4. The Ultimate Warrior Returns To WWE Then Passes Away
For years, retired and/or exiled WWE stars returned to the promotion one-by-one. Hulk Hogan returned twice, Bret Hart returned after being screwed out of the world title, The Rock returned from Hollywood to recapture the world title, and even Kevin Nash had one more run in the main event slot. The lone holdout was the Ultimate Warrior. After being fired for daring to demand pay equal to his spot in the company, the Ultimate Warrior retired from wrestling and, except for a brief comeback in 1996, remained a taboo subject in WWE. He had a short run with WCW in the late-1990s just so Hulk Hogan could get his win back from WrestleMania VI but, other than that, he had zero involvement in the wrestling business. Longtime Warrior fans were certain they wouldn't see their hero in a WWE ring ever again but that all changed in 2014. Warrior signed a contract to appear in the WWE 2K14 video game and appear in a commercial for the game. Soon after, it was announced that Warrior would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame alongside Jake Roberts and Scott Hall. After a tremendous Hall of Fame ceremony, Warrior appeared on Raw the next night and donned his Warrior persona one last time. He gave a speech that now seems eerie and prophetic about how heroes may die but their ideals live on through the people who remember them. A short time later, news broke that the Ultimate Warrior had passed away. It was a shocking turn of events, especially for someone who was so dedicated to staying in shape and living his life in positive manner. Fans were stunned and saddened at the loss of the legend but a small amount of solace could be taken from the fact that he made amends with WWE before his untimely death.
