James Brian Hellwig, known to us simply as Warrior or the legendary Ultimate Warrior, has passed away at the age of 54. With so many rumors that he was dead days ago, months ago, years ago…tonight truly shocked and shook the wrestling world. But ask yourself, is this what Warrior wanted? Was Warrior preparing for his passing? Did Warrior know something that we didn’t? Granted he did sign a new three-year deal with the WWE to act as an official ambassador for the company, his chilling last words on Raw tell a story.
“Every man’s heart one day beats its final beat. his lungs breath their final breath. and if what that man did in his life makes the blood pulse through the body of others and makes them bleed deeper in something larger than life, than his essence, his spirit, will be immortalized.” – Warrior
Was Warrior telling us he knew his time was done? As much as people made fun of what was being said by Warrior, did anybody ever take the time to actually listen to what he was saying? His Hall of Fame speech touched me in many ways. That was a broken man at the podium reaching out for not only an apology from the company that slandered his name and legacy for so many years, but for his peers to understand him. All he wanted was to be understood and not judged. Granted I’m sure WWE and Warrior buried the hatchet, but Warrior was clearly and visibly still hurting at the HOF when he gave his speech. This is a man who’s name rang out for the last 25 years in sports entertainment.
One of the names that fans wanted to see in video games, merchandise, etc. A man, in my opinion, should’ve been in the HOF YEARS AGO (before Edge for damn sure). In my eyes, when Warrior saw that even this generation appreciated his legacy in sports entertainment, his mission was complete and now he can rest and be immortalized. Now what’s going to sicken me is the fact that all the superstars and personas will grieve on Twitter about “how great a man and talent Warrior was” but these same people mourning, were the same people who collected a paycheck to sit in a green room and slander this man. Whether you want to call him Jim Hellwig, Warrior, or The Ultimate Warrior..he is, was, and will always be a HUMAN BEING whom made Vince McMahon a crap ton of money, and created some historic and storied battles that will never be duplicated. Like The Undertaker’s character, Warrior’s character can not be re-imagined, duplicated, rebooted, etc.
Jim Hellwig was one of kind and he will be missed by true wrestling fans of his. Life is too short for slander and the almighty dollar, and the personal and professional beef between WWE/WWF and Ultimate Warrior proved that. 54 years old is still young people. He had great things coming for him. My heart goes to his wife Dana and his young daughters, because they are now without a husband and father. To Jim aka Warrior, rest now. Your time and mission has been complete sir. You helped revolutionize Wrestlemania and WWE to what it is today. With the talent that you were surrounded by; Sting, Hogan, Steamboat, Savage, Slaughter, Undertaker, Jake Roberts, etc you helped build their careers as well as your own. Goodbye Jim. Your Warriors will ALWAYS speak to you!
