OHHHHHH What A Rush!
Greatest Tag Team of All Time? That title gets thrown around all the time but for the Road Warriors it just might be true. The only team to win the NWA, AWA, WWF and AJPW Tag Team Titles. A team that was so popular their reaction had a nickname, the Road Warrior pop. They dominated the tag team scene wherever they went and always drew big money. Their interviews were unbelievably intense and their matches were as close to a real fight as it gets. Unfortunately substance abuse issues caught up with Hawk at different times in his life which kept the Road Warriors from continuing that dominance into the 90’s. They weren’t the same team in the 90’s but they were still great. We lost Hawk way too early and now Animal has left us too soon. The Road Warriors may be gone from this earth but their legacy in professional wrestling will live on forever. There will never be another Tag Team like the Road Warriors and with Animal’s recent passing, I think it’s a good time to write up a tribute. A lot of the information in this piece will be from the awesome documentary WWE produced for them in 2005, Road Warriors: The Life and Death of Wrestling’s Most Dominant Tag Team.
My first exposure to the Road Warriors was through Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Living on the prairies in Canada, I didn’t get much exposure to any wrestling other than the WWF. But when I would go to the store I would always run to the magazine racks to check out the wrestling magazines and would read about this awesome team called the Road Warriors that looked so cool with their face paint and spiked shoulder pads. I was a fan before I had ever seen them wrestle and was waiting for the day they made their way to the WWF. Even through the pages of a magazine, I was intimidated so I can’t even imagine what their opponents went through. There is a great quote in the documentary from Arn Anderson, ‘the Road Warriors were the 1st of their kind, over the top bad guys posing as good guys.’ The Road Warriors struck fear into the hearts of opponents and awe into the hearts of fans.
Both Hawk and Animal were born and raised in Chicago then moved to Minneapolis attending different high schools but staying in contact. After high school, Hawk was 245 Lbs and Animal was 280 lol wow. The gym they worked out at produced an elite class of wrestlers like Curt Hennig, Rick Rude, ‘Smash’ Barry Darsow, ‘The Berserker’ John Nord, Jesse Ventura, Scott Norton, Brock Lesnar along with Olympians and Minnesota Vikings players. Don’t think you’re gonna find a gym with a better resume than that, almost a who’s who of the 80’s wrestling scene. Animal was stronger but Hawk had the better body so they were the perfect combo. Both got into bouncing at some rough bars to make money and finally ended up at a bar called Gramma B’s where their bouncer crew was Hawk, Animal, Barry Darsow, Rick Rude, John Nord lol holy shit that is an unbelievable crew of tough guys. Any of them would be the last guy you would want throwing you out of a bar. They would have contests to see who could toss guys the furthest and I imagine there was some serious distance achieved. Animal would try to talk sense into some guys that were getting rowdy while Hawk would start throwing bombs lol sounds about right. Hulk Hogan would even show up and play bass with the bands. Gramma B’s was def the place to be unless you were a rowdy drunk haha
Gramma B’s is where they met the famous wrestling trainer Ed Sharkey. Sharkey was famous for training Jesse Ventura. The ring they had to train in was a boxing ring and was harder than the floor, they leave feeling every bump but they were tough guys and this made em tougher. 3 months straight 5 days a week. When you realize what they went through to become wrestlers, it’s easy to understand why Hawk and Animal approached the business like they did. They went through hell to become wrestlers so they were gonna put their opponents through hell in the ring. During training, Animal dislocated his fibula and had it pop back in walking on an uneven piece of concrete, never went to the doctor and just kept training like normal lol wow they weren’t kidding when they call these guys tough. He never had a problem with it after that so luck was def on his side. Ole Anderson, 4 Horsemen member and booker, came to Gramma B’s, saw the size of all the guys and checked out their training with Sharkey. Ole brought Animal in first and Hawk second. It was Ole that had the idea for the Road Warriors. I don’t think Ole has a lot of fans in the business, and rightfully so in some cases, but he is absolutely an important part of it esp when you consider stories like this.
