Wrestler: Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Real Name: Aurelian Smith, Jr.
Birthday: May 30, 1955
Hometown: Stone Mountain, Georgia
Moved to the United Kingdom
Now lives in Pompano Beach, Florida
Marital Status: Divorced from Cheryl Roberts
Married to Judy (February 06)
Height: 6'5" - 267 lbs
Trained by: Brad Rheingans
Grizzly Smith
Debut: May 13, 1975
Previous Gimmicks: Jake Smith, Jr. (Late 70s)
Finishing Move: DDT
Favorite Moves: Knee Lift
Short Arm Clothesline
Gut Buster
Notable Feuds: Ronny Garvin
Lord Humongous
Oliver Humperdink
Dick Slater
Ricky Steamboat
Macho Man
Honky Tonk Man
Rick Rude
Ted DiBiase
Bad New Brown
Rick Martel
Ultimate Warrior
Randy Savage
Undertaker
Konnan (Mexico)
Sting
Terry Taylor
Jerry Lawler
Steve Austin
# Stampede North American Heavyweight title;
# (Louisiana) Mid-South Louisiana Heavyweight title;
# (Louisiana/Oklahoma) Mid-South North American Heavyweight title (2);
# (Louisiana/Oklahoma) Mid-South Television title;
# NWA National/World Television title (2);
# NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team titles;
# World Class Championship Television title;
# World Class Championship Wrestling Six Man Tag Team titles;
# NWA Television title;
# AWF (Australia) Heavyweight title;
# UWS (New York) Heavyweight title;
# AWF Puerto Rican Heavyweight title;
# Smokey Mountain Heavyweight title;
# WWA Puerto Rican Heavyweight title
# 1992 RSPW Best Heel Award Winner;
# 1996 PWI Onspirational Wrestler of the Year;
# BBOW (Colorado) Heavyweight title
# Obsessedwithwrestling.com Hall of Fame Inductee (2003);
In The Beginning:
# Jake Roberts is the son of wrestler Grizzly Smith and is the half brother of Sam Houston and Rockin' Robin..
National Wrestling Alliance:
# Jake Roberts started out in the Mid-South territory and was taken under the wing of Mr. Wrestling II, who taught him the knee lift..
# June 6, 1981: Jake Roberts defeated the Grappler for the Mid-South North American Heavyweight title..
# July 4, 1981 - Superdome: Paul Orndorff defeated Jake Roberts for the Mid-South North American Heavyweight title..
# Jake Roberts went to Georgia Championship Wrestling and became a member of Paul Ellering's original Legion of Doom..
# ~~~Consisted of Roberts, King Kong Bundy, Hawk, Animal, Buzz Sawyer, Iron Sheik, Luke Graham, The Sheik & Killer Karl Krup..
# 1983: Jake Roberts & Ronnie Garvin began feuding over the NWA National Television title..
# November 6, 1983: Jake Roberts defeats Ronnie Garvin for the NWA National Television title..
# March 4, 1984: The National TV title is renamed to the NWA Television title, thus recognizing Jake Roberts as the first champion..
# April 7, 1984: Ronnie Garvin defeated Jake Roberts for the NWA Television title..
# October 27, 1984: Jake Roberts/Chris Adams/Gino Hernandez beat Kevin/Kerry/Mike von Erich for the World 6-Man Tag Team titles..
# December 31, 1984: The von Erich Brothers defeated Jake Roberts & Chris Adams & Gino Hernandez to win the titles back..
# June 16, 1984: Jake Roberts defeated Ronnie Garvin to regain the NWA Television title..
# ~~~The title is immediately held up because Jake Roberts used a foreign object to defeat Ron Garvin..
# Jake Roberts started to use the famous DDT as his new signature finisher during his stint in the NWA..
# July 1, 1984: Ronnie Garvin defeated Jake Roberts by COUNT OUT in the rematch to recapture the Television title..
# January 1, 1986: Jake Roberts defeated Dick Slater in the tournament final to win the Mid-South Television title..
# February 28, 1986: Dick Slater defeated Jake Roberts for the Mid-South Television title..
# Jake Roberts packed up his bags and signed a contract with Vince McMahon and the expanding World Wrestling Federation..
World Wrestling Federation - Jake The Snake Roberts:
# Jake Roberts became one of the top heels in the WWF and began bringing a pet snake (Damien) with him to the ring..
# ~~~Jake would render his opponents unconcious with a DDT and then let Damien crawl all over him!
# April 2, 1986 - Wrestlemania II: Jake "The Snake" Roberts defeated ex-football player George Wells..
# May 3, 1986 - SNME: Jake "The Snake" Roberts vs Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat didn't get started..
# ~~~Jake Roberts ignited a feud with Ricky Steamboat after he executed the DDT on Steamboat on the ringside concrete floor!
# August 28, 1986 - The Big Event: Ricky Steamboat defeated Jake Roberts in a "Snake Pit" match..
# October 4, 1986 - SNME: Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat defeated Jake "The Snake" Roberts..
# November 29, 1986 - SNME: Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs Jake "The Snake" Roberts went to a DOUBLE DQ..
# Jake Roberts began a brief feud with Hulk Hogan, but the angle was dropped when Roberts started receiving cheers from the crowd..
World Wrestling Federation - vs Honky Tonk Man:
# 1987: Jake Roberts turned face and began hosted a weekly interview segment called "The Snake Pit"..
# Early 1987: Jake Roberts was attacked by the Honky Tonk Man during an interview and they started a feud..
# March 14, 1987 - SNME: King Kong Bundy defeated Jake "The Snake" Roberts by COUNT OUT..
# March 27 - Wrestlemania III: Honky Tonk Man w/Jimmy Hart defeated Jake Roberts (accompanied by rock star Alice Cooper)..
# May 2, 1987 - SNME: Kamala defeated Jake "The Snake" Roberts..
# November 16, 1987 - Legends Battle: Jake "The Snake" Roberts defeated Killer Khan by Disqualification..
# November 26, 1987 - Survivor Series: Roberts/Savage/Steamboat/Duggan/Beefcake b Honky Tonk/H.Race/Hercules/R.Bass/D.Davis..
# ~~~Jake Roberts, Ricky Steamboat & Randy Savage survive when captain Honky Tonk Man walked out..
# January 2, 1988 - SNME: Jake "The Snake" Roberts defeated Wild Samoan Sika..
# January 24, 1988 - Royal Rumble: Jake Roberts entered the Royal Rumble at number 5, but was eliminated by the One Man Gang..
World Wrestling Federation - vs Rick Rude:
# Jake Roberts engaged in a brutal feud with Rick Rude, who tried to kiss Cheryl Roberts at ringside..
# March 27, 1988 - Wrestlemania IV: Jake Roberts and Rick Rude wrestle to a 15 minute draw in the 1st round of the Undisputed Title Tournament..
# July 31, 1988 - WrestleFest: Jake Roberts vs "Ravishing" Rick Rude ended in a DOUBLE COUNT OUT..
# August 28, 1988 - SummerSlam: Jake "The Snake" Roberts defeated Hercules Hernandez..
# ~~~Rick Rude faced Junk Yard Dog that same night, and wore a set of tights with Cheryl Robert's face airbrushed on them..
