Wrestling icon “The Ultimate Warrior” passes away

The world has lost a wrestling icon.

James Hellwig, known to wrestling fans as “The Ultimate Warrior” tragically passed away on April 8th at the age of 54.

The WWE released a statement and said Warrior, who legally changed his name from James Hellwig to his wrestling moniker, died Tuesday. Scottsdale, Arizona, police spokesman Sgt. Mark Clark said he collapsed while walking with his wife to their car at a hotel and was pronounced dead at a hospital.

This sad news comes three days after he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, two days after appearing at Wrestlemania XXX, and less than 24 hours after appearing on WWE Monday Night Raw where he gave a speech to the sold out New Orleans’ crowd.

With his colorful outfits, eccentric attitude, and ability to hype the crowd like no other (aside from Hulk Hogan), the Ultimate Warrior won the hearts of millions following his 1985 debut. Although technically he wasn’t the best wrestler, his sheer presence was enough to help captivate a crowd.

In 1990, at Wrestlemania VI, the ultimate main event match-up occurred. Hulk Hogan (who was WWF Champion) vs the Ultimate Warrior (who was the Intercontinental Champion). For the first time ever, both titles were on the line in the same match, both wrestlers in the main event were faces, and it ended up being Hogan’s first loss at Wrestlemania. The very next Wrestlemania, Warrior defeated the late “Macho Man” Randy Savage in a retirement match in another one of his most spectacle bouts.

Tension over the years had grown between Warrior and WWE. It came to a point where after July 8, 1996, Warrior did not appear on WWE programming at all for nearly 20 years.

In 1993, Hellwig legally changed his name to “Warrior” partly in order to keep copyright of the name.

After wrestling, he became a motivational speaker, and regularly maintained an online blog.

But as far as his relations with WWE were concerned, nothing changed.

Until just recently.

On July 15th, 2013, Warrior returned to WWE to be featured in a WWE 2K14 video game trailer. He was later announced as the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2014. The ceremony took place on April 5th.

After appearing at the 30th annual Wrestlemania on April 6th, he made what ended up being his final appearance. During the April 7th episode of Raw, Warrior, dressed in his old jacket and donning one of his famous masks, spoke to the fans with a speech that has since been considered to be a “send off for the ages”:

“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. By the story tellers, by the loyalty, by the memory of those who honor him and make the running the man did live forever. You, you, you, you, you, you are the legend makers of Ultimate Warrior. In the back I see many potential legends. Some of them with warrior spirits. And you will do the same for them. You will decide if they lived with the passion and intensity. So much so that you will tell your stories and you will make them legends, as well. I am Ultimate Warrior. You are the Ultimate Warrior fans. And the spirit of the Ultimate Warrior will run forever!”

WWE wrestler and COO Triple H made the announcement on Twitter last night that he had passed. And the outpouring of grief has still flooded social media. Wrestlers such as Kevin Nash, Hulk Hogan, Jake Roberts, and even chairman Vince McMahon, sent out their thoughts and prayers.

Before his death, James Hellwig was able to bury hatchets with McMahon, Hogan, Nash, Roberts, among many others in the business. Despite having a slight limp and hard trouble catching his breath on Raw, his words reign true, and they will continue to stand the test of time.

The Ultimate Warrior was one of the most electrifying superstars of all time. The words he preached, the style he had, and his final message to the world, will all be etched in history.

I would like to personally send my condolences to Warrior’s wife Dana, and their two daughters during this rough time.