$1.5 Million
Wiki Biography
The Ultimate Warrior was born as James Brian Hellwig on the 16th June 1959, in Crawfordsville, Indiana, USA, and was a professional wrestler who competed in the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) and was a two-time WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion, beating the famous Hulk Hogan along the way. Hellwig’s career started in 1985 and ended in 1998. He passed away in 2014.
Have you ever wondered how rich the Warrior was, at the time of his death? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that the Warrior’s net worth was as high as $1.5 million, earned through his successful wrestling career. The Warrior also appeared on television, including in various commercials, which improved his wealth.
The Ultimate Warrior Net Worth $1.5 Million
James Brian Hellwig was born the oldest of five children, and was raised by his mother after his father left in 1971. He went to Veedersburg’s Fountain Central High School and then studied at Indiana State University for a year. The Warrior started lifting weights when he was 11, and became an amateur bodybuilder when he moved to California, winning the 1984 NPC Mr. Georgia crown before forming a wrestling team with Garland Donoho, Mark Miller, and Steve Borden in 1985.
His professional career began under the pseudonym Jim “Justice” Hellwig as a member of Powerteam USA, trained by Rick Bassman and Red Bastien. They later changed their name to The Freedom Fighters, and The Blade Runners, but Hellwig left in 1986 to have his solo debut in Dallas at the World Class Championship Wrestling promotion, earning $50 for a night.
In 1987, Warrior competed in the WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship, winning the title over Bob Bradley in February. He left the championship in April to work on house shows, when he adopted the name The Ultimate Warrior. In the late ‘80s Hellwig appeared in TV ads for Irving, Texas car dealership Westway Ford. The Warrior joined the World Wrestling Federation in 1987, and quickly fought his way into the wrestling elite in the next year. In 1988, Warrior won the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship after defeating The Honky Tonk Man, which only increased his net worth. He later lost the title to Rick Rude, but regained it in 1989 against the same opponent.
Hellwig won the WWF World Heavyweight Champion in 1990 after beating Hulk Hogan, who was wrestling’s biggest star at the time. He fought sporadically until 1998, when Warrior retired officially in November 1998, after which he became a public speaker, and maintained a personal blog.
Regarding his personal life, The Ultimate Warrior was married to Shari Lynn Tyree from 1982 to 1991, and he later married Dana Viale in 1999, with whom he had two. Only three days after his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, Warrior died on 8 April 2014 in Scottsdale, Arizona. According to eyewitnesses, Hellwig collapsed after clutching his chest while walking towards his car with his wife. The autopsy revealed that he died of a heart attack caused by therosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Full Name | The Ultimate Warrior |
Net Worth | $1.5 Million |
Date Of Birth | June 16, 1959 |
Died | April 8, 2014, Scottsdale, Arizona, United States |
Place Of Birth | Crawfordsville, Indiana, United States |
Height | 1.91 m |
Weight | 127 kg |
Profession | Professional wrestler |
Education | Indiana State University, Fountain Central High School |
Nationality | American |
Spouse | Dana Hellwig (m. 1999–2014), Shari Lynn Tyree (m. 1982–1991) |
Children | Mattigan Twain Warrior, Indiana Marin Warrior |
IMDB | http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0913134/ |
Allmusic | http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ultimate-warrior-mn0001010051 |
Movies | SummerSlam, 10. Vampires vs. Zombies, 9. French Foreign Legion vs. Gurkhas, 8. Crazy Horse vs. Pancho Villa, SummerSlam |
TV Shows | WCW Monday Nitro, Saturday Night's Main Event |
# | Trademark |
---|---|
1 | Runs to the ring as his entrance |
2 | Incomprehensible interviews and promos. |
3 | Multi-colored face paint. |
4 | Finishing move: Running Splash onto an opponent's front or back |
5 | Wrestling finishing move "The Gorilla Press Slam" |
# | Quote |
---|---|
1 | 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 makes the blood pulse through the body of others and makes them bleed deeper in something that's larger than life, then his essence, his spirit, will be immortalized by the storytellers -- by the loyalty, by the memory of those who honor him, and make the running the man did live forever. |
2 | Always Believe. |
# | Fact |
---|---|
1 | Warrior collapsed outside a hotel in Scottsdale, AZ at 5:50 PM on April 8, 2014, while walking to his car with his wife, Dana. He was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. |
2 | WWE Hall of Famer. |
3 | Owns and operates Warrior university in Scottsdale, Arizona. |
4 | Motivational Speaker around the country for Young America's Foundation. [2003] |
5 | Defeated Hulk Hogan in WrestleMania VI (1990) for the WWF championship. |
6 | Was born Brian James Hellwig but legally changed his name to Warrior in 1993. |
7 | Once while performing in El Paso, Texas, visited a well-known strip club called "Prince Machiavelli's." The manager offered him a job as the head bouncer in the event that his wrestling career didn't work out. |
