While WrestleMania XII is most remembered for the Iron Man match between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, the show’s darkest secret played out in just 99 seconds. The Ultimate Warrior’s rushed return became a no-sell spectacle that humiliated Triple H, derailed creative plans, and poisoned WWE’s backstage for years. Behind the fanfare of Warrior’s 1996 comeback lurked a mess that haunted the company, one only partially resolved days before Warrior’s sudden death.
At WrestleMania 12, Ultimate Warrior crushed Triple H in 99 seconds, igniting years of animosity and behind-the-scenes backlash. Photo Credit: WWE.
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Why Was Ultimate Warrior’s WrestleMania XII Return Rushed?
The Ultimate Warrior in his prime WWE era, showcasing the charisma that fueled his 1996 comeback. Photo Credit: WWE.
The Ultimate Warrior (born James Hellwig) dominated WWE’s Golden Era from 1987-1992 with his superhero-like physique, jackhammer promos, high-energy entrances, and explosive ring style, becoming the first wrestler to simultaneously hold the Intercontinental and WWE Championships after defeating Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VI in 1990.
Yet backstage, his reputation as a notoriously difficult collaborator – fueled by steroid controversies and contract disputes – led to a bitter 1992 exit.
By 1996, WWE’s New Generation Era (1993-1997) had shifted focus to technical stars like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. However, Warrior’s unresolved 1992 departure left his fanbase (self-dubbed "Warriors") demanding closure.
Desperate to capitalize on WrestleMania XII’s March 31, 1996, hype, WWE brass fast-tracked his return, skipping storyline buildup to pit him against 26-year-old Hunter Hearst Helmsley (Triple H’s blueblood gimmick debut in 1995) in a hastily booked match.
What Happened in the 99-Second Match Between Ultimate Warrior and Triple H?
When 26-year-old Triple H (then Hunter Hearst Helmsley) faced Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania XII, the 99-second squash match became a masterclass in backstage dysfunction. Despite Triple H landing his signature Pedigree finisher moments after the bell, Warrior infamously no-sold the move, bouncing up to deliver a rapid-fire shoulder tackle, gorilla press slam, and Warrior Splash for the pin.
Watch the Ultimate Warrior vs. Triple H: WrestleMania XII match in its entirety below:
The botched finish wasn’t part of WWE’s plan. On a 2020 episode of Cornette’s Drive-Thru, Jim Cornette dissected the debacle:
"Triple H was a good young talent, and he went in saying, ‘I’m supposed to do a job for the Ultimate Warrior, so I’m gonna do the best of my ability to do that.’"
Cornette continued, "He hit Warrior with some things, and then Warrior said, ‘No, this is what it’s going to be, you’re gonna get nothing, I’m gonna beat you.’ He wouldn’t work with him.
"It was not specifically booked that way for him to just emasculate Triple H. Triple H was his opponent so he could get a win on PPV in a special attraction match, a returning legend beats some guy on the roster that’s an upcoming star but he’s not a main event guy. It wasn’t supposed to be a big draw match, the draw was the return of the Ultimate Warrior, but we didn’t say no, you need to ******* beat this guy with no offense and treat him like a piece of ****. That was the Ultimate Warrior, because that was what he did, because it was all about him."
Backstage, former WWE boss Vince McMahon reportedly fumed over Warrior’s unscripted dominance. Fans held hope for a redeemed Warrior era, but the Anaheim Pond audience’s cheers masked the match’s toxic legacy: a 26-year-old future WWE icon buried, and a comeback derailed by ego.
Why Did Ultimate Warrior’s 1996 WWE Run Fail After WrestleMania XII?
Ultimate Warrior battles Goldust during his ill-fated 1996 run, cut short by creative disputes and no-shows. Photo Credit: WWE.
Following The Ultimate Warrior’s WrestleMania XII (March 31, 1996) return, WWE’s creative team faced an immediate crisis: no clear plan for his storyline. Bruce Prichard, then a key booker, summarized the chaos on his Something to Wrestle With podcast in 2021:
“From WrestleMania on, I just didn’t see how it was going to work. It didn’t have that panache of ‘Oh boy, it’s Warrior again, can’t wait to see him.’ It was more of, ‘Oh god, what the hell are we going to do with this again?'”
Prichard continued, “There was trepidation; it wasn’t a mesh. It wasn’t a good feeling. You can have people who are difficult to deal with, and you learn to work around them because of the results. But there were no results… it was just difficult to deal with.”
