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. [7] He moved to California where, after seeing bodybuilder Robby Robinson, he decided to take up the sport. But it makes perfect sense.. Harper Collins asked Victoria Holmes . Competitors regularly transitioned not only between the two wrestling giants, but also Paul Heymans ECW. [44] Warrior left the company on November 21, 1992 with his last match being a victory over Kamala on November 8 in Orlando, Florida. Knowing that Levesque would never amount to much in pro wrestling, McMahon decided to re-cast the Ultimate Warrior with an established in-ring talent: Hercules Hernandez. An early precursor to the Ultimate Warrior was named Blade Runner Rock, who tagged with Blade Runner Blaze in a tag team known, obviously, as The Killer Bees. I dont know. When Mr. McMahon presented Mankind with the Hardcore Championship, the title was obviously a smashed version the classic winged eagle WWE Title with shattered plates held together by duct tape. This involved Roberts giving Warrior three "tests" shown on WWF television in consecutive weeks. [32], After WrestleMania, Warrior successfully defended the championship against Haku, Mr. She was welcomed back. [44] However, his return coincided with the government's crackdown on steroids in wrestling. He possessed next to no in-ring skills, and his repertoire essentially consisted of clotheslines and shaking the ring ropes. 1990 to 1991 World Heavyweight Championship. He would finally join the WWF as The Ultimate Warrior. False: There were two Ultimate Warriors. Any attempt to distract from the mission of these initiatives and take the spotlight away from the honorees is unfortunately misguided. [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. Hindu temples or at throughout humanity & # x27 ; s Fourteen Worlds no., might not be true started this as a short story about the Not-Named the. After a career in bodybuilding, Warrior turned to professional wrestling. He made his television debut as The Ultimate Warrior on the October 25, 1987 airing of WWF Wrestling Challenge, where he defeated Terry Gibbs. So what happened and why was the title smashed? [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. He went from a relative unknown to becoming the second most celebrated wrestler in the WWE, second only to Hulk Hogan. He made his comeback at WrestleMania VIII (to rescue Hulk Hogan from a beat down at the hands of Sid Justice and Papa Shango). Elementalist Lux has 10 different forms: Light, Water, Fire, Air, Nature, Ice, Storm, Magma, Mystic, and Dark. Perfect then won in a tournament), as WWF rules prohibited a wrestler from holding both titles. Warrior formally sent a letter of resignation to the WWF in October 1991. What you thought you knew, might not be true! 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. However, the death rumors did lead to the most entertaining (well, actually the only entertaining) part of Warrior's WCW run. But there's no way that Stephanie and Macho Man hooked up right? He possessed next to no in-ring skills, and his repertoire essentially consisted of clotheslines and shaking the ring ropes. [58] During the bout, Hogan attempted to "blind" The Warrior using flash paper, but was unable to light it properly, and as a result The Warrior was forced to briefly sell the move despite the flames clearly not touching him in any way. He went from a relative unknown to becoming the second most celebrated wrestler in the WWE, second only to Hulk Hogan. Throughout the 90s, Warrior made sporadic returns to WWE, including a smashing of a young Triple H at WrestleMania XII, and finally popped up in World Championship Wrestling for a rematch with Hogan at Halloween Havoc in 1998. At the 1994 Royal Rumble, the Undertaker was stuffed inside a coffin and "buried alive." ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The WWE Hall of Famers motive was to simply express his desire for a WWE Title opportunity. [66][67] 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. Perfect and Demolition). Ultimate Warrior net worth: The Ultimate Warrior was an American professional wrestler who had a net worth is $1.5 million dollars at the time of his death.Ultimate Warrior Net Worth. His hair was shorter and a different color. [15] They left the CWA in January 1986. These made for great stories, and were much more interesting than the truth. In 1987, he joined the World Wrestling Federation, and became a two-time WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion within two years. At SummerSlam in 1988, the powerful competitor famously defeated The Honky Tonk Man for the Intercontinental Championship in 30 seconds. As the Ultimate Warriors popularity continued to skyrocket, WWE brass were determined to ensure the character had a squeaky clean image, and Ron Simmons had drawn controversy by ending his nonsensical promos with a long pause followed by the word damn. McMahon found a suitable replacement in Mark Hildreth, who would later achieve fame and fortune as one of WCWs most popular stars of all time, Van Hammer. Upon his return, he received a degree of creative control over his bookings. Here are the