Ultimate Warrior (legally Warrior, born James Brian Hellwig, June 16, 1959 – April 8, 2014) was an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and motivational speaker. He wrestled for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) from 1987 to 1992, where he was a WWF Intercontinental Champion and WWF Champion. He had a short stint back in the WWF in 1996, as well as a few months in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1998, in which he was simply known as the Warrior.
After a career in bodybuilding, he turned to professional wrestling. From 1985 to 1986, he was paired with fellow former bodybuilder Steve Borden, later known as Sting, as the Blade Runners. The two split when he left to pursue a singles career in World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW). Under the ring name Dingo Warrior, he was a one-time WCWA Texas Heavyweight Champion.
In 1987, he joined the World Wrestling Federation, and became a two-time WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion within two years. In the main event of WrestleMania VI, in 1990, the Warrior won the WWF Championship in a title vs. title match over Hulk Hogan, making him the first wrestler to hold both titles concurrently. Positioned as the new face of the company, he had a falling out with chairman Vince McMahon over a pay dispute, and unsuccessfully attempted to leave the WWF, with which he was under contract. Warrior returned at WrestleMania VIII, but by November 1992, he had been released; it was later revealed that this was due to steroid use.
In 1993, James Hellwig legally changed his name to the mononym "Warrior" and was credited as a co-writer for a comic book based on his name and likeness. Warrior returned to the WWF at WrestleMania XII, but lasted four months, as he began no-showing events. Two years later, he joined World Championship Wrestling (which had tried to hire him in 1995), being used in a much-maligned storyline with Hogan, which culminated at Halloween Havoc. Warrior retired from professional wrestling and subsequently embarked on a public speaking career, but wrestled one final match in Spain in 2008.
Warrior died on April 8, 2014, at the age of 54 in Scottsdale, Arizona. On the preceding three nights in New Orleans, he had been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, appeared at WrestleMania XXX, and made his final public appearance on Monday Night Raw, returning to the promotion after his acrimonious separation in 1996.
Early life Warrior was born in 1959 as James Brian Hellwig, in Crawfordsville, Indiana, about northwest of Indianapolis. He was the oldest of five children and was raised by his mother (along with, later, his stepfather) after his father left his family when he was 12. His father died at 57 and a grandfather died at 52. The family moved and he graduated from Veedersburg's Fountain Central High School and attended Indiana State University for a year.
Bodybuilding career Prior to his career in professional wrestling, Jim Hellwig was an amateur bodybuilder, competing in a number of NPC contests and winning the 1984 NPC Mr. Georgia crown.Doc's Sports – Georgia Bodybuilding Contest Information and More . Georgia Bodybuilding. Retrieved on January 5, 2012. He started training with weights when he was 11 years old and described himself as "the small, insecure kid who wasn't into any sports". He moved to California where, after seeing bodybuilder Robby Robinson, he decided to take up the sport. His first contest took place in Florida, where he placed 5th.
Later, while he was attending Life University in Marietta, Georgia, he won the Junior Atlanta contest and placed 5th at the 1981 AAU Collegiate Mr. America. In 1983, he won the AAU Coastal USA, before taking the Mr. Georgia title the following year. His last bodybuilding contest was 1985's Junior USAs, which was won by future IFBB Pro, Ron Love; Hellwig finished 5th.
In 1985, after spending six weeks in California training for a bodybuilding contest, he was invited to join a group of bodybuilders – Garland Donoho, Mark Miller, and Steve Borden – to form a professional wrestling team. He accepted the invitation and abandoned his bodybuilding career as well as his plans to become a chiropractor.
Professional wrestling career Continental Wrestling Association (1985–1986)
Hellwig began his professional wrestling career as Jim "Justice" Hellwig of Powerteam USA, the group of bodybuilders trained by Red Bastien and Rick Bassman. Hellwig and fellow trainee Steve Borden (who later had success as "Sting") formed a tag team called the Freedom Fighters, with Hellwig adopting the ring name "Justice" and Borden the ring name "Flash".
The Freedom Fighters debuted in the Memphis, Tennessee-based Continental Wrestling Association (CWA) promotion, run by Jerry Jarrett, in November 1985. The team played babyfaces at first, but fans were actually slow to take to the hulking duo in a territory that had featured sympathetic "good guy tag teams" like the Rock 'n' Roll Express and the Fabulous Ones. They were quickly turned heel under "coach" Buddy Wayne and soon afterwards manager Dutch Mantel.
In January 1986, the Freedom Fighters entered a tournament for the vacant AWA Southern Tag Team Championship, defeating Phil Hickerson and The Spoiler in the quarterfinals but losing to eventual tournament winners the Fantastics in the semifinals. They left the CWA later that month.
Universal Wrestling Federation (1986)
In March 1986, Warrior and Borden joined Bill Watts' Oklahoma-based Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF), where they joined "Hotstuff" Eddie Gilbert's Hotstuff International group and feuded with Steve Williams and Ted DiBiase. The former Freedom Fighters were rebranded the Blade Runners, with Hellwig being "Blade Runner Rock" and Borden being "Blade Runner Sting". According to Road Warrior Animal, Watts created the Blade Runners as a parody of the Road Warriors.