The first Road Warrior gear was not exactly what we would see later, Animal describes it as feeling like the village people lol started out like bikers but it would evolve quickly. Hawk had the idea for their hair with Animal having a mohawk down the middle and Hawk would have hair on the sides. Management gave them the idea to use facepaint but the guys came up with their own designs. Played with it for a bit until settling on Hawk with the joker type look while Animal had the spider. The Road Warrior name and some ideas for gear like the spiked shoulder pads came from the Road Warrior movie with Mel Gibson. Road Warrior gimmick was perfect for them bc they were already living the gimmick as bouncers at Grandma B’s so why not become famous and make big money doing it.
Wrestling had never seen a team like the Road Warriors in the 80’s and their rough, tough stiff style made people think they wouldn’t last long.
HAWK: Ya’ll take a look bc we are walking death!! WE ARE WALKING DEATH!!
ANIMAL: WE ARE THE ROAD WARRIORS!!
Love that line from Hawk, no way you could look at these guys and think they were just playing a character. They were that intense and real. Everyone was scared of them bc they were intimidating and they beat you up in the ring. Enhancement talent would be scared to death when they would show up and see their names across from the Road Warriors. When they first got into wrestling, they were not ‘nice guys’ and walked around with a bad attitude that nobody could do anything about. The realest characters are the ones that get over which is why the Road Warriors became the most over tag team in the business. They didn’t have a vast knowledge of wrestling technique but they made up for it with brute strength. Darsow tells a story of meeting Arn Anderson for the first time when they were scheduled to face the Road Warriors and both guys didn’t want to get in the ring lol They worked for 10 days and Arn says it was the worst fist fights he has ever been in.
Both Hawk and Animal were physical and intimidating while eating up their opponents in the ring. Neither guy was very nice inside or outside of the ring and that is why their legend grew. They lived the gimmick and were very real.
HAWK: Let me tell you, nobody in the world can touch the Road Warriors!!
ANIMAL: We’re the baddest guys ever around! Nobody comes close to us!
HAWK: That’s right! It’s easy, everybody’s easy when we take em!
The Road Warriors were the epitome of walking carnage in the ring and took no mercy on anyone.
HAWK: Squish them like peas! Everybody is gonna get squished like peas! So get sued to it bc nobody can touch the Warriors!
Hawk def had a way with words lol The Road Warriors won the National Tag Team Titles their first night in GCW. It was unheard of for a rookie team to come into a territory and win the titles on their first night which shows you how special Hawk and Animal were. Because of the jealousy from other teams, a lot of early matches were almost legitimate fights where the Road Warriors had to be so physical and mean to hold their own. They were so real opponents didn’t know if it was going to be a worked match or a real fight. Despite their rough, physical style they were still very professional and I don’t believe they ever actually seriously injured an opponent. It wasn;t always a lot of fun and you would def feel every bit of it all over your body after a match with the Road Warriors but you would still be able to walk out of the ring and compete on the next show. They didn’t sell a lot of offense in order to build the mystique of their tough personas, Hawk even no-sold Jerry Lawler’s piledriver which had a legend of its own.
The Road Warriors were the Legion of Doom in the WWF but early in their career, the Legion of Doom was the stable they were a part of with King Kong Bundy, the Spoiler, Jake Roberts and Paul Ellering as manager. LOD name came from a super friends cartoon lol hard to imagine anything about the Road Warriors came from a cartoon but that is straight from Animal. Paul Ellering was also trained by Ed Sharkey and was a veteran of the business starting as a wrestler but destroyed one of his knees so he later became a manager. Before Ellering was in the wrestling business he had a premonition dream that he would find big success as a wrestling manager. Considering he is one of the best talkers and managers in the history of the business, that dream was right on the money.
Ellering was a great promo and teacher for Hawk and Animal to learn about the wrestling business. He helped them tremendously and was the glue that held everything together. Without Paul Ellering, I think the ceiling on the Road Warriors career would have been a lot lower and he was really the perfect fit matching his brain with their brute strength. Ellering was a true manager in that he helped Hawk and Animal with plane tickets, hotels, contracts, bookings, money, crafting matches, he lived the gimmick outside of the ring just like the Road Warriors. A truly great guy that helped manage Hawk and Animals attitudes and egos.
