103-541: The Ultimate Warrior (born James Hellwig) was an American professional wrestler. The Ultimate Warrior or Ultimate Warrior may also refer to the following: The Ultimate Warrior Warrior (born James Brian Hellwig ; June 16, 1959 – April 8, 2014) was an American professional wrestler and bodybuilder . Best known by his ring name The Ultimate Warrior , he wrestled for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE ) from 1987 to 1992, as well as
206-552: A beat down at the hands of Sid Justice and Papa Shango ). Upon his return, he received a degree of creative control over his bookings . One storyline involved Papa Shango, a " witch doctor ", casting a spell over Warrior, causing him to convulse and vomit in very odd colors, though Warrior says he hated that story and had no control over it. The Warrior was booked for a WWF Championship match against then-champion, "Macho Man" Randy Savage at SummerSlam in August 1992. The Warrior won
309-723: A separate but equal course. By 1974 women were becoming more vocal about their restrictions. Prior to 1936, ice hockey in North America was governed by the AAU and the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada . After the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) split ways with its national union, the AAU terminated its working agreement with the CAHA which had allowed for transferring of players and exhibition games between
412-521: A tag team called The Freedom Fighters (Hellwig was known as Justice and Borden was called Flash). The Freedom Fighters debuted in the Memphis, Tennessee-based Continental Wrestling Association (CWA) promotion, run by Jerry Jarrett , in November 1985. The team played babyfaces at first, but fans were actually slow to take to the hulking duo in a territory that had featured sympathetic "good guy tag teams" like
515-402: A "Career-Ending" match at WrestleMania VII which Warrior won, forcing Savage to retire. The next chapter of Warrior's career was an encounter with The Undertaker , after Undertaker and his manager, Paul Bearer , locked Warrior in a coffin on the set of Bearer's Funeral Parlor . WWF officials worked feverishly to break the casket open, finally revealing Warrior's seemingly lifeless body, and
618-615: A Game premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival . LeBron James founded SpringHill Entertainment in 2007 to produce the award-winning documentary, which chronicles his high school basketball career. The 2011 documentary Empty Hand: The Real Karate Kids , written and directed by Kevin Derek, chronicles four young karate competitors compete en route to the annual AAU Karate Championship national tournament. A 2013 AAU youth basketball documentary Little Ballers ,
721-528: A bodybuilding contest, he was invited to join a group of bodybuilders – Garland Donoho, Mark Miller, and Steve Borden – to form a professional wrestling team. Warrior accepted the invitation and abandoned his bodybuilding career as well as his plans to become a chiropractor . Hellwig began his professional wrestling career as Jim "Justice" Hellwig of Powerteam USA, the group of bodybuilders trained by Red Bastien and Rick Bassman. Hellwig and fellow trainee Steve Borden (who later had success as "Sting") formed
824-503: A car dealership in Irving, Texas . Warrior interacted in full wrestling costume with Westway's wacky character, "Mean Joe Greed." Warrior returned to the WWF at WrestleMania VIII after nearly eight months on hiatus since SummerSlam 1991 . Due to the drastic change in his appearance (shorter, blonder hair and a smaller physique), rumors began circulating that a new wrestler was playing the role. At
927-425: A co-writer for a comic book based on his name and likeness. Warrior returned to the WWF at WrestleMania XII , but lasted four months, as he began no-showing events. Two years later, he joined World Championship Wrestling (which had tried to hire him in 1995), being used in a much-maligned storyline with Hogan, which culminated at Halloween Havoc . Warrior retired from professional wrestling and subsequently embarked on
1030-686: A declaration that they owned the characters, Warrior and Ultimate Warrior, under both contract and copyright law. The court ruled that Warrior was legally entitled to use the gimmick, costuming, face paint designs, and mannerisms of the "Warrior" character. On September 27, 2005, WWE released a DVD documentary focusing on Warrior's wrestling career, titled The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior . The DVD featured clips of his more notable feuds and matches along with commentary from WWE stars past and present (most of which are unflattering), with Triple H (by this point one of WWE's top main eventers and
1133-419: A guaranteed number of working days, travel accommodations and a higher percentage of merchandise sales. He remarked that $ 550,000 "was fair", and that "[Warrior] meant as much or more to the show than Hulk [Hogan]". He ended his letter with "Whatever your decision, I can and will live with it. Till then I remain home with one who cares". The WWF responded on July 13, agreeing to $ 550,000 for WrestleMania VII,
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#17328553939951236-638: A heel versus heel feud with WCWA World Heavyweight Champion Rick Rude after the two fell out during a tag match. After switching managers to Percival Pringle III , Warrior turned babyface permanently after a falling out with fellow Pringle proteges Buzz Sawyer and Matt Borne after a six-man tag match. Warrior formed a tag team with Lance Von Erich , and the duo began competing for the WCWA World Tag Team Championship . On November 17, 1986, Warrior and Von Erich defeated Master Gee (substituting for champion Buzz Sawyer ) and Matt Borne to win
1339-430: A higher royalty rate and promising no other WWF performer would be paid more than him on WWF pay per views. McMahon personally ended the letter by saying, "I would like to express my deepest appreciation and admiration for you as a performer, as a member of the WWF family, as a man, and as my friend". Following WWF's annual SummerSlam event, Warrior was handed a letter dated August 26, 1991, from McMahon, saying Warrior
