Wrestling great The ULTIMATE WARRIOR, 54, has died suddenly.
The iconic Warrior – aka James Hellwig – had just been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the night before Wrestlemania XXX this past weekend.
Hellwig burst onto the wrestling scene in the late '80s and skyrocketed to fame in the early '90s and disappeared just as quickly
Rumors persisted amongst grappling buffs that rumored contract disputes with head honcho Vince McMahon.
Upon his return to the ring, non-believers whispered that it was a different person portraying The Warrior. And just as quickly as The Warrior returned – then pffft – he was gone again.
Last night, he made his first appearance on "Monday Night Raw" in years.
Officials said Warrior collapsed outside an Arizona hotel at 5:50 PM on April 8th while walking to his car with his wife.
Warrior was quickly rushed to a nearby hospital as docs worked valiantly to save him. They didn’t succeed.
Cause of death is as yet undetermined.
The WWE issued an official statement “WWE is shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the passing of one of the most iconic WWE Superstars ever, The Ultimate Warrior."
"Warrior began his WWE career in 1987 and quickly went on to become one of the biggest stars in WWE history. Warrior became WWE Champion at WrestleMania VI, defeating Hulk Hogan in an epic encounter."
"We are grateful that just days ago, Warrior had the opportunity to take his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame and was also able to appear at WrestleMania 30 and Monday Night Raw to address his legions of fans. WWE sends its sincere condolences to Warrior’s family, friends and fans."
"Warrior was 54 and is survived by his wife Dana and his two daughters."
Mat men Hulk Hogan, Triple H and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Tweeted their condolences as well as The Warrior’s legion of fans.
Adios, amigo.