After a bidding war for their talents btwn GCW, AWA and WWF, the Road Warriors and Paul Ellering went to the AWA in 1984. Kind of crazy to think they could have been on the original WrestleMania card had they went to the WWF. The 80’s WWF Tag Team division was unbelievably stacked with great talent, such a shame we never got to see the Road Warriors in their prime match up with the likes of the Hart Foundation, British Bulldogs, etc.. But AWA was home to them, they grew up watching it and it was based in Minnesota. It gave a boost to the fans to know this dominant tag team was from Minnesota and coming back to wrestle in front of them. This was where they started to use ‘Iron Man’ by Black Sabbath as their theme music which would become an iconic part of their presentation.
PAUL ELLERING: It’s so obvious like the nose on your face which by the way you can breathe through and keep your mouth shut!’ LOL ‘275 lbs! 290 lbs! And the brains. With my understanding of the ramifications, the stipulations of contracts, and the size and tenacity of these 2 men right here. How could they not give us a title shot!’
During that interview, Hawk flexed his neck and the collar he was wearing broke off…yikes. Those 2 were some serious beasts. First few weeks in the AWA, Road Warriors got a title shot vs 2 of their heroes, Baron Von Raschke and The Crusher in Las Vegas and they would defeat them winning their first AWA Tag Titles. The Road Warriors were legit ass kickers in and out of the ring and the fans could see that realism which is why they became so popular. Won PWI Tag Team of the year in 1983-85 and Ellering won Manager of the year in 1984. They had a big rivalry with the Crusher and Dick the Bruiser who had been on top for 30 years but wrestled a completely different style. Crusher and the Bruiser barely left their feet but the first thing Hawk n Animal did was press slam them lol Crusher/Bruiser were supposed to be the babyfaces but fans couldn’t help but start to cheer for this new, young, exciting badass team.
Next up was a feud with the Fabulous Freebirds, Michael PS Hayes and Terry Bam Bam Gordy. They drew tons of money against each other with the biggest crowd being drawn at the AWA SuperClash 1985. The Road Warriors marched to the beat of their own drum and would not be made fools of. One of the famous examples of this was in a match vs the Fabulous Ones, Verne Gagne the owner/promoter of the AWA told the Road Warriors he wanted them to drop the belts after the Fabulous Ones pulled the ol switcharoo. But Animal balked saying they were supposed to be street smart tough guys that wouldn’t fall for stuff like that. Verne expected them to do it anyways but before the match started Animal told the Fabulous Ones they weren’t going for the finish. The Fabulous Ones weren’t gonna be able to shoot on the Road Warriors and win so the match ended when both teams brought chairs into the ring and Verne was furious saying nobody had changed the finish on him in 25 years. Welp, the Road Warriors just did lol
This incident gave the Road Warriors a reputation as rebels and tough to deal with but they felt they were just doing what was right for the business and their characters. The aftermath of this saw the Road Warriors head back to the NWA in Jim Crockett Promotions but they were still the AWA Tag team Champions. At this time, AWA and NWA had an agreement to promote shows together to battle the WWF which had become the #1 wrestling promotion by far on the heels of the Rock n Wrestling era. On the NWA shows the Road Warriors started feuding with the Russians, Ivan and Nikita Koloff with their friend Barry Darsow playing a Russian sympathizer Krusher Kruschev and this made the Road Warriors instant babyfaces despite not changing anything about their ring style, demeanor or promos. This was the 80’s coming off the Cold War so the foreign heels from Russia drew big time negative reactions and the All-American badass Road Warriors were the perfect team for fans to put their support behind. The great, physical matches drew big money for JCP.
The Road Warriors lost the AWA Tag Team Titles to Jimmy Garvin and ‘Mr Electricity’ Steve Regal due to interference from the Freebirds. In their last appearance for the AWA in April 1986, the Road Warriors defeated the Freebirds in a steel cage match. In JCP, the Road Warriors would win the inaugural Crockett Cup vs Ronnie Garvin and Magnum TA which was a huge honour. Everywhere the Road Warriors went, they started out at the top and got better from there. Most wrestlers start at the bottom and get better from there but that was what made the Road Warriors special.
