The Ultimate Warrior
Warrior (born James Brian Hellwig;[2] June 16, 1959 – April 8, 2014) was an American professional wrestler. Hellwig legally changed his name to Warrior in 2002. He was the biggest star of the 1990s. His career had a boost when he defeated Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VI, and it was also Hulk Hogan's first Wrestlemania loss, firstly before defeated by The Rock at WrestleMania X8.
| The Ultimate Warrior | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ring name(s) | Warrior[1] The Ultimate Warrior[1] Dingo Warrior[1] The Dingo Blade Runner Rock[1] Jim "Justice" Hellwig[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 275 lb (125 kg)[1] |
| Born | June 16, 1959 Crawfordsville, Indiana, USA |
| Died | April 8, 2014 (aged 54) Scottsdale, Arizona, USA |
| Billed from | Parts Unknown[1] Queens, New York City (as The Dingo Warrior) |
| Trained by | Bill Anderson Rick Bassman Red Bastien[1] |
| Debut | 1979 |
| Retired | June 25 2008 |
Warrior died of a heart attack on the afternoon of April 8, 2014 at 54 years old,[3] 3 days after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame[4] and less than a day after cutting a promo on Raw.[5]
Less than 24 hours before he died, Warrior gave a speech to the fans and wrestlers, past and present, in his Ultimate Warrior character. During the speech he said:[6]
"No WWE talent becomes a legend on their own. Every man's heart one day beats its final beat. His lungs breathe their final breath. And if what that man did in his life makes the blood pulse through the body of others and makes them believe deeper in something larger than life then his essence, his spirit, will be immortalized. By the story tellers, by the loyalty, by the memory of those who honor him and make the running the man did live forever. You, you, you, you, you, you are the legend makers of Ultimate Warrior. In the back I see many potential legends. Some of them with warrior spirits. And you will do the same for them. You will decide if they lived with the passion and intensity. So much so that you will tell your stories and you will make them legends, as well. I am Ultimate Warrior. You are the Ultimate Warrior fans. And the spirit of the Ultimate Warrior will run forever!"
Early life
Warrior was born as James Brian Hellwig (though changed name to Hellshaw in 1969). He was the eldest of five children and was raised by his mother (along with, later, his stepfather) after his father left his family when young James was 12. He spent a year at Indiana State University. It was also during this time he began to compete in amateur bodybuilding.[7] He started competing in a number of NPC contests there on.
Career
Hellwig debuted as the Dingo Warrior in 1985.
The Ultimate Warrior Media
Warrior was known for his high energy entrances (pictured March 1989)
The Ultimate Warrior, circa 1988
Warrior wrestling Randy Savage on March 7, 1989, at the El Paso Civic Center. The Ultimate Warrior would go on to "retire" Savage at WrestleMania VII.
Warrior during his speech of induction at the WWE Hall of Fame in April 2014
The Ultimate Warrior in a mask depicting his trademark face paint, on what would prove to be his final public appearance (the April 7, 2014 edition of Raw) one day before his death
Dana Warrior presents the inaugural Warrior Award at the 2015 Hall of Fame ceremony
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 "Ultimate Warrior's OWoW Profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
- ↑ "Warriors Texas Divorce Certificate". Family Tree Legends. Archived from the original on 2012-11-16. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
- ↑ "Ultimate Warrior passes away". WWE. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
- ↑ "Ultimate Warrior to be inducted into WWE Hall of Fame's Class of 2014". WWE. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
- ↑ "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 2014-04-08.
- ↑ "Youtube - 2014 WWE Hall of Famer Ultimate Warrior speaks: Raw, April 7, 2014". WWE. YouTube. Retrieved 2014-04-09.
- ↑ Flynn, Daniel (2004-06-28). "Interview with the Ultimate Warrior – Part 1 of 4". FlynnFiles.com. Archived from the original on 2011-01-28. Retrieved 2008-05-17.