And if what that man did in his life makes the blood pulse through the body of others and makes them bleed deeper and something larger than life then his essence, his spirit, will be immortalized. Every man’s heart one day beats its final beat. “No WWE talent becomes a legend on their own. Following his induction, he appeared the following night at WrestleMania XXX and again on “Monday Night RAW.” In what would turn out to be a haunting prediction, he gave a passionate speech to the WWE Universe. All parties involved had put the past behind them and it was time for him to take his place among the all-time greats. In 2014, 18 years after his last appearance with the company, Warrior returned to WWE to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Having legally changed his name to Warrior in 1993, his wife and children use it as their legal surname. He married Dana Viale in 1999 and had two daughters, Indiana and Mattigan. The Ultimate Warrior was content to stay out of the spotlight with his in-ring days behind him. RELATED: How Much Was “Macho Man” Randy Savage Worth When He Died? His controversies were later documented in “The Self-Destruction of The Ultimate Warrior,” a WWE-produced DVD in 2005. But a few months later, he was again let go after missing a number of dates. He returned briefly in 1996, squashing a young Triple H at WrestleMania XII. Warrior finally returned to the company at WrestleMania VIII in the spring of 1992 but was gone from WWE by November. The Ultimate Warrior attempted to quit WWE in October but McMahon refused his resignation as he was under contract. Vince McMahon agreed to his terms to get him to work SummerSlam but immediately suspended him following the pay-per-view. He wanted a bigger cut of merchandise sales, a limited number of dates, and travel expenses. Warrior was set to team with Hogan in a 2-on-3 handicap match but refused to perform unless he was given more money, believing he was worth just as much as the Hulkster. The downfall of The Ultimate Warrior continued in one of the most controversial moments in WWE history at the 1991 edition of SummerSlam. But he was an afterthought in that match as the story became more about the reunion of Savage and Miss Elizabeth. Meanwhile, the Warrior engaged in a fantastic feud with “Macho Man” Randy Savage, which led to their epic “retirement match ” at the same WrestleMania, with the Warrior emerging victorious. Slaughter, who then lost it to Hogan at WrestleMania VII. It seemed he had peaked at WrestleMania VI and he was defeated at the 1991 Royal Rumble for the strap by Sgt. The Ultimate Warrior’s run with the WWE title simply wasn’t what Vince McMahon was hoping for. RELATED: A Look Back on the Alleged Plot to Murder WWE Owner Vince McMahon The Ultimate Warrior | The Denver Post via Getty Images But his reign at the top wouldn’t last very long.
The Ultimate Warrior was now king of the mountain in WWE. The match certainly wasn’t the prettiest in the world but it did exactly what it was supposed to do. And he agreed to lose cleanly, a pretty rare move for Hogan.
Wanting to take some time off, he agreed to drop his WWE Championship to Warrior at WrestleMania VI in Toronto in April 1990. In just two short years, The Ultimate Warrior had become just about as big of a star as the Hulkster and Hogan knew it.
After a short feud with Andre the Giant, whom he beat on numerous occasions in quick fashion, he found himself face to face with Hulk Hogan. In 1989, he engaged in a phenomenal feud with Ravishing Rick Rude, losing the IC title to him at WrestleMania V due to outside interference from legendary manager Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, only to regain it later that year at SummerSlam. Less than a year after his debut, he ended the Honky Tonk Man’s record 454-day reign as Intercontinental Champion at the first edition of SummerSlam in 1988, squashing him in just under 30 seconds for his biggest win to date. The Ultimate Warrior made his WWE debut in June 1987 and was an instant hit with fans. After spending about a year in WCCW, he signed with WWE in 1987 and became a huge star almost immediately. The two formed a tag team and worked in various promotions before going their separate ways the following year.
After a successful bodybuilding career, The Ultimate Warrior (born James Hellwig) began his pro wrestling career in 1985, training alongside fellow future WWE Hall of Famer, Sting.