10 Incredible Stories Of Wrestlers' Dedication To Their Character
8. The Ultimate Warrior Changes His Name
Few wrestlers have ever been as intense, over the top, and completely preposterous as the Ultimate Warrior. From his bulging muscles and colourful facepaint to the nonsensical, babbling promos, Warrior was one of a kind, and while he eventually failed as "the guy", he was once considered a genuine rival to Hulk Hogan’s status as wrestling’s biggest star.
There was a very thin line between the Ultimate Warrior and the man behind the gimmick, however. Jim Hellwig was notorious for his instability, and essentially became his TV character after splitting from WWE in the early ‘90s. He was so dedicated to the act that he took WWE to court over their continued use of the Warrior’s name and likeness in 1996, and won, marking him as the first man in wrestling history to successfully sue his own gimmick.
His ultimate (ahem…) act of dedication came in 1993, however. Hellwig legally changed his full birth name to just a single word: "Warrior." Thus, his widow Dana and daughters Indiana and Mattigan now go through life as part of the Warrior family, showing that the character was much more than an act for Hellwig.