Road Warriors
Encyclopedia
The Road Warriors were a professional wrestling
tag team
composed of Michael "Hawk" Hegstrand
and Joseph "Animal" Laurinaitis
. They performed under the name "Road Warriors" in the American Wrestling Association
, the National Wrestling Alliance
, and World Championship Wrestling
, and the name Legion of Doom (L.O.D. for short) in the World Wrestling Federation
. Under either name, their gimmick was the same – two imposing musclebound wrestlers in face paint. For brief periods, other wrestlers were added as stand-in partners for Animal. In Japan in the 1990s, Kensuke "Power Warrior" Sasaki
often teamed with Hawk and Animal, separately and together.
Generally recognized as one of the greatest tag teams in professional wrestling history, Hawk and Animal were well known as innovators, popularizing the use of face paint, using their large physiques and power moves to win over audiences, and introducing a tandem maneuver
known as the Doomsday Device
. Both men used the move as a team finisher throughout their careers, even when teaming with other partners.
, Paul Ellering
introduced a stable called "The Legion of Doom" that consisted of the Road Warriors, Jake "The Snake" Roberts
, The Spoiler
, Matt Borne
, King Kong Bundy
, Arn Anderson
, The Iron Sheik and the original Sheik
. Animal had briefly competed as the Road Warrior before Ellering paired him up with fellow Chicagoan Hawk to form the Road Warriors. The stable was short lived and the name "Legion of Doom" soon referred only to the Road Warriors and Ellering with either name used interchangeably throughout their career. Animal reveals in the "Road Warriors: The Life and Death of the Most Dominant Tag-Team in Wrestling History (2005)" DVD set that the name "Legion of Doom" was taken from the Super Friends
cartoon.
The Road Warriors’ high impact power style and unique attire quickly got them noticed by fans and dreaded by opponents, so much so that some wrestlers would grab their bag and leave the arena when they saw they were scheduled to face the Road Warriors. In Georgia, the team quickly rose to the top despite being very young and without the traditional “paying dues” period just because they were so believable in their role as power monsters. It took them less than 6 months from their debut to win the NWA National Tag Team Championship
, a title they would win three more times while in Georgia.
, mainly with All Japan Pro Wrestling
(AJPW) where they made an immediate impact squashing the monster team of Killer Khan
and Animal Hamaguchi in under 4 minutes. This and subsequent dominant victories garnered the Road Warriors a lot of Japanese wrestling media headlines and front page stories. Their tours with AJPW in 1985 and 1986 made the Road Warriors such legends in Japan that they toured the country whenever they were “between contracts” of the big three.
The Road Warriors won the NWA International Tag Team Championship on March 12, 1987 from Jumbo Tsuruta
and Genichiro Tenryu
and would hold them for 15 months before losing them to PWF World Tag Team champions Jumbo Tsuruta and Yoshiaki Yatsu to unify the titles as the AJPW World Tag Team titles, making the Road Warriors the last defending champions of the NWA International Tag Team titles. Their last match in Japan was on July 22, 1990, for New Japan Pro Wrestling
(NJPW), losing to Masahiro Chono
and Keiji Mutoh
by disqualification.
's American Wrestling Association
(AWA) along with their manager Paul Ellering. On August 25, 1984, they defeated The Crusher
and Baron Von Raschke for the AWA World Tag Team Championship
. The Road Warriors were brought in by Gagne to work as heels, but their squash matches soon won over fans. They became the AWA's top draw throughout 1984 and 1985, feuding primarily with The Fabulous Freebirds
. The Warriors then began splitting their time between the AWA and NWA where they started feuding with NWA World tag team champions
The Russians
, all while still holding the AWA belts. Hawk and Animal eventually lost the AWA title to Jimmy Garvin
and "Mr. Electricity" Steve Regal on September 29, 1985, due to the interference of the Freebirds. The Road Warriors' last appearance in the AWA was on April 20, 1986 at WrestleRock
where they defeated the team of Garvin and Michael Hayes
in a steel cage match.
(NWA) exclusively, winning the inaugural Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament
by beating Ron Garvin
and Magnum T.A.
in the finals. Building upon their rapid push, Hawk and Animal were featured attractions of the Great American Bash tour where they were matched against Ivan and Nikita Koloff as well as the Midnight Express. At Starrcade '86, the Road Warriors were featured in a Scaffold Match, defeating the Midnight Express.
