There are three men responsible for making me a life long wrestling fan, Hulk Hogan, Bret "Hitman" Hart, and The Ultimate Warrior. Because of these three men, I still watch wrestling to this day, even though it has become a sixth grade soap opera with more talking than fighting.
In 1987, right at the height of Hulkamania, came a new wrestler, a man who seemed like he would fit in better in a mental hospital than in a wrestling ring, that man was the Ultimate Warrior. He came sprinting into the ring, wearing bright colors, and screaming non-sense, but this man could do something that even Hogan couldn't, and that was fire up even the toughest crowd, just by making an appearance.
For five years, the Ultimate Warrior was a cash cow for the WWE, while being one of the worst technical wrestlers on the roster. Much like Howard Stern, people tuned in to see the Warrior just to see what he would say or do next. It was this unpredictability that made him something special.
While he was awful by technical wrestling standards, the man was always full of energy and good for a laugh. When I think of the Warrior I will always remember two things. His ridiculous promos, where he would talk about the sun, the moon, and the Gods above, and of course his psychotic behavior in the ring. Who can forget how he would run into the ring and then bounce from rope to rope, over and over again, delivering half a dozen clotheslines at once?
The Warrior could have been even bigger than Hulkamania, but unfortunately for him, the man behind the make-up, Jim Hellwig, was almost as crazy as the character he portrayed. He was often critical of his employer, saying and doing things that one shouldn't do in any type of business and this resulted in him being blackballed from pro wrestling. For nearly 15 years, the man who legal changed his name to Warrior, was considered to be a menace, criticizing the sport and his former colleagues, while filing lawsuit after lawsuit against Vince McMahon and the WWE.
It was only a few months ago that McMahon reached out to Warrior in an attempt to reconcile these difference and to allow the Warrior to take his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame. A very much humbled and toned down Warrior signed a legends contract and was inducted into the Hall on April 4, 2014.
On April 7, the Warrior made his first appearance on Monday Night Raw in 18 years to do something we never thought he'd do, thank the fans for making him the man he was. In a sense it was the perfect way to say goodbye to the WWE Universe. During that appearance, I did notice he was winded walking out to the ring and had a hard time shaking the ropes the way he once did, but who would have expected what happened next?
The very next night, while leaving his hotel the Warrior collapsed and died from an apparent heart attack at the age of 54. Many people believe that we have a purpose in life and move on once that purpose has been fulfilled. It's almost as though now that Jim made peace with the WWE and finally acknowledged the fans as the reason for his success, his mission in life was complete and he was able to move on peacefully to the next world.
The Ultimate Warrior helped to make wrestling more than just an Olympic sport. He brought intensity and style to the sport and changed the face of the WWE forever. As someone who followed his career through all the ups and downs, I am really going to miss the unique character of the Warrior and the strange man behind his creation, Jim Hellwig.
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