The Ultimate Warrior delivered a prophetic final speech just hours before his untimely death, telling a WWE Monday Night Raw crowd about his legacy and even discussing his own death.
The wrestling legend, whose real name was Jim Hellwif, was found dead on Tuesday night at the age of 54. Authorities have not yet announced a cause of death.
Hours before his death, the Ultimate Warrior spoke to fans on WWE Monday Night Raw, talking about how the fans will now be responsible for how he will be remembered. The Ultimate Warrior said that a person can only be immortalized if he “makes the blood pulse through the body of others.”
He told the cheering crowd:
“No WWE talent becomes a legend on their own. Every man’s heart one day beats its final beat, his lungs breathe their final breath. And if what that man did in his life makes the blood pulse through the body of others, and makes them bleed deeper, than something larger than life, then his essence, his spirit, will be immortalized by the storytellers, by the loyalty, by the memory of those who honor him and make the running the man did live forever.”
The Ultimate Warrior closed the speech by telling fans that his spirit lived through them and their memories of his work in the WWF.
“In the back I see many potential legends, some of them with warrior spirits. And you will do the same for them. You will decide if they live with the passion and intensity. So much so that you will tell your stories and you will make them legends as well. I am Ultimate Warrior. You are the Ultimate Warrior fans. And the spirit of Ultimate Warrior will run forever.”
The Ultimate Warrior began his career in 1987, quickly rising to the ranks of superstar of the then-WWF. He became the league’s champion at Wrestlemania VI after defeating Hulk Hogan in a legendary match.
Full video of the final speech the Ultimate Warrior delivered at WWE Monday Night Raw can be seen here.