Written by Stu Cooper
Earlier this morning I turned my phone on and was met with several texts regarding the death of The Ultimate Warrior. At first I thought it was a joke considering I just spent the past couple days attending Wrestlemania 30 in New Orleans, where The Warrior just was. After doing a quick google search I was met with an unfortunate and unexpected reality, Jim Hellwig had passed away at age 54.
I was just telling all of my friends and family what an amazing experience I had in New Orleans attending the show. One of the highlights was the appearance of The Ultimate Warrior. He was actually the only Hall of Fame inductee this year to be given his own entrance! Of course I hoped he would show up with the paint and run the ropes, but alas he just kind of waved to the fans and teared up while acting as professional as possible. It was not until the next night on RAW that we were greeted with an appearance from the Warrior we all know and love. The following night on Raw, also in New Orleans, Warrior showed up and put on his mask where he began to deliver a heartwarming speech to the fans. Little did we know this speech would serve as his own eulogy. If you listen to what he says in the promo, it is actually quite cryptic. It is as if he knew it was his time. He did not appear to be in bad health, which is another reason why I am shocked. I'm curious to see what details, if any, come out in the near future. If you want to look back on his career WWE actually released a DVD set on April 1st that seems to be quite comprehensive.
One reason why the passing of The Ultimate Warrior has struck me so hard is because one of my first memories of professional wrestling was a WWF Superstars segment in which Papa Shango, a voodoo priest wrestler, put a curse on The Ultimate Warrior, causing him to bleed ink and puke! It was a very bizarre moment but I was hooked from that moment on. Growing up in the 80's or early 90's it was also common to be either a Hulk Hogan guy, or a Ultimate Warrior guy. I was always a Ultimate Warrior guy. Warrior may have had some bizarre personality traits and some awkward political views, but he will always be remembered as the intense, gorilla press slamming, clothesline wielding, screaming maniac that every 80's WWF fan fell in love with. Warrior may have passed but he left behind an endless amount of wrestling matches and insane interviews for generations and generations to enjoy. Jim Hellwig left behind 2 daughters and a wife whom he loved very much. Dave Meltzer from the wrestling observer said that after the Hall of Fame ceremonies on Saturday most of the guys went out to celebrate, but Warrior could not wait to get back to his daughters. If anything this whole experience has served as a reminder to love and honor the people in your life you cherish. Warrior also set a good example by squashing a lot of his past problems with others in the wrestling business, and I can't help but wonder if that is directly correlated to his unfortunate passing. Life is too fragile and short to hang onto grudges. Just try to make the best of the time you have, just like the Warrior did. As tribute maybe next time you are at the gym you can cue up the Ultimate Warrior's theme music and channel all your negative energy into your workout and by the time you're done you may feel a little bit of that warrior power.
Warrior always seemed to have pure intentions in most of his daily life. He always seemed incredibly motivated and I'm sure that translated to him being a loving husband, and a good father. Warrior was able to capture the hearts and the imagination of millions of men,women,children and wrestling fans alike. We will probably never see another man like The Warrior. I'm glad that he was able to make peace with all of those in the wrestling business before his passing. I can't help but find the timing incredibly unsettling and bizarre. It could be a sign of some kind of fate, some kind of destiny? Who knows...All I can say is that he left an incredibly unique impression on me that I will carry in my brain for the rest of my life. There is no matching THE POWER...OF THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR!