HAWK: We were so bad, we were giving our mothers kidney punches before we were even born LOL
Starting in 1985 the Road Warriors started touring in Japan for AJPW. The early tours were so successful that it turned them into legends and allowed the Road Warriors to regularly work in Japan making big money. Unfortunately during a tour in 1986, Hawk broke his fibula right before a big match at Starrcade 86. The match at Starrcade was a Scaffold Match vs The Midnight Express Dennis Condrey and Bobby Eaton and had tons of promotion behind it. The Road Warriors had shot interviews and vignettes promoting the match including throwing pumpkins off a scaffold onto the concrete to show what would happen during the match. The injury couldn’t have been worse bc Hawk not only has to climb the scaffold but also navigate it safely during the match making an already dangerous match even worse. Starrcade was 3 days after the injury but Hawk was as tough as they come so he cut the cast off, Animal taped up his ankle and they did the match. There isn’t much you can do on a 3 foot wide scaffold but they delivered some good action and in 1986 this was an unbelievable spectacle so it was a big success. The Road Warriors won after knocking Eaton and Condrey off the scaffold but the big spot came after the match when they chased Jim Cornette, a universally hated manager, up to the top of the scaffold and causing him to fall to the mat. Big Bubba Rogers was supposed to catch Cornette but he misjudged how Cornette would fall and Cornette hit the mat hard blowing out both knees. There weren’t many scaffold matches after this but this match sold a lot of tickets and is one of the more legendary matches in wrestling history.
HAWK: We snack on danger and dine on death and dead men don’t make money!
Fn great line. During the 85-88 years, Jim Crockett Promotions had a big bump in popularity and the wrestlers were making a lot of money which led to A LOT of partying lol the Road Warriors were no strangers to the party scene, esp Hawk and had tons of fun during this era. Paul Ellering almost became a glorified babysitter making sure that Hawk didn’t get into serious trouble with the partying. The Road Warriors were one of the biggest draws so they made significant cash working 300 days a year. Jim Ross has a telling quote, “If you ever want to find Hawk, just look for the party.” Michael Hayes also sheds some light on the mindset of the boys at the time, “this is a once in a lifetime thing and by God were gonna have a good time bc a bad time is a waste of time.” The fun that the guys had during these days was legendary.
The Road Warriors moved on from Midnight Express to the 4 Horsemen and this would lead to some of the best matches wrestling had seen to that point. Arn Anderson and Ric Flair taught them a lot as young wrestlers. They had much different styles but they meshed together flawlessly. The 4 Horsemen could realistically work their offense so that it wouldn’t hurt the Road Warriors to sell for it while being agile and athletic enough to bump in and around the ring for the Warriors offense making them look like a million bucks. This feud solidified the Road Warriors as major players in wrestling. The Road Warriors joined with Dusty Rhodes and Nikita Koloff who had turned babyface to battle the Horsemen. In the 1st ever War Games match at the 1987 Great American Bash, the team of the Road Warriors, Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff and Paul Ellering defeated Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Lex Luger, and JJ Dillon. This was another unbelievable spectacle especially for 1987 and the crowd was electric for this bloody, hard hitting match. There was another War games match that summer that saw the Road Warriors on the winning team again.
They had a chance to win the NWA Tag Team Titles at Starrcade 87 vs Arn/Tully but lost via DQ. Hawk and Animal would win the NWA 6 Man Tag Team Titles w Dusty Rhodes in 1986 and held those titles for 646 days. They had begun a hard, physical, violent feud with the Barbarian and the Warlord known as the Powers of Pain. If there were anybody in wrestling that could match size and toughness with Hawk and Animal, it was the Barbarian and the Warlord 2 massive dudes in their own right. The Powers of Pain and Ivan Koloff would finally end the historic reign of Dusty and the Road Warriors in 1988 at a house show. Dusty and the Road Warriors would win the 6 man belts for a 2nd time defeating Flair, Tully and Arn after the Powers of Pain left for the WWF.