top-five wrestling conspiracies that just won't go away. Document 178 P.January 3, 2006. We just had a great talk & buried a senseless hatchet. He seemed destined to win the WWF Championship at SummerSlam 93, but instead won the match by count-out and didn't bring home the gold. [65] 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 televised WWF match in 1996. This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department. [13] Hellwig and fellow trainee Steve Borden (who later had success as "Sting"), formed a tag team called The Freedom Fighters (Hellwig was known as Justice and Borden was called Flash). On the preceding three nights in New Orleans, he had been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, appeared at WrestleMania XXX and made his final public appearance on Monday Night Raw, returning to the promotion after an acrimonious separation in 1996. It looked like someone had socked him in the eye! In 1996, Warrior published a comic book titled Warrior, featuring himself as the main character. 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. I have no idea, the WWE Hall of Famer told WWEClassics.com. After Scott Hall and Kevin Nash left the WWE for World Championship Wrestling, Vince McMahon pronounced he was going to reuse the names he created. | WATCH WARRIOR'S WRESTLEMANIA VIII RETURN, WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel chimed in on the long-standing urban legend and offered a definitive answer on the unique competitor: Often imitated, often duplicated, there was only one Ultimate Warrior.. This time, Vince McMahon raided the roster of WCW (then-NWA) to recruit an exact lookalike, who took over the role with practically no fans noticing the switch; Ron Simmons. [33], 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. [21] Warrior made his final appearance with WCCW in June 1987. Junko Enoshima planet & # x27 ; s Fourteen Worlds, no is! I just put too much faith into [former WWE referee] Earl Hebner. Everyone likes to throw. One, the artist formerly known as Jim Hellwig. Slaughter's gimmick at the time was a traitor who had betrayed America by aligning himself with an Iraqi (kayfabe) military general, General Adnan. [26] Warrior lost twice by pinfall shortly thereafter: cleanly to Andr the Giant in April in Italy,[28] and to Dino Bravo, who put his feet on the ropes for leverage, in Montreal in June. Ultimate Creations Inc. vs. WWE Inc. 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". Reynolds, R.D. This was a serious mistake on your part". The speculation that Kevin Nash and Scott Hall were still under contract with WWE when they first appeared in WCW sparked an urban legend that grew with the addition of Hulk Hogan and the expansion of The New World Order. A longstanding myth among wrestling fans is that The Ultimate Warrior was portrayed by a man named Jim Hellwig, a scholar known for his important research on queering. The adventures and tales of Warrior Cats are featured in more than 80 books. 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 The Ultimate Warrior. Mr. The lineup included a four-part special. In the end, besides one interview with WWE magazine (which didn't even mention the interview on the cover), Macho never had any direct role with WWE again. !" Most of us know it was the same guy but I can 100% understand why I would hear things from my older relatives that the original Warrior died and now a new one took his . The late Mike Graham once stated that Andre the Giant drank 156 beers in one sitting. But once Warrior was under the commission of the Vince McMahon media machine, he blew up. Also, Bret Hart isn't shy about punching a man in the face, just ask Vince McMahon. | WATCH WARRIOR'S WRESTLEMANIA VIII RETURN. [69] Warrior married for the second time to Dana Viale on January 31, 1999. For the third consecutive year, Warrior was the sole survivor for his team. 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. Theres a small group of fans that have overanalyzed what transpired in Montreal a bit too much and have come up with a relatively insane urban legend and conspiracy theory. The incident has been examined from every angle Mr. McMahon, Shawn Michaels and Triple H have all acknowledged their respective roles on a number of occasions. But thats really all he needed, and he became so popular in the late 1980s that he was pegged as the heir apparent to Hulk Hogan, who was giving thought to winding down his in-ring career to transition to Hollywood (Ill allow you to figure out how that one turned out.) Hailing from Parts Unknown, he hid his face under a painted mask and spoke in cryptic puzzles, but the considerable impact he had on WWE is still talked about today. Still, it wasnt typical behavior for Andre. [38][39], Following WWF's annual SummerSlam event, Warrior was handed a letter dated August 26, 1991, from McMahon, saying Warrior was suspended effective immediately. An early precursor to the Ultimate Warrior was named Blade Runner Rock, who tagged with Blade Runner Blaze in a tag team known, obviously, as The Killer Bees. 