The Warriors joined forces with Dusty Rhodes
and Nikita Koloff
in a bloody feud with the Four Horsemen. During the 1987 Great American Bash, the rival sides faced off in the first ever WarGames match
. The Road Warriors were on the winning side of War Games both matches that summer taking their feud with the Horsemen to Starrcade '87, where they lost by disqualification to Tully Blanchard
and Arn Anderson
. The Road Warriors also picked up the NWA Six-Man tag team titles twice alongside Dusty Rhodes. The Warriors engaged in a violent feud with The Powers of Pain
(The Barbarian and The Warlord
) where the Road Warriors finally met their equal physically, but the angle ended when the Powers of Pain left the NWA after finding out they were booked against the Road Warriors in a series of Scaffold Matches that they were supposed to lose.
In 1988, Hawk and Animal turned heel, beating the Midnight Express for the NWA World Tag Team Championship
on October 29, 1988 in New Orleans, Louisiana. In November of that year the Road Warriors played a role in ending Dusty Rhodes' tenure as head booker for the promotion. During the November 26 episode of World Championship Wrestling, which was under strict instructions from TBS television executives prohibiting blading
, the Road Warriors attacked Rhodes, removed a spike from their shoulder pads, and attempted to gouge his eye out. Rhodes was fired for that episode shortly after Starrcade '88. Before Rhodes was fired, Animal beat him at the Clash of the Champions, so the Road Warriors were allowed to pick a new partner to hold the NWA World Six-Man Tag Team titles; they picked AJPW superstar Genichiro Tenryu
but the titles were quickly abandoned.
The Road Warriors quickly turned face yet again due to overwhelming fan support no matter how brutal or violent they were. Their World Tag Team title reign came to an end when they faced The Varsity Club
(Mike Rotunda
and Steve Williams) on April 2, 1989. The title change was a controversial one as referee Teddy Long
performed an excessively fast count. Long would be fired from his job due to the count but the titles were not returned to the Road Warriors. Hawk and Animal would spend the rest of their tenure in the NWA feuding with teams like The Samoan Swat Team
and The Skyscrapers
. Their last big wins in the NWA came when they defeated three other teams (including the red hot Steiner Brothers) to win the Ironman Tag Team Tournament at Starrcade 1989 “Future Shock”
(The Steiners actually defeated the Warriors by pinfall in their match, but the Warriors won the round robin style tournament on a point system basis.) and over The Skyscrapers
in a Chicago Street Fight at WrestleWar '90: Wild Thing.
The Road Warriors made their last WCW pay-per-view
appearance on May 19, 1990 at Capital Combat
where they teamed with Norman “The Lunatic”
against Kevin Sullivan
, Cactus Jack
and Bam Bam Bigelow in a match that was cut from the commercial tape of the event. They left WCW in June 1990 due to heat
with then-WCW head Jim Herd
according to Animal on their WWE produced DVD.
During their NWA/WCW stint, the group became well known for using the Black Sabbath
song "Iron Man
" as their entrance theme.
(WWF) in June 1990, Vince McMahon
retired the Road Warriors moniker. They both made their TV debuts on the July 15, 1990 episode of Wrestling Challenge. In the WWF the team would be known only as the "Legion of Doom". Hawk and Animal immediately entered into a feud with Demolition
, the team McMahon had supposedly created in their likeness three years earlier, which led into a televised six-man tag-team match where Hawk and Animal teamed up with Ultimate Warrior against all three members of Demolition. Ax
was having health issues and an agreement was made to phase him out and eventually replace him with Crush
. Ax was moved into a role as manager for the team with the hope of taking a front office position, which eventually fell through. The Legion of Doom / Demolition feud did not have the expected intensity because of the change and L.O.D. soon set their sights on the tag team titles. At SummerSlam 1991
, the Legion of Doom defeated The Nasty Boys
to win the World Tag Team Championship, becoming the only team to win world tag titles in all three of the top promotions of the 1980s. Hawk and Animal would eventually lose the titles to Money Inc.
on February 7, 1992 after which they briefly left the promotion.