1442-518: A member of the WCCW locker room remarked that he looked like "a warrior". This stood in contrast with a claim made by Road Warrior Animal, who stated that the Dingo Warrior was a recreation of Warrior's Blade Runner gimmick and was an attempt to present himself as an offspring of The Road Warriors . Initially, Warrior was still a heel in the territory, managed by Gary Hart , although he was cheered during
1545-662: A pioneer in amateur sports, James E. Sullivan. Based on the qualities of leadership, character, and sportsmanship, the AAU Sullivan Award goes beyond athletic accomplishments and honors those who have shown strong moral character as well. Golfer Bobby Jones was the first recipient of the AAU Sullivan Award in 1930, beating out other finalists Barney Berling (athletics), Clarence De Mar (athletics), Tommy Hitchcock (polo), Helen Madison (swimming), Helen Wills Moody (tennis), Harlon Rothert (all-around), Ray Rudy (swimming), George Simpson (athletics) and Stella Walsh (athletics) to take home
1648-486: A play on the name nWo. Highlights of the storyline included Warrior kidnapping and "converting" The Disciple and frequent instances of "magic smoke" knocking out all of the nWo members except for Hollywood Hogan and covering Warrior's movement through a trapdoor in the ring. The trapdoor was responsible for nearly paralyzing Davey Boy Smith , when he awkwardly fell on it during a match at Fall Brawl 98 . Warrior's debut promo also unexpectedly lasted over 27 minutes, which
1751-621: A public speaking career, but wrestled one final match in Spain in 2008. Warrior died on April 8, 2014, at the age of 54 in Scottsdale, Arizona . On the preceding three nights in New Orleans , he had been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame , appeared at WrestleMania XXX , and made his final public appearance on Monday Night Raw , returning to the promotion after an acrimonious separation in 1996. Warrior
1854-581: A separate group within the AAU organization. Masters Track and Field is now part of USA Track & Field (USATF). The live action short film The Winning Strain was filmed at the 1966 AAU Track and Field championships in New York City and was nominated for an Oscar in 1967 . 1999 HBO documentary Dare to Compete: The Struggle of Women in Sports won the Peabody Award . In September 2008, More than
1957-663: A short stint in 1996. He also notably spent a few months in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1998, in which he was known as The Warrior . After a career in bodybuilding, Warrior turned to professional wrestling. From 1985 to 1986, he was paired with fellow former bodybuilder Steve Borden, later known as Sting , as the Blade Runners . The two split when Warrior left to pursue a singles career in World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW). Under
2060-457: A shot at Goldberg 's WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Halloween Havoc . Diamond Dallas Page won the match by pinning Stevie Ray . On the October 12 edition of Monday Nitro , he teamed with Sting to defeat Hogan and Bret Hart by disqualification. The third was his loss to Hogan at Halloween Havoc, in what is considered by many to be one of the worst wrestling matches ever staged. During
2163-601: A snake." The stage was now set for a feud between the Warrior and Roberts. The feud never took place, as Warrior was involved in an alleged pay dispute with WWF owner Vince McMahon over the SummerSlam main event, where Warrior was teamed with Hulk Hogan in a handicap match against Sgt. Slaughter, Colonel Mustafa , and General Adnan. On July 10, 1991, Warrior sent a letter to McMahon requesting inclusions in his new WWF contract. He wanted $ 550,000 for performing at WrestleMania VII ,
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#17328553939952266-464: A speech to the fans and wrestlers past and present as his Ultimate Warrior character. Warrior married Shari Lynn Tyree on October 2, 1982. They remained together for the majority of Warrior's WWF career before divorcing on March 22, 1991, two days before WrestleMania VII . Warrior married for the second time to Dana Viale on January 31, 1999. The couple had two daughters together. Between 1987 and 1989, he appeared in several TV ads for Westway Ford,
2369-413: A woman to participate, her results would not be counted in the official race results. In 1970, the first New York City Marathon ignored the AAU rules and allowed women in the event even if it meant that their scores would not be official. For the second New York City Marathon in 1971 the AAU allowed women to participate if they started the race 10 minutes before, or 10 minutes after the men, or if they ran
2472-464: A wrestler from holding both titles. After WrestleMania, Warrior successfully defended the championship against Haku , Mr. Perfect and Ted DiBiase . At SummerSlam , he retained the title over Rick Rude in a steel cage match. "Macho Man" Randy Savage was also introduced as a potential rival after interfering in a The Main Event IV title match at the behest of DiBiase. Warrior was inserted into
2575-416: A year. Prior to his career in professional wrestling Hellwig was an amateur bodybuilder, competing in a number of NPC contests and winning the 1984 NPC Mr. Georgia crown. Hellwig started training with weights when he was 11 years old and described himself as "the small, insecure kid who wasn't into any sports". He moved to California where, after seeing bodybuilder Robby Robinson , he decided to take up
2678-658: Is set for debut in 2015 in cooperation with the Canadian Independent Hockey Federation (CIHF). The AAU James E. Sullivan Award has been presented annually since 1930 to the best collegiate or Olympic-level athlete in the United States – making this award older than the Heisman Trophy (1935). The AAU Sullivan Award is a salute to founder and past president of the Amateur Athletic Union, and