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. [30], The Warrior received a push as WWF's main event level successor to Hulk Hogan, who had remained wrestling's biggest star throughout the 1980s. 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. Perhaps the longest standing urban legend in WWE history, there has long been a theory that when Ultimate Warrior returned to WWE at WrestleMania VIII, it was not the same man under the face paint. 101 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003, This page was last edited on 21 November 2022, at 14:01. Hogan became an Oscar-winning movie star and Warrior became the wrestling star of the 90s, lifting the industry to previously unseen heights. Kayfabe News: Unreal news about an unreal sport. One source of speculation claims that upon his return for the WrestleMania festivities, The Hulkster was confronted and punched by Macho Man Randy Savage. Did Regal take out his frustration on the rising phenom? Fans have speculated that Steven Regal began to "shoot" (using legitimate moves in an attempt to hurt his opponent) on Goldberg in a match. Despite traveling the road together during their early run, they fell out of contact, and kind words were hardly spoken about one another. Debuting in 1988, Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty were a kinetic duo that helped pave the way for highfliers and smaller, more agile Superstars. Under the ring name Dingo Warrior, he was a one-time WCWA Texas Heavyweight Champion. The battle inevitably led to the birth of an urban legend Mr. McMahon willfully promoted ECW and loaned Paul Heyman money to keep his organization in business. Perfect destroys Hulk Hogan's WWE Championship after stealing it from ringside On Saturday Night's Main Event. Perennial company man Jerry Lawler seemed to give his explanation as to why he replaced Macho Man, and why Vince would still hold the grudge. Ultimate Warrior: Bio. [81] 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. Over the years, rumors started to swirl that Luger was supposed to win the title until he bragged about it at a bar the night before. Although Money, Inc. escaped the battle with the titles due to disqualification, the WWE Universe couldnt help but speculate on why Hogans eye was nearly swollen shut. "[70][71], Warrior returned to the WWF at WrestleMania VIII after nearly eight months on hiatus since SummerSlam 1991. The three authors are Cherith Baldry and Kate Cary, and Tui T. S. Sutherland, as well as Victoria Holmes, the editor, who creates the stories for the books. McMahon stated that "We are all so sad that the Ultimate Warrior has passed away. But once Warrior was under the commission of the Vince McMahon media machine, he blew up. The footage certainly makes it plausible that the Hardcore Title and the title Mr. [31], 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 XXVIII. Three days later, the iconic Superstar passed away, leaving behind legions of Warriors with unforgettable memories to last an eternity. And thus, a legend was born. Regal was simply fired for "personal demons". Apr 8, 2018. Was there a second, o. ", "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", "Ultimate Warrior dead days after WrestleMania 30 and Raw appearances", "Why the Ultimate Warrior Was Such a Legend", WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENTINC WWE Quarterly Report (10-Q) NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited), "Interview with the Ultimate Warrior Part 3 of 4", WWE: Ultimate Warrior files lawsuit against World Wrestling Entertainment, "The Ultimate Warrior Loses Lawsuit Against WWE", "Interview with the Ultimate Warrior Part 4 of 4", "An illustrated history of wrestling comic books", Warrior's Machete: Before the House of Hilton Bred Whores, Warrior's Machete: Warrior wins. It was a lame endeavor at repackaging an 80s tag team. His father died at 57 and a grandfather died at 52. The WWF refused to accept the letter since Warrior was under contract until September 1992. [68], Warrior married Shari Lynn Tyree on October 2, 1982. Savage and Hogan had a notorious love/hate relationship for years. [52], WCW signed Warrior "at great expense" in May 1998. What many fans dont realize, however, is that the Ultimate Warrior who performed at WrestleMania 18 was not the man they had become accustomed to seeing, but instead Hollywood actor Mickey Rourke. Months later, Ted Dibiase infiltrated a new Undertaker, played by Brian Lee. At SummerSlam, he retained the title over Rick Rude in a steel cage match. That was it.". -Brock Lesnar, who the WWE had invested so much in, left with short notice yet was later welcomed back after his UFC run. He could drink an airplane dry before it got to takeoff, White told WWEClassics.com. Numerous played Doink the Clown during that period of time, until the character was circumstantially retired. ECW Press. According to Hogan, in his autobiography (and nothing else has ever emerged disputing this) it was just a jet skiing accident. Then he asked King to take over, and he's had the job ever since. Each autograph is complete with a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Dana Warrior. If it was purely business related, how could one single WWE star not know what