The Ultimate Warrior might have been born James Hellwig, but he changed his name officially to Warrior in 1993. Heralded as the man who made personality a full-on requirement of wrestling showmanship, he was inducted into WWE’s Hall of Fame over the weekend.
Warrior’s death came as a shock — he’d appeared on “Monday Night Raw,” WWE’s weekly television show, days earlier. His Wrestlemania VI battle against archrival Hulk Hogan is remembered as one of the best in pro-wrestling history.
“No WWE talent becomes a legend on their own,” Warrior said at “Monday Night Raw” after donning a mask that mimicked his iconic makeup. “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, it makes them bleed deeper and something larger than life, then his essence, his spirit, will be immortalized.” He pointed to the audience. “You are the legend-makers of Ultimate Warrior.”
There was wrestling before Warrior, and it went something like this: Get two huge guys who don’t like each other — or, at least, pretend not to. Let them fight in a ring in front of a bunch of people. Televise it.
Warrior changed the game.
He sported a mop of wild, dirty-blond hair that — let’s be honest — probably saw its fair share of Aqua Net. His face was always covered in warpaint that resembled Kiss makeup on steroids.
He scoffed at breaking kayfabe — character — and made it seem utterly unthinkable. Sort of like Stephen Colbert, but about 120 pounds bigger and with a penchant for butt-kicking.
He wasn’t the first to develop and commit to a character — “Classy” Freddie Blassie and Hulk Hogan, among many others, did it too — but he turned it into an art form. For a generation of boys growing up in the 1990s, Warrior was was an icon of masculinity and a fan favorite.
He was a fully-realized, otherworldly character, complete with a mysterious backstory.
Warrior was always announced as hailing from “parts unknown.” Unlike Hogan or later wrestlers such as Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, he wrestled under a pseudonym that didn’t follow the normal first name-last name convention. Hellwig embodied Warrior so completely that he changed his legal name in 1993.
After he retired from wrestling in 1998, he parlayed his success as Warrior into a personal brand. He was a motivational speaker, sold workout tapes and wrote comic books about Warrior. As a precursor of the “attitude era” of professional wrestling, he carved a path for wrestlers such as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who eventually transitioned to acting, and Chris Jericho, who became a musician.
Jericho was one of many in the wrestling community tweeting his grief at the news.
Devastated to hear of the passing of @UltimateWarrior. He was a childhood hero of mine & he vs @HulkHogan WM6 is still one of the best ever
— Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) April 9, 2014
Hogan tweeted:
RIP WARRIOR. only love. HH
— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) April 9, 2014
Culled From Washingtonpost
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