But it was time for a change as the Road Warriors turned heel on Sting who was subbing for Dusty during a 6 man tag. Hawk and Animal won their first NWA Tag Team Titles at a House Show vs Midnight Express. Seems strange for it not to happen on TV but in the 80’s, the house shows was where you made your money. They were part of a controversial angle when they turned on Dusty, attacking him and trying to take out his eye with one of their spikes. Great spot that looked brutal but it actually led to Dusty being fired bc TBS specifically told them no more blood on TV and this was def bloody. Before Dusty left he was allowed another match to clear up his role with the 6 Man Titles. Animal defeated Dusty at Starrcade 88 which allowed the Road Warriors to pick a new partner for the 6 Man Titles. They picked Genichiro Tenryu but it didn’t last long as the Titles were retired soon after. Despite their vicious actions against Dusty, the Road Warriors had no choice but to turn back to babyface bc the fans simply refused to stop cheering them, they were that awesome.
At Clash Of The Champions VI they were screwed out of the Tag Titles by ref Teddy Long making a fast count to give The Varsity Club Steve Williams/Mike Rotunda the win. The Road Warriors never held the NWA Tag Titles again but did win the Ironman Tag Team tournament at Starrcade 89, fitting considering their entrance music. They faced DOOM, the Steiner Brothers and the New Wild Samoans in the tournament and between the 4 teams that is some serious beef lol loved watching the Road Warriors vs Steiner Brothers matches, didn’t get enough of em. Problems with Jim Herd led to the Road Warriors leaving NWA/WCW but at that point they were ready to take on the challenge of being the best in the WWF. That was where you got the most exposure and most money so the Road Warriors going to the WWF had to happen eventually. Their 1st big match in the WWF they beat the Hart Foundation establishing them as forces to be reckoned with immediately.
With the Road Warriors, now Legion of Doom, it was inevitable that they would have a showdown with Demolition who were called Road Warrior ripoffs. The Fake Razor and Diesel were ripoffs, Demolition might have been inspired by the Road Warriors but they became their own great team. As a kid I was excited for the 2 teams to face off bc they were so similar. The Legion of Doom helped the Hart Foundation beat Demolition for the Tag Titles at SummerSlam 1990.
HAWK: What are you gonna do about it. Cry in your beer? Sob in your schnitzel? Or whimper over your weiners LOL only Hawk gets away with those lines
The biggest match the Legion of Doom would have vs Demolition was a 6 man tag w Ultimate Warrior vs Demolition on Saturday Nights Main Event. This was a good match but I think most fans wanted to see a straight up LOD vs Demolition Tag Team match and we never really got it. WrestleMania VII was probably the best chance but they went in a different direction having LOD squash Power and Glory. For what it’s worth I loved that squash and it really got me excited for the LOD as a kid. The last interaction between LOD and Demolition was during the 4×4 Warriors vs Perfect Team match at Survivor Series 1990. It prob would have been a different story if Ax was healthy but his back was bad so we’re lucky we got what we did.
The Road Warriors cemented themselves as the greatest Tag Team of All Time by defeating the Nasty Boys at SummerSlam 1991 from MSG and winning the WWF Tag Team Titles. Meant a lot to both Hawk and Animal. I was so salty after the Nasty Boys beat the Hart Foundation, I wanted vengeance lol so I was beyond excited when LOD won. Crowd at MSG went crazy and Gorilla gave the finish a great call. One of my fav moments. This win meant they were the first and only team to ever win the WWF, AWA and NWA Tag Team Titles. An absolutely incredible accomplishment and another fact that shows how special they were as a team. Rarely did a team stay together in different territories and even rarer to see them given the Titles in 3 major promotions. It just didn’t happen but the Road Warriors were on another level. Their legitimacy as badasses gave credibility to any title they held which is why they were given that trust in the 3 major promotions. The Road Warriors lost the titles to Money Inc in Feb 92. Obv they weren’t too happy about this considering they took a break from the WWF and weren’t seen again until WrestleMania 8 in April where they introduced Paul Ellering as their manager. As a kid I didn’t understand why this was a big deal bc I had no clue who Paul Ellering was but watching his interviews I became a fan and was happy to see him leading LOD.