happened? Sign up for Peacock to watch. In 1996, the Monday Night War had begun and WWE and WCW battled for sports-entertainment and television ratings supremacy. Both were rehired by Vince for the NWO story line. Warrior was born in 1959 as James Brian Hellwig,[4] in Crawfordsville, Indiana, about 50 miles northwest of Indianapolis. But the rumors and conspiracies of wrestling are part of what makes being a fan so fun. The wildly respected, under appreciated veteran shows up the green star whose push has gone to his head. That's not to say the situation wasn't tense. The Ultimate Warrior only appeared sporadically through the late 1990s and 2000s, most notably in WCW as The Renegade, a role portrayed by Bob Holly. Some of the stories are fringe conspiracy theories and others are genuine head-scratchers that have captivated the imagination for years. Just a year ago, Warrior was still having to deny thatwell, that he's still alive. 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. In one instance, he mentioned that "queering doesn't make the world work" during a speech at the University of Connecticut. However, following the end of Goldbergs undefeated streak and a failed attempt to recapture The nWo magic in the form of The Fingerpoke of Doom, WCW began a downhill slide and never recovered. Pillman's [116], During his April 2014 Hall of Fame speech shortly before his death, Warrior proposed that the "Jimmy Miranda Award" should be created to honour WWE's behind-the-scenes employees. Two years later, he joined World Championship Wrestling (who had tried to hire him in 1995), being used in a much-maligned storyline with Hogan, which culminated at Halloween Havoc. Reddit's largest professional wrestling community. This incarnation of the Ultimate Warrior was portrayed by Paul Levesque, who would go on to achieve modest success as Terra Ryzing in WCW. Its the reason that is the only one that makes any sense. [74], In 1993, Hellwig legally changed his name to the mononym Warrior. \r\rWe will provide the facts of our research, and give you a chance to decide for yourself! WEB. As a result of Funks story getting blown out of proportion, The Rockers were fired. BEAR WITNESS TO THE 'FINGERPOKE OF DOOM!'. Triple H", "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", "Eric Bischoff Rips Ultimate Warrior's 20+ Minute WCW Promo, Reveals Warrior's Response After", "Oct. 25 in history: Hogan vs. Warrior on WCW PPV 15 years ago today, plus Goldberg vs. DDP main event", "The Ultimate Warrior dies at 54: Pro wrestling mourns loss of one of its greats", "WWE announces death of WWE Hall of Famer Ultimate Warrior", "Ultimate Warrior return ultimately brief in NWE title match", "Ultimate Warrior speaks on first WrestleMania weekend signing and WWE WrestleMania 29", "The Ultimate Warrior is back in "WWE 2K14"! Did the Macho Man and an underaged Stephanie hook up? The final Other Worlds Orbiter screening is coming October 23rd, and its a World Premiere! Watch every Premium Live Event and enjoy some of your favorite WWE content on Disney + HotStar. For the first test, Roberts locked Warrior inside of a coffin for a second time. 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. The title was held up in April 1987 after Warrior left the WCCW. Perfect. He later survived the "Grand Finale Match of Survival" with Hulk Hogan. 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. Jan 18, 2018. For 88 consecutive weeks WCW dominated WWE in television ratings thanks mostly to The nWo and Goldberg. Ultimate Creations Inc. vs. WWE Inc. 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. Watch every Premium Live Event and get unlimited access to WWE's premium content - available to you anywhere, anytime, on any device. Posited as the new face of the company, he would fall out with Vince McMahon over a pay dispute, and attempted to leave the WWF, which was rejected. [82] On September 18, 2009, Warrior's lawsuit in Arizona was dismissed. PACER.GOV. 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. He ended his letter with "Whatever your decision, I can and will live with it. As a hat-tip to films twisty, conspiracy-laden ideas, the OW programmers are seizing their chance to talk about their favorite conspiracy theories (or truths). Because it totally happened. Warrior formed a tag team with Lance Von Erich, and the duo began competing for the WCWA World Tag Team Championship. Warrior returned to the WWF at WrestleMania XII, but lasted four months, as he began no-showing events. WWE paid tribute to Warrior on the April 14 episode of Raw with a ten bell salute and a video. Matt Borne, who wrestled for WCW as Big Josh, was the original Doink the Clown. Waiting inside the chest was a spitting cobra which bit Warrior in the face. Ultimate Creations Inc. vs. WWE Inc. A well known substance abuser, Borne was fired from the WWE due to not being able to confine his demons. For nine months, Warrior successfully defended the championship before losing to Sgt. Case 2:06-cv-00535-ROS. Kayfabe: The lost art of keeping a secret in professional wrestling. Perfect also felt the devastating power of Warriors Gorilla Press Slam. Hed go into a restaurant and eat 12 steaks and 15 lobsters. How many people played The Ultimate Warrior? He won the title from Bradley on February 2 of that year. Best known by his ring name The Ultimate Warrior, he wrestled for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) from 1987 to 1992, as well as a short stint in 1996. Designed & Developed by Precision Creations, WWE Network and chill invitations fail to result in lovemaking, Enzo Amore invades local Applebees unnoticed, Meet the six new members of the WWE Board of Directors, WWE board meeting disrupted by mysterious higher power. 