The Road Warriors: Danger, Death, and the Rush of Wrestling

by Joe Laurinaitis

If ever in history a tag team had the “it factor,” that unique something attracting fans and friends at every turn, it was the Road Warriors. Some of Joe’s professional wrestling peers whom he is honored to call lifelong friends offered their perspectives on working with Joe and Mike at various stages in their careers. Read on as these eleven all-time greats in the business reflect on their experiences with the indomitable Road Warriors:

  “Nature Boy™” Ric Flair®

  “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes

  Bret “The Hitman” Hart

  “Rowdy” Roddy Piper

  Booker T

  Rob Van Dam

  Jim “J.R.” Ross

  “The Russian Nightmare” Nikita Koloff

  “The Living Legend” Larry Zbyszko

  Sean “X-Pac” Waltman

  Terry “Warlord” Szopinski

  “Respect” is the only word that comes to mind when I think of them. I would like to thank each of these professional wrestling greats once more, here in print, for definitively placing a loud, collective exclamation point on this testament of Animal and Hawk.

  —Andrew William Wright

  “NATURE BOY™” RIC FLAIR®

  One of the most successful professional elements Animal and Hawk had was that their characters matched their personalities. They were the Road Warriors. Honestly, I never called them anything else. Some guys tried to be something they’re not, but not those guys. Hawk especially was just as charged up and loud out of the ring as he was in it and was definitely the wilder of the two. Joe was the Milder Warrior, so to speak, and that’s exactly why they did so well together, both professionally and personally.

  I remember meeting them when they first came into Georgia. They were men. Sometimes you talk to twenty-one-year-olds, and they’re still kids. Not Animal and Hawk. They were respectful, possessed positive attitudes, and had a huge presence backstage in every way. And back then, believe me, wrestling was a tough, man’s man business. They never complained, always worked hard, and were in great shape.

  For a couple years there, it seemed like I was wrestling them every night in six- and eight-man tag matches. I loved every second of it.

  I think the Road Warriors are the most recognized name in the history of tag team wrestling, and more importantly, Animal and Hawk were great guys—just fantastic people. Animal used to buy my kids toys in Japan and take them to my house, and I’ll never forget it. I’ve got nothing but great thoughts of Joe Laurinaitis and Mike Hegstrand.

  Oh, and Joe? I know you’re reading this. I didn’t forget about Terry Funk and the hotel door in Japan back in ’85. You still owe me $1,500!

  “THE AMERICAN DREAM” DUSTY RHODES

  The Road Warriors revolutionized the way we all looked at characters in our industry. It was amazing for me to have had the opportunity to mentor Joseph and “Hank” (my nickname for Hawk) when they first came in, knowing they were so fresh and new, especially with that entrance music, that there’d be imitations. You know, there would be other guys throwing big clotheslines or maybe wearing spikes, but none were as powerful and devastating, not only in the ring but to the television audience at home and in terms of generating revenue.

  Joe and Hank were my “babies,” as I used to call them, and were just as much a part of me as I was part of them. In the early days at the TBS studio, they’d always come running back after their match to get my thoughts; it was endearing. They were just so excited and wide open about everything. It was also clear to me that Hank was running wild like James Dean while Animal was the captain of the team, if you will.

  I can’t take too much credit for the Road Warriors, though. At TBS at the time, I thank God I was lucky enough to be the golden boy and put on the map on a national level because I also had a knack for recognizing talent. With the Road Warriors, I was kind of like a quarterback who saw these two charging at me from the corner of my eye with a big hit that laid me out, making me wonder, Who were those guys? I’ll always be proud to say that I am very happy to not only have developed a close friendship with Joseph and Hank but to have worked alongside them during the greatest period the industry’s ever seen.

  BRET “THE HITMAN” HART

  I can remember seeing photos of the Road Warriors when they first started. They were truly awesome-looking, radical, ripped— and they put fear in me. It wasn’t long before I caught them on an AWA TV show and watched them destroy some team, concluding with Animal propping a dazed jobber on his shoulders and Hawk deftly climbing to the top corner and clotheslining him to the mat with a thud. I can remember being instantly blown away by them.

  I think the Road Warriors, or LOD, was one of the greatest wrestling tag teams of all time. They had a great look and, although Mike and Joe had different styles, they only complemented each other. They had two of the most impressive powerhouse physiques the wrestling world ever knew. They were bone-chillingly real during interviews and promos. Quite simply, they had the look, the walk, and the talk.

  Regardless of what anyone ever says, the Road Warriors drew big money, worked hard, and helped raise the bar every bit as high as either the Hart Foundation or the Bulldogs, or any other team for that matter. I only worked with them one time in my old Hart Foundation days. They were great, and it makes me mad and sad that it was all we ever got. Hawk was a close friend, and all I can do is shake my head and smile at the memory of a spiked up Joe saying, “Tell ’em, Hawk!” and Mike with that crazy mad look on his face, his tongue hanging out, barking out, “Oh . . . what a rush!” Both Joe and Mike were first-rate pros who were loved and respected by all who knew them.

