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Return Of The Ultimate Warrior

Posted: Jun 23rd 2008 By: CMBurnham

Pro wrestling star-turned-conservative speaker and commentator Jim Hellwig, better known in mat circles as The Ultimate Warrior, will return to the ring this week in Spain after a 10-year absence.

The 50-year-old Hellwig, who legally changed his name to The Warrior in 1993, will take part in an NWE (Nu-Wrestling Evolution) show Wednesday night in Barcelona against former WWE performer Orlando Jordan. The match is available via online pay-per-view at a cost of $29.99, according to a press release, and more information can be gleaned at UltimateWarriorTV.com.

On paper, the matchup appears to be a curious one, in light of the fact that Jordan is openly bisexual and Warrior's conservative views slant to the right of Atilla the Hun.

Warrior has created some serious stirs at a number of college campuses with his far right and homophobic rhetoric. Two years ago at DePaul, a Catholic university, he argued that gay and lesbian couples had the same disease as pedophile priests in the Catholic Church.

"I am also not confused about my gender," Warrior posts on his Web site. "I have no desire to tone down the nature of the sex I am. I am a male and am proud to be a man. I will often forcefully punctuate my points and positions on ideas and issues with manly language. I make no apologies."

Warrior lashed out at late actor Heath Ledger earlier this year, criticizing his role as a homosexual in "Brokeback Mountain" and labeling Ledger a drug addict.

"By today's standard, though, I do have to agree that he was a great father. Perhaps even greater then the father of the year, Hulk Hogan. After all, Leather Hedger did what it took to kill himself. His kid is without a father, yes, but the negative influence is now removed and his own child has the chance for a full recovery. Hogan, on the other hand, won't go quite that far. He insists on sticking around to keep further ruining, and profiting off of, the parentally mismanaged lives of his own children ... It is sad and tragic ... that we don't demand attention be paid to greater things."

Warrior also ripped former WWE star Jake "The Snake" Roberts in a recent interview with a Chicago radio station. Warrior called Roberts "a totally immoral person who wasted his own life and disrespected his family," saying Roberts "should be dead because the world would be a better place."

Warrior, when asked about his rants on homosexuality, said in a recent radio interview that his views have been taken out of contest. He also told a Seattle radio station that he'd like to wrestle Vince McMahon next year at Wrestlemania 25.

TNA is holding out hope for a possible reuniting of Warrior and Sting (Steve Borden) later this year. The two broke into the business together nearly 25 years ago. Warrior's representatives, though, have expressed little interest thus far.

TNA also is looking at a possible Sting retirement at the end of the year when the 49-year-old star's current contract expires. A major ceremony has been planned in the wake of Ric Flair's spectacular send-off at Wrestlemania.

- Embattled WWE creative talent Michael Hayes is back on the job for after serving a 60-day suspension related to using racial slurs.

Hayes was demoted from his vice president position and was ordered to undergo sensitivity training and alcohol recovery counseling. He also is no longer allowed to consume alcohol during any WWE-related event.

Hayes will return to work on a full-time basis Monday when Raw holds its special three-hour draft show.

Former WWE performer Booker T (Booker Huffman) defended Hayes during a TNA conference call.

"I don't look at Michael as a racist myself," said Booker. "I've heard him use the N-word before ... He's one of the people who can use the word around me because I know there's no malice behind it."

"I never had any problems with Michael Hayes," Booker told the UK Sun. "I feel like that issue was just one person not knowing the other. I've known Michael for many, many years, and Michael always thought he was black. He was always saying black things in a black way. I think whatever happened up there was taken out of context and has been blown way out of proportion, and they're feeling it right now in so many different ways, and this is just one of them. And they always say, you reap what you sow."

- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson received major kudos when Entertainment Weekly listed him as the first of the magazine's 10 actors considered "The Next A-List" along with Seth Rogan, Robert Downey Jr., Michael Cera, Anne Hathaway and others.

