The Ultimate Warrior had something which attracted fans of all ages. Be it his charisma or energy, fans loved watching him doing what he does. Although he wasn't very technical inside the ring, his connection with the WWE Universe covered it up.
Warrior spent more than a decade inside the squared circle and had his fair share of ups and downs. He is a two-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, one-time WWE Champion, headlined a Hall of Fame class, and had a career replicated only by a few. That being said, let's take a look at his prolific career throughout the years.
10 Teaming Up With Sting As The Freedom Fighter And Blade Runners
The Ultimate Warrior began his pro-wrestling career in Continental Wrestling Association in 1985 and soon made a team with Steve Borden who would later go on to be called Sting, This may be the reason why people confuse the earlier version of Sting's face paint to that of Warrior's.
They were known as Freedom Fighters and soon left the promotion to join Universal Wrestling Federation where they became The Blade Runners. Warrior was known as Blade Runner Flash while Sting was called Blade Runner Sting. The group disbanded when Warrior left the promotion in 1986.
9 The Dingo Warrior
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Warrior became a singles player when he joined WCCW and was renamed The Dingo Warrior. He drew comparisons with Road Warrior Animal including the name and many believed it was done purposefully. He turned babyface in the promotion and never turned to the dark side ever again. Warrior won the WCWA Texas Championship and WCWA Tag Team Championships once before leaving the promotion in mid-1987.
8 Debut In WWE And Early Feuds
Warrior finally joined WWE in late-1987 and soon got the iconic Ultimate Warrior name. His first televised match was against Terry Gibbs whom he easily defeated. The Ultimate Warrior took part in numerous squash matches and suffered a defeat only at the hands of Rick Rude before WrestleMania 5. His first big feud against Hercules came to an end at the event where Warrior stood tall.
7 Intercontinental Champion And Feud With Andre The Giant
Warrior replaced Brutus Beefcake at SummerSlam 1988 in an Intercontinental Title match against Honky Tonk Man who had it for 454 days. He surprisingly squashed the champion in 27 seconds and soon stepped into the main event. He lost the title to Rick Rude at WrestleMania 5 thanks to Bobby Heenan.
The Ultimate Warrior won the title for the second time at SummerSlam and feuded with Andre The Giant. He defeated the Giant in several house-show in squash matches and their rivalry came to an end at Survivor Series in 1989 when Warrior's team defeated Andre's team.
6 Classics At WrestleMania
Fans saw Warrior as a legit threat to WWE Champion Hulk Hogan and so did WWE. He shared the ring with The Hulkster in the 1990 Royal Rumble and eventually a match between the two for both championships was booked for WrestleMania 6. Warrior handed Hogan the only defeat he ever had in a WrestleMania main event and relinquished his Intercontinental Championship.
He went on to hold the world title for 293 days and lost it to Sgt. Slaughter. Warrior then partook in another iconic WrestleMania match against Randy Savage in a 'Career-Ending' match where he managed to retire Savage.
5 Supernatural Feuds & Leaving WWE
The Undertaker fought against various high-profile superstars in his rookie year including The Ultimate Warrior. Their feud had a great buildup where Jake "The Snake" Roberts set out to give Warrior 'the knowledge of the dark side', only to backstab him like a snake.
He left the company for a while owning to contract disputes before returning and feuding against another supernatural superstar Papa Shango. Both his feuds against The Undertaker and Shango gave the fans some unforgettable moments like 'Never Trust A Snake' and Warrior vomiting after being controlled by Shango. The former WWE Champion then left the company following his feud with Shango in 1992.
4 Return To WWE
Warrior returned to WWE in 1996 to face Hunter Hearst Helmsley at WrestleMania 12. He defeated the youngster and ended his undefeated streak. The rest of his run at the time wasn't very memorable as he failed to win the Intercontinental Title on two separate occasions. His stint ended in a controversial fashion yet again when Warrior didn't show up on various house shows and eventually left WWE.
3 Three Matches In WCW
The Ultimate Warrior, like many other names during the Monday Night Wars, jumped ship to WCW in May 1998. He feuded in a battle with his long-time foe Hulk Hogan. It's difficult to believe Warrior only fought in three bouts in the promotion before calling it a day.
After losing in the WarGames bout, he teamed up with his old friend Sting to defeat Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan by DQ. Warrior's final bout at WCW was against Hulk Hogan in the penultimate match of Halloween Havoc 1998, in which he ended up on the losing side. The moment when even fans could see Warrior in the mirror but Eric Bischoff couldn't is, without a doubt, the most unforgettable scene from this stint.
2 The Final Match In 2008
After a 10-year absence, Ultimate Warrior returned to the ring in Barcelona, Spain, against Orlando Jordan. He challenged for the NWE World Heavyweight Championship in an unexpected bout. Warrior was about 50-years-old at the time, yet he still managed to compete in the 17-minute fight. He ultimately defeated Jordan and was crowned the Nu-Wrestling Champion, but he vacated the title the same night. It was the last time the Warrior entered the squared circle for a match.
1 Hall Of Fame
Ultimate Warrior had a prolific career in WWE. He and Vince McMahon buried the hatchet and Warrior was then inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame where he headlined the class of 2014. Warrior then appeared at WrestleMania 30 and the RAW after WrestleMania. He received an overwhelming response from the crowd in the form of cheers and praises. Unfortunately, this turned out to be his last public appearance as he left us only a couple of days following this iconic apppearnce.