SummerSlam 1992 was the beginning of the end for the Road Warriors but it was still a great moment. The biggest crowd they had ever performed in front of, they rode in on motorcycles and they got a big win over Money Inc. Unfortunately Hawk was not in good shape w his addictions, Bret hart talks in his book about Hawk downing a bunch of pills right before he drove down the ramp on the motorcycle. Scary thinking about how there were hundreds of people lining the barricades down the ramp. It was around this time they introduced a stupid dummy puppet thing called Rocko. As a kid I thought this was the dumbest thing I had seen and Hawk felt the same way as he quit the WWF and disappeared the next night. Animal stayed to honour the rest if their commitments on the tour and then ended up leaving himself but he did have a back injury that needed to heal. Sucks to see Hawk abandon Animal and it fractured their relationship for close to a year. Hawk went to Japan and formed a team with a mid-card wrestler named Kensuke Sasaki called the Hell Raisers. Now if anyone is a Road Warrior ripoff it was the Hell Raisers lol Hawk won the IWGP Tag Titles with Sasaki and actually elevated him to be a main eventer after the Hell raisers were done, that’s how over Hawk and Animal were in Japan.
Hawk eventually made amends with Animal who was finally healed from his back injury and the Road Warriors were back together in WCW. They had good matches vs The Steiner Brothers and Harlem Heat but only stayed for about 6 months due to differences with Eric Bischoff on how they should be used and paid. This led them back to the WWF where they destroyed the Headbanger in their return match. The Road Warriors teamed with Ahmed Johnson, who was wearing spiked shoulders pad like the LOD, to defeat the Nation of Domination in an awesome Chicago Street Fight at WrestleMania 13. The Legion of Doom were frequently involved with wrestling the Hart Foundation stable of Bret, Owen, Davey, Anvil and Pillman in 1997. They were on the team with Stone Cold Steve Austin, Goldust and Ken Shamrock facing the Hart Foundation in the incredible 10 Man Tag at IYH: Canadian Stampede, 1 of the most legendary matches of their career. I think they were the only members of that team to receive a slight pop which again shows you how special of a team they were.
The Legion of Doom would win their 2nd WWF Tag Team Title when they defeated the Godwinns on an episode on RAW. After this they would enter into a feud with the New Age Outlaws and pay all the respect they had been given over their careers forward. This feud with LOD absolutely legitimized the New Age Outlaws and allowed Jesse James and Billy Gunn to climb out of obscurity and become legends. The LOD lost the Tag Team Titles to the Outlaws on an episode of RAW in Nov 1997. But it was the beating the LOD took on an episode of RAW in Nov 1997 that really changed things for the Outlaws. I couldn’t believe my eyes when they shaved Hawks mohawk and put Animal through a table. 2 guys that I thought were a couple of jobbers instantly became legitimate top contenders after they way they beat down 2 of the biggest badasses in wrestling. The LOD prob weren’t happy about that but they still did it. NAO were one of the hottest Tag Team acts in the business for a couple years and a *the* reason is this feud with the LOD. Hawk and Animal could have refused or quit but they did what was right for the business. They deserve all the respect in the world for that. The frustration over losing to the Outlaws boiled over and hah Hawk and Animal brawling so it looked like LOD was done.
But they weren’t done yet. In an awesome surprise they were the last team to enter the Tag Team Battle Royal at WrestleMania 14 and ended up winning it. They were billed as LOD 2000 and entered wearing helmets and updated trunks along with Sunny as their new manager. I was hyped up to see their return watching live. But the hype was shortlived as the LOD never managed to regain the Tag Team Titles. They brought in Darren ‘Droz’ Drozdov as Puke bc he could puke on command lol Droz fit in good with Hawk and Animal but WWF booked a shitty angle about Hawk being too messed up to wrestle and acting high/drunk on TV even having him ‘fall’ off the titantron. I really don’t want to talk much about it bc I hated it at the time and think even less of it now. It was definitely the low point in the history of Hawk and Animal. The WWF also brought back Paul Ellering but this time to manage the team DOA in their feud with the LOD. It was tough for Animal and Ellering to talk trash about each other but they did bc they are professionals.
