This past weekend, I attended WrestleMania XXX in Nawlins. It was my second time in The Big Easy, and my first trip was 14 years prior when I took home a sweet little kitten with whom I lived for the next 14 years until his passing at the end of last year. Before he died, I had purchased a nosebleed seat for the event to provide the option of attending or cutting the small loss. When he died, I decided I should take his remains with me and spread him in the place where he was born. Ashes to ashes, end it where it began.
Unfortunately, my cat's journey drew parallels to a similar journey of a far grander scale. A round-trip pilgrimage embraced by legions of cosmic voices and powered by rocket fuel. A preordained destiny into immorality and a grandiose celebration of its fulfillment for a sendoff.
Known to to wrestling fans and '90s pop culture as the Ultimate Warrior, the man born James Helwig passed on April 8, 2014, in Scottsdale, Arizona, shortly after burying a long-standing hatchet with WWE. First, Warrior made amends with the company, becoming the first name announced to the WWE Hall of Fame, Class of 2014 (after leading promotional material for WWE 2K14 several months earlier). His induction on Saturday night was followed by a traditional introduction at WrestleMania XXX on Sunday and a brief in-ring appearance the following night. On Tuesday, Warrior died.
During his Hall of Fame induction speech and especially during his Monday night soapbox, Warrior spoke often of the legacy he created and the temporary nature of life. "Every man's heart one day beats its final beat, his lungs breath their final breath. If what that man did in his life makes the blood pulse through the body of others and makes them believe in something larger than life, his essence and spirit will be immortalized." Concluding, "I am the Ultimate Warrior, you (fans) are the Ultimate Warrior, and the spirit of the Ultimate Warrior will run forever!"
Whether he knew he would nearing his mortality or whether he was rattling off his quirky, fatalistic ramblings of old is a matter of conjecture. As he left behind a wife of 18 years and two young daughters, Warrior's death was unquestionably a tragedy, and there is no consolation to remedy their loss.
As for wrestling fans, our story of the Ultimate Warrior was a beautiful epic played out in living colour. Fans knew the Ultimate Warrior as a character (and, seemingly, as a person) was racing to the rapid beat of his own theme music. Many fans loved him for it. Some fans mocked him for it. Fans embraced him for it and laughed with him for it. Some people found themselves in all four categories, including myself.
While I cannot provide concrete evidence that the Ultimate Warrior was ever my favorite wrestler, I can honestly attest that he was definitely one of my favorites. Case in point, I attended WWE Fan Axxess this weekend, and SyFy Face-Off had a booth through which you could have your photo taken as one of your favorite wrestlers, including Hulk Hogan, Daniel Bryan, Bray Wyatt, Rey Mysterio, and others. Myself, I picked the Ultimate Warrior.
My unity to the Ultimate Warrior was etched by his passing. Not just because I was in attendance of WrestleMania weekend festivities, including his Hall of Fame Induction. Not just because the Scottsdale hotel where he collapsed is on the other side of the wall from where I work. But unwittingly honoring a man for his lifetime achievements before his own death drew stark comparisons to my own father's life. My father left his job of 10 years as hospital administrator to work his last few years before retirement as a pharmacist. His workers threw him a weeks-long retirement celebration. Two days into his new job, he died. All those who had been honoring him and thanking him for his accomplishments instantaneously started mourning him. Many voiced shock as "I cannot believe it" but it is so rare that a man who passes away before his time (my father was 50-years-old; Warrior was 54-years-old) is present as his impact is articulated by his peers and those who he influenced. Many say it's a lucky few. Some say it happens for those who accomplished his life's purpose.
In this most recent case, it leaves a legacy for the storytellers to continue, and it immortalizes a larger-than-life character who fulfilled his ultimate destiny.