# ~~~Jake Roberts ran down and interfered, causing a disqualification -- BUT throwing more fuel on the fire of his feud with Rude..
# WWF Superstars: Jake Roberts issued a warning to Rick Rude never to wear those tights again, or else!
# ~~~Rick Rude came out on TV wearing another set of tights with Cheryl Roberts' face airbrushed on the front..
# ~~~Jake Roberts ran into the ring and literally ripped the tights off of the Ravishing on, leaving him naked!
# ~~~The angle was soon dissolved in late 1988 when it was discovered that Rick Rude & Cheryl were allegedly having a real life affair..
# October 29, 1988 - SNME: Jake Roberts defeated Rick Rude when Andre the Giant interfered and caused a DQ..
# ~~~Jake Roberts then unleashed Damien on the Giant, who dropped in the ring as a result of an apparant heart attack..
World Wrestling Federation - vs Andre The Giant:
# November 24, 1988 - Survivor Series: Giant/Bravo/Perfect/Rude/Race beat Jake Roberts/Duggan/Santana/Patera/Scott Casey..
# November 16, 1988 - SNME: Jake Roberts interfered in the Randy Savage/Andre the Giant WWF title match..
# January 15, 1989 - Royal Rumble: Jake Roberts entered the Royal Rumble at #7 but was quickly eliminated by Andre the Giant..
# ~~~Jake Roberts returned a few minutes later with Damien, scaring Andre the Giant into eliminating himself!
# April 2, 1989 - Wrestlemania V: Jake Roberts defeated Andre the Giant by DQ when Andre attacked guest referee Big John Studd..
# WWF Superstars: Jake Roberts defeated Virgil when Ted DiBiase interfered and sidelining Roberts for a couple of months..
World Wrestling Federation - vs Ted DiBiase:
# November 23, 1989 - Survivor Series: Hulk Hogan/Jake Roberts/Demolition beat Ted DiBiase/Zeus/Powers of Pain..
# January 21, 1990 - Royal Rumble: Jake Roberts entered the Royal Rumble at #4 and is eliminated by Randy Savage..
# January 27, 1990 - SNME: Jake "The Snake" Roberts defeated Greg "The Hammer" Valentine by DQ..
# WWF Superstars: Jake Roberts attacked Ted DiBiase after a squash match and stole the Million Dollar belt!
# ~~~Ted DiBiase challenged Jake Roberts to a match the week after for the Million-Dollar title..
# ~~~A week later, Ted DiBiase payed Slick to have the Big Bossman attack Jake Roberts and steal back the belt!
# ~~~Big Bossman handcuffed Jake Roberts to the ring ropes as Ted DiBiase, Virgil & Slick go to the Brother Love Show..
# ~~~Big Bossman discovered that he was being ripped off so he turned face and returned the title AND Damien back to Jake Roberts..
# April 1, 1990 - Wrestlemania VI: Ted DiBiase defeated Jake Roberts by count out to win back the Million Dollar belt..
World Wrestling Federation - vs Bad News Brown:
# Jake Roberts and Bad News Brown begin to feud weeks after Wrestlemania..
# Jake Roberts received a series of title matches against IC champion Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig..
# August 27, 1990 - Summerslam: Jake Roberts defeated Bad News Brown by DQ when Bad News attacks special guest referee Big Bossman..
World Wrestling Federation - vs Rick Martel:
# Jake Roberts began a feud with Rick Martel, and Martel sprayed "arrogance" into Jake's eyes, blinding him!
# November 22, 1990 - Survivor Series: Martel/Warlord/Hercules/Roma defeated Roberts/Snuka/Michaels/Jannetty..
# ~~~Jake Roberts was counted out after chasing Rick Martel to the back while holding Damien..
# January 19, 1991 - Royal Rumble: Jake Roberts entered the Royal Rumble at #9 and was eliminated by Rick Martel..
# March 24, 1991 - Wrestlemania VII: Jake Roberts defeated Rick Martel in an entertaining "Blind Fold" match..
World Wrestling Federation - vs Earthquake:
# Jake Roberts began a feud with Earthquake, after Earthquake �kills� Damien with his earthquake buttdrop..
# ~~~Jake then introduced his new pet snake, named "Lucifer"..
# April 24, 1991 - UK Rampage: Earthquake defeated Jake Roberts by COUNT OUT..
World Wrestling Federation - (Heel Turn) vs Randy Savage:
# Jake Roberts turned heel and feuded with the Ultimate Warrior..
# August 26, 1991 - SummerSlam 1991: Jake Roberts and The Undertaker crashed Randy Savage & Elizabeth's wedding reception party..
# ~~~Elizebeth opened one of her gifts and found a deadly cobra snake inside and Jake & Taker appeared and harassed the newlyweds!
# WWF Superstars: Jake Roberts attacked Randy Savage and allowed his pet cobra to bite Randy Savage's bicep!
# November 27, 1991 - Survivor Series: Jake Roberts & Randy Savage were scheduled to participate but were banned!
# December 3, 1991 - Tuesday Night in Texas: Randy "Macho Man" Savage defeated Jake "The Snake" Roberts..
# January 19, 1992 - Royal Rumble: Jake Roberts entered the Royal Rumble at #16 but was eliminated by Randy Savage..
# ~~~Jake Roberts attempted to hit Elizabeth with a steel chair..
# ~~~The Undertaker stepped in and stopped the attack, which led to a feud between Jake & The Undertaker..
# February 8, 1992 - SNME: Randy "Macho Man" Savage defeated Jake "The Snake" Roberts..
World Wrestling Federation - vs The Undertaker:
# Jake Roberts confronted the Undertaker and Paul Bearer on an episode of the Funeral Parlor talk show segment..
# ~~~Jake Roberts jammed the Undertakers hand into the lid of a coffin and repeatedly whacked him with a chair!
# April 5, 1992 - Wrestlemania VIII: The Undertaker defeated Jake Roberts -- in Jake's last appearance in the WWF..
World Championship Wrestling:
# Jake Roberts jumped to World Championship Wrestling and began feuding with Sting..
# September 2, 1992 - COTC: Jake Roberts/Rick Rude/Vader/Super Invader defeated Sting/Nikita Koloff/Steiner Brothers..
# ~~~Jake Roberts & Rick Rude were the final two survivors -- winning the match for their team..
# October 25, 1992 - Halloween Havoc 1992: Sting defeated Jake Roberts in a "Coal Miners Glove" match..
# Jake Roberts didn't stick around very long and left the company shortly after..
Smokey Mountain Wrestling:
# May 2, 1994: Jake Roberts defeated Tony Anthony for the Smokey Mountain Heavyweight title..
# May 20, 1994--Volunteer Slam III: Jake Roberts vs Tony Anthony ended in a DOUBLE COUNT OUT (Jake retains)..
# July 5, 1994: Tony Anthony defeated Jake Roberts to recapture the Smokey Mountain Heavyweight title..
In The Meantime:
# May 27, 1994 - AAA TrippleMania II: Konnan defeated Jake Roberts in a "Hair vs Hair" match..
World Wrestling Federation - Born Again Christian:
# January 21, 1996 - Royal Rumble: Jake Roberts made a surprising return to the WWF and enterd the Royal Rumble as participant #7..