The LOD returned to enter the Tag Team battle Royal at WrestleMania 15 but this time were not the winners. The return didn’t last long as their last match for years in the WWF was on Mar 29, 1999 vs Owen Hart and Jeff Jarrett. Animal did return to WCW in 2001 as a singles wrestler but did not go to the WWF when they bought WCW. The Road Warriors kept working in Japan and on the independents. Since 1985 they had been working in Japan and had built such a legendary reputation that they always had a place there. In 2001, Hawk along with Animal found Jesus and Hawk became a genuinely changed man which is just amazing to know. There was 1 more big return left in them, shocking everyone when they returned to WWE on RAW in May 2003 to face RVD & Kane for the Tag Team Titles. This was an awesome moment that had me jumping off my couch, I was pumped to see them back in WWE but they weren’t signed to a contract and this ended up their last match on US TV. The last matches of the Road Warriors took place in Japan for Fighting Of World Japan Pro-Wrestling against the Shane Twins.
In heartbreaking news, the wrestling world was shocked on Oct 19, 2003 when we learned that Mike ‘Hawk’ Hegstrand had passed away. Animal was obviously devastated, they were as close as brothers and I don’t think he ever got over Hawk’s death. I was extremely sad that we lost a legend like Hawk so young and would never feel the excitement of a Road Warriors match again. Despite his angry, intense persona, all of his peers described Hawk as a sweetheart of guy that would give you the shirt off his back and anything else that you needed. He regularly gave big money contributions to people less fortunate than him. Hawk loved his wife and loved being Uncle Hawk to Animal’s kids. His demons def contributed to his early death but Hawk will absolutely be remembered as a legend of pro wrestling and 1 half of the Greatest Tag team of All Time. Love and prayers to his family. Godspeed Hawk.
Animal returned to WWE in 2005 to try and continue the Road Warrior legacy teaming with Heidenreich trying to turn another lower card wrestler into a big player. They did their best with Heidenreich even giving him his own LOD spiked shoulder pads and paint but he had his own issues and limitations so he never became a big player. But Animal and Heidenreich did win the WWE SD! Tag Team Titles defeating MNM so it wasn’t a complete dud. Animal dedicated the Title win to Hawk which was great to see. A couple months later Animal and Heidenreich would lose the titles to MNM and that would end their run as a team. Animal would leave WWE soon after going to Japan to form the Hell Warriors with Kensuke Sasaki, Hawk’s old Hell Raisers partner. They had decent success even winning Tag Titles in Mexico.
In 2011 the Road Warriors and Paul Ellering took their rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame being inducted by their former 6 man Tag Title partner Dusty Rhodes. Great moment, just wish Hawk could have been alive for it. Animal would return to WWE one more time and have his last match July 30, 2012 vs Heath Slater on SD! He would return for his last WWE appearance with a host of other legends to take down heath Slater one more time. Animal would make his final wrestling appearance at the All In PPV in a surprise to open the show. That PPV would lead to the creation of AEW and to have Animal be a part of it shows how wide the respect was for the Road Warriors. In retirement Animal stayed active doing autograph signings, interviews and most importantly enjoying time with his family. Joe ‘Animal’ Laurinaitis had 3 children, his son James had a damn good run in the NFL showing the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Animal’s brother is John ‘Johnny Ace’ Laurinaitis and I was def shocked the day I learned that lol During Animal’s signings and appearances, he always went the extra mile to give people an authentic experience getting painted up for everything he did and even breaking out the spiked pads when the situation called for it. I always loved hearing his interviews bc of the passion and respect he showed the business and the fans. Animal legitimately loved wrestling and what it gave him so we always saw that appreciation. Knowing he was such a great guy, family man and wrestling fan like us made it so hard to hear that Joe ‘Road Warrior Animal’ Laurinaitis passed away on Sept 22, 2020. Love and prayers up for his family. Godspeed Animal. He was only 60, he should have had so many more years with his family. And with his passing, the legacy of the Road Warriors/Legion of Doom was officially finished but they will absolutely live forever as long as there are wrestling fans on this planet.
