Entertainment
Ultimate Warrior’s ex-wife on late star’s ‘erratic’ behaviour after WWE Title win as widow brands Dark Side of the Ring ‘smut and filth’
The Ultimate Warrior’s ex-wife Shari Tyree has opened up on the end of her marriage to the late wrestling star.
The WWE Hall of Famer – whose real name was Jim Hellwig – died from a heart attack in 2014, and his career is the subject of this week’s episode of Dark Side of the Ring, with former colleagues also weighing in.
Reflecting on his WWE Championship win against Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania V, Shari said: ‘After the match, he kinda went off on his own a little bit just to take it all in and just to give himself a big part on the back and say, “Wow, nobody believe in me but he did it”.
‘He was rich and now he was the world champion but that was short-lived. Literally two months after, Jim Hellwig left and Ultimate Warrior came home.
‘He became really erratic, he started staying on the road, which he never did before. He was disconnected – something was off.’
Speaking during Dark Side of the Ring: Becoming Warrior, Shari – who was married to him from 1982 until 1991 – was asked what she meant by ‘erratic’.
‘He seemed… altered. I mean, I didn’t see anything but he definitely was not well,’ she explained, before opening up on the end of their relationship.
She explained: ‘He was on the road and I tried to call his room and he didn’t answer, so I had to do a wellness check on him. You ask any wrestling wife out there – when you don’t hear from your husband, you get scared.
‘When I called back, the guy goes, “He’s there, he was asleep”, and that was the end of it. I thought back to something somebody told me a long time ago.
‘There’s always gonna be women that wanna sleep with your husband, but it’s the ones that wanna steal your life which you have to worry about.
‘I called the room, he answered a phone and I heard a girl’s voice. I immediately thought, “Oh my gosh!” ‘
Breaking down in tears, Shari recalled the moment she realised he was being unfaithful, and described the end of their marriage as her ‘worst fear’.
‘I was devastated. I started going through his things and I found this date planner. I looked at page one and page two and page three, and there’d be a girl’s name and the town,’ she added.
‘I said, “When you come home, you’re gonna be served papers and I’m divorcing you.” I didn’t wait for a response. My worst fear had come true. I just lost my husband.’
Before the episode aired, Dana Warrior – who was married to the late star from 1999 until his death – had promoted A&E’s recent WWE Biography piece on her husband, and responded to a fan asking about Dark Side of the Ring by labelling it ‘smut and filth’.
*Dark Side of the Ring airs on Vice TV. Series one and two are available in the UK via All4.
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