# February 18, 1996 - In Your House 6: Jake Roberts defeated Tatanka in a non-televised "Dark" match..
# March 31, 1996 - Wrestlemania XII: Owen Hart & British Bulldog & Vader beat Jake Roberts & Ahmed Johnson & Yokozuna..
# April 28, 1996 - Good Friends, Better Enemies: British Bulldog & Owen Hart defeated Jake Roberts & Ahmed Johnson..
# May 26, 1996 - Beware of Dog: Jake Roberts defeated Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw..
# May 27, 1996 - RAW: Jake Roberts defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley in a King of the Ring qualifying match!
# May 28, 1996 - Superstars: Jake Roberts defeated Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw in a KOTR Quarter Final match..
# June 23, 1996 - King of the Ring: Jake Roberts defeated Vader by DQ in a semi-final match, then lost to Steve Austin in the finals!
# Jake Roberts was scheduled to wrestle Mankind at International Incident but was replaced by Henry Godwinn due to injury..
# Jake Roberts started a feud with Jerry Lawler, who started teasing Jake Roberts for his known Alcohol problems..
# August 18, 1996 - Summerslam: Jerry "The King" Lawler defeated Jake Roberts after hitting him with a bottle of booze..
# September 22, 1996 - Mind Games: Jake "The Snake" Roberts defeated Hunter Hearst-Helmsley..
# November 16, 1996 - Survivor Series: Roberts/Mero/Windham/Maivia defeated Helmsley/Lawler/Goldust/Crush..
# January 19, 1997 - Royal Rumble: Jake Roberts entered the Royal Rumble at #7 but was eliminated by Steve Austin..
# Jake Roberts if given a booking job for WWF Shotgun Saturday Night television program before leaving the company..
On His Own:
# Jake Roberts is credited for training Diamond Dallas Page and Raven..
# Jake Roberts was featured in the Wrestling documentary, Beyond The Mat, which he claims, he did not recieve a cent for..
# Jake Roberts was sentenced to one year probation, drug and alcohol treatment in Texas, fined $600 for probation costs in Ohio..
# ~~~The incident that took place in June 2001, backing his Lincholn Towncar into a womans Parked Car and fled the scene..
# ~~~Jake Roberts was later found with an alcohol level of .079..
Relocation to Europe:
# September 2002: Jake Roberts no-showed in Geelen, Netherlands..
# ~~~Jake Roberts checked in at the airport in the U.K. (where he now lives) but found out that his working visa had expired..
# ~~~So he has to return to the United States to get things straight..
# ~~~Jake has bookings all over Europe in October and November and still is talking of opening a wrestling school in the U.K..
# October 2002: Jake Roberts is promoting shows in the UK under the name "The Real Stars of Wrestling" throughout November..
# Jake Roberts blew out his hip in a match on Saturday night in Nottingham, England and has canceled all bookings..
# October 31, 2003: Jake Roberts opened up a Wrestling Training facility in Gosport, Portsmouth, England..
# February 2004: Jake Roberts is being prosecuted in the UK for starving his latest version of Damien, a 12-foot python, to death..
# ~~~Inspectors were tipped off that the animal was neglected, and found him starved, and he passed away days later..
# ~~~Jake Roberts is facing a maximum six months in prison..
# August 2, 2004--WAW Summer Sizzler in Great Yarmouth, England: Jake Roberts defeated Phil Powers by disqualification..
# October 8, 2004--World Association of Wrestling: Jake Roberts & Steve Quintain vs The UK Pitbulls to a NO CONTEST..
# November 2, 2004: Jake Roberts (real name Aurelain Smith Jr) was convicted of animal cruelty after a 3 day trial..
# ~~~Jake Roberts is facing fines and community service as a result of the conviction..
Back in the United States:
# January 2005: Jake Roberts was arrested for cocaine possession in Georgia..
# ~~~Roberts' girlfriend was stopped by the local police and allegedly had drugs in her possession..
# ~~~She told officers that her boyfriend was at a motel and "probably" had drugs there..
# ~~~Police went to the motel room and a crack pipe with residue was found in his room, but no actual drugs were found..
# Jake Roberts has stated that he is need of a hip replacement surgury..
# January 29, 2005 - WrestleReunion: Jake Roberts participated in a Legends Battle Royal which was won by Greg Valentine..
# March 14, 2005 - RAW: Randy Orton got some advice from the "Legendary" Jake Roberts -- and then RKO'd him in the ring!
# ~~~Later on in a post-show dark match, Jake Roberts reappeared and chased Ric Flair away from the ring with the snake!
# ~~~Jake The Snake returned to the ring and DDT's World Champion Triple H and put his snake over his unconcious body!
# March 2005: Jake Roberts underwent hip replacement surgury..
# August 2005: Jake "The Snake" Roberts begins work with Jim Ross & WWE on upcoming DVD about his life and career..
# September 10, 2005--Wrestle Reunion: Jake "The Snake" Roberts defeated Antonio Banks..
# November 5, 2005--MWF/AWA New England: Jake Roberts no-showed, missed his flight and didn't return phone calls..
# November 22, 2005--NWA Wildside Reunion: Jake "the Snake" Roberts defeated Murder One..
# January 14, 2006--Pro Wrestling Unplugged: Jake "The Snake" Roberts defeated Helter Skelter by DQ in 2 seconds..
# ~~~~~~~~~In the match that Everybody came to see: Jake "The Snake" Roberts defeated Sandman..
# March 5, 2006--World Wrestling Legends PPV: Jake "The Snake" Roberts defeated Kamala w/Friday by DQ..
# March 25, 2006--Coastal Championship Wrestling: Joey Machete defeated Jake Roberts to become the 1st SEC Champion..
# April 28, 2006--Elite Wrestling Entertainment: Jake "The Snake" Roberts defeated Chris Kanyon ..
# May 13, 2006--FEW: Jake "The Snake" Roberts defeated Doc Rivers...
# May 20, 2006--Pro Wrestling Unplugged: Jake "The Snake" Roberts defeated Nick Berk w/Don Bootz..
# May 20, 2006--Frank Goodman's UXW: King Kong Bundy defeated Jake "The Snake" Roberts..
# May 26, 2006--Universal Wrestling Alliance: Jake "the Snake" Roberts defeated Jason Cage and The Original SiNN in a 3-WAY..
# May 27, 2006--Universal Wrestling Alliance: Jake "The Snake" Roberts defeated Original Sinn ..
# June 10, 2006--Coastal Championship Wrestling: Jake "The Snake" Roberts defeated Kahagas ..
# June 17, 2006--Connecticut Championship Wrestling: Jake "The Snake" Roberts defeated "Dirty" Don Montoya...
# June 24, 2006--Southern Championship Wrestling: Jake "The Snake" Roberts defeated Rick the Reaper......
# October 7, 2006--MXPW: Jake Roberts vs Kahagas ended in a No Contest after The Heartbreak Express & Amy Vitale interfered!
Total Nonstop Action:
# October 19, 2006 - TNA iMPACT: Jake Roberts announced that he would referee the Monster's Ball match at Bound for Glory!
# October 22, 2006 - TNA Bound For Glory: Jake "The Snake" Roberts was the referee for Monster's Ball and DDT's Raven!
Independent Wrestling + Full Impact Pro:
# January 13, 2007--FIP: Jake "The Snake" Roberts signed autographs during Intermission and did an angle with Larry Sweeney..
