Chris Jericho has described the late Ultimate Warrior as a "legendary guy" who gave him a confidence boost when he was starting his career.
The Fozzy singer - who still competes on a part-time basis for WWE - was as shocked as anyone when the wrestler tragically passed away on April 8, just days after he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Jericho met Warrior at the start of his grappling career when he was competing for now-defunct company WCW (World Championship Wrestling) and he never forgot the words of encouragement he gave him backstage at a TV taping and he says he totally deserved to be honoured for his impact of the wrestling business.
Speaking to BANG Showbiz, Jericho said: "I only treat people the way that they treat me and I only met Warrior once and he was really gracious and really cool to me back in 1998 in WCW. He was there to do something with Hulk Hogan and I remember I went up to say hi to him and he went, 'Hey, Chris Jericho, I know you, you're doing a great job you're doing some good work.' I was a nobody at the time and I remember thinking, 'Wow, the Warrior likes me that totally smokes.' It made me feel that I must be doing something right and it gave me a little bit of a boost and I always remembered that ... He's definitely a legendary guy that deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, I'm glad he got to go in when he was still alive."
As a youngster Jericho, 43, was a huge fan of the Warrior - who died from a heart attack - and he never will forget the intensity he had in WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment).
He added: "As a fan in the late 80s when Warrior came out, he had this energy, this intensity and his look; he was like a heavy metal guy - or he came across that way - and so was I, so I liked that.
"I always respected him as a performer, some of his matches were pretty quick I remember he came in the Winnipeg arena once and beat Andre the Giant in 30 seconds, at the time I was like, 'What a rip off! That sucks.' But I remember WrestleMania VI where he had a classic with Hulk Hogan, much like a lot of guys from that time period he had good matches when he had the right opponent."
Jericho is coming to the UK for two Q&A shows at the Leicester Square Theatre in London on June 12 and June 15 (Psievents.eventbrite.co.uk) and will also be playing at Download Festival with his heavy metal band Fozzy and he can't wait to see his British fans again.
He said: "I'm so excited about coming to the UK on a lot of different levels; I've got a couple of spoken word shows and then right in the middle I'm playing the main stage at Download with Fozzy, it's going to be a good week for Chris Jericho for sure."

One Direction, Katy Perry and Kings of Leon will perform at Radio 1's Big Weekend.
The free music event, which takes place this year in Glasgow, Scotland, from May 23 to May 25, have managed to secure the boy band - made up of Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik - for the festival, despite them having another show on the same day in Dublin, Ireland.
The 'Little Things' hitmakers will also join Ed Sheeran, Kings of Leon, Coldplay, Tinie Tempah, John Newman, The Vamps and The 1975, who are all on the bill.
One Direction, who kicked off their 'Where We Are Tour' this month, which will see them play more than 60 dates across the world, will headline on the Friday night, with Coldplay topping the bill on Saturday and Kings Of Leon on Sunday.
In a statement, One Direction said: "We're so excited to perform at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Glasgow. Glasgow we are coming to get you. We're going to put on a great show and we can't wait to see you all there."
Kings of Leon drummer Nathan Followill also said: "We're so excited to play Radio 1's Big Weekend. We've heard great things, and we can't wait to experience them first-hand."
The 50,000 free tickets available for this year's event were snapped up in less than one hour and Ben Cooper, controller at Radio 1, described the line-up as "phenomenal", adding: "It's probably the best in the world this year, in one of the world's great music cities."

Eva Longoria was all smiles as she arrived at LAX airport in Los Angeles. The 'Desperate Housewives' star teamed her all black ensemble with an electric blue jacket and sunglasses.

Taylor Swift enjoyed a can of diet coke as she left her apartment in Tribeca, New York City. The 'Red' singer teamed her navy shirt dress with black shades and heeled brogues as she strolled around the Big Apple.

Rita Ora sported a leather mini-dress and quirky hair style as she left her New York City hotel. The 'How We Do' singer finished off her look with a colourful varsity jacket.

Rihanna flashed a huge smile as she left the Brooklyn Nets basketball game In New York City. The singer looked stunning in a Christopher Kane camouflage print dress and navy varsity jacket.

Naomi Watts soaked up the sunshine as she cycled home from a farmers market in Brentwood, California. The pretty actress treated herself to a huge bouquet of flowers.

Keira Knightley turned heads in a couture Chanel gown as she arrived at the premiere of 'Begin Again' on the closing night of the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City.

Cara Delevingne showcased her enviable figure in tiny denim shorts as she stepped out in London. The model was joined by pals Suki Waterhouse and Georgia May Jagger for a girls night out in the capital.

Lindsay Lohan was in high spirits as she left London eatery The Firehouse. The actress opted for a black trench coat and ankle boots for her night out in the capital.

Kelly Osbourne showed off her new purple hair at the 2014 Radio Disney Music Awards. The star rocked a spiked blouse and black A-line skirt for the event at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

Fearne Cotton looked glum as she carried a pink tote bag and suitcase in to the BBC Radio 1 studios in London.