page_title: The Ultimate Warrior
section_title: Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion (1988–1990)
hierarchical_section_title: The Ultimate Warrior / Professional wrestling career / World Wrestling Federation / Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion (1988–1990)
caption_attribution_description: Ultimate Warrior's signature entrance
context_page_description: Warrior was an American professional wrestler, who most famously wrestled under the ring name The Ultimate Warrior for the World Wrestling Federation from 1987 to 1991 and again in 1992 and 1996. During his 1998 stint in World Championship Wrestling, he was known as The Warrior. Before WWF, he was known in World Class Championship Wrestling as Dingo Warrior.
  While in the WWF, Warrior became a two-time WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion and won the WWF World Heavyweight Championship once when he pinned Hulk Hogan in the main event at WrestleMania VI in Toronto, making him the first wrestler to hold both titles concurrently. He retired from professional wrestling in 1998 and embarked on a public speaking career, but wrestled one final match in Spain in 2008.
  Warrior died on April 8, 2014, at the age of 54 in Scottsdale, Arizona. On the preceding three nights, he had been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, appeared at WrestleMania XXX and made his final public appearance on Monday Night Raw, returning to the promotion after an acrimonious separation since 1996.
context_section_description: Less than a year after his WWF television debut, Warrior, a surprise substitute for the injured Brutus Beefcake, won the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, defeating The Honky Tonk Man in a 27-second squash match at the inaugural SummerSlam on August 29, 1988, and ending Honky Tonk's long reign at 454 days. As champion, he captained a team at Survivor Series '88, where he was the sole survivor, pinning Outlaw Ron Bass and Greg Valentine in succession to win the match for his team.
  As 1989 began, Warrior entered a feud with Rick Rude over the Intercontinental title. The feud was sparked at the 1989 Royal Rumble, where the two met in a "super posedown". After Warrior drew the support of the live crowd in their judging of the contest, Rude attacked Warrior and choked him with a steel bar. This led to a championship match at WrestleMania V, where Rude pinned Warrior to win the title with the help of his manager Bobby Heenan, who held down Warrior's foot from outside the ring as he was being pinned. At SummerSlam, Warrior defeated Rude to regain the title and become a two-time Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion. Warrior then began a feud with André the Giant, leading to a number of house shows in which Warrior defeated Andre in short squash matches, establishing Warrior as a main event level talent. The feud culminated at Survivor Series where the two captained opposing teams. Warrior eliminated André by knocking him out of the ring, where he was counted out. Warrior was again the sole survivor, pinning Arn Anderson and Bobby Heenan to win the match.
caption: Warrior was known for his high energy entrances
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