There is a conspiracy theory in wrestling that The Ultimate Warrior died in 1991, and was replaced by a different wrestler playing the part instead.
Jim Hellwig portrayed “The Ultimate Warrior” from his WWE debut in 1987 all the way to his actual death in 2014.
However, he left the WWE in 1991, after main eventing WrestleMania and winning the WWE Championship in a legendary match against Hulk Hogan in 1990.
During this time, the Ultimate Warrior was a physical specimen. He was a bodybuilder-turned-wrestler, and had a physique that any other wrestler would be envious of.
It was his look that made Vince McMahon put the WWE Championship on him – of course, it was not his horrible wrestling ability and lack of physical conditioning that endeared him to the WWE boss.
He was famously not in wrestling shape, with The Undertaker claiming he could wrestle for barely 10-minutes after he’d sprinted to the ring and shook the ropes like his life depended on it.
Ultimate Warrior left the company in 1991, after holding up the WWE for $550,000 to wrestle at Summerslam 1991.
Warrior teamed with Hogan in the Summerslam main event, and he knew that the show could not go on without him.
Vince McMahon agreed, but suspended him immediately after the show, which led to Warrior walking out on the company completely in October 1991.
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The Origins of the Ultimate Warrior Conspiracy Theory
After he returned to the WWE, a conspiracy theory about the Ultimate Warrior cropped up amongst wrestling fans.
Ultimate Warrior returned one year later. The company were missing star power after Hulk Hogan left the company to try his hand in Hollywood. He eventually joined WWE’s biggest competitors in WCW, only adding to their issue.
But something was different.
The Ultimate Warrior looked noticeably smaller, with shorter hair and just a general different look about him.
People noticed the change. Rather than chalk it up to the steroid scandal that nearly landed Vince McMahon a multi-year stay in jail, they theorized that the only reasonably explanation was that The Ultimate Warrior had died and been replaced.
This was in 1992, before the internet was commonplace. We can’t tell the exact time the conspiracy was first proffered, but it has been talked about since the 1990s.
In 2005 article from TheOfficialWrestlingMuseum spoke about the theory. It claimed that some fans thought the Ultimate Warrior was replaced by Kerry Von Erich after his return.
They also discussed a rumor that he died of liver failure due to years of steroid abuse, but does little to expand on those claims.
Did Kerry Von Erich Replace the Ultimate Warrior After He Died?
The Ultimate Warrior did not die in 1991, nor was he replaced by another wrestler in 1992.
The rumors were that he died in 1991 (the reasons varied, from a car accident, a heart attack, liver failure or even AIDS) were completely false.
Jim Hellwig was the man under the Ultimate Warrior face paint in 1992.
Many people thought that Kerry Von Erich replaced him in the WWE, owing to his slightly slender (but still impressive) frame.
The real reason for him appearing smaller was because of the steroid trial changing the wrestling world forever.
With Vince McMahon facing prison, he wanted wrestlers to look more natural and smaller, which is why he pushed Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels so much during this era.
This was clear when you look at Hulk Hogan. When he joined WCW in 1992, he is clearly much smaller and slimmer than he was in the WWE, owing to the scrutiny on the wrestling business.
The Ultimate Warrior was planned to win the WWE Championship in 1992, but this was thrown out the window with the focus on smaller, more natural wrestlers.
Kerry Von Erich Died 21 Years Before Ultimate Warrior
One crucial piece of evidence proves that Kerry Von Erich didn’t replace the Ultimate Warrior after he died in 1991.
This is the fact that Kerry Von Erich committed suicide in 1993. If Jim Hellwig had perished, then they’d have needed a third similarly-looking bodybuilder to portray the wrestler when he re-joined WWE in 1996.
He went on to wrestle for WCW in 1998, having one of the worst matches ever against Hulk Hogan.
The Ultimate Warrior also wrestled his last match in 2008, before dying for real in 2014.
