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They say, never meet your heroes and Hollywood star Ryan Gosling learned this lesson the hard way. Known for his stellar performances and charming on-screen presence, Gosling has captured the hearts of millions. Yet, as he captivated audiences, he was once a huge fanboy himself, especially of WWE icon The Ultimate Warrior.
However, when Gosling finally had the chance to meet his idol and ask for an autograph, the encounter turned sour. The experience left theBlade Runnerstar heartbroken, marking a disappointing chapter in his childhood.
Ryan Gosling Recalled His Heartbreaking Encounter with The Ultimate Warrior
The WWE champion and the Hall of Fame star, The Ultimate Warrior, had been an icon for many, and one of them also included the Oscar-nominated Hollywood starRyan Gosling.
While promoting his 2011 filmThe Ides of March, the actor reflected on his admiration for certain figures and those he’d love to meet. While he named Michael Jordan, the actor also admitted that meeting one’s heroes doesn’t always turn out as hoped.
Further reflecting on the sentiment,The Fall Guystar recalled his disappointing encounter with his childhood hero, The Ultimate Warrior. Gosling recalled how he waited outside an arena with a poster of the wrestler, hoping to get it autographed.
He said, as perThe Hollywood Reporter,
You know sometimes you meet your heroes, it’s not great like The Ultimate Warrior was my hero when I was a kid… His first poster I had on my wall and I waited for him outside of the arena.
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However, when he eventually approached him, the wrestler bluntly refused, telling him,“Not now, kid.”The cold response left Gosling heartbroken, leading him to tear up the poster in disappointment, as he revealed during the interview.
The Ultimate Warrior’s Pay Dispute With Vince McMahon
The Ultimate Warrior’s relationship with former WWE CEOVince McMahonwas marked by conflict, ultimately leading to a pay dispute that resulted in Warrior’s firing from WWE. The two got off to a good start during the late 1980s and the early 1990s.
Warrior’s popularity soared as he won the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship and defeatedHulk Hoganat WrestleMania VI. The friction became evident around SummerSlam 1991, as revealed in the 2005 documentary,The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior.
As per theNew York Post,Warrior had demanded a significant pay increase from McMahon, reportedly $500,000, before SummerSlam, threatening not to perform if his demands were not met. McMahon revealed in the documentary, saying,
Ultimate Warrior basically came to me and figuratively held a gun to my head and said, ‘Hey, I’m not going to perform unless you pay me x number of dollars.
Although McMahon reluctantly agreed with his demand initially, he fired the wrestler immediately after the event. Despite Warrior’s efforts to reverse the decision, in his attempt to give a resignation, he was unable to do so.
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Warrior eventually returned to the WWE at WrestleMania VIII in April 1992 and made another comeback in 1996. He reconciled with WWE in 2014, was inducted into the Hall of Fame, and appeared at WrestleMania XXX and on Raw.
Tragically, just a day after his WWE return and making peace with the organization, The Ultimate Warrior passed away from a heart attack on June 24, 2025, at the age of 54.
Laxmi Rajput
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3449
Laxmi Rajput is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, with over 3,300 articles published covering film, TV, and pop culture. With a degree in Broadcast Journalism and over three years of experience in content writing, she pivoted to entertainment journalism because let’s be honest, superheroes, sitcoms, and Netflix binges are way more fun. Laxmi frequently covers Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and popular TV shows, offering both fan-first enthusiasm and thoughtful analysis. Her work often dives into Marvel theories, revisits the genius of The Big Bang Theory, or unpacks the Netflix phenomenon of Stranger Things.