# February 2, 2007--Full Impact Pro: Jake "The Snake" Roberts did not appear as scheduled due to a fallout with the FIP promoters..
# February 9, 2007--NWA Wrestle Birmingham: "Cowboy" James Storm defeated Jake "The Snake" Roberts
# February 15, 2007--UWA: Jake Roberts & Ricky Morton & Robbie Race defeated Jeff Anderson & Heat Seekers V2..
# March 3, 2007--Division-1 Pro Wrestling: Jake "The Snake" Roberts defeated Casey Thompson in Davie, Florida ..
# March 24, 2007�-IWF: Jake "The Snake" Roberts defeated Joe Doering in Watervliet, Michigan ..... ..... .....
# April 14, 2007--Powerhouse Wrestling of New England: Jake Roberts defeated Gino Martino w/Johnny Fabulous ..
Bobby the brain baheema- Who's this?
At 7'4" and 500 pounds, Andre the Giant could have been famous for his size alone. His drive, talent and ambition, however, proved to be as big as Andre himself, and the wrestler became legendary for his achievements in and out of the ring.
Andre was born Andre Rene Roussimoff in Grenoble, France on May 19, 1946. His parents, Boris and Marian Roussimoff, and four siblings were of average size. Andre, however, suffered from acromegaly, a disease that results in an over abundance of growth hormones. Also known as Giantism, this disease caused Andre's body to continue growing his whole life, and by the time he was 17 he stood 6'7".
Due to his immense stature it seemed inevitable that Andre would excel in the wrestling world. He had just started to make a name for himself in the ring as "Monster Eiffel Tower" or "Monster Roussimoff" when French-Canadian wrestler Edouard Carpentier first laid eyes on him. Carpentier was impressed with Andre's raw talent and decided to bring him to North America. Andre began wrestling under the name Jean Ferre in Canada for Grand Prix Promotions. In a short time Andre went from the undercard to being a headlining name. Inspired by the movie King Kong he acquired the nickname, "The 8th Wonder of the World," which stayed with him for the rest of his career.
By the time Andre had performed in front of 20,000 wrestling fans in Montreal, his legend had reached Vince McMahon, Sr. at the World Wide Wrestling Federation's (WWWF) headquarters. McMahon would forever alter Andre's life. In 1972, McMahon signed Andre to wrestle for the WWWF and changed his name to capitalize on his colossal size. "Andre the Giant" became one of the most recognizable names in wrestling. Andre performed under his new name at Madison Square Garden, where he easily defeated his opponent Buddy Wolfe without breaking a sweat. Before long, Andre's venues were sold out and wrestlers lined up to perform in his shadow. As Andre's fame grew to stardom, he was featured in Sports Illustrated in the largest feature they had ever published.
In 1987 Andre drew the biggest crowd in WWF (formerly WWWF) history thus far. A record 90,000 fans packed the Pontiac Silver Dome in Detroit, Michigan to watch Andre wrestle fellow legend Hulk Hogan in the main event of WrestleMania III. In all, Andre participated at six WrestleManias and faced some of the toughest opponents in the business, including Big John Studd and Jake "The Snake" Roberts. For many years he was known as the "Uncrowned Champion," until he found his place in infamy and held the WWF title for the shortest reign in history. This wasn't the only championship Andre captured - he also won titles in the (NWA), (IWA) and the WWF Tag Team Championship.
Andre's fame also opened the door to Hollywood. He made his acting debut in 1975 as "Big Foot" in The Six Million Dollar Man. Andre enjoyed the experience and went on to appear in television shows including B.J. and the Bear, The Fall Guy and The Greatest American Hero, and movies such as Conan the Destroyer, Micki and Maude, and Trading Mom. His favorite role, and the one for which he is best remembered, was the lovable giant "Fezzik" in Rob Reiner's classic The Princess Bride.
Andre's last television appearance was on a celebration of 20 years of NWA/WCW wrestling on TBS. Sadly, over the years the effects of acromegaly had continued to wear down his body. Eventually his immense size was just too much for his heart, and Andre the Giant died in Paris, France in his hotel room on January 27, 1993. His ashes were later taken home and spread over his North Carolina ranch.
Though professionally Andre will always be remembered as The 8th Wonder of the World, he is known and loved by fans across the globe as The Gentle Giant.
Besides being one of the most popular, dangerous and rebellious Superstars in the history of WWE, Stone Cold Steve Austin is also a six-time WWE Champion, the only three-time Royal Rumble Match winner and a King of the Ring winner, among many other distinctions. He has also won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania on three separate occasions.
Stone Cold is arguably the most popular WWE Superstar of all time, but he has been very quiet since WWE Homecoming in October. But Stone Cold has finally broken his silence. The Texas Rattlesnake recently conducted an interview with WWE.com and talked about some of the greatest wrestlers to ever come out of Texas. Stone Cold brought up names like Dusty Rhodes, the Funks and even Shawn Michaels. But one name he didn't mention was JBL. He gave the former WWE Champion credit for being from Texas, but he left it at that.
JBL took notice of the interview and was irate. The media maven was so enraged that he called out Stone Cold. He didn't even call out the Texas Rattlesnake for a match. Instead, JBL called him out for a Beer Drinking Contest at Saturday Night's Main Event. Stone Cold's beer-drinking antics are legendary, but JBL wanted to beat Stone Cold at his own game.
The Wrestling God had 25 beers each set up for himself and Stone Cold. He said he didn't want to get tipsy, so the winner would be determined by who could drink the most beers in one minute. JBL said he wanted to do it like the old days in Texas - back to back. Stone Cold didn't trust JBL, so moments after the contest began, Stone Cold snuck up on JBL and caught him - JBL had been spilling his beer instead of drinking it. Relizing he was caught, JBL threw a beer at Stone Cold and retreated. But the Wrestling God's WrestleMania 22 opponent, Chris Benoit, came out and threw him back in the ring. Stone Cold made JBL pay the price and after drenching him with beer, he hit him with a classic Stone Cold Stunner.
Prior Saturday Night's Main Event, Stone Cold was last seen right around WWE Homecoming. He returned for RAW's first night back on the USA Network, Oct. 3, 2005. Mr. McMahon came to the ring and showed some embarrassing moments on the Titan tron of the Texas Rattlesnake. Stone Cold was none too happy with this and came to the ring and showed some moments of his own, embarrasing Mr. McMahon. Mr. McMahon wanted to start with a clean slate, but Stone Cold thought giving him a Stunner would be a better idea. One by one, the rest of the McMahon family came to the ring, but they all met the same fate as the family's patriarch, even WWE CEO Linda McMahon. With all of the McMahons laying in the ring, Stone Cold broke into a celebration like only he could - with a lot of beer.
Stone Cold's claims to fame are many, but he is perhaps best remembered for his battles with WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon that began in 1998. The rivalry led to Stone Cold occupying many unique roles outside the ring, including a stint as WWE CEO. In fact, it was Mr. McMahon who spoke out against Stone Cold's return during a meeting with the WWE Board of Directors to decide The Rattlesnake's reinstatement — yet another battle against Mr. McMahon that Stone Cold won.
