I’m
sure you’ve heard the news by now my friends, if not then I regret to inform
you that The Ultimate Warrior, James ‘Jim’ Hellwig passed away on the evening
of April 8th 2014, after collapsing outside a hotel in Arizona. He was later pronounced
dead in hospital. This came just twenty four hours after cutting that excellent
and now haunting promo on Raw. If you saw it then now, in the cold light of day
knowing how his story ended it will forever live in infamy as a poignant and celebrated
last hurrah for a more than deserved member of WWE’s Hall of Fame. There looked
to be something wrong with Warrior on Raw the night after WrestleMania XXX, he
seemed tired, looked different to his sit down interview during his new release
and whilst no cause of death has been officially released whilst writing this I
can only imagine there was something wrong even if that is stating the obvious.
Even
when Warrior appeared at the Hall of Fame ceremony he seemed a little different
to normal. Almost like he was struggling to cope with something, but I guess
that is all pointless now. The Ultimate Warrior is dead and it hurts me, one of
the ‘Warrior’s’ as a child, much more than I was a Hulkamaniac. Whenever a
wrestler dies in whatever circumstance it hurts us as a collective. We’re so
embroiled in these men and women, these characters they create that when they
leave us it’s like losing a member of the family and now we’re left to deal
with that. Thankfully, we have what seem like a lifetime of memories to remember
him by and his newest release which now becomes a must have for every WWE fan
past or present.
For
those who knew Warrior or even met him just the once can attest to his kindness
and humanity as a person and no I am not just saying that because he’s no
longer with us. Apart from Vince McMahon’s previous version of Warrior on the
disgusting ‘Self Destruction’ release I have yet to hear a bad word said about
him outside the ring. In fact it’s quite the opposite. Numerous times I have
heard about Warrior staying hours after his scheduled time was up at an
autograph signing for free, just because he didn’t want to disappoint any of
his fans or helping someone in need regardless if it affected him personally or
professionally. Warrior was a stand up guy and someone we would all have been
lucky to have in our lives. If only every wrestler was as loyal to their fans.
Of
course that loyalty was reciprocated throughout the years. We never forgot The
Ultimate Warrior even when the wrestling industry moved on and he was no longer
a needed commodity. We turned out to see him in our thousands when he made an
appearance and the reception he got at the Hall of Fame, WrestleMania XXX and
on Raw the night before he passed away was just outstanding. Something I’m sure
he was very proud of at the very end.
I’m
not going to sit here and pretend he was the greatest wrestler to step into a
ring because he wasn’t. Warrior knew it; we knew it anyone who saw some of his
worst outings also knew it. But he tried his best and thankfully his very best
matches are amongst some of the most talked about, iconic and unforgettable in
wrestling history. His Intercontinental Championship reign was very fine
indeed, kicked off by a memorable victory against Honky Tonk Man at SummerSlam
1988 as was his WWE Championship victory over Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VI. A
thrilling bout, followed by some of the finest Championship defences seen in
that era against the likes of Rick Rude, Ted Dibiase and Randy Savage. Maybe
though, his finest match was against Randy Savage at WrestleMania VII. An
unforgettable outing which will live in infamy.
Sure,
his feuds and matches with Papa Shango, Sgt. Slaughter and The Undertaker in
the early 90’s are best forgotten but they fitted in with the times and at that
time were believable as the crowd reaction attests to and his 1996 WWE run and
1998 WCW appearances are also best resigned to the vaults of yesteryear. There’s
no point in trying to change history though, it’s said and done now. His very
last excellent bout came at SummerSlam 1992, an event your Wrestling God
remembers sitting and watching as a child and one I have viewed several times
since on VHS and DVD. Against Randy Savage, Warrior was at his very best as he
was in Wembley Stadium that wonderful night, and that is how we shall remember
him.
For
those who didn’t see Raw, the footage of The Ultimate Warrior complete with
mask in the style of his legendary face paint is now widely available on You
Tube or Yahoo News, depending on when you read this. I strongly suggest you
watch it if you haven’t already. Thanks to his passing, it’s now a powerful and
heartfelt piece of footage. It’s also the last time The Ultimate Warrior was
seen alive on camera. In his impassioned promo, Warrior talked about life and
death before proclaiming that it’s us who make legends and keep them alive. Warrior
thanked us through his speech by implementing his belief that we, the audience,
spot a story and decide to make it immortal. These are not his words but it was
what he was getting at.
We
have to mourn now, in whatever way we see fit. Yes it’s horrendous when we lose
a wrestler because as mentioned it’s like losing a member of the family. I
believe its worse when we lose an icon, especially a childhood one. We chose to
back them and when they pass a little bit of us, the child that loved them,
that painted their face in the style of them, who used to run through the house
from room to room trying to emulate them, pumping their fist in the air as I
did trying to be Warrior when I was seven years old.
The
Ultimate Warrior is yet another blow to the wrestling industry. At fifty four
years old he went too soon whether he was ready or not. I am just grateful to
have seen him in action, to have had those memories. In the end, The Ultimate
Warrior knew he was loved by the wrestling faithful. The man who was once James
Hellwig died in the knowledge that his legacy wasn’t going to be forgotten and
that in a hundred years from now the name The Ultimate Warrior will still be on
everyone’s lips.
Now,
Warrior can be reunited with friends such as Randy Savage in a place much
better and more forgiving than this one. The Ultimate Maniacs are together again,
that’s a reassuring thought at least. And as that clock begins to count down
from ten and all those wrestling fans whom have passed before us cast their
eyes to the aisle as our fallen heroes stop brawling for one solitary moment
and come together to welcome the next of their fallen brothers to that battle
royal in the sky, we can be assured that as he tears through those curtains one
last time, that signature rope shake won’t just be heard above but for the last
time as it was the first time, it will be for us.
Even
after so long away from a main stage wrestling ring, the reaction Warrior received
over WrestleMania weekend shows that real legends never die. They live on for
eternity in someone’s heart and mind. That’s the greatest accomplishment anyone
can achieve in their lifetime. There’s no greater reward than that.
Ultimate
Warrior, the pleasure was all ours.
The Ultimate Warrior
1959 - 2014
