A week ago, The Ultimate Warrior stood at the podium on WWE’s “Raw” and accepted his induction into the company’s Hall of Fame. On Monday night, the WWE celebrated the wrestling legend’s career once again, in a much sadder and unanticipated ceremony.
James Hellwig, the man behind the colorful mask that ran the ring in the 80’s and 90’s, died last Tuesday, of what was determined to be a cardiovascular disease. It was a shocking loss — Hellwig, who actually legally changed his name to Warrior, was only 54 — and brought on a slew of tributes from his fellow wrestlers on Twitter and other media.
But WWE was finally able to give a grand send-off on Monday night, which included the video above, a moment of silence, ten honorary bell rings and fans donning the face paint mask that he made famous.