LOD would return a short time later with original manager Paul Ellering. The team incorporated a ventriloquist dummy called "Rocco" (Originally Introduced as "Freckles" in front of a live crowd at a WWF TV Taping, the segment bombed so bad that it never aired) Which served as their “inspiration”, but this gimmick was short-lived. Hegstrand left the company in disgust with the Rocco gimmick immediately after SummerSlam 1992
,going AWOL in London after the event with John Nord
and missing the flight back to the US, while Laurinaitis stuck around, finishing the team's contractual obligations with former Demolition member Crush (now repackaged as a face) replacing Hawk on house shows, before an injury to his back forced him into a lengthy hiatus.
he traveled to Japan and started working for New Japan Pro Wrestling
(NJPW) where he quickly teamed up with young mid-carder Kensuke Sasaki
who was soon dubbed "Power Warrior" as he adopted the trademark Road Warrior face paint and spiked shoulder pads. The duo was dubbed "The Hell Raisers" and carried on the legacy of the Road Warriors in NJPW winning the IWGP Tag Team Championship from Tony Halme
and Scott Norton
in December 1992 and then again from the team of Scott Norton and Hercules
(known as the Jurassic Powers) in January 1994. They also competed in both the 1993 and 1994 versions of the Super Grade Tag league making it to the semi finals of the 1994 tournament before losing to Masahiro Chono
and Super Strong Machine.
Teaming with Hawk (or Hawk Warrior as he was called) helped elevate Kensuke Sasaki in the eyes of the fans, so much so that when the Hell Raisers broke up in the middle of 1995, Sasaki shed the Power Warrior gimmick and became a main eventer on the singles scene. On special occasions, Sasaki would break out the "Power Warrior" persona.
During this stint, they used the theme song "Hellraiser" by Motorhead.
When Animal came back from his back injury, he joined the duo in Japan in 1996. The three were announced collectively as the Road Warriors, using "Iron Man" as their theme music.
(WCW) in late 1995. Upon their return in January 1996, immediately started a feud with the returning Steiner Brothers, as well as Harlem Heat
before moving on to challenging the WCW Tag Team Champions Sting and Lex Luger
. The Road Warriors had several shots at the champions but failed to win the titles.
Hegstrand and Laurinaitis stayed with WCW for about six months, before leaving over a dispute with Eric Bischoff
. The pair made claims that Bischoff promised them a second-highest paid contract, as well as a separate contract from Japan, something which he denies remembering.
and Japan before signing with the WWF, making their surprise return on the February 24, 1997 edition of Monday Night Raw
where they destroyed the Headbangers
, despite both teams being counted out. The Legion of Doom would be heavily involved in the feud with the Hart Foundation siding with Stone Cold Steve Austin
, Ken Shamrock
and Goldust at In Your House: Canadian Stampede
. The Legion of Doom also became 2-time WWF tag team champions on October 7, 1997 when they defeated The Godwinns
. In November 1997, the Legion of Doom faced the newly formed New Age Outlaws
(Road Dogg
and Billy Gunn
) and shockingly lost the titles to the upstart team.
The Legion of Doom would challenge the Outlaws several times in the next couple of months but could not win the gold. In early February 1998, the Legion of Doom disappeared from WWF television after the two men brawled on Raw, seemingly spelling their demise.
during a tag team Battle Royal
. The duo sported a new look, including new shoulder pads and helmets (the helmets wouldn't last long, as Hawk got rid of his by throwing it to the crowd) and a new manager in Sunny. LOD 2000 won the battle royal and earned a shot at the tag team titles, but did not manage to win the gold.
Sunny soon left the team and Droz
, then known as Puke, started to accompany them to the ring. At the same time, Paul Ellering
returned, but sided with the Disciples of Apocalypse
(D.O.A.), whom L.O.D. were feuding with at the time; Ellering and Animal explained on the DVD it was hard for them to rip on each other on promos. For the first time in the history of the Road Warriors they participated in a storyline where tension arose between the members, teasing a break up. In this storyline, Hawk was seen by his partner Animal as unfit to wrestle and Puke was tapped to take Hawk's place in the tag team as an official member. The angle played off Hegstrand’s real life alcohol and drug issues, going so far as to faking a suicide jump off the top of the TitanTron. After the angle bombed and both Hegstrand and Laurinaitis voiced their objections to it, the angle was dropped. The Legion of Doom made a very brief return, first on the March 22, 1999 Raw is War by attacking Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco
in a backstage skit after the two impersonated LOD in a handicap match against Shane McMahon
, on the March 15, 1999 Raw is War. Both LOD entered the pre-WrestleMania battle royal with the last two participants getting a tag team title show later at WrestleMania XV
but both came up short. They would make one final appearance on the March 29, 1999 Raw challenging Owen Hart
and Jeff Jarrett
for the tag team titles but failed to win them; they left the WWF afterwards.
