Former WWE employee on The Ultimate Warrior threatening to kill him
It is well known that The Ultimate Warrior could be difficult to deal with behind the scenes at the height of his popularity. In a recent interview, former WWE photographer Tom Buchanan recalled how the WrestleMania 6 main-eventer once threatened to kill him backstage.
The issue stemmed from WWE officials encouraging babyface superstars to interact with fans before shows. Buchanan told Jim Myers, also known as George Steele, to write in his agent report that Bret Hart stopped to chat with people. When Myers said everyone communicated well with fans, Buchanan told him that Warrior marched past everyone with his head down.
On the Cheap Heat Productions Podcast, Buchanan made it clear that Warrior did not like him:
"One of two people that threatened to kill me, so I'm not a fan of The Ultimate Warrior!" [18:06 – 18:10]
Agent reports could be read by the company's higher-ups, including WWE Executive Chairman Vince McMahon. According to Buchanan, Warrior furiously searched for him around the building later that night:
"Jim told that to Warrior that night in the Orlando arena, so Warrior got really p****d and was storming through the arena looking for me, throwing chairs, tipping over tables, dent in a wall. 'I'm gonna kill that Buchanan. Where's that f***ing Buchanan? I'm gonna f***ing kill him.'" [19:32 – 19:50]
Buchanan added that Warrior was already on the verge of losing his job after failing a drug test. That night turned out to be his last in WWE for three-and-a-half years.
Why Jim Myers told The Ultimate Warrior about Tom Buchanan's feedback
Myers had previously instructed The Ultimate Warrior to communicate better with WWE fans outside arenas before events.
Load the spaceship with the rocket fuel, load it with the Warriors! - Ultimate Warrior #TeamWarrior #WWE https://t.co/nKMqxob0p7
Buchanan informed Myers about Warrior's behavior in confidence. However, the former agent felt he had no choice but to disclose details of their conversation to the one-time WWE Champion:
"Jim [Myers] found me at the next show, or a couple of shows later, and said, 'Tom, I had to tell Jim [Jim Hellwig, Warrior's real name] what happened.' I talked to him about not interacting with fans. He asked, 'Who told you that?' and I had to be honest with him, so that's how that went down. Never saw him again. That was the end of Ultimate Warrior for me." [20:07 – 20:26]
Former WWE employees often tell stories about their time working with The Ultimate Warrior. Last week, Warrior's former travel partner Sam Houston gave his thoughts on the 2014 WWE Hall of Famer.
What do you think of The Ultimate Warrior? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit the Cheap Heat Productions Podcast and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.