  “ROWDY” RODDY PIPER

  At the time Joe and Mike came into the business, it was really difficult. There were a lot of A players. The bar had been set pretty high by big, powerful guys like Don Muraco, Paul Orndorff, and Edward “Wahoo” McDaniel. Holy cow, those guys would beat you up pretty quick, but Joe and Mike jumped right in there without any real road map or game plan, and they just . . . belonged there.

  And they had respect—you know, “yes sir, no sir”—which got them over in the beginning with all of us and endeared them in the inner circle backstage. As soon as you sat down with them, you knew there was something special.

  And you know what else? They were believable. Whatever people say about pro wrestling, when they come to the arena, they want to see something that makes them say, “Whoa! That wasn’t supposed to happen!” Joe and Mike brought that element. The Road Warriors kept it simple, were as powerful as they said, and what they did in the ring left people with no doubt in their heads that what they saw was real.

  In a time when the pro wrestling was drawing a huge amount of attention and all the top spots had been taken over and seasoned, the Road Warriors came in like a breath of fresh air. Joe and Mike weren’t polluted by politics, maintained the ethics of the business when it needed it most, and their convincing style made people proud to be wrestling fans. No one could’ve done a better job.

  BOOKER T

  Innovators. That’s what the Road Warriors were. At the time they were getting started, Mel Gibson’s Mad Max movie was really popular, and they were the first to take a theme from a movie and bring it to the wrestling world. The Road Warriors were able to create something totally different visually with the spikes, the paint, and their size for the audience to really get behind.

  The first time we saw them on TV, my brother (Stevie Ray) and I were like, “Whoa!” Hawk and Animal were way bigger than anyone else we’d seen, and they were just killing everybody. And that’s what people wanted to see back then.

  When I was in Harlem Heat back in WCW, you know the Road Warriors were top dogs, and Stevie and I were on our way up. We had the chance to wrestle them once and it was a huge opportunity to make a statement to the world what Harlem Heat could do. I’ll never forget that.

  And of course you know there’s a saying in wrestling that you don’t really get a pop from the crowd until you get a Road Warrior pop,
and that’s definitely true.

  ROB VAN DAM

  Growing up in Michigan, with no cable in our house, I was exclusively exposed to the World Wrestling Federation. They hooked me in with their bigger-than-life characters that impressed me through the television. Eventually, as my fan drive grew, I learned that there were other wrestling groups, but I didn’t know much about them. Very few of these other superstars broke the barrier of my focus. Then, there were the Road Warriors.

  The first time I witnessed Animal and Hawk entering the arena to take care of business, I was in awe. From their hardcore music to the welcoming roar of the crowd, I felt the immense energy build as they approached the ring, and I had no doubt that these guys earned massive expectations from their fans. And the Warriors didn’t disappoint.

  They were built like bodybuilders, wore shoulder spikes and painted their faces to do battle. If you weren’t intimidated before the action, you’d see them devour their opponents in a fashion that made them stand out like the last guys you’d ever want to fight.

  Animal and Hawk earned legendary status with their long and extensive careers and have influenced wrestlers for many generations to come.

  JIM ROSS “J.R.”

  The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Hawk and Animal is that they were arguably the greatest pro wrestling tag team attraction I ever saw. And I definitely don’t mean attraction in a negative sense, because the greatest singles attraction I ever saw was Andre the Giant. Was he the greatest wrestler? No. But when used properly by a promoter as a special attraction and bringing him out for main event matches, he drew people and generated great ticket sales. Like Andre, the Road Warriors were a qualified and proven attraction that promoters could get a lot of mileage out of and do good business with. There is no other team in wrestling that I could put in front of them in that context.

  Hawk and Animal generated phenomenal success and became “water cooler talk” stars with a great presentation. From bell to bell, their package was perfectly projected with a huge arsenal of awesome power moves I’m sure their opponents weren’t too happy about. They also had the positioning, thanks to guys like Ole Anderson and Paul Ellering on their side, to start at the top, and that’s a rare testament to the talent and charisma they brought to the table.

  From the very beginning, the Road Warriors were always main-eventing, and if they weren’t the champions of whatever promotion they were in, they were certainly in the hunt. The music was perfect, the image was perfect, and they’ll be remembered by historians of professional wrestling as one of the all-time great tag teams.

  “THE RUSSIAN NIGHTMARE” NIKITA KOLOFF

  Their reputation certainly precedes them. Animal and Hawk are unmatched by any other team in wrestling, and that’s not to slight any other great tag teams, but the Road Warriors dominated the business and made quite a name for themselves on a worldwide scale.

  I remember that match at the Great American Bash ’85 when Animal and Hawk had that big babyface turn against my “Russian” allies Ivan Koloff and Krusher Kruschev. The three of us spent a lot of time in the Carolinas building up huge heat, and when the Road Warriors came in as American heels, it was fun to watch as 35,000 instantly cheered them as heroes. They were completely catapulted into another level of fan popularity that never left them.