2781-745: The International Ice Hockey Association , which merged into the Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace to become the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) in 1947. With the merger, the IIHF chose to recognize the AHAUS as the governing body of hockey in the United States, instead of the AAU. Despite the decision by the IIHF, the AAU sent its own team to compete in ice hockey at the 1948 Winter Olympics . The AAU
2884-742: The Rock 'n' Roll Express and The Fabulous Ones . They were quickly turned heel under "coach" Buddy Wayne and soon afterwards manager Dutch Mantel . They left the CWA in January 1986. In March 1986, the Freedom Fighters – now known as the Blade Runners – joined the Oklahoma -based Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF). Hellwig was "Blade Runner Rock" and Borden was "Blade Runner Sting". According to Joseph Laurinaitis (aka Road Warrior Animal ), UWF owner Bill Watts created
2987-617: The SkyDome in Toronto. The match was billed as "The Ultimate Challenge", as both Hogan's WWF Championship and Warrior's Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship were on the line. Warrior pinned Hogan after a Warrior Splash to become the only wrestler to hold both championships simultaneously. Warrior vacated the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship (which Mr. Perfect then won in a tournament), as WWF rules prohibited
3090-540: The World Wrestling Federation , where he adopted the ring name The Ultimate Warrior. Warrior began appearing on house shows in June and was initially billed as The Dingo Warrior in house card promos by Gene Okerlund , but soon had his name modified. There is a dispute over who created the full Ultimate Warrior name. Bruce Prichard stated that Vince McMahon did not know what a "Dingo" Warrior was, but because there
3193-438: The 2023–2024 season, AAU College Hockey includes Men's Division 1, Division 2, and Division 3, and a Women's Division, aiming to offer the best collegiate hockey experience while prioritizing the needs of its member conferences, programs, student-athletes, and staff. AAU Hockey sponsors national tournaments for minor hockey levels. A North American Championship for Squirt/Atom and PeeWee levels as well as Midget and Bantam levels
The Ultimate Warrior (disambiguation) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3296-581: The 20th century also hurt the AAU's viability. As a result, the AAU lost its influence and importance in international sports, and focused on the support and promotion of predominantly youthful athletes, as well as on the organization of national sports events. Prior to the AAU, the National Association of Amateur Athletes of America (NAAA) existed from 1879 to 1888. The AAU was co-founded in 1888 by William Buckingham Curtis to establish standards and uniformity in amateur sports. During its early years
3399-651: The AAU Board of Directors and presented to under-served New York City area youth. Other AAU Cares events were held in conjunction with the AAU Girls' Junior National Volleyball Championships in 2016 and 2017 respectively where the AAU teamed up with Feeding Children Everywhere to pack a total of 120,000 meals in total for hungry children. Currently in conjunction with the AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships are Dig Pink® initiatives benefitting
3502-576: The AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships was held at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex (now ESPN Wide World of Sports) for the first time. It was the first volleyball event to be played in the Fieldhouse at the complex, with a total of 127 teams attending. In 2012, the AAU Girls’ Junior National Volleyball Championships was named the largest volleyball tournament in the world by Guinness World Records. The event
3605-570: The AAU Youth Sports Program. As the popularity of the AAU Youth Sports Program increased, the AAU leaders decided to conduct two national championships simultaneously. The idea came to fruition when Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey proclaimed the first AAU Junior Olympic Games open on August 21, 1967 in downtown Washington, D.C., at the Departmental Auditorium on Constitution Avenue. Five hundred twenty-three athletes competed in
3708-607: The AAU between 1888 and 1978. In 1923 the AAU sponsored the First American Track & Field championships for women . In 1897, the AAU held its first national men's basketball championship . The winner was the 23rd Street YMCA from New York City. The first AAU women's basketball tournament was held in April 1926 at the Los Angeles Athletics Club. The Pasadena Athletic & Country Club Flying Rings were crowned
3811-514: The AAU for stifling innovation by forcing outdated or overreaching standards on their goods and game equipment. During this time, the Olympic Sports Act of 1978 organized the then United States Olympic Committee and saw the re-establishment of independent associations for the Olympic sports, referred to as national governing bodies . The rise of professionalism in all sports in the latter half of
3914-416: The AAU is "Sports for All, Forever." The AAU was founded on January 21, 1888, by James E. Sullivan and William Buckingham Curtis with the goal of creating common standards in amateur sport. Since then, most national championships for youth athletes in the United States have taken place under AAU leadership. From its founding as a publicly supported organization, the AAU has represented U.S. sports within
4017-547: The AAU served as a leader in international sport representing the United States in the international sports federations. The AAU worked closely with the Olympic movement to prepare athletes for the Olympic Games . The AAU conducted its first event, championships for boxing, fencing, and wrestling, on April 6, 1888, at New York City's Metropolitan Opera House . The open USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships were organized by
