Hellwig entered into semi-retirement in 1992 after having had a contentious relationship with the WWE for some time. However, The Ultimate Warrior couldn’t keep away from the ring entirely. He continued to wrestle sporadically throughout Europe and around the United States until 1996, when he returned to the WWE. He continued to butt heads with Vince McMahon, the chairman of the WWE, most frequently over his contract and rights to the Ultimate Warrior character. A short time later, The Ultimate Warrior officially retired from wrestling, according to Forbes. 

In 2014, The Ultimate Warrior was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and his return to the wrestling spotlight unfortunately may have led to his untimely death. The week of his induction, Hellwig made promotional appearances on WrestleMania on April 6 and on Monday Night RAW the following day, April 7, per Celebrity Net Worth. Tragically, on April 8, 2014, he collapsed from a heart attack outside of his Scottsdale hotel just one day after his RAW appearance, and he died at a nearby hospital a short time later at the age of 54, per Sportscasting. At the time of his death, The Ultimate Warrior’s net worth was around $1.5 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

The Ultimate Warrior will be featured on the June 6 edition of Biography‘s “WWE Legends” on A&E.