I purchased WWE network, in large part so I would have access to all WEE PPV's for $10 per month. WrestleMania 30 was included so I was quick to jump on that. One of the best features of the network is that they were going to broadcast the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in full. I had been waiting for this to happen for years. The list of 2014 inductees was impressive" Paul Bearer, Carlos Colon, Lita, Razor Ramon, Mr. T, Jake "the Snake" Roberts, and the headliner, the Ultimate Warrior.
I was getting into wrestling right around the time that Warrior burst onto the scene. I had never seen anything like him. The painted face, the arm tassels, the log hair flying as he sprinted down the aisle towards the ring. He'd climb up on the apron, and violently shake the ropes up and down. I think this was to catch his breath after the running. The basic warrior match always ended the same way...clothesline, clothesline, flying tackle, overhead press slam, splash, 1-2-3. He certainly wasn't the best wrestler, but his energy caught the attention of kids like me.
He then captured my attention a year after his arrival. I remember watching Summer Slam 88 when he dethroned the Honky Tonk Man in under one minute in Madison Square Garden to become the Intercontinental champion. A year and a half later, I watched WrestleMania 6 with my father and best friend at the time. We went to Dad's apartment and ordered fried chicken. The city was Toronto, Canada with 68,000 people in attendance. It was title for title, Ultimate Warrior vs. Hulk Hogan. No one knew who would win. I remember when Warrior won the match, I couldn't believe Hogan had gotten beat. And I felt like the torch had been passed and Warrior was now face of the company.
I remember my heartbreak when Sgt. Slaughter won the title from him. I remember the surrealness when Jake Roberts locked him in a coffin and had his cobra bite him. I remember my interest dissipating when he left the company after holding the company up for more money before a match. I remember random feuds with Jerry Lawler, Goldust, and Triple H. I remember cringing at his reign in WCW. That follow-up match with Hulk Hogan at Halloween Havoc is easily one of the five worst matches I have ever seen. His loud promos that once thought were so cool now seemed non-sensical, random, and just confusing.
He legally changed his name to Warrior in 1996. He left WWE after 1996 and many thought he wouldn't go back. He had his principles, he had his values, and wouldn't be swayed. His peers resented him for being greedy, unprofessional, and selfish.
On April 5, he was inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame. It just felt right. He belongs there. I watched as his young daughters walked out on stage with him as he prepared to give his speech. His wife was crying in the front row. On April 6, he appeared at WrestleMania with the other inductees on stage in the Superdome. On April 7, he appeared on Raw for the first time in 18 years. He gave a speech.
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!
On April 8, less than 24 hours later, he died.
It's almost as if he knew. It felt like he was giving his own eulogy. The one good thing is he made peace with WWE and his fans got to see him have one last hurrah. We as fans lost an icon. But his wife has been widowed. His daughters lost their dad. I didn't agree with everything he believed in. But I respect him for not giving in to society or the popular trends and instead standing up for what he believed in.
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