World Championship Titles: 3
“ COME ON IN WHERE NIGHTMARES ARE THE BEST PART OF MY DAY! ”
Finishing Move: Ultimate Splash
Ultimate Warrior, by his real name James Brian Hellwig, is the only wrestler to hold the WWF Intercontinental Championship (August 1988 and August 1989) and the WWF Heavyweight Championship (April 1990) titles at the same time.
Ultimate belt for a true “Warrior”
Ultimate Warrior defeated Hulk Hogan for the WWF Heavyweight Championship in the main event of WrestleMania VI. A special belt was designed for Ultimate Warriror with white, blue and purple leather straps.
Between 1991 and 1998, Warrior retired and came back for a couple of times. However, after his decision to retire in 1998 he only fought one match in 2008 against Orlando Jordan in Spain, winning the Nu-Wrestling Evolution World Heavyweight Championship.
In 1993, Warrior changed his legal name of James Brian Hellwig to simply “Warrior”, making it official on all of his legal documents, including the surname of his children.
Here’s Ultimate Warrior versus Macho Man Randy Savage in a close fight with an unexpected result, fight from February the 11th, 1989:
WWE Hall of Fame, final promo and ultimate speech coming from the “Warrior”
The month of April 2014 would prove to be one of the best and worst months for Warrior. On April 5th 2014 he was inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame by the wife of Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon. The following day, on April 6th 2014, he made an appearance on WrestleMania XXX and later that night he went on Raw, making it his first appearance on the show in about 18 years.
During his Raw appearance on April 6th, Warrior held a speech about what it means to be a wrestler, what it meant to him:
“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.” – Ultimate Warrior, 6th April 2014 on Raw.
Sadly, in the morning of the next day after his Raw appearance, Warrior held his chest and collapsed near his wife, just outside his car in Arizona. After being taken to the hospital, the doctors pronounced his death. An autopsy later revealed that he died of natural causes caused by a heart attack.
WWE paid tribute to Ultimate Warrior, in an inspiring video with scenes of Ultimate Warrior on the ring as well as on the stage, giving his final speech on Raw: