10 Monumental Happenings On Post-WrestleMania Raws
8. The Ultimate Warrior’s Final Promo (2014)
Two days after his long-awaited induction into the WWE Hall Of Fame, The Ultimate Warrior made his first appearance on Raw since 1996.
Donning a colourful Warrior face-mask, Warrior growled into the microphone:
“No WWE talent becomes a legend on their own. 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, it makes them believe deeper in something larger than life, then his essence, his spirit, will be immortalised by the storytellers, by the loyalty, by the memory of those who honour him, and make the running the man did live forever.”
Pointing to the audience, Warrior said, “You, you, you, you you, you are the legend-makers of Ultimate Warrior. In the back, I see many potential legends, some of them with Warrior spirit, and you will do the same for them. You will decide if they lived with the passion and intensity, so much so that you will tell your stories and you will make them legends as well.
“I am Ultimate Warrior, you are Ultimate Warrior fans, and the spirit of Ultimate Warrior will run forever.”
His music played, and Warrior left.
The next day, fans and the wrestling community were stunned by the news that Warrior had died, aged 54.
That Warrior passed away of a heart attack on April 8, 2014, one day after he had spoken of life and death in a wrestling promo and three days after he had returned to WWE following a near-16-year absence, ensures his speech will never be forgotten.