8 | One of the longest-running pro wrestling myths states that he is actually the second wrestler to portray the Ultimate Warrior, as the original died of steroid use in the 1980s. Evidence used to support this myth is that the "second Warrior" had lighter hair and was bulkier in physique. However, this is just one of many pro wrestling myths with little factual basis. Hellwig is the only wrestler to portray the Ultimate Warrior in any form. |
9 | Ex-wife Sherri was a stripper at the renowned Million Dollar Saloon in Dallas, Texas. |
10 | Second daughter, Mattigan Twain Warrior, was born on 16th December 2002. She weighed 7lb 10oz. |
11 | Was stripped of the WWF Intercontinental Championship after he won the WWF Championship at WrestleMania VI (1990). |
12 | Was a tag team partner with Steve Borden (aka "Sting") from 1984 to 1986 as the Bladerunners. Warrior was then known as "Rock", Borden was called "Flash". Competed in World Class Championship Wrestling (home of the legendary Von Erich clan) under the name "The Dingo Warrior". |
13 | Won a five-year-long lawsuit against WWF/Titan Sports/Vince McMahon in 2000 regarding the use of his names "The Warrior" and "Ultimate Warrior". He legally changed his name to "Warrior" before the lawsuit, in fact, even before he joined the WWF, because he wanted to get back into wrestling after his father had died, and he didn't want to carry on his father's legacy (having fallen out with him many years before). The lawsuit was settled in 2001 (information courtesy of ringside collectibles shoot interview). |
14 | Daughter, Indiana (Indy) Marin Warrior, born in 2000. |
15 | Invented the term, 'Warriorism' |
16 | Legally changed his name to Warrior, so he could own the rights to that name, thus able to continue his gimmick in any wrestling federation he chooses. |
17 | Former WWF World Heavyweight Champion |
18 | Fomer 2-time WWF Intercontinental Champion |
19 | Won Comeback Pro Wrestler of the Year Award in 1992. |
Actor
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Warrior: The Ultimate Legend | 2014 | ||
WrestleMania XXX | 2014 | TV Movie | The Ultimate Warrior |
WWE 2k14 | 2013 | Video Game | The Ultimate Warrior (voice) |
Nu Wrestling Evolution | 2005 | TV Series | Ultimate Warrior (2009) |
WCW Monday Nitro | 1998 | TV Series | The Warrior |
WCW/NWO Fall Brawl: War Games | 1998 | TV Movie | The Warrior |
Firepower | 1993 | The Swordsman | |
Saturday Night's Main Event | 1988-1992 | TV Series | The Ultimate Warrior |
WWF Superstars | 1987-1992 | TV Series | The Ultimate Warrior |
WWF: Wrestlefest '91 | 1991 | Video | The Ultimate Warrior |
WWF Challenge | 1987-1991 | TV Series | The Ultimate Warrior |
World Wrestling Federation | 1990-1991 | TV Series | The Ultimate Warrior |
Royal Rumble | 1991 | Video | The Ultimate Warrior |
Best of Saturday Night's Main Event | 1991 | Video | The Ultimate Warrior |
Summerslam | 1990 | Video | The Ultimate Warrior |
WWF: Wrestlefest '90 | 1990 | Video | The Ultimate Warrior |
Royal Rumble | 1990 | Video | The Ultimate Warrior |
No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie | 1989 | TV Movie | The Ultimate Warrior |
Summerslam | 1989 | Video | The Ultimate Warrior |
Fan Favourites | 1989 | Video | Ultimate Warrior |
The Ultimate Warrior | 1989 | Video | The Ultimate Warrior |
Royal Rumble | 1989 | Video | The Ultimate Warrior |
The Brains Behind the Brawn | 1989 | Video | Ultimate Warrior |
Spectrum Wrestling | 1988 | TV Series | The Ultimate Warrior |
Summerslam | 1988 | TV Movie | The Ultimate Warrior |
Best of the WWF Volume 16 | 1988 | Video | The Ultimate Warrior |
WWF: Wrestlefest 88 | 1988 | TV Movie | The Ultimate Warrior |
WWF Prime-Time Wrestling | 1988 | TV Series | The Ultimate Warrior |
Odd Jobs | 1986 |
Thanks
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
W.W.E. 24 | 2015 | TV Series documentary dedicatee - 1 episode | |
The Goldbergs | 2014 | TV Series dedicatee - 1 episode |
Self
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Sting: Into the Light | 2015 | Video documentary | Himself / Rock |
W.W.E. 24 | 2015 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
The Lost Journals of Huey Williams | 2014 | Short | Himself |
WWE Raw | 1996-2014 | TV Series | The Ultimate Warrior |
WWE Hall of Fame | 2014 | TV Special | Himself (as The Ultimate Warrior) |
Ultimate Warrior: The Ultimate Collection | 2014 | Video | Himself (as Warrior) |
Hannity & Colmes | 2007 | TV Series | The Ultimate Warrior |
WCW/NWO Halloween Havoc | 1998 | TV Special | The Warrior |
The Anti Gravity Room | 1996 | TV Series | Himself |
King of the Ring | 1996 | TV Special | The Ultimate Warrior |
WWF in Your House 7 | 1996 | TV Special | The Ultimate Warrior |
WrestleMania XII | 1996 | TV Special | The Ultimate Warrior |
Summerslam | 1992 | TV Special | The Ultimate Warrior |
WrestleMania VIII | 1992 | TV Special | The Ultimate Warrior |
Summerslam | 1991 | TV Special | The Ultimate Warrior |
WrestleMania VII | 1991 | TV Special | The Ultimate Warrior |
Survivor Series | 1990 | TV Special | The Ultimate Warrior- The Ultimate Warriors) |
Seriously... Phil Collins | 1990 | TV Movie | Himself (as The Ultimate Warrior) |
Live with Kelly and Michael | 1990 | TV Series | Himself |
WrestleMania VI | 1990 | TV Special | The Ultimate Warrior |
Survivor Series | 1989 | TV Special | The Ultimate Warrior - The Ultimate Warriors |
WrestleMania V | 1989 | TV Special | The Ultimate Warrior |
Survivor Series | 1988 | TV Special | The Ultimate Warrior |
WrestleMania IV | 1988 | TV Special | The Ultimate Warrior |
Royal Rumble | 1988 | TV Special | The Ultimate Warrior |
The 37th Annual Slammy Awards | 1987 | TV Special | The Ultimate Warrior |
Archive Footage
Known for movies
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