4120-624: The Amateur Athletic Union barred women athletes from competing in events that it sponsored. In 1914 they changed their rules and allowed women to compete in a limited number of swimming events. Just two years later in 1916, AAU was considering discontinuing their experiment in allowing women at swimming events. In 1922, the Metropolitan AAU in New York City approved a larger program of sanctioned events for women but still barred them from running events over one-half mile because they were considered too strenuous. The reason given for barring women
4223-519: The Blade Runners and the intent was to make them a parody of The Road Warriors . They were part of Eddie Gilbert 's Hotstuff International group, before disbanding in June 1986 when Hellwig left the UWF. In June 1986, Warrior debuted in the Dallas , Texas-based World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) promotion, where he wrestled for $ 50 a night. He has stated that he adopted the ring name "Dingo Warrior" after
The Ultimate Warrior (disambiguation) - Misplaced Pages Continue
4326-625: The Champions of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism Award by Sports Destination Management, Best Single Amateur Sporting Event by Sports Travel Awards, and Best Sporting Event by Connect Sports. The AAU Cares program was established in 2016 as the AAU's way of giving back to the community. The first event was held in conjunction with the 86th AAU James E. Sullivan Award. With the assistance of New York State Senator Kevin Parker, bicycles were assembled by
4429-602: The February 7, 1988, airing of Wrestling Challenge , where Hercules was disqualified for using his steel chain. Warrior then grabbed ahold of the chain and in the midst of a tug of war over it, the chain snapped. This led to a match at WrestleMania IV , where Warrior was victorious in his pay-per-view debut. Warrior lost twice by pinfall shortly thereafter: cleanly to André the Giant in April in Italy, and to Dino Bravo , who put his feet on
4532-641: The July 8 episode of Monday Night Raw . Warrior was scheduled to team with Shawn Michaels and Ahmed Johnson to face Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith , and Vader at In Your House 9 later that month, but the WWF terminated Warrior's contract when he missed several house shows, taking time off allegedly to grieve the death of his father. WWF owner Vince McMahon claimed that Warrior had not seen his father in ten years and did not care much for him; therefore, he did not take Warrior's excuse for missing house shows at face value. Warrior disputes McMahon's explanation, claiming that
4635-524: The Side-Out Foundation. The AAU Urban Initiative was created in 2015 to provide a holistic approach to athletics. It provides participation opportunities to areas that were historically under served. The initiative partners the AAU with local government, law enforcement, faith-based groups, business communities, educational institutions and other groups who work to bring communities together through sports in service to America's youth. Through mentoring,
4738-505: The SummerSlam event. Upon receiving the letter, Warrior refused the suspension and left the WWF. Warrior formally sent a letter of resignation to the WWF in October 1991. The WWF refused to accept the letter since Warrior was under contract until September 1992. With Hulk Hogan about to leave WWF between mid-1992 and early-1993, McMahon contacted Warrior about returning. He made his comeback at WrestleMania VIII (to rescue Hulk Hogan from
4841-653: The Ultimate Warrior DVD. On September 18, 2009, Warrior's lawsuit in Arizona was dismissed. Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union ( AAU ) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States . A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has more than 900,000 members nationwide, including more than 100,000 volunteers. The philosophy of
4944-454: The Ultimate Warrior should be the one to accept Mr Perfect's services - up for offer to either Summerslam main event competitor - turning heel in the process of winning the title. However these plans were scrapped at a late stage due to the Warrior's refusal to turn heel after considering the collapse in merchandise sales which would have resulted. Furthermore, his return coincided with the government's crackdown on steroids in wrestling. Warrior
5047-424: The WWF on March 31, 1996, defeating Hunter Hearst Helmsley at WrestleMania XII . He made his first appearance on Monday Night Raw on April 8, where he gave an in-ring interview and credited the "voices" of the "warriors" (his name for members of the WWF audience) for his return; he was then interrupted by Goldust . Warrior challenged for Goldust's Intercontinental Championship at In Your House 7 ; Warrior won
5150-437: The arena full speed, bursting into the ring, and violently shaking the ring ropes up and down. He was also known for his distinctive pattern of face paint. After several months of defeating jobbers, he was pinned for the first time in the WWF by fellow WWF rookie/future rival Rick Rude on December 28, 1987. In early 1988, Warrior entered into his first real WWF feud with fellow strongman Hercules Hernandez . The two faced off on
5253-502: The athletes had been mounting for years to find an answer. Track and Field News discussed the subject with its cover article "Take the Money and Run" in November 1971. AAU got its start in New York City. But in 1957, the search began for a permanent national office site rather than renting office space in NYC. In 1970, the AAU officially moved its national headquarters to Indianapolis, serving as
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#17328553939955356-474: The bout, Hogan attempted to "blind" The Warrior using flash paper, but was unable to light it properly, and as a result The Warrior was forced to briefly sell the move despite the flames clearly not touching him in any way. The match came to an end when Horace Hogan hit Warrior in the back with a chair, allowing Hogan to score the pinfall. WCW claimed that attempts were made to save the storyline though Warrior claimed in interviews and convention appearances that
