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A&E’s WWE Biography: The Ultimate Warrior is a new, two-hour special that chronicles the extraordinary life and career of one of sports-entertainment’s most iconic Superstars.
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Warrior’s early life and family
The Ultimate Warrior was born James Brian Hellwig on June 16, 1959, in Crawfordsville, Indiana. His mother was a stay-at-home mom, and his father was a factory worker. Hellwig was one of five children. He has two brothers and two sisters. Hellwig’s parents divorced when he was just four years old. His father remarried when Hellwig was in high school.
Hellwig’s interest in sports started early. He began lifting weights when he was just 11 years old. In high school, Hellwig was a stand-out athlete. He played football and baseball and ran track. After graduation, Hellwig attended Indiana State University on a full athletic scholarship. While he was in college, Hellwig began working out with Dick Wilkerson, who would later become his wrestling trainer.
Warrior’s amateur wrestling career
Warrior began his amateur wrestling career in high school, where he wrestled for the varsity team. After graduating from high school, Warrior began wrestling for the University of Texas at Austin. He was a two-time All-American and a two-time NCAA Division I Heavyweight Champion. After college, Warrior began professional wrestling
Warrior’s professional wrestling career
Warrior’s professional wrestling career began in 1986, when he was signed by the Von Erichs’ World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) after completing a tryout. He was billed as Jim “The Ultimate Warrior” Neidhart’s brother. Warrior made his WCCW television debut on September 28 and quickly began wrestling on WCCW’s syndicated programming, achieving his first victory on October 5 under the ring name Dingo Warrior over Gino Hernandez. The Dingo Warrior gimmick was a masked wrestler who would remain masked while wrestling and would only be interviewed by Percy Pringle.
Warrior’s acting career
The Ultimate Warrior, born James Brian Hellwig, was an American professional wrestler who most famously wrestled under the name The Ultimate Warrior for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1987 to 1991 and again in 1992 and 1996. He was a two-time Intercontinental Champion and WWE Champion, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014.
In addition to his work in professional wrestling, Warrior also had a brief career in acting. He appeared in the 1991 comedy film The ChiPs as “Thunderlips”, a wrestling character who takes on Ponch (Erik Estrada) and Jon (Larry Wilcox) in a charity softball game. He also had a cameo role in the 1993 film 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain as “Big Foot”.
Warrior’s return to WWE
Warrior’s return to WWE
Warrior’s final days
On April 8, 2014, Warrior made his final public appearance on WWE Raw, where he delivered an emotional promo in which he declared WWE “my home” and said, “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.” He died less than two days later.
Warrior’s legacy
The Ultimate Warrior was one of the most popular and influential wrestlers of the 1980s and ’90s. He was known for his high-octane, colorful personality, and his ferocious in-ring style. He was a multiple-time heavyweight champion and one of the most recognizable faces in the business.
Warrior’s legacy has been complicated in recent years by his untimely death, but he remains one of the most iconic figures in wrestling history.
Warrior’s family life
Although Warrior was known for his intense demeanor, he was actually a family man at heart. He was married to his high school sweetheart, Sheila, and the couple had two daughters together.
Warrior was very close with his daughters and even took them on the road with him at times. In fact, it was Warrior’s daughter Shae who inspired him to return to WWE in 2014, after a nearly 20-year absence.
Warrior’s health
Throughout Warrior’s Hall of Fame speech, he spoke about his past struggles with addiction and depression. He also opened up about his current health problems.
In an emotional moment, Warrior revealed that he has been dealing with an undisclosed form of cardiac disease. He said that the doctors have told him that it’s “impossible” for him to live more than five years.
Despite the grim prognosis, Warrior said that he doesn’t want to focus on the negative. He wants to spend his remaining time enjoying life with his wife and two daughters.
Warrior’s death
April 2014, Warrior suddenly collapsed while walking with his wife outside a hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead at the age of 54. The cause of death was later revealed to be a massive heart attack.
