What more can be said about The Ultimate Warrior? One of the most charismatic and unforgettable superstars of all time, Warrior finally returned to the WWE earlier this year to be inducted into the Hall of Fame after an eighteen-year absence. See, Warrior didn't make too many friends during his successful run in the late 80's and early 90's. He first left the WWF on bad terms in 1991 after he sent Vince McMahon a letter demanding a huge payoff ($550,000) for performing at WrestleMania VII as well as improved merchandise royalties and other conditions. Vince fired him immediately following SummerSlam. A leaner Warrior returned to the WWF in 1992 to feud with Papa Shango and Randy Savage but left again when Vince found out that Warrior was experimenting with Human Growth Hormone. Warrior skipped dates in protest and McMahon fired him. He came back for another run in 1996 but the magic was gone. Matches with Triple H, Jerry Lawler and Goldust did nothing for anybody and Warrior again departed following another dispute over merchandise royalties. The less said about his WCW stint in 1998, the better. He retired after the disappointment of WCW save for one match for Italian promotion NWE in 2008. WWE produced a documentary called The Self-Destruction Of The Ultimate Warrior which resulted in more legal action between the two sides. It seemed that Vince McMahon and Jim Hellwig would never get along or do business together again. But this is wrestling and, sooner or later, wounds are healed and business is done again. Warrior was the star entrant into the Hall of Fame earlier this year and took the opportunity to address rumours about him and set the record straight on a few things. He thanked his fans and spread a positive message, all the while looking happy to be there. He cut a promo on Raw the day after 'Mania, ending with the line "The spirit of the Ultimate Warrior will live forever." He died of a heart attack the next day. He was 54 years old. In the weeks and months after his death WWE paid tribute to The Ultimate Warrior. His death was one of the biggest news stories of the year. Despite being out of the spotlight for nearly twenty years, nobody forgot The Warrior.
