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WWE Legend’s Tragic Death The Greatest Warrior
Despite being one of the most divisive individuals in professional wrestling history, The Ultimate Warrior is without a doubt one of the most popular wrestlers of all time.
He had the same draw power as the great Hulk Hogan in WWE at one point, which set the two on a collision course that ended in a champion vs. champion contest at WrestleMania VI.
However, he became exceedingly difficult to deal with, and Vince McMahon repeatedly suspended and/or fired him.
The Ultimate Warrior eventually returned to WCW, where he faced off against Hogan in one of the worst matches in history.
After nearly two decades away from WWE, The Ultimate Warrior was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and reconnected with the company that made him a household brand before unfortunately passing suddenly just a few days later.
This is the account of The Ultimate Warrior’s demise.
When The Ultimate Warrior first appeared in WWE in 1987, he soon became one of the company’s top performers
The Ultimate Warrior (born James Hellwig) began his pro wrestling career in 1985, after a successful bodybuilding career, training alongside fellow future WWE Hall of Famer Sting.
According to Pro Wrestling Stories, the two competed as a tag team in numerous promotions until splitting up the following year.
After a year with WCCW he joined with WWE in 1987 and became an instant superstar.
The Ultimate Warrior made his WWE debut in June 1987 and was an immediate fan favorite.
He ended the Honky Tonk Man’s record 454-day reign as Intercontinental Champion less than a year later at the first SummerSlam in 1988, squashing him in just under 30 seconds for his biggest triumph to date.
He had a fantastic feud with “Ravishing” Rick Rude in 1989, dropping the IC championship to him at WrestleMania V due to outside intervention from famous manager Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, only to reclaim it later that year at SummerSlam.
After a brief feud with Andre the Giant, whom he easily defeated on multiple occasions, he met Hulk Hogan.
In just two years, The Ultimate Warrior had become nearly as popular as the Hulkster, and Hogan was well aware of this.
In order to take a break, he agreed to hand over his WWE Championship to Warrior at WrestleMania VI in Toronto in April 1990.
Furthermore, he agreed to lose cleanly, which is a very unusual gesture for Hogan.
The contest wasn’t the most visually appealing in the world, but it served its purpose.
The Ultimate Warrior had ascended to the throne of WWE. His rule at the top, however, would not last long.
The Ultimate Warrior’s demise in WWE
The Ultimate Warrior’s reign as WWE champion was not what Vince McMahon had hoped for.
He appeared to have peaked at WrestleMania VI, but he was defeated for the strap at the 1991 Royal Rumble by Sgt.
Slaughter, who subsequently lost it to Hogan at WrestleMania VII. Meanwhile, the Warrior had a fantastic feud with “Macho Man” Randy Savage, which culminated in their epic “retirement match” at the same WrestleMania, which the Warrior won.
Still, he was an afterthought in that match as the focus shifted to Savage and Miss Elizabeth’s reconciliation.
The Ultimate Warrior’s demise proceeded in one of the most contentious moments in WWE history at the 1991 SummerSlam.
Warrior was supposed to partner up with Hogan in a 2-on-3 handicap match, but he refused to compete unless he was paid more, feeling he was worth as much as the Hulkster.
He desired a larger percentage of item sales, a limited number of dates, and reimbursement for travel expenses.
Vince McMahon agreed to his requirements in order to hire him for SummerSlam but then fired him after the pay-per-view.
The Ultimate Warrior attempted to resign from WWE in October, but McMahon rejected her because he was under contract.
His WCW tenure was a complete flop
The Ultimate Warrior returned to the spotlight in WCW in 1998 but competed in only three matches, the final being a rematch with Hulk Hogan at Halloween Havoc 1998.
Hogan had founded the infamous nWo (New World Order) group two years before, and the Warrior stepped in and established the One Warrior Nation, or oWn.
The feud was a flop that was simply put together to allow Hogan to avenge his loss eight years prior.
The match itself was terrible, and many consider it to be one of the worst of all time.
Hogan won, and the Warrior retired shortly after.
He only wrestled one more match in his career, a contest for Nu-Wrestling Evolution against Orlando Jordan in 2008.
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The death of the Ultimate Warrior following his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame
With his ring days behind him, the Ultimate Warrior was willing to keep out of the spotlight.
In 1999, he married Dana Viale and they had two daughters, Indiana and Madigan.
His wife and children use Warrior as their legal surname after he legally changed his name in 1993.
Warrior returned to WWE in 2014, 18 years after his last appearance with the business, to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
All parties concerned had moved on from the past, and it was time for him to join the ranks of the all-time greats.
