After one of the most exciting, memorable weekends in recent years, the wrestling world was rocked on Tuesday night with the tragic news of The Ultimate Warrior’s death. I wanted to take a few days to let the news sink in before writing a memorial article about the loss of another one of my childhood heroes. The initial shock is beginning to subside and now we’re left with shattered pieces to make sense of.
Warrior was a very controversial figure – in and out of the wrestling business. When he first burst onto the national wrestling scene in the late 80’s, Warrior stood out like a sore thumb. Admist the landscape of muscled-up, bombastic WWF superstars of the day, never before had we seen anything like him. The face paint, the freakishly muscular physique, the unprecedented intensity in the ring, the otherworldly promos. He was a real life super hero that captured the imaginations and inspired millions of people around the globe.
In the ring, Warrior was no master technician. He’d get ‘blown up’ after his sprint to the ring and rope shaking (like you wouldn’t?). His move set was limited. He required technically superior opponents to carry him to great matches. That said, his WrestleMania matches with Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage are amongst the greatest in WrestleMania history and Warrior is the only man to hold pinfall victories over both men on WWE’s grandest stage.
Warrior got a lot of heat for being a loner backstage. Much the Road Warriors, his a meteoric rise required a lot of top talent to step aside and get obliterated by this colorful force of nature. He spent the majority of the 1990’s embroiled in a bitter legal battles with Vince McMahon and WWE over the rights to his character and likeness.
After his in ring career, he became a public speaker and had some very conservative political views, making very unpleasant comments about homosexuals and Arabs. He tweeted some pretty ugly stuff about late actors Heath Ledger and Philip Seymour Hoffman, both of whom died from drug overdoses. He also had bitter feuds via social media with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Ted DiBiase and Jake Roberts.
Warrior finally made peace with WWE over the past 18 months. He returned to the WWE Universe last weekend for the first time in nearly two decades. After years of being trashed by the company and his peers at every turn, Warrior came back to have his legacy portrayed in a positive light and to be celebrated for the legend he was.
When he brought his two young daughters out with him on stage at the Hall of Fame ceremony and greeted his wife and mother in the crowd, it was a side of him few people ever saw. He told his daughters in the audience that as incredible as his Ultimate Warrior character was, the greatest thing he’ll ever do. Touching stuff that humanized him for the first time in front of his audience.
His appearance on RAW is absolutely haunting in light of his death the following day – but there was a common theme to his Hall of Fame speech and RAW promo: humility. Warrior profusely thanked his fans and the WWE employees behind the scenes for making his character what it grew to be. He talked about the talent of the current locker room and encouraged the WWE Universe to get behind today’s top stars so that one day they would become legends themselves.
Had Warrior died 2 weeks ago or 2 years ago, the impact of the loss would simply not be as profound. It is truly a blessing that he to got to return the spotlight one last time, make peace with estranged friends and cement his legacy his way. Since his passing, there has been a tremendous outpour of grief and love for Warrior from his colleagues, many of whom he had long standing beef with (Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon in particular).
It’s a sad reality of life that we simply do not appreciate things enough until they are gone. There is a lesson to be learned here.
For all of his flaws and quirks, Warrior was a MAN. He possessed an unbelievable belief in his abilities and potential, as well as a passion for life that we should all strive for.Â
The Ultimate Warrior character has been immortalized and will be celebrated by fans around the world for decades to come.
Goodbye, Warrior. Rest in Peace and thank you for the memories.
Always Believe.
