WWE announces Warrior Award winner for 2019
Sue Aitchison, the WWE’s head of community relations and a 30-year veteran of the WWE’s corporate offices, is this year’s Warrior Award recipient.
In 2015, the WWE established the Warrior Award, which is given out at the company’s yearly Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. The Warrior Award was initially conceived by The Ultimate Warrior in his induction speech in 2014 as the “Jimmy Miranda Award,” an award for those who work behind the scenes and don’t get the recognition he believed they deserve.
However, when the award was first handed out the following year, as the Warrior Award, the purpose shifted “to an individual who has exhibited unwavering strength and perseverance and who lives life with the courage and compassion that embodies the indomitable spirit of The Ultimate Warrior.”
While this doesn’t necessarily exclude those The Ultimate Warrior had hoped to recognize, the award has mostly been given to those who have fought through illness or hardship and who serve as inspirational touchstones both inside and outside of the WWE Universe.
This year, though, the WWE has chosen to honor The Ultimate Warrior’s original intent, naming Sue Aitchison, the WWE’s head of community relations and 30-year company veteran the 2019 Warrior Award recipient. Aitchison has spearheaded many of the WWE’s charitable initiatives. Per the WWE’s official announcement:
"“Over the course of her storied career, she built a long-term partnership with Make-A-Wish and helped grant WWE wishes to more than 6,000 children. Aitchison also pioneered WWE’s WrestleMania Reading Challenge, inspiring a love of reading for millions of children around the world. Because of her commitment to giving back, Aitchison has also been the recipient of Make-A-Wish’s Chris Greicius Award.”"
WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon added, “Sue has dedicated her entire career to helping Wish kids fulfill their dreams and putting smiles on countless families’ faces. Her heart and character epitomize the essence of the Warrior Award … She is an unsung hero who deserves to be recognized and immortalized in the WWE Hall of Fame.”
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Aitchison will be presented the award by Dana Warrior, The Ultimate Warrior’s widow, WWE ambassador and now full-time member of the company’s creative team. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, April 6 live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York and will stream live on the WWE Network as part of the WrestleMania weekend festivities.