While a neck injury may have forced Stone Cold to stop competing in the ring after WrestleMania XIX, he continues to be a star. And since he recently signed a three-picture deal under the WWE Films banner, he will soon be thrust back into the international spotlight.
But whether it's Hollywood or in the WWE ring, Stone Cold will always be a trash-talking, beer-swilling, finger-gesturing, ***-kicking son of a ***** ... and he, and the millions of WWE fans around the world would not have it any other way.
Stone Cold Steve Austin broke into the world of sports-entertainment in 1990 in Texas, where he was trained by “Gentleman” Chris Adams. It was against Adams that Stone Cold had his first heated rivalry. It only fanned the flames when Steve took on Lady Blossom, Adams’ ex-wife, as his manager.
Stone Cold’s USWA tenure lasted about a year before he moved on to WCW. There, he won the WCW Television Championship immediately under the moniker of “Stunning” Steve Austin. It would be the first of two TV championship reigns while in WCW.
Stunning Steve became a member of a faction known as the Dangerous Alliance in late 1991, aligning himself with the now-notorious Paul Heyman. The formidable group consisted of Steve, “Ravishing” Rick Rude, Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton and Larry Zbysko.
Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat would wrest the Television Championship from Stone Cold at Clash of the Champions, and the Alliance split up not long after. But this series of events had a silver lining, as Stone Cold found chemistry and substantial success teaming with Brian Pillman as “The Hollywood Blondes.” The two would strut to the ring, taking turns playing the role of film director and movie star under the lights and before the attentive crowd.
Their “breakthrough hit” (and Steve’s revenge) came on March 2, 1993, when the Hollywood Blondes won the WCW Tag Team Championship from Steamboat & Shane Douglas. This marked the start of the Blondes’ “Brush with Greatness” tour, where they fought lesser-known and “never-will-be” wrestlers each week. This, Steve said, was their “brush with greatness.”
In August 1993, Pillman was injured and the disintegration of the Hollywood Blondes began. In Pillman’s place, Steve teamed with William (Lord Steven) Regal for a tag title defense at Clash of the Champions against Arn Anderson & Paul Roma. It was the Horsemen’s night; they captured the WCW Tag Team Championship. Out of building frustration, Steve turned on Pillman, then defeated his former partner at Clash of the Champions in November.
By December, Steve had his sights set on Dustin Rhodes’ WCW United States Championship. Steve took that belt in decisive fashion at Starrcade that month, beating Rhodes with two straight falls in a best-of-three title bout.
Steve held the United States Championship through the first half of 1994, at which time he renewed his unsettled rivalry with Ricky Steamboat. The Dragon struck first and took the U.S. Championship at Clash of the Champions in August. But Steve was awarded the championship via forfeit when Steamboat couldn’t answer the bell for their scheduled pay-per-view rematch at September’s Fall Brawl.
Soon after, Steve departed for a tour through Japan. While there, he suffered a knee injury and was written off by WCW. Head of WCW Eric Bischoff fired Steve over the phone. Injured and unemployed, Steve went home to rehabilitate his knee and drink plenty of beer.
While recuperating, he received an unexpected phone call from ECW owner Paul Heyman, his former WCW manager. Heyman offered Steve a forum to air his grievances about WCW. He gave Steve a microphone and told him run wild with it. What followed were a series of scathing commentary segments, including “Monday Nyquil” mocking WCW’s Monday Nitro television broadcast. When “Superstar” Steve Austin let his passion and personality out, he struck a chord and caught on with the fans like never before.
In January 1996, Steve received an opportunity to join WWE as Ted DiBiase’s “Million Dollar Champion.” Using the moniker of “The Ringmaster,” Steve battled Matt Hardy and Marty Jannetty before experiencing his first WrestleMania (XII) in a win over Savio Vega. But at the In Your House event titled “Beware of Dog,” Steve lost a special Strap Match to Vega. As a result, DiBiase was forced to leave WWE.
Without DiBiase holding the reins, Steve had the opportunity to strike out on his own. He promptly declared that he lost to Vega on purpose to get rid of the overbearing DiBiase. Now, he was his own man in WWE, and would be known as “Stone Cold Steve Austin.”
A defiant Stone Cold won the 1996 King of the Ring tournament in June, defeating Jake “The Snake” Roberts in the finals. It was then that Stone Cold gave his famous “3:16” speech putting every WWE Superstar on notice. And this loner backed up all the talk — pummeling anyone who crossed his path.
He began badmouthing Bret Hart, who was on hiatus from WWE, but before he could get his hands on Hart, a familiar face arrived on the scene: Brian Pillman. This go-around wasn’t so smooth. In fact, the conflict spilled outside the wrestling ring and into their personal lives. On Nov. 4, 1996, Stone Cold Steve Austin broke into Pillman’s Kentucky home. The raid compelled Pillman to defend himself with potentially lethal force.
Stone Cold survived. Two weeks later at Survivor Series, Bret Hart answered the longstanding challenge. Their rivalry continued through Royal Rumble. There, in a classic moment, entrant No. 5 Stone Cold was eliminated by Hart while the referees were diverted. Seizing the opportunity, The Rattlesnake slithered back into the ring undetected. He then proceeded to eliminate Undertaker and Vader — last tossing Hart. So, Stone Cold Steve Austin was declared the Rumble’s controversial winner.
When Hart later claimed the vacated WWE Championship, it infuriated Stone Cold. The next night on RAW, Stone Cold interfered during Bret’s match with Psycho Sid, costing Hart the championship. This led to a Submission Match at WrestleMania 13. Stone Cold refused to tap to the Sharpshooter, but he eventually passed out from excessive blood loss, ending the bout. The image of Stone Cold caught in the Sharpshooter will forever be remembered as one of the greatest moments in WrestleMania history.
From there, things only escalated until The Rattlesnake was warring with the entire Hart family. In May 1997 on RAW, Steve was forced by WWE to team with Shawn Michaels. Together, they did win the World Tag Team Championship from Owen Hart & British Bulldog, but they still despised each other. When they fought at King of the Ring, the whole Hart Foundation jumped both of them.
This led to an epic 10-man tag-team match at Canadian Stampede in 1997, which was the culmination of a host of rivalries. The match pitted The Hart Foundation (Bret, Owen, British Bulldog, Pillman & Jim Neidhart) against Stone Cold, Ken Shamrock, Goldust & Legion of Doom. When the Harts won on their home turf, Stone Cold was booed out of the building. It didn’t faze him, and at SummerSlam, he challenged Owen for the Intercontinental Championship.
During the match, Owen broke Stone Cold’s neck with a piledriver. Stone Cold not only miraculously finished the match, but he won the championship. There was no realistic way for him to defend the Intercontinental Championship in his condition, however, so he had no choice but to forfeit the championship and begin rehabilitation.
Incredibly, The Rattlesnake came back just one month later to cost Owen & British Bulldog their World Tag Team Championship. This renewed the hatred, but Mr. McMahon wasn’t convinced he could safely allow the rivalry to resume. To cover WWE, Mr. McMahon demanded that Stone Cold sign a liability waiver before he could compete. Stone Cold complied, and at Survivor Series in 1997, he defeated Owen to recapture the Intercontinental Championship. But there was a hungry competitor waiting for an opportunity to challenge for that championship — Rocky Maivia, who is better known today as The Rock.