5459-752: The catalyst which eventually bills the city as the “Amateur Sports Capital” of the United States. In 1994, the AAU joined forces with the Walt Disney World Resort, signing a 30-year agreement. As part of that agreement, many of AAU's national championships in many sports are played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista. In 1996, the AAU relocated its national headquarters to Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista , Florida . More than 40 AAU national events are conducted at
5562-722: The champions. In the 1960s and 1970s, the NCAA engaged in a bitter power struggle with the AAU. After the Amateur Sports Act of 1978 broke up the AAU's responsibility as the national Olympic sports governing body , the AAU focused on providing sports programs for all participants of all ages beginning at the local and regional levels. The AAU is divided into 55 distinct district associations, which annually sanction 45 sports programs, 250 national championships, and over 30,000 age division events. The AAU events have over 900,000 participants and over 100,000 volunteers. Starting in 1914,
5665-776: The company on November 21, 1992, with his last match being a victory over Kamala on November 8 in Orlando, Florida . Between November 1992 and July 1995, Warrior was semi-retired. During his time away from the WWF, Warrior opened the short-lived "Warrior University", a professional wrestling school based in Scottsdale, Arizona . In January 1993 he wrestled as the Dingo Warrior, defeating Hercules Hernandez in Billerica, Massachusetts, for Killer Kowalski 's International Wrestling Federation. In April 1993, he toured Europe for World Wrestlings Superstars in Germany and that same year he also played
5768-921: The complex. The AAU headquarters is located within the former Walt Disney World Preview Center. Programs offered by the AAU include: AAU Sports Program, AAU Junior Olympic Games , AAU James E. Sullivan Memorial Award and the AAU Complete Athlete Program. The AAU has 33 national committees to organize its activities in particular sports. AAU operates under a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status granted in 1996. The Amateur Athletic Union offers participants sport programming in individual and team sports in their local community that they can join and compete with other athletes their own age. There are teams in most sports ranging from 9U to 18U, allowing youth athletes to play for championships in sports against other athletes similar in age and athletic development. The AAU offers sport programming for individuals and teams in
5871-482: The feud between The Legion of Doom and Demolition , leading to victories for the Warrior and LOD in six-man tag team matches in house shows as well as the October 13, 1990, airing of Saturday Night's Main Event XXVIII . The feud culminated at Survivor Series , where The Warriors (Ultimate Warrior, LOD and Kerry Von Erich) defeated The Perfect Team (Mr. Perfect and Demolition). For the third consecutive year, Warrior
5974-574: The following sports: The AAU Junior Olympic Games is the largest multi-sport event for youth in the United States. It has become the showcase event of the AAU Sports Program. The Games originated from ‘telegraphic' state track and field competitions. National Champions were determined through telephone and/or mail entries instead of head-to-head competition. In 1949, the AAU conducted its first ‘live' national meet in Cleveland, Ohio — giving birth to
6077-644: The honor. In 1944, Ann Curtis, an 18-year-old swimmer from San Francisco, became the first woman to receive the AAU Sullivan Award. Curtis had captured eight AAU titles during the year. In 2024, the 94th AAU James E. Sullivan Award was presented to college basketball star Caitlin Clark , who became the first ever two-time winner of the award. Other finalists included David Taylor (Wrestler), Emery Lehman (Speedskating), Frederick Richard (Gymnastics), Madisen Skinner (Volleyball) and Noah Jaffe (Para Swimming) . Masters Track and Field officially began in 1968, and in 1971 became
6180-415: The husband of Vince McMahon's daughter Stephanie McMahon ) adding that his WrestleMania debut loss against Warrior at WrestleMania XII left him with mixed emotions, saying that Warrior "ruined the experience" for him and was "one of the most unprofessional guys" he's ever performed with. The DVD has provoked some controversy due to Warrior's own allegations of slander by WWE against him. Originally, Warrior
6283-483: The inaugural SummerSlam on August 29, 1988, and ending Honky Tonk's long reign at 454 days. As champion, he captained a team at Survivor Series '88 , where he was the sole survivor, pinning Outlaw Ron Bass and Greg Valentine in succession to win the match for his team. As 1989 began, Warrior entered a feud with Rick Rude over the Intercontinental title. The feud was sparked at the 1989 Royal Rumble , where
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#17328553939956386-528: The inaugural AAU Junior Olympic Games in Washington, D.C. in 1967. National champions were determined in swimming and track and field. Eighteen AAU records in swimming and three in track and field were established. Since its beginning in Washington, D.C. in 1967, the AAU Junior Olympic Games have been conducted in 19 states and 31 cities across the United States. The Games popularity has exploded from
6489-444: The match and the Nu-Wrestling Evolution World Heavyweight Championship, but immediately vacated the title. On February 20, 2013, Warrior confirmed on his official YouTube channel that he would appear at "WrestleCon" on April 7, 2013. In the same clip he spoke positively about Vince McMahon for the first time on his channel. His appearance was so popular that a second print run of tickets had to be ordered. On July 15, 2013, Warrior