What followed for the Warrior was a series of lackluster 1996 feuds – first against Goldust (then in his controversial androgynous gimmick) and later Jerry Lawler, who primarily worked as a color commentator at the time.
Compounding his poor in-ring performances, Warrior began missing house shows across the U.S., attributing his absences to his estranged father’s death. Vince McMahon rejected this explanation, citing their fractured relationship and Warrior’s exorbitant merchandise demands for his self-published comic books.
Bruce Prichard detailed the collapse further:
"We had Warrior booked all across the country at live events, and he wasn’t showing up, wasn’t answering phone calls. When he finally answered, he talked about his dad… I’ve got empathy for that. You want to believe him but there were too many things that didn’t add up, like demanding we purchase a bunch of his comic books every month. An astronomical amount… I don’t think Superman or Spiderman sold that many. He looked at it like he’s getting screwed because he’s the Ultimate Warrior; the audience felt different."
By July 1996, WWE terminated Warrior’s contract – a four-month implosion cementing his WrestleMania XII return as one of wrestling’s most disastrous comebacks.
How Did Triple H and Ultimate Warrior Reconcile After WrestleMania XII Fallout?
Triple H sends Ultimate Warrior into the ropes during their match at WrestleMania XII in 1996 – a match that sparked years of real-life animosity. Photo Credit: WWE.
The relationship between Ultimate Warrior and WWE remained toxic for years after his 1996 firing, epitomized by WWE’s 2005 DVD The Self-Destruction of The Ultimate Warrior. The documentary featured Triple H branding Warrior "the most unprofessional" wrestler he’d ever worked with – a direct jab at their 99-second WrestleMania XII disaster. Warrior retaliated in a 2005 blog post:
"I’m the most unprofessional person you’ve ever stepped into the ring with? Well, now, ain’t that pretty… Because from what I hear, you are the biggest unprofessional ***-hole the business has ever seen. You are welcome."
In that same blog post, Warrior dismissed Vince McMahon’s claim that he "held up" WWE for money during 1991 contract disputes:
"You got that wrong, Vince. The strong-arming was done by YOU and your ‘conniving financial thug’ Doug Smogs… You scribbled a letter praising my work ethic, then suspended me post-SummerSlam to ‘show Emily Feinburg how big a man you were.’ I left you ill with worry – ‘Where’s MY Warrior?’ you boohooed for months."
He also mocked Jim Ross’ critiques:
"When did JR get to ‘know me so well’? Envy alone fuels your opinions. You’re jealous I never let Vince – or YOU – bend me over like the ‘Mother Hen’ of talent."
Over time, the feud between him and Triple H lessened as Triple H rose through WWE’s corporate ranks. In a 2012 interview with the LA Times, he recontextualized their match:
"It’s funny, people bring that up negatively… For me to wrestle a legend like Ultimate Warrior at my first WrestleMania was mind-blowing. Squash or not, it was a good experience."
By 2014, as WWE’s Executive Vice President, Triple H (Paul Levesque) spearheaded Warrior’s reconciliation.
On April 5, 2014, Warrior was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, appeared at WrestleMania XXX (April 6), and cut a poignant promo on April 7’s Monday Night Raw. Tragically, he suffered a fatal heart attack on April 8, 2014, at age 54 – just three days after his final WWE appearance.
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Legacy of Ultimate Warrior vs. Triple H at WrestleMania XII
The Ultimate Warrior shares a rare moment of unity with Vince McMahon and Triple H ahead of his 2014 WWE Hall of Fame induction, closing the chapter on years of animosity just days before his tragic passing. Photo Credit: WWE
While their 99-second WrestleMania XII debacle remains a lowlight of both careers, the Ultimate Warrior and Triple H’s saga ultimately became a testament to wrestling’s capacity for redemption.
The match’s legacy – a cocktail of backstage ego clashes and creative malpractice – was partially redeemed by Triple H’s 2014 efforts to induct Warrior into the WWE Hall of Fame, just days before the icon’s tragic passing.
What began as a March 31, 1996, trainwreck in Anaheim, California, concluded as a bittersweet parable: even WWE’s most radioactive grudges can find resolution.
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Richard Thompson is an aspiring screenwriter and longtime journalist, having written for online publications such as FanBuzz and MovieWeb. His favorite pro wrestler growing up was Scott Hall, and his childhood dream was to join the nWo. Sadly, while that dream never came true, getting the opportunity to write about wrestling is a solid consolation!
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