. ↑ Hooton, Christopher (April 9, 2014). "Ultimate Warrior dead days after WrestleMania 30 and Raw appearances". The Independent. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  62. ↑ Texas Divorces. Archived May 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
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  64. ↑ Powers, Kevin. "The truth behind 8 WWE urban legends". WWE.
  65. ↑ "5 WWE Myths Busted – 5 Things". WWE.
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  67. ↑ The Death of Wcw – R. D. Reynolds – Google Books. Books.google.ca. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
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  69. ↑ WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENTINC – WWE Quarterly Report (10-Q) NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited). Sec.edgar-online.com (December 13, 1999). Retrieved on January 5, 2012.
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  71. ↑ The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior DVD
  72. ↑ Sokol, Chris (July 5, 2005). "Warrior speaks his mind in new shoot". Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved May 18, 2008.
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  77. ↑ "An illustrated history of wrestling comic books". WWE. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  78. ↑ Warrior's Machete: Myspace?. Ultimatewarrior.com (December 14, 2006). Retrieved on January 5, 2012.
  79. ↑ Warrior's Machete: Sluts or a Saint?. Ultimatewarrior.com (February 21, 2007). Retrieved on January 5, 2012.
  80. ↑ Warrior's Machete: Dead long before 28. Ultimatewarrior.com. (January 23, 2008). Retrieved on January 5, 2012.
  81. ↑ Warrior's Machete: Before the House of Hilton Bred Whores…. Ultimatewarrior.com. (June 13, 2007). Retrieved on January 5, 2012.
  82. ↑ "Weapons of Wisdom : Warrior's Machete". Ultimatewarrior.com. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
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  90. ↑ WWE.com – Ultimate Warrior talks about his legendary career: WWE.com Exclusive
  91. ↑ Profile description on WWE. com
  92. ↑ Tello, Craig (July 27, 2011). "Clash of the Toy-tans II: John Cena vs. The Ultimate Warrior". WWE.com. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  93. ↑ Commentary in the Fantasy Warfare package in WWE All Stars
  94. ↑ http://www.gamezone.com/news/e3-2016-sasha-banks-to-be-part-of-wwe-2k17-roster-3440530
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  115. ↑ "The Ultimate Warrior's second Intercontinental Championship reign".
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  117. ↑
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