6592-447: The match by count-out, but not the title. In November 1992, Warrior was scheduled to team with Savage (as The Ultimate Maniacs) to face Ric Flair and Razor Ramon at Survivor Series . Weeks before the event, Warrior was released for disputed reasons and replaced by Mr. Perfect . The initial plan for Warrior's 1992 return was to eventually give him another run with the WWF Championship. Indeed, WWF writers had originally intended that
6695-454: The match by countout, but did not win the title. The following night on Monday Night Raw , Warrior defeated Isaac Yankem, DDS . A rematch with Intercontinental Champion Goldust, on the May 27 episode of the show, ended in a double countout, thus eliminating both men from the tournament and eventually giving Vader a bye into the semi-finals. Warrior defeated Jerry Lawler at King of the Ring , and defeated Owen Hart by disqualification on
6798-534: The national team. As part of this, the AAU Junior Olympic Games were introduced in 1949, with athletes aged 8 to 16 years, or older in certain sports, being able to participate. Many future World and Olympic champions have appeared in these events, which are still held every year. In the 1970s, the AAU received growing criticism. Many claimed that its regulatory framework was outdated. Women were banned from participating in certain competitions and some runners were locked out. The sporting goods industry also criticized
6901-405: The new face of the company, he had a falling out with chairman Vince McMahon over a pay dispute, and unsuccessfully attempted to leave the WWF, with which he was under contract. Warrior returned at WrestleMania VIII , but by November 1992, he had been released; it was later revealed that this was due to steroid use. In 1993, he legally changed his name to the mononym "Warrior" and was credited as
7004-478: The only reason he was brought back was so Hogan could get a win over Warrior in return for Hogan's WrestleMania job. Warrior's last appearance in WCW was on the November 9, 1998, episode of Monday Nitro , when he came to the rescue of The Disciple who was being attacked by members of The nWo. Warrior retired from wrestling that year. After retiring in 1998, Warrior only wrestled a single match on June 25, 2008, against Orlando Jordan in Barcelona, Spain. Warrior won
7107-597: The original 523 athletes to more than 18,000 participants representing all 50 states and several United States territories. The AAU Junior Olympic Games has been honored with Champions of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism Awards from Sports Destination Management in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023. The AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships is one of AAU’s premier and award-winning national events. The inaugural AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships took place on June 25, 1974 in Catonsville, Maryland. Nineteen teams participated, representing 10 states. In June 1997,
7210-399: The program teaches life skills, character development, and harmony. On September 16–17, 2023, the AAU Urban Initiative program held an inaugural 3v3 AAU Basketball Tournament at Times Square in New York City in cooperation with the NYPD. The AAU College Hockey was established in March 2023, through the collaboration of the Collegiate Hockey Federation and Amateur Athletic Union. Beginning with
7313-404: The real reason why he did not show up to those events was a breach of contract by McMahon, in which WWF sold Warrior's merchandise without giving him a percentage. He was replaced by Sycho Sid at In Your House 9 . WCW signed Warrior "at great expense" in May 1998. He formed a stable opposing Hollywood Hulk Hogan's New World Order (nWo) : the "One Warrior Nation" using the initialism oWn as
7416-458: The ring name Dingo Warrior , he was a one-time WCWA Texas Heavyweight Champion . In 1987, he joined the World Wrestling Federation, and became a two-time WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion within two years. At WrestleMania VI , Warrior won the WWF Championship in a title vs. title match over Hulk Hogan , making him the first wrestler to hold both titles concurrently. Posited as
7519-643: The role of "the swordsman" in the action movie Firepower . On July 22, 1995, he returned to the ring for the National Wrestling Conference (NWC) promotion in Las Vegas, defeating The Honky Tonk Man . He had also wrestled a tour of Germany for Otto Wanz 's Catch Wrestling Association (CWA) promotion where he defeated Ulf Herman . On February 10, 1996, he defeated Jimmy Garvin in an independent show in Princeton, West Virginia. Warrior returned to
7622-540: The ropes for leverage, in Montreal in June. In the summer of 1988, he wrestled Bobby Heenan in a series of weasel suit matches, in which Warrior won by sleeper hold. Less than a year after his WWF television debut, Warrior, a surprise substitute for the injured Brutus Beefcake , won the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship , defeating The Honky Tonk Man in a 27-second squash match at
7725-502: The rumors likely originated from Gene Okerlund 's WCW Hotline as well as the WCW debut of Warrior doppelgänger The Renegade . In 1993, Hellwig legally changed his name to the mononym Warrior. This one-word name appears on all legal documents pertaining to Warrior, and his children carry the Warrior name as their legal surname. Warrior and the WWF engaged in a series of lawsuits and legal actions in 1996 and 1998, where both parties sought
7828-828: The sport. His first contest took place in Florida , where he placed 5th. Later, while he was attending Life University in Marietta, Georgia , he won the Junior Atlanta contest and placed 5th at the 1981 AAU Collegiate Mr. America . In 1983, he won the AAU Coastal USA, before taking the Mr. Georgia title the following year. His last bodybuilding contest was 1985's Junior USAs, which was won by future IFBB Pro, Ron Love. Hellwig finished 5th. In 1985, after spending six weeks in California training for
