The Life & Death Of The Most Dominating Tag Team In History DVD Review
From the moment Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” or later on Hawk’s iconic “What A Rush,” blasted through arenas, fans knew that two massive ass-kickers were coming to the ring to obliterate anyone in their path. The Road Warriors became the most iconic tag team in wrestling history. Two monsters with crazy face paint, hairstyles that looked like they smashed their heads together, and spiked football pads stomped to the ring and scared the living daylights out of friends, foes, and fans alike.
Related: 10 Tag Teams You Didn't Realize Beat The Road Warriors
Hawk tragically passed away in 2003 and Animal in 2020. But their enduring legacy as wrestling’s most iconic and most dominant duo was chronicled in a WWE DVD documentary from 2005. With Joe “Animal” Laurinaitis and the team’s beloved manager, Precious Paul Ellering walking fans through the history of The Legion Of Doom, this special makes a great pairing with “The Last Ride Of The Road Warriors,” from Dark Side Of The Ring’s season two.
The Early Years Of The Road Warriors
Hawk and Animal grew up in Chicago and both moved to Minneapolis. The territory of course was known for the AWA as well as a school that included graduates like the LOD, Rick Rude, Curt Henning, and Barry “Smash” Darsow. The Gym is where the team became musclebound maniacs who challenged each other to lift more and more. They both wound up being bouncers at various bars including Grandma B’s, where plenty of the Minneapolis wrestlers were bouncers. It’s where they met Eddie Sharkey, their eventual trainer.
The Road Warriors' Start In Pro Wrestling
Ole Anderson headed to Grandma B’s to recruit some tough wrestlers. Animal was the first to head to Mid-South, followed by Hawk. Bill Watts wanted them to be different. Hawk had the idea for their wild haircuts. Animal thought up their biker look. Their face paint evolved over the years too. The Road Warrior look and name came from the Mad Max movies. According to Jim Cornette, wrestlers were terrified when they saw their names next to The Road Warriors.
Related: Demolition Vs. The Road Warriors: 5 Ways Each Team Was The Superior Duo
It was that combination of look and style that made them a walking nightmare. When the eloquent powerlifter Paul Ellering was paired up with the Road Warriors, the trio really began to take off. With Precious Paul, the team had a real manager, helping them with their financials, hotels, and rental cars. You can’t tell the story of the LOD without their maniacal manager and everywhere they went, they almost immediately became beloved and feared stars.
Traveling The Territories, Night Of The Skywalkers
The Road Warriors were able to pop every territory they went to. After they dominated Mid-South, the team headed to Minnesota and the AWA. They made short work of the competition to win the AWA titles. The LOD continued to dominate promotions and get over as the main event and took out AWA staple the Bruiser and the Crusher. After a booking dispute with Verne Gagne, they returned to the NWA and became instant babyfaces when they came after the Koloffs. They waged war against Jim Cornette and The Midnight Express and wrestled a Scaffold Match against them at Starrcade. It was during this time that the team, along with the rest of the roster would have a lot of fun after the shows and it’s where Hawk’s demons began to come through.
The Road Warriors Become The Legion Of Doom In WWE
With Jim Herd in charge, the team knew it was time to finally head to the WWE and the eventual clash with Demolition was on. The argument rages on to this day as to who were the better team and who copied off of who. After working a match or two, the Road Warriors cost the Demolition the titles at SummerSlam 1990. They teamed up with the Ultimate Warrior to take out all of Demolition and finally won the tag team titles at the 1991 SummerSlam. They became the first team to win every tag title you could win. Their first run with the WWE ended at SummerSlam 1992 when Hawk disappeared - his demons again rose to the surface, leaving Animal in a lurch to finish out their contractual obligations, while he joined up with the London Hell’s Angels. He’d also find his way to Japan to work for the first time without Animal. Instead, he took Kensuke Sasaki and dubbed him the Power Warrior.
The Legion Of Doom's 1998 WWE Return
The band got back together and reunited in WCW four years later and immediately laid down the gauntlet to Sting and Lex Luger. But very quickly soured on dealing with Eric Bischoff and headed back to the WWE, where they returned with Sunny as LOD 2000.
Related: 5 Ways The Legion Of Doom Was Best In WWE (& 5 Ways They Were In WCW)
It was unfortunately also during The Attitude Era when everything had to be different and “real.” It wasn’t long before Droz was introduced, Paul Ellering turned on the LOD, and Hawk’s real-life demons became silly storyline fodder, which was hitting too close to home to the best friends who had to live through it.
Thankfully in real life, Mike “Hawk” Hegstrand was able to overcome his demons and get right. The team returned briefly in 2002 and had matches with RVD and Kane. The team wanted to have one last run in WWE. The fans had never forgotten about the Road Warriors and always popped huge for the LOD. Tragically Hawk had passed away in 2003, leaving Animal heartbroken and the wrestling world devastated. But the team to this day, even after both members have passed is one of the most beloved tag teams of all time.