In May 1986, Blade Runner Rock entered a tournament for the newly created UWF Heavyweight Championship, but was eliminated by Ted DiBiase in the first round. On June 14 at the "Superdome Extravaganza" event in the Louisiana Superdome, the Blade Runners lost to the Fabulous Freebirds. Hellwig subsequently left the UWF, disbanding the Blade Runners.
World Class Championship Wrestling (1986–1987) In June 1986, he debuted in the Dallas, Texas-based World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) promotion, where he wrestled for $50 a night (). He has stated that he adopted the ring name "Dingo Warrior" after a member of the WCCW locker room remarked that he looked like "a warrior". This stood in contrast with a claim made by Road Warrior Animal, who stated that the Dingo Warrior was a recreation of the Blade Runner gimmick and was an attempt to present himself as an offspring of the Road Warriors. Animal even noted how the Dingo Warrior face-paint design bore great resemblance to that which Road Warrior Hawk used at the time.
Initially, Warrior was a heel in the territory, managed by Gary Hart, although he was cheered during a heel versus heel feud with WCWA World Heavyweight Champion Rick Rude after the two fell out during a tag match. After switching managers to Percival Pringle III, Warrior turned babyface in September 1986 after a falling out with fellow Pringle proteges Buzz Sawyer and Matt Borne after a six-man tag match. In October 1986 at the 3rd Cotton Bowl Extravaganza, Warrior teamed with Steve Simpson to unsuccessfully challenge WCWA World Tag Team Champions Matt Borne and Buzz Sawyer. On November 17, 1986, Warrior and Lance Von Erich defeated Borne and Master Gee (substituting for Sawyer) to win the Championship. They held the Championship until December 1 of that year, when they lost to Al Madril and Brian Adias.
In 1987, Warrior began competing for the WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship, losing to Bob Bradley in a tournament final on January 12. He won the title from Bradley on February 2 of that year. At Wrestling Star Wars in February 1987, Warrior successfully defended the title against Bradley. The title was held up in April 1987 after Warrior left WCCW. He was reinstated as champion upon returning, but vacated it once more upon resigning from WCCW to join the World Wrestling Federation. Warrior made his final appearance with WCCW in June 1987.
World Wrestling Federation (1987–1992)
Early push (1987–1988)
Hellwig joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in June 1987. He was initially billed as Dingo Warrior in house card promos by Gene Okerlund, but soon had his name modified. There is a dispute over who created the full Ultimate Warrior name. Bruce Prichard stated that Vince McMahon did not know what a "Dingo Warrior" was, but because there was the "Modern Day Warrior" Kerry von Erich and The Road Warriors there should not be one more simple warrior, but an Ultimate Warrior. Hellwig claimed after one of his first matches, McMahon had him do a pre-taped promo. It was there Vince said "we want you to do Warrior, but we don't want Dingo." He then proceeded to cut the promo and stated that he was not this warrior or that warrior, he was the "Ultimate Warrior".
He defeated a series of jobbers, including Steve Lombardi, Barry Horowitz and Mike Sharpe. He made his television debut as Ultimate Warrior on the October 25 episode of Wrestling Challenge, in which he defeated another jobber, Terry Gibbs. As the Ultimate Warrior character, Warrior became known for his impassioned babbling, incomprehensible commentary and high-energy ring entrances, which featured him racing into the arena full speed, bursting into the ring, and violently shaking the ring ropes up and down. He was also known for his distinctive pattern of face paint.
After several months of defeating jobbers, Ultimate Warrior was pinned for the first time in the WWF by fellow WWF rookie/future rival Rick Rude on December 28, 1987. In January 1988, he competed in the inaugural Royal Rumble, being eliminated by Dino Bravo.
In early 1988, Warrior entered into his first real WWF feud with fellow strongman Hercules Hernandez. The two faced off on the February 7, 1988, airing of Wrestling Challenge, during which Hercules was disqualified for using his steel chain. Warrior then grabbed ahold of the chain and in the midst of a tug of war over it, the chain snapped. This led to a match at WrestleMania IV, at which Warrior was victorious in his pay-per-view debut.
Warrior lost twice by pinfall shortly thereafter: cleanly to André the Giant in April in Italy, and to Dino Bravo, who put his feet on the ropes for leverage, in Montreal in June. In the summer of 1988, he wrestled Bobby Heenan in a series of "weasel suit" matches, in which Warrior typically won by sleeper hold.
Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion (1988–1990)
Less than a year after his WWF television debut, Warrior, a surprise substitute for the injured Brutus Beefcake, won the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, defeating The Honky Tonk Man in a 27-second squash match at the inaugural SummerSlam on August 29, 1988, and ending The Honky Tonk Man's long reign at 454 days. At Saturday Night's Main Event XVIII on November 16, he successfully defended the title against Super Ninja. As champion, he captained a team at Survivor Series, where he was the sole survivor, pinning "Outlaw" Ron Bass and Greg "the Hammer" Valentine in succession to win the match for his team. At Saturday Night's Main Event XIX on December 7, he successfully defended the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship against The Honky Tonk Man.