7931-491: The time it was rumored to be Kerry Von Erich , who was then under contract to the WWF. Some said Warrior died from liver failure due to years of steroid abuse or that his signature arm tassels cut off his blood circulation. WWE claims that the theory that a different man returned to play The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VIII remains "perhaps the longest standing urban legend in WWE history". WWE announcer Tom Phillips claims that
8034-411: The time. After rejecting an earlier request to grant a title shot to Savage, Sensational Sherri interjected herself in the Warrior's championship match to distract him. Her interference eventually led to a Savage sneak attack, where he struck Warrior over the head with a metal scepter and allowed Slaughter to pin Warrior to win the title. Warrior went on to feud with Savage, and the rivalry culminated in
8137-413: The title and become a two-time Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion. Warrior then began a feud with André the Giant , leading to a number of house shows in which Warrior defeated André in short squash matches, establishing Warrior as a main event level talent. The feud culminated at Survivor Series where the two captained opposing teams. Warrior eliminated André by knocking him out of the ring, where he
8240-618: The title. They held the Championship until December 1 of that year, when they lost to Al Madril and Brian Adias . In 1987, Warrior began competing for the WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship , losing to Bob Bradley in a tournament final on January 12. He won the title from Bradley on February 2 of that year. The title was held up in April 1987 after Warrior left the WCCW. He was reinstated as champion upon returning, but vacated it once more upon resigning from WCCW to join
8343-582: The torn fabric inside of the coffin indicating Warrior's desperate struggle to get out. Warrior was finally revived by the officials performing CPR . (It was later revealed in a 2010 interview with Bearer that, in preparation for the segment, he and his team had to remove the airtight rubber seal or "gasket" from around the coffin's lid and drill air holes in said lid to allow for breathable space, so that Warrior would not suffocate because "he had enough brain damage as it was, and we wouldn't want to give him any more", implying that Warrior had been faking his own death
8446-548: The two countries. The AAU then issued an ultimatum to the Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL) in August 1937, not to have any Canadian-born players in its league. EAHL president Tommy Lockhart chose to break away from the AAU and reached an agreement with the CAHA, then founded the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (AHAUS) to govern ice hockey. The AHAUS and the CAHA joined to form
8549-438: The two met in a "super posedown". After Warrior drew the support of the live crowd in their judging of the contest, Rude attacked Warrior and choked him with a steel bar. This led to a championship match at WrestleMania V , where Rude pinned Warrior to win the title with the help of his manager Bobby Heenan , who held down Warrior's foot from outside the ring as he was being pinned. At SummerSlam , Warrior defeated Rude to regain
8652-638: The various international sports federations. In the late 1800s to the early 1900s, Spalding Athletic Library of the Spaulding Company published the Official Rules of the AAU. The AAU formerly worked closely with what is now today the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee to prepare U.S. athletes for both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, helping in the qualification of athletes to form
8755-455: The whole time. ) This led to Jake "The Snake" Roberts offering to give Warrior "the knowledge of the dark side" in order to prepare Warrior to take his revenge on the Undertaker. This involved Roberts giving Warrior three "tests" shown on WWF television in consecutive weeks. For the first test, Roberts locked Warrior once again inside the same coffin as previously. For the second test, Warrior
8858-457: Was "buried alive" by Roberts. For the third test, the Warrior entered a room full of snakes, to find "the answer" in a chest in the middle of the room. Waiting inside the chest was a spitting cobra which bit Warrior in the face. As Warrior, weakened from the effects of the cobra's strike, Roberts made a heel turn and was joined by the Undertaker and Paul Bearer, revealing the three were working together all along. Roberts then uttered, "Never trust
8961-434: Was "under the table." As a result, many American athletes' careers were frequently cut short shortly after their subsidized participation at the collegiate level ended, even as Eastern Bloc and other international athletes frequently had their careers extended under the facade of being a part of national military or police service (usually being more honorary than productive work) which extended their amateurism. Pressure from
9064-654: Was The Ultimate Warrior. Warrior made his final appearance with WCCW in June 1987. Hellwig joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in June 1987. First competing on house shows under his Dingo Warrior moniker, he defeated a series of jobbers , including Steve Lombardi , Barry Horowitz and Mike Sharpe . He made his television debut as The Ultimate Warrior on the October 25 episode of Wrestling Challenge , where he defeated another jobber, Terry Gibbs . As The Ultimate Warrior character, Hellwig became known for his impassioned babbling , incomprehensible commentary and high-energy ring entrances, which featured him racing into
9167-490: Was admittedly a heavy user of steroids during his professional wrestling career. In his book Sex, Lies and Headlocks , ESPN writer Shaun Assael stated that Canadian chemist Mauro Di Pasquale , who had been hired in June to monitor the WWF's new drug testing program and was known for being tough towards anyone who failed a drug test, nailed Warrior for steroid use in September and was able to successfully persuade McMahon, who