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. The Ultimate Warrior made his WWE debut in 1987. [57], Warrior only participated in three matches in WCW. Join us to discuss WWE, AEW Even in the age of the Internet, it still remains one of wrestling most enduring conspiracies. Well, I think for most people my age (35) who grew up in the 80's and 90's watching wrestling, the one major conspiracy theory was "How many Ultimate Warriors were there!??!? Ryback couldn't lift up Tensai for his finisher, Lex Luger told James Guttman of Pro Wrestling Insanity, George "The Animal" Steele, and Roddy Piper. He was also chosen as one of six legends to be included in the Defining Moments series of action figures. They were quickly turned heel under "coach" Buddy Wayne[14] and soon afterwards manager Dutch Mantel. The Screwjob was exactly as it appeared a business decision. [59], 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. As devastating and intense as any Superstar who stepped through the ropes, The Ultimate Warrior may be the most enigmatic man to ever hold the WWE Championship. It was there Vince said we want you to do Warrior, but we don't want Dingo. 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. Much like the other imposters, the gimmick did not last long. The feud culminated at Survivor Series, where The Warriors (Ultimate Warrior, LOD and Kerry Von Erich) defeated The Perfect Team (Mr. . The rumor goes that before WrestleMania IX, Savage found out that Hogan boinked his wife in real life and gave him a top rope elbow drop to the eye (or more likely just a punch). Its the reason everyone in (WWE) says. Other Worlds Film Fest, Other Worlds Austin and all its logos are trademarks and design marks owned by Other Worlds Film Fest, a 501c3 Non-profit. 1992 Onwards Various feuds, WCW stint, WWE Hall of Fame. This contest would be his last major ring appearance, bringing an anticlimactic end to the career of one of sports-entertainments most unique competitors. It's not as outlandish as some rumors, but it just wasn't true either. [16] They were part of Eddie Gilbert's Hotstuff International group, before disbanding in June 1986 when Hellwig left the UWF. [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, taking time off allegedly to grieve the death of his father. 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. In the same clip he spoke positively about Vince McMahon for the first time on his channel. oh, but wait a second! "I think it was Paul, Mr. McMahon and Bruce Prichard the head of talent relations at the time. RELIVE THE INFAMOUS MOMENT THE ROCKERS SPLIT. PACER.GOV. For how many ultimate warrior's were there Foundation Building Pill to attract powerful fighters tried to fathom her cat & # x27 m! "They needed a boost and we [ECW] needed a boost," Tommy Dreamer told WWEClassics.com. [111] The WWE Network aired a lineup dubbed "Warrior Week" in Warrior's memory. 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. This is the one that just wont go away. I thought you were dead.". [92], Warrior died on April 8, 2014, in Scottsdale, Arizona. [20] Warrior claims after one of his first matches, McMahon had him do a pretaped promo. [63], 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. [61] Warrior won the match and the Nu-Wrestling Evolution World Heavyweight Championship, but immediately vacated the title. In front of 67,000 rabid members of the WWE Universe, Warrior defeated WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan to win his first, and only, WWE Championship. He also claimed there was a third man who also played the character, but has since died of aids. "[125] Vice wrote that "completely whitewashing his past and elevating his likeness to a bland symbol of corporate altruism is shockingly tone-deaf, especially for a company that's at least outwardly trying to appear progressive, inclusive and diverse". The Warrior then proceeded to cut the promo and stated that he was not this warrior or that warrior, he was The Ultimate Warrior. \rWas there a second, or possibly a third?\rIf it IS true, why wouldn't Vince McMahon or anyone else admit to it?\r\r\rThe rumors of there being more than one Ultimate Warrior have circulated for years, and until now, I simply dismissed them as rumors and fairy tales. 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);[87] historical (Martin Luther King Jr., George Washington) or religious figures (Jesus). [17], In June 1986, Warrior debuted in the Dallas, Texas-based World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) promotion, where he wrestled for $50 a night.