He finally got his big break in late 1987 when he was signed by the WWF. Vince McMahon originally wanted the Ultimate Warrior to be known just as Warrior, but the Warrior chose to add "Ultimate" with it. When Paul Orndorff left the WWF in early 1988, it gave the Warrior his first major push as he filled in for Orndorff and feuded with Hercules. This led to a WrestleMania IV match pitting the Ultimate Warrior against Hercules, which the Warrior won. Promoters began to take notice of the Warrior's immense popularity (similar to Goldberg's popularity today) and gave him and Intercontinental title shot at SummerSlam '88, filling in for an "injured" Brutus Beefcake. The Warrior took full advantage of the opportunity and won the Intercontinental title from the Honky Tonk Man in a record breaking 91 seconds (to this day, no one has been able to win the Intercontinental title in that time). The Warrior would continue to feud with the Honky Tonk Man after SummerSlam and dominated the Elvis Presley clone in subsequent rematches.
Credit: An Ultimate Warrior Fansite