9270-526: Was asked to help with the production of the DVD, but as he refused to work with WWE (citing he did not want to be associated with their promotion ), there had been some resulting animosity between Warrior and WWE over the Warrior claiming bias on the part of WWE. In January 2006, Warrior filed another lawsuit against WWE in an Arizona court over the depiction of his wrestling career in The Self-Destruction of
9373-562: Was born in 1959 as James Brian Hellwig, in Crawfordsville, Indiana, about 50 miles northwest of Indianapolis . He was the oldest of five children and was raised by his mother (along with, later, his stepfather) after his father left his family when he was 12. His father died at 57 and a grandfather died at 52. The family moved and he graduated from Veedersburg 's Fountain Central High School and attended Indiana State University for
9476-433: Was counted out. Warrior was again the sole survivor, pinning Arn Anderson and Bobby Heenan to win the match. The Warrior received a push as WWF's main event level successor to Hulk Hogan , who had remained wrestling's biggest star throughout the 1980s. Following a few confrontations with Hogan, most notably at the 1990 Royal Rumble , the Warrior was written in as Hogan's opponent in the main event for WrestleMania VI at
9579-457: Was featured in a WWE 2K14 game trailer and revealed he was in the roster as a pre-order bonus. On April 5, 2014, The Ultimate Warrior was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2014. The next day, Warrior appeared at WrestleMania XXX , and the following night delivered a promo on Raw , his first appearance on the show since his final televised WWF match in 1996. During what turned out to be his final public appearance, Warrior gave
9682-541: Was held at ESPN's Wide World of Sports and the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The 50th AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships in 2023 was the largest event to date with 5,194 teams (966 boys and 4228 girls) competing. It's the largest sporting event ever held at the Orange County Convention Center. Over the years, this premier AAU event has been recognized as a seven-time winner of
9785-452: Was more than 20 minutes over its allotted time and forced Eric Bischoff to do a massive rewrite of Nitro on the spot, including re-adding a commercial break that was supposed to take place during the promo. Warrior only participated in three matches in WCW. The first was the WarGames match at Fall Brawl , where he competed as a member of Team WCW, competing against 8 other wrestlers for
9888-526: Was precipitated by grumblings of the inefficiency of the AAU to manage the multitude of sports at the Olympic level. USA Gymnastics was formed initially as a feeder program in 1963 as a response to perceived poor performance by the American performers in the Olympics and at World Championships. The USWF was formed in 1968 as an effort to take over amateur wrestling as an independent governing body. Their position
9991-562: Was supported by the United States Olympic Committee led by Avery Brundage , who threatened a United States boycott the Olympics if an AHAUS team was recognized instead of an AAU team. The status of ice hockey at the 1948 Winter Olympics was not resolved until the night before the Olympics began, after bitter negotiations. The International Olympic Committee allowed the AHAUS team to participate, but they were ineligible to win an Olympic medal. The Amateur Sports Act of 1978
10094-455: Was supported when FILA , then wrestling's world governing body, refused to accept membership of "umbrella" sports organizations like the AAU. The International Track Association was formed immediately after the 1972 Olympics. Prior to the formation of the ITA, track and field athletes were amateur athletes, as required by the Olympic creed of the day. The only income they received from their sport
10197-445: Was suspended effective immediately. Among other things, McMahon said, "You threatened to stay at home thereby not even appearing at Titan's major summer pay-per-view event SummerSlam. I had no choice but to accede to your exorbitant demands. This was a serious mistake on your part". McMahon later testified that the only reason the company agreed to the contract was to "acquiesce to his demands temporarily" to ensure Warrior would perform at
10300-418: Was that if a woman was allowed to run more than a half-mile they would put their reproductive health at risk. But by 1923 the AAU allowed women to compete in most sports, including basketball. The AAU held women's basketball tournaments from 1926 through 1970. In 1961, the Amateur Athletic Union still prohibited women from competing in road running events and even if organizers broke the rule and allowed
10403-409: Was the "Modern Day Warrior" Kerry von Erich and The Road Warriors there should not be one more simple warrior, but the Ultimate Warrior. Warrior claimed after one of his first matches, McMahon had him do a pretaped promo. It was there Vince said "we want you to do Warrior, but we don't want Dingo." The Warrior then proceeded to cut the promo and stated that he was not this warrior or that warrior, he
10506-524: Was the sole survivor for his team. He later survived the "Grand Finale Match of Survival" with Hulk Hogan. In January 1991, Warrior faced Sgt. Slaughter at the Royal Rumble . Slaughter's gimmick at the time was a traitor who had betrayed America by aligning himself with an Iraqi ( kayfabe ) military general, General Adnan . In the context of the Gulf War , this made Slaughter one of the most hated heels at
10609-472: Was under federal scrutiny at the time for allegations of illegally supplying steroids to some of his wrestlers, to release Warrior from the company. However, in Warrior: The Ultimate Legend , McMahon claims that it was Warrior's experimenting with growth hormone which led to his departure; Warrior was suspended and, in return, skipped dates as he took offense to McMahon's actions. Warrior left
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