I came to work this morning with the intent of finishing my reviews from yesterdays releases, and then I opened Twitter. The Ultimate Warrior has died. The first thought is of course "Holy shit, he was just on RAW Monday". Then the memory of the actual promo rings true. Warriors music hits to a great pop. He walks out onto the stage. There's no makeup. There's no running. There's barely a rope shake. He looks tired. After acknowledging the crowd, he pulls out a paper Warrior mask, puts it on, and says:
“No WWE talent becomes a legend on their own. 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 what 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. By the story tellers, by the loyalty, by the memory of those who honor him and make the running the man did live forever. You, you, you, you, you, you are the legend makers of Ultimate Warrior. In the back I see many potential legends. Some of them with warrior spirits. And you will do the same for them. You will decide if they lived with the passion and intensity. So much so that you will tell your stories and you will make them legends, as well. I am The Ultimate Warrior. You are the Ultimate Warrior fans and the spirit of Ultimate Warrior will run forever.”
He knew. Taking into consideration that absolutely nothing has been confirmed about the events surrounding his death, the events that led up to it are telling a very believable story. It truly reads like the Warrior knew that he was in trouble with his health and reached out to the WWE to make amends not only to the company, but to individuals as well. The company responded by inducting him into the hall of fame and giving him his own commercial for the new WWE video game (in opposite order of course). He came to the ceremony, accepted the induction, spoke and made right with old rivals, and came to RAW on Monday to say goodbye. You could tell it was hard for him to speak on RAW, so he got into character. Then he was at peace. Then he was able to let go. Having said all of that, it could still be something that happened suddenly, but it's a beautiful story even if it's only half true. It is a story of a conflicted man being able to make amends and be honored hours before his body let him go.
Anytime someone passes, they leave people behind. In this case, a wife and two daughters. As a father and a son, I cannot begin to understand what it is like to lose and grieve a loved one in such a public light. My heart is with you. Truly. To his daughters, many people will tell you to be strong or brave, and that is always easier said than done. Lean on each other. Rely on each other. Find inspiration and joy in whatever you can, and never let tears make you feel weak or afraid. Most importantly, speak your heart. Speak even when you feel it might not be the time or place. It is always the time and place to speak happiness, anger, or grief.
My Warrior story is a distant one. I did not know him. I never met him. However, his legacy holds a very special place in my memory. My father was in the Air Force and when I was 9 we were stationed at Torrejon Air Base in Madrid, Spain. In the late 80s there weren't 200 channels on television to choose from. I don't remember there being even a quarter of that. However, when we arrived in Spain, we found there was one channel. One English speaking channel run from the Air Force base that would work on our NTSC televisions. All of the programming on television and the movies we could go see in theaters were painfully behind US release dates. We got to see the premiere of the Simpsons when the show was well into its second season in the states. On Sunday afternoons, the channel would air WWF wrestling, so naturally I started watching. I don't remember how far behind the wrestling was from the states, but I didn't care. Hogan, Savage, Piper, The Rockers. I was addicted. Demolition and the Road Warriors were favorites, but The Ultimate Warrior was THE MAN. My friends and I would all gather outside and play wrestle, and I was always the Warrior.
In the late months of 1990, Iraq had invaded Kuwait and the US eventually sent troops into surrounding areas. They referred to the troop deployment as Desert Shield. The Air Force setup a hanger on the base with cots, a television, a snack counter, and a little shop for the troops coming from the US to rest before heading to the middle east. My mother was always an avid volunteer and several times took my older sister and I to volunteer at the snack counter in the hanger. We would stay all night and pass out snacks and drinks to the troops on their way in and out. My sister and I would play cards or board games with the troops. I was always someone's "little brother". On Thanksgiving day 1990, my father was out of town for "stuff" or "training", I don't remember which. My mom asked my sister and I if we'd like to go to the hanger to volunteer for Thanksgiving. We were on board, so we drove the near hour from off-base housing to the base. We were there for a couple hours before I looked over at the TV and saw the opening credits for Survivor Series, and I promptly lost my mind. We didn't get to see pay per views, except on video. If I'm not mistaken SS90 was the first PPV that WWE supplied to military television for free, and I was in the right place for it. I'm sure I almost tackled my mother and begged her to let me go watch it. She said I could if the troops already at the television didn't mind. The television was an old projection style big screen surrounded by rows of at least 25 plus plastic chairs. I ran over to the two guys sitting there and asked if I could watch wrestling. They said sure and got up and left, so it was just me and a giant TV just as Warriors entrance music hit. By the end of the first match, there were 10 troops sitting with me. By the middle of the second match there were twenty. By the end of the second match there were troops standing behind the rows of chairs because they had all been filled. The TV was on full blast. I got to watch Survivor Series with 30+ screaming troops. We yelled at the TV, we booed Sgt Slaughter, we cheered Hogan, we pushed and shoved, and we all had an absolute blast. I got to see Demolition, Road Warriors, the debut of the Undertaker, and The Ultimate Warrior twice in one night with complete strangers who became my instant best friends. After the show, the troops went about their business and I passed out on a cot behind the snack bar. I never saw any of those guys again, but that memory has been one of my favorite things since. The first thing I did when I signed up for the WWE Network was watch SS90. I had the most fun in that three hours. I got to experience something that no one else has. All because I wanted to see The Ultimate Warrior.
Warrior was the personification of pure energy. His music, his entrance, his promos, and his entire presence screamed power and energy. I loved him as a kid, and I mean loved. I'm still a fan today. Rest in peace Warrior. You will be missed.
-K @MrBrutal666