Stone Cold Steve Austin fought back the challenger at the D-Generation X pay-per-view, but Mr. McMahon demanded that he defend the championship again against Maivia the following night on RAW. Stone Cold refused on principle. Instead of simply disobeying Mr. McMahon, Stone Cold sent him a message by tossing the Intercontinental Championship belt into a New Hampshire river. Furious, McMahon stripped Stone Cold of the championship and awarded it to Maivia as a “forfeit victory.” The animosity created between Stone Cold and Mr. McMahon based on these events officially marked the start of one of the best-known rivalries in the history of sports-entertainment. Stone Cold and Mr. McMahon would trade moments of triumph and outrage for the better part of the next two years — constantly trying to make life miserable for the other.
Despite all of McMahon’s efforts, The Rattlesnake won the 1998 Royal Rumble Match — last eliminating The Rock. In a high-profile follow-up for the WWE Championship, Stone Cold then beat HBK at WrestleMania XIV with “Iron” Mike Tyson as special guest referee. After the match, Mr. McMahon explained that he was fed up with Stone Cold’s rank behavior — that either he’d become a well-mannered “Company Champion” … or else. Stone Cold responded with a stunner on the boss.
On April 13, 1998, it appeared the WWE fans would finally get to see Stone Cold and Mr. McMahon battle out their differences in the ring on RAW. But the match was declared a No-Contest when Dude Love made a shocking appearance, coming between the boss and Stone Cold.
McMahon continued to do everything he could to ruin The Rattlesnake, and he finally scored a big victory for his side at the 1998 King of the Ring tournament. There, Stone Cold lost the WWE Championship to the “Big Red Monster” Kane in a First Blood Match.
McMahon couldn’t savor the victory for long. Stone Cold further infuriated his nemesis by winning back the championship the next night on RAW. Stone Cold delivered another blow to McMahon by taking away the World Tag Team Championship a month later alongside the Undertaker. It was a combustible combination, leading to a match between them at SummerSlam. Stone Cold emerged victorious — something Mr. McMahon couldn’t tolerate. So, the boss set up a Triple Threat Match at Breakdown in September. It proved to be more like a Handicap Match in the end, as half-brothers Undertaker and Kane pinned Stone Cold simultaneously.
With no single winner, Mr. McMahon decided to vacate the WWE Championship and award it based on a match between Undertaker and Kane at the next pay-per-view. Since former champion Stone Cold was also involved in the original match, he was made special referee. In typical Stone Cold fashion, he screwed both competitors, hitting Stunners on both and stealing the championship for himself. Feeling he had no other recourse, Mr. McMahon fired The Rattlesnake for his actions.
Mysteriously, Stone Cold re-emerged having inked a brand-new five-year contract. Mr. McMahon was beside himself, and it was all the more aggravating when it was revealed that his son, Shane, was the McMahon to re-sign The Rattlesnake. With Steve back in the fold, there was a Survivor Series tournament to award the vacant WWE Championship. Stone Cold was building momentum toward his second WWE Championship, and in the semifinals against Mankind, he appeared a mere three-count from moving on to the final match. But acting referee Shane refused to count a pin for Stone Cold. Without a way to win, Stone Cold eventually succumbed to Mankind. The Rock would benefit most greatly, winning the tournament to become WWE Champion.
The Rattlesnake’s next definitive chance to exact revenge from Mr. McMahon came during the 1999 Royal Rumble Match. Stone Cold drew entry No. 1, while McMahon drew No. 2. Despite a vicious attack from McMahon’s Corporation, both lasted until the end. The odds proved insurmountable, however. With the assistance of the Corporation, Stone Cold was eliminated — making Mr. McMahon the Royal Rumble Match winner.
On Feb. 14, 1999, at St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, Stone Cold finally got a one-on-one match against Mr. McMahon — and it came in a Steel Cage. With a world championship opportunity at WrestleMania at stake, Mr. McMahon devised a large surprise. During the match, Big Show made his shocking debut, ripping off the side of the Steel Cage. But Show’s attack propelled Stone Cold to the area floor first, technically making him the victor. Stone Cold made the most of his chance, defeating the Corporation’s The Rock at WrestleMania XV for his third WWE Championship.
WWE then took as ominous turn when Undertaker’s Ministry of Darkness and McMahon’s Corporation merged in an effort to overpower Stone Cold. It temporarily worked; Undertaker won the WWE Championship thanks to McMahon’s meddling. But Stone Cold had an equalizer for the Corporate Ministry: power granted by Linda McMahon, who named Stone Cold Steve Austin CEO of WWE. This was an intolerable development for Mr. McMahon, who placed himself and Shane in a Ladder Match against The Rattlesnake with control of the company at stake. Once again, Stone Cold would have won on the merits, but the McMahons had another game plan. When during the match Stone Cold scaled the ladder for the winning briefcase, it was mysteriously raised beyond his reach. This continued until the McMahons secured victory and full control of WWE.
But Stone Cold wouldn’t stay down for long. In fact, he bounced back in a big way the very next day — winning the WWE Championship by beating Undertaker. By Survivor Series in 1999, the Corporation’s Triple H was champion, and Stone Cold was supposed to get his chance to reclaim gold in a Triple Threat Match. Instead, he was run down by a car in the parking lot. What followed was neck surgery and a nine-month rehabilitation. But Stone Cold Steve Austin would eventually return for payback.
In October 2000, beer-swilling, trash-talking Stone Cold was back to annihilate Rikishi, who admitted to committing the vehicular assault. But in the process of beating him down, Stone Cold learned that it was actually The Cerebral Assassin behind the whole scheme — devised to shield the WWE Championship. So at Survivor Series in 2000, Stone Cold gave Triple H a taste of his own medicine: When The Game tried to flee the arena in his automobile, Stone Cold lifted it with a construction crane, then let it drop 30 feet. Triple H learned the hard way that there’s nothing Stone Cold won’t do.
Stone Cold then won the Royal Rumble Match for an astounding third time in 2001, last eliminating the Big Red Monster Kane. After coming up short against Triple H in a special best-of-three — featuring a traditional match, a Street Fight and a Steel Cage Match — Stone Cold decided to take drastic measures to ensure a stranglehold on WWE.
Appropriately on April Fool’s Day, Stone Cold pulled a fast one on WWE’s fans and The Rock at WrestleMania, aligning with bitter enemy Mr. McMahon. By doing so, he was able to win back the WWE Championship. The next night on RAW, Triple H involved himself in a Steel Cage Match — attacking not Stone Cold but The Rock! This officially marked Stone Cold’s “deal with the devil” and formation of the alliance known as “Power Trip.”
The corporate faction seemed unstoppable. Corporate Steve was WWE Champion; Triple H was Intercontinental Champion; and at Backlash, they together became World Tag Team Champions, as well. They didn’t show vulnerability until May, when Y2J and Chris Benoit won the World Tag Team Championship — in part because Triple H tore his quadriceps muscle completely off the bone during the match. Everything had come full circle for Stone Cold, who just like in 1993 was left without his tag partner because of a serious injury.
Back out on his own defending the WWE Championship, Stone Cold battled both his rivals in a Triple Threat Match against Jericho and Benoit at King of the Ring.