  The Road Warriors were two guys perfectly in sync, and that was the key to their success. You know, I’m certainly not familiar with the entire scope of the history of professional wrestling, but to put it in terms of the teams I do know, they’re the most dominating force to ever come out. I have marveled over the fact that Joe and Mike sustained the longevity they did, spanning a twenty-year career with all of their fantastic achievements. I think that says it all.

  “THE LIVING LEGEND” LARRY ZBYSZKO

  You know what? The Road Warriors were the first of an era with their hairstyles and face paint. I remember working for Ole Anderson in Atlanta when Mike and Joe first arrived. They were just these giant guys with flattop haircuts and really nothing besides that in terms of a gimmick. And then, all of a sudden, the next time I saw them, they had the paint and the wild hair. I heard Ole had something to do with it all. There they were, and there was nothing else like it. The crowds went ape shit for them. It was something they’d never seen.

  Mike and Joe were coming into wrestling at a time when the bad guys were becoming cheered like good guys, and the good guys were coming off like saps. It was all getting pretty stale to be honest. But the Road Warriors were two tough, take-no-shit guys with the right look and just exploded onto the scene when not only wrestling fans, but the whole world seemed to be coming out of this whole naïve mind-set about things.

  Hawk and Animal became the forefathers of a new generation of wrestlers in the 1980s with similar looks and style while the old-school guys like Harley Race, Bruno Sammartino, and even myself were in the twilight of our careers. It was just a natural transition of old into new, and the Road Warriors were the perfect guys for the job.

  SEAN “X-PAC” WALTMAN

  All I can think about when I hear the name Road Warriors is when “Iron Man” would hit and Hawk and Animal came running out. Shit, I’ve got goose bumps just thinking about it. Those were way before the days when Vince McMahon came out and said wrestling was just entertainment. And even though there were a lot of people who knew what the deal was, when the Warriors came out, they were so big and so bad that everyone said, “Whoa, these guys are real!” Even the guys who’d say it was all fake had second thoughts when they saw Hawk and Animal.

  When I was ten years old, I had the chance to help set up the ring for Georgia Championship Wrestling. I’d become obsessed with wrestling and gotten my way into helping the crew. I’ll never forget when the Road Warriors wrestled the Sawyers; the place went nuts. I mean, Hawk and Animal were the heels and, yeah, they got the bad guy reaction, but the thing I remember most is that they were being cheered like big-time stars. To me, they were the first guys who stepped over that boundary to be turned babyface by the audience and not by a promoter.

  The Warriors will go down forever as the greatest, most imitated, most influential tag team of all time, and you can’t just say that about anybody. I don’t care if they weren’t the most technical workers, because none of that matters. At the end of the day, it’s the people who decide who the best is, and they chose Hawk and Animal.

  TERRY “WARLORD” SZOPINSKI

  As far as the Road Warriors’ legacy is concerned? They’re the greatest tag team of all time, and no one can touch ’em. They came out with those spikes, that look, and that size and completely changed professional wrestling. You can take the Steiners or the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express or even the Powers of Pain, and it doesn’t matter. Joe and Mike were so ahead of their time that they hold a special place in history. No one can question that. You look at tag team wrestling today, and it sucks. Where did it all go? Everything that’s still out there on TV is just thrown together, and it shows, but they try to hide it with a bunch of flips and crap. Again, it sucks.

  I think tag team wrestling died when Mike passed. It was the end of not just a great life but a big chapter in the wrestling history book itself as well. Joe and Mike came from the old school when they busted their asses on the road, whether it was in the gym, in Tokyo, or some small town in Alabama. They took on a bigger-than-life status and carried it like pros, always making sure the crowd was just as much of the match as they were, and that was the difference.

  Joe and Mike were the best. Just the best. If it weren’t for Joe in particular, there never would’ve been a Warlord or Powers of Pain. I’ve always looked up to Joe for that, and I always will. If Joe ever wants to come back for one more run, he’s got a partner right here in a second. It would be an honor.

  1. Staging area named after WWF great Gorilla Monsoon’s usual backstage spot.

  2. Wrestling bad guy.

  3. Moves.

  4. Character.

  5. A
wrestler whose job it is to lose.

  6. Trademark final move of a match.

  7. Blood.

  8. Good guy.

  9. Moves.

  10. Negative crowd reaction.

  11. Hard punches.

  12. A variation of the sleeper hold.

  13. Positive crowd reaction.

  14. Ducked out of the ring.

  15. Pronounced “ee-kay.”

  16. The previous name of the WWF.

  17. To remember the details of our SummerSlam ’91 match, you can flip back to my prologue at the front of the book.

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Contents

  Foreword

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  1: Animal's Abridged Prehistory

  2: Bouncing Around and Taking a Chance

  3: Education of a Road Warrior

  4: Assault on Georgia Championship Wrestling

  5: Destroy Everything That Moves

  6: Unleashed on the AWA

  7: The Boom of Professional Wrestling

  8: Face-to-Face with Vince

  9: Getting Hitched, Being Cloned, and Spiking Our Image

  10: Snacking on Danger and Dining on Death

  11: Scaling Dizzying Heights

  12: The Golden Age of Jim Crockett Promotions and the NWA

  13: And It All Comes Crumbling Down