After the storyline of Paul Ellering managing DOA vs the Legion of Doom ended, we unfortunately never saw Ellering with Hawk and Animal again. In 2016, he made his return to WWE but this time with NXT to manage the Authors of Pain Akam and Rezar. The AOP couldn’t have had a better person to guide the early part of their careers as there were def similarities btwn them and Hawk and Animal. The Authors of Pain had a dominant run in NXT becoming the Tag team Champions and successfully defending the titles multiple times. Paul Ellering was already considered 1 of the greatest managers of all time but this run with AOP just cemented that fact.
When you talk about the greatest of all time in wrestling there are 4 boxes that needed to be checked; did they draw big money, were they over with the fans, could they be great in the ring and could they be great on the mic. In the words of Hawk, WELLLLLLLLL lol one of the reasons they were a top team wherever they went is bc their realism and credibility translated to the box office, fans would absolutely pay to see them wrestle no matter where they were. They were so over with the fans that they gave the reaction they would get a name, the Road Warrior pop. Only Hulk Hogan was rivaling the reaction the Road Warriors would get for their matches in the 80’s. In the ring they def weren’t the best technical wrestlers but they didn’t have to be. Their physical, hard hitting style was always entertaining to watch and brought the excitement out of fans creating palpable electricity for their matches. When they were in the ring with opponents that could really go in the ring like the 4 Horsemen, they could not only hold their own but help make the match great. You’ll be hard pressed to find a boring Road Warriors match esp from the 80’s. On the mic both Hawk and Animal could deliver great promos full of off the charts intensity but they also had the brilliant Paul Ellering who is one of the best talkers in the history of the business and was absolutely part of the team. There may be some Tag teams that do 1 or 2 things better but nobody checks all 4 boxes to the level of the Road Warriors. That’s why they are the only team to win the WWF, AWA, NWA Tag Titles, top team in all 3 of the major US promotions. And that’s why I have no trouble declaring the Road Warriors as the Greatest tag Team of All Time.
There was never a team like the Road Warriors before they came in and I don’t think there will ever be one after. Hawk and Animal came into wrestling at the perfect time and caught lighting in a bottle. They weren’t before or ahead of their time, the 80’s was the best possible time period for the Road Warriors to in. I still get goosebumps every time I hear their music hit. The LOD was my Dad’s favourite Tag Team and def one of mine. I love watching LOD promos and hearing Animal say, ‘Tell em Hawk!’ knowing some kind of ridiculousness is coming that could only sound good coming from Hawk lol teams like the Road Warriors helped legitimize pro wrestling and give it credibility. I’m so thankful we have a library full of matches and promos to enjoy for the rest of our days, got much love for both guys. I’m thankful that wrestling was blessed with a team like the Road Warriors, I just wish they had a better ending. The legacy of greatness the Road Warriors established will never die, it will live on until life on this Earth is finished.
Some great Road Warriors/LOD matches to check out:
-Road Warriors vs Harlem Heat – Nitro 96
-Road Warriors vs Steiner Brothers – Starrcade 89
– 10 Man Tag – Canadian Stampede 97
-Road Warriors vs Arn/Tully – Starrcade 87
-Road Warriors vs Ivan & Nikita Koloff – Great American Bash Tour 85/86
-War Games – Great American Bash 87
-Road Warriors vs Midnight Express – Scaffold Match – Starrcade 86
-LOD vs Nasty Boys – SummerSlam 91
-Road Warriors vs Luger/Sting – SuperBrawl 6
When you think about the Road Warrior experience, there is really only 1 way to describe it… OHHHHHHHHHHHHH WHAT A RUSH!!’
Truth & Consequences 