In July, The Rattlesnake had shed the corporate image and was back in full rebellious form, leading Team WWE against the Alliance. But at Invasion, Stone Cold switched allegiances, joining Team WCW/ECW. It marked the beginning of a bitter dispute with Kurt Angle, who stepped up to command Team WWE in Stone Cold’s place. Doing his best to infuriate the Olympic gold medalist, Stone Cold threw Angle’s medals into a river. In a memorable moment of retribution, Angle doused Stone Cold and the Alliance with a blasting milk bath in shades of Stone Cold’s famous beer bath incident. The Alliance was forced to disband as a result of Team WWE’s victory at Survivor Series, but Stone Cold was able to protect his job through his WWE Championship.
On Feb. 17, 2002, Stone Cold was forced into a war with another infamous faction when the nWo interfered during his match for the unified world championship, spray-painting his back. As a result, Stone Cold began his pursuit of the group, culminating with a victory over Scott Hall before more than 67,000 fans at Toronto’s SkyDome.
All throughout, Stone Cold continued to clash with authority. He was constantly at odds with Ric Flair, who held the position of RAW owner at the time. Eventually things got so bad that Stone Cold Steve Austin walked out. He was gone for close to a year.
He returned at No Way Out in 2003, taking exception to another authority figure — Eric Bischoff. RAW’s General Manager had little patience for The Rattlesnake and considered him a liability, so he fired him the day after WrestleMania on RAW. One month later, Linda McMahon again came to Stone Cold’s aid, making him co-GM alongside Bischoff. It was thought that the two might be forced to work together and co-exist. Instead, they butted heads constantly and Stone Cold continued to raise hell every chance he got. Steve did his best to get under Bischoff’s skin, ordering such events as a “Redneck Triathlon” between himself and his counterpart at Bad Blood.
Feeling he was left with no other recourse, Bischoff devised a Survivor Series Match pitting his team against Stone Cold’s, with the loser out as General Manager. Fortunately for Bischoff, his team came out on top. The Rattlesnake vanished, but Santa Claus did make the SmackDown! brand trip for a very special “Christmas in Iraq.” In the ring and before the troops, Santa unmasked and delivered a Stone Cold Stunner on Mr. McMahon. It was the best present The Rattlesnake could have ever given himself.
Stone Cold then returned as the “Sheriff” of RAW, causing trouble, drinking beer and maintaining his own brand of discipline. He refereed Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg at WrestleMania XX, stealing the spotlight by delivering a Stunner to each of them at the end of the match.
In April 2004, Stone Cold and WWE parted ways, which many thought would be permanent. But Stone Cold and WWE found common ground when the opportunity arose to utilize Stone Cold’s popularity and reputation in starring roles for WWE Films. Additionally, The Rattlesnake made his mark at WrestleMania 21 with two well-placed Stunners on turf of another famous WWE trash-talker — Rowdy Roddy Piper in Piper’s Pit.
Real Name Warrior (legally changed from Jim Hellwig in 1993)
Also Known As Justice, Bladerunner Rock, Dingo Warrior
Date Of Birth 16/06/1959
From Parts Unknown! Currently residing in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Height 6'3"
Weight 275 pounds
Finishing Moves Warrior Splash, Warrior Press (Gorilla Press Slam)
Titles Held WWF World Championship
WWF Intercontinental Championship (2)
WCCW Texas Heavyweight Championship
WCCW World Tag Team Title
WWS Championship
Greatest Matches vs Hulk Hogan, Wrestlemania VI
vs Macho Man Randy Savage, Wrestlemania VII
Famous Feuds Hercules, Ravishing Rick Rude, Earthquake, Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, Sgt Slaughter, Macho Man Randy Savage
Jim Hellwig began wrestling in November 1985. He started traing with Ric Bassman for a spot as one of a quartet of bodybuilders known as Powerteam USA. The members of the team were Jim "Justice" Hellwig, Steve "Flash" Borden, Mark "Commando" Miller and Garland "Glory" Donnoho.
However not everything went according to plan and after just 15 hours training Powerteam USA disbanded.
But the wrestling seed was sown so Hellwig and Borden decided to tag together. They sent flyers out to every wrestling promotion in the country but only Jerry Jarrett was ballsy enough to take a chance on the two green but eager stars in the making. They wrestled in Memphis for Jerry Jarrett promotions as the Freedom Fighters. From there they moved on to Bill Watts' UWF (Universal Wrestling Federation). There they turned heel and renamed themselves The Bladerunners in which Hellwig changed his name to Rock and Borden changed his name to the more familiar Sting. They wrestled together in the Universal Wrestling Federation until after a contract dipute and his take no **** attitude not going down too well with Watts, Hellwig left the promotion. He moved on to World Class Championship Wrestling and started wrestling as Dingo Warrior. Dingo Warrior was essentially a more rough around the edges version of The Ultimate Warrior. He had the trademark face paint and arm-bands but still had some developing to do with the character. At first in WCCW Dingo was a heel managed by Gary Hart and then Percy Pringle III, better known as WWF's Paul Bearer. Warrior eventually turned on Pringle and became a face and would remain so for the rest of his wrestling career. In WCCW he continued learning about the wrestling business and developing his skills and character and was rewarded on 17/11/86 when he won his first honours in the wrestling business when he and Lance Von Erich defeated Matt Borne and Master Gee in Fort Worth Texas for the WCCW World Tag Team Titles. They held the titles only until 01/12/86 when they were defeated by Al Mandril and Brian Adias. On 02/02/87 Dingo Warrior won his first ever singles title when he became Texas Heavyweight Champion defeating Bob Bradley in Fort Worth, Tx. He held this title until 21/06/87 when he lost it to Al Perez in Puerto Rico. Despite the loss the world had gotten a glimpse of what eventually became one of the most recognisable figures ever to set foot in a wrestling arena.
Several promotions had taken notice of Dingo Warrior and approached Hellwig with offers. Antonio Inoki and New Japan Pro Wrestling outlined details of a new monster character they wanted Hellwig to portray in their promotion. Hellwig of course turned them down in favour of the World Wrestling Federation.
In 1987 The Dingo Warrior made his debut in The World Wrestling Federation. He impressed on his television debut in a 20 man Battle Royal which was eventually won by Bam Bam Bigalow. "Dingo" was soon dropped by Hellwig in favour of the more marketable "Ultimate" and he was given a guitar heavy enrance theme. His running entrance and the insane shaking of the ropes quickly made The Ultimate Warrior a crowd favourite and he took the WWF by storm. After taking care of jobbers in his early days he began feuding with another powerfully built wrestler, Hercules Hernandez. The feud began when before a scheduled bout Hercules challenged Warrior to a tug of war. Warrior accepted and ended up pulling on the steel chain so hard that it snapped! Their feud ended at Wrestlemania IV with The Warrior emerging victorious in under 5 minutes. The Warrior was now an established WWF superstar but this was just the beginning.
