6 Shocking Deaths That Changed The WWE

4. The Ultimate Warrior (1959-2014)

Cause of death: Heart Attack due to Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease - Aged 54 It's hard to say yet how The Ultimate Warrior's death will change the WWE, but the sheer shock of his passing puts him at number three on our countdown. If Warrior's induction into the Hall of Fame on April 5 was the storybook reunion his fans dreamed about for more than a decade, his tragic death two days later was the nightmarish epitaph that no one saw coming. Let's be honest here: Warrior has been canonized in the two weeks following his death despite the WWE and many of his fellow wrestlers trying to bury him into obscurity with "the DVD" no one wants to mention. Few of us wanted to enjoy the Warrior's induction speech, but many of us did. We didn't want to mark out so hard to his Warrior antics on Monday Night RAW two nights later, but many of us did. Introducing his wife and two beautiful daughters at the HOF ceremony made the Warrior human to many of his former critics. We forgave for a moment his past unsavory comments about gays, women, and his former wrestling brethren. We even agreed with Warrior that "Self-Destruction" was a unnecessary cheap shot, and we all got to be Little Warriors for three memorable final days.

Impact of Warrior's Death

No one really knows quite yet what Warrior's final legacy will be. No single person has done so much to elevate the wrestling business to new heights and then systematically attempt to destroy it. This is clear though; Warrior's death was a tragedy for those fans who never stopped believing in him and for his two young daughters whom he clearly cherished. If Randy Savage's death in 2011 forced the WWE to reevaluate how it handled the HOF inductions of its previously blacklisted superstars, Warrior's death earlier this month might cause them to rethink their newly softened approach. WWE did an excellent job in turning this tragedy into a story about honoring the life and career of James Hellwig, but make no mistake about it: Vince McMahon and his very wealthy stockholders loathe the media attention that inevitably swirls around them following the unexpected or untimely death of anyone even remotely associated with their product. It wouldn't be too surprising to see a much safer and healthier Hall of Fame Class of 2015. Watch Warrior's seemingly prophetic final appearance on Monday Night Raw here. Details of his death, including reports from his preliminary autopsy findings can be found here.