The five-page spread on Johnson said his Hollywood career has had a series of false starts, but he's making a serious run at the A-list as a family-friendly leading man. Johnson's latest flick, "Get Smart," opened in theaters nationwide this weekend.

Johnson, who runs an organization called the The Rock Foundation, received the Horizon Award on Thursday at the Congressional Awards 2008 Gold Medal Reception in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes people who help expand opportunities and set a good example for young Americans. Johnson's program emphasizes the importance of goal-setting and overcoming obstacles.

Johnson has dropped "The Rock" nickname along with the eyebrow-raising gimmick.

"When I made the transition into film, I knew eventually I was going to be billed as my given name," Johnson recently told the Los Angeles Times. "I wanted the transition to happen naturally. Ten years ago, I didn't want to make an announcement or a statement, 'From this day forward, I'm an actor.' I didn't want to make a big deal about it. There was just a natural and easy way for the transition to happen."

The divorce of Johnson and childhood sweetheart Dany Garcia Johnson after 11 years of marriage was made official last month. The two will remain business partners and will share custody of 6-year-old daughter Simone.

- WWE's recent One Night Stand pay-per-view took a heavy toll on the roster.

Former WWE champ Randy Orton suffered a compressed fracture of his left collarbone when he took a nasty spill outside the ring during his match with Triple H. The good news is that he won't need surgery; the bad news is that he'll likely be out of action until September. And while that may be bad news for the company, whose depth at the top of the roster is extremely thin, the break comes at an opportune time for Orton. His wife, Samantha, is due to give birth on July 15.

Orton, whose antics outside the ring have jeopardized his career in the past, recently told the Baltimore Sun that being married and an expectant father had turned his life around.

"It's definitely changed me," said the third-generation star. "I have a wonderful wife that wouldn't hurt a fly, and I think a lot of that has rubbed off on me. I can't wait to be a dad, and the fact that I'm going to have a little girl - I jumped through the roof when we were at the doctor's office and he said that we were going to have a daughter." The 28-year-old Orton also admitted he had made a number of bad decisions.

"I definitely had a big head, and I'll be the first to admit that I made some bad decisions. But back when I was making those decisions, in my head I was doing no wrong. I was forced, more or less, to go to anger management. I was either going to make myself and everyone around me miserable, or I was going to realize that there's more than one person on this Earth. It definitely has made me a better person."

Big Show (Paul Wight), who required eight stitches as a result of colliding with the steel ring steps during the Singapore Pole match at One Night Stand, was diagnosed with a fracture of the sinus cavity and possible broken orbital bone.

The Undertaker (Mark Calaway), who lost a retirement match at One Night Stand, is taking time off to deal with some nagging injuries but is expected to return to the ring in time for the Summer Slam pay-per-view.

- Rey Mysterio is expected to the ring in July. He has been out of action since February when he injured his biceps during a tour of Latin America.

- Michael Brendli, better known as Mike Mondo and Mikey of The Spirit Squad, has been released by the company. Brendli recently was arrested for DUI in Tampa with a 0.09 blood alcohol level (slightly above the 0.08 legal limit).

Recent WWE-related DUI arrests in the Tampa area, new home of WWE's developmental program, include Santino Marella (Anthony Morelli) and Ted DiBiase Jr.

The Pro Wrestling Insider Web site reported that WWE developmental wrestler Stu Sanders, also known as Stuart Bennett, was arrested last Sunday in Tampa and charged with battery of a law enforcement officer and obstructing or opposing an officer. He was arrested outside a Champps bar and restaurant following an incident with a female patron.

- James Yun (Jimmy Wang Yang) was suspended by WWE for a wellness policy violation. It was his first violation so he's suspended for 30 days.

- William Regal, who was suspended 60 days for failing a WWE drug test, is telling friends that he used an illegal supplement by mistake.

Tags: Ultimate Warrior, Jake Roberts, Sting, TNA, Ric Flair, WWE, Michael Hayes