The Warrior became WWF Intercontinental Champion on 29/08/1988 when as a stand in for the injured Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, he disposed of The Honky Tonk Man in just 31 seconds, the shortest Intercontinental Title match in history. Warrior defeated all challengers for his title and began a feud with "Ravishing" Rick Rude. He took part in a posedown with Rude at the 1989 Royal Rumble. Rude attacked Warrior setting the stage for a title match at Wrestlemania V on 02/04/1989 in which Rude won the IC title with assistance from his manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. Rude's title reign was short lived though as The Warrior regained his title at that years Summerslam on 28/08/1989. He entered a feud with Andre the Giant, most of which went on at house shows. Warrior regulary beat the Giant in under a minute and sometimes in only 10 seconds! A feature of this feud was Warrior's effortless bodyslamming of the 520 pound Giant!
In the Royal Rumble of 1990 Warrior was eliminated by WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan. This set up their huge match at Wrestlemania VI on 01/04/1990. It was the first time the top two babyfaces had squared off against one another. Title vs Title. WWF World Champion vs WWF Intercontinental Champion. Hulk Hogan vs The Ultimate Warrior. Before 65,000 ecstatic fans in Toronto Ontario, Canada The Ultimate Warrior defeated The Hulkster and became WWF World Champion. The rules in WWF at the time stated nobody could hold both titles at one time so Warrior had to give up his intercontinental title.
As WWE Champion Warrior's popularity continued to grow both in and out of the ring. However instead of feuding with new fresh opponents Warrior was still locked in a feud with Rick Rude for part of the year. Also he was involved in alot of 6 man tag matches teaming up with LOD to face Demolition. This may have led to fan interest in Warrior waning slightly and prompted WWE to take the title from him. Warrior held the title until at Royal Rumble 19/01/1991 he was beaten by Sgt Slaughter with interferance by "Macho King" Randy Savage.
This was possibly one of the best moves for Warrior as it led to a feud with Macho King Randy Savage. The Blowoff came when Warrior and Savage met in a retirement match at Wrestlemania VII in which Warrior defeated Savage and gained revenge for the interferance which cost him his WWF World Title. This was one of Warrior's best matches in WWF and even eclipsed the main event of Hulk Hogan vs Sgt Slaughter.
After teaming with Hulk Hogan to defeat the team of Sgt Slaughter, General Adnan and Colonel Mustafa at Summerslam 1991 The Warrior disappeared from the wrestling ring for a while. The Warrior made his return to the WWF at Wrestlemania VIII, helping Hulk Hogan after his match against Sid Justice. Papa Shango came down to the ring and joined in with Sid beating on Hogan. Suddenly Warrior was there, running down the ramp and into the ring to a huge ovation from the fans. He and Hogan beat off the heels in one of the most memorable finshes to a Wrestlemania event. It was during this time however that Warrior and WWF began having difficulties. There was an arguement over who had creative rights to The Ultimate Warriors name as well as creative diferences as to how The Warriors character should be used. Warrior left the company in November of that year.
During his time away from WWF Warrior made a single appearance for a small Las Vegas based promotion, The NWC. Here he met up with the Honky Tonk Man to renew their rivalry one last time. Warior defeated HTM in a sold out small arena. The buzz at the time was that Warrior would help the NWC to get off the ground but unfortunately this never happened. Warrior was scheduled to meet another former WWF superstar, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, at the next event but it never took place as the promoter ran out of money.
He also toured Europe with another indy group the WWS (World Wrestling Superstars) Warrior was WWS Champion until the tour ended.
In 1993 Warrior took the role of The Swordsman in the straight to video movie "Firepower." Warrior's character was that of an evil crime boss who took part in underground cage death matches.
Also in 1993 he legally changed his name from Jim Hellwig to Warrior. Contrary to belief, the change had nothing to do with Warrior's wrestling aspirations. It came about because Warrior's father left home when Warrior was 12 leaving a wife and five kids behind him. Warrior had no reason to be proud of his family name and saw no reason to carry on it's legacy.
His final run in the WWF came in 1996. Warrior feuded with intercontinental champion, Goldust as well as Owen Hart and Vader. This run included an appearance at Wrestlemania XII in which The Warrior defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley in under two minutes. This stint in WWF also lasted just afew months and ended after Warrior missed some house shows to spend some time with his father who was ill at the time. Warriors father sadly passed away shortly afterwards. But difficulties with WWF had developed and after no-showing a house show in Detroit, Michigan. WWF announced Warrior would not appear again unless he signed an appearance bond. Warrior refused to sign so the WWF terminated his contract citing their differences in the past.
In 1998 The Warrior entered World Championship Wrestling to a huge reaction from fans. He interrupted an in-ring promo by Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and the Disciple and announced a revolution. He started OWN (One Warrior Nation) and began feuding with Hogan's NWO. The two had a match scheduled for Halloween Havoc. There was every indication that it would be as big as ther match eight years previously at Wreslemania VI. Disaster struck however when just six weeks before Halloween Havoc Warrior injured his arm at War Games. Despite being told not to work out and to take some time off to allow the injury to heal Warrior began rehabbing almost immediately with light workouts for a couple of hours a day. The injury limited Warrior to doing promo's to hype the Haloween Havoc match but because he couldn't get involved in any physical in ring activities during this time the meeting of the two failed to generate the heat that it promised on Warriors initial return. Warrior still wasn't 100% by the time Haloween Havoc rolled around but the match went ahead regardless. In what is considered one of the worst matches in WCW history Warrior was defeated thanks to interferance from Eric Bischoff and Horace Hogan hitting Warrior with a steel chair. Warrior made a couple of appearances in WCW after this but when his contract expired in December '98 he left wrestling for the last time.
Footnotes
After Rock left The Bladerunners his place was taken by Rick Steiner. Sting and Steiner went on to become UWF Champions. Sting then went to the National Wrestling Alliance which later became World Championship Wrestling and had a very successful career becoming 7 time WCW World Champion, 2 time WCW United States Champion, 3 time WCW Tag Team Champion, WCW Television Champion, WCW Battlebowl Champion and the 1992 King of Cable Champion as well as winning several Wrestler of the Year honours.
When Jim Hellwig was approached by New Japan in 1987 they outlined ideas for him to debut as a monster creation in their promotion. When Hellwig turned them down in favour of the WWF, New Japan turned to a little known AWA wrestler named Leon White. On his debut White pinned his opponent Antonio Inoki in less than three minutes at the Tokyo Sumo Hall. The name of the monster creation portrayed by White? Big Van Vader.
The Warrior, Hogan vs Slaughter, Adnan, Mustafa match at Summerslam '91 was refereed by Sid Justice in his first major appearance in the WWF. Justice was the man called in to replace The Warrior to face Owen Hart at a house show in Detroit, Michigan when the Warrior no-showed. Justice was also Warriors replacement later that month when he was introduced as a mystery partner teaming up with Shawn Michaels and Ahmed Johnson at In Your House, International Incident to face Vader, Owen Hart and the British Bulldog.
Warriors debut in WCW was held off until 17/08/98 because the WWF had a court case regarding trademark claims slated for 14/08. The WWF wanted to block Hellwig from appearing with the make-up, UW's look, and the Warrior name. The judge refused the WWF's request stating that Warrior had owned the look before he signed with WWF. WCW was still wary though, issuing orders to everybody that they not use the word "ultimate" in the confrontation on Nitro as there was still a dispute over who exactly had suggested Warrior change his name from Dingo to Ultimate when he joined the WWF. The word ultimate was used but WCW didn't care because the Warrior's debut drew a huge audience.