, including the i-Generation
pay-per-view in July 2000 where they won the promotion's tag team titles. They performed both as a team and individually. Animal competed solo in WCW for a while as Hegstrand dealt with his personal issues. Hegstrand finally overcame his battle with addiction and became a born-again Christian appearing on Ted DiBiase
's religion and wrestling shows in 2003. The Road Warriors also appeared very briefly in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
(TNA) during the early days of the promotion, saving America's Most Wanted
, and debuting to what Jeremy Borash
quoted as "A 1985 Road Warrior Pop".
appearance as a team occurred on the May 12, 2003 Raw episode in a tag team match against the WWE World Tag Team Champions, Rob Van Dam
and Kane
. The Road Warriors had hoped to get a full time contract with WWE but nothing ever came of it. Hegstrand died five months later on October 19, 2003.
in a feud against the tag team MNM
. At The Great American Bash
on July 24, 2005, Animal and Heidenreich defeated MNM to win the WWE Tag Team Championship
in a match personally dedicated by Animal to Hawk. After winning the titles Heidenreich changed his appearance, to a look that better suited the Legion of Doom image by shaving his hair into a mohawk and wearing face paint.
On August 18, 2005, Heidenreich was officially made part of the "L.O.D" and was presented with his own Road Warrior "spikes". Shortly after winning the tag team titles, Animal paid tribute to his late partner and friend by looking up to the heavens above and saying, "Hawk, this one's for you, brother!". During their feud with MNM, L.O.D. were joined by Christy Hemme
, who acted as a valet/manager for a short while.
On the October 28, 2005 edition of SmackDown!, L.O.D. lost the tag team titles to MNM in a Fatal Four-Way tag match that also featured Paul Burchill
and William Regal
and The Mexicools
(Super Crazy
and Psicosis). A few months later, on January 17, 2006, Heidenreich was released from WWE. Animal continued to perform for WWE under his old persona, The Road Warrior, for a few months before he was also released.
On November 18, 2006, Road Warrior Animal appeared in full gear on ESPN
's pre-game College Gameday show. He was shown in a video clip to promote the #1 Ohio St. vs. #2 Michigan rivalry game, where his son (James Laurinaitis
) was preparing to start at Linebacker for Ohio State.
and teamed with Sasaki to form the Hell Warriors, with Animal being billed as "Animal Warrior" to match up with Sasaki's "Power Warrior" and Hawk's "Hawk Warrior" gimmick. The newly-formed Hell Warriors defeated the team of "brother" YASSHI
and Shuji Kondo
.
On May 11, 2008, The Hell Warriors wrestled in Toryumon Mexico's Dragon-Mania show. They defeated Damián el Terrible
and Damián 666 to win the UWA World Tag Team Championship (not the same championship revived by El Dorado Wrestling
).
Their theme music is a megamix of "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath and "Hellraiser" by Ozzy Osbourne.
.
making it their first appearance in a wrestling game together as part of the Legends roster since WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw
.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
composed of Michael "Hawk" Hegstrand
Road Warrior Hawk
Michael James Hegstrand was an American professional wrestler. He is best remembered as Road Warrior Hawk, one half of the tag team known as the Road Warriors or The Legion of Doom , with Road Warrior Animal.-Early life:While living in Chicago, Hegstrand met Joe Lauranaitis, who would be later...
and Joseph "Animal" Laurinaitis
Road Warrior Animal
Joseph Aaron "Joe" Laurinaitis is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior...
. They performed under the name "Road Warriors" in the American Wrestling Association
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
, the National Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
, and World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
, and the name Legion of Doom (L.O.D. for short) in the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
. Under either name, their gimmick was the same – two imposing musclebound wrestlers in face paint. For brief periods, other wrestlers were added as stand-in partners for Animal. In Japan in the 1990s, Kensuke "Power Warrior" Sasaki
Kensuke Sasaki
is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently wrestles for various promotions through his own agency, Kensuke Office. He is the first of two men ever to hold all 3 of puroresu's major heavyweight titles , the other being Yoshihiro Takayama.-Early years :Kensuke Sasaki...
often teamed with Hawk and Animal, separately and together.
Generally recognized as one of the greatest tag teams in professional wrestling history, Hawk and Animal were well known as innovators, popularizing the use of face paint, using their large physiques and power moves to win over audiences, and introducing a tandem maneuver
Professional wrestling double-team maneuvers
The double-team maneuvers in professional wrestling are executed by two wrestlers instead of one and typically are used by tag teams in tag team matches. Many of these maneuvers are combination of two throws, or submission holds. Most moves are known by the names that professional wrestlers give...
known as the Doomsday Device
Doomsday Device
Doomsday Device, often shortened to Device, is a term used in professional wrestling to reference a tandem move in which one wrestler hoists the opponent on their shoulders so that they are facing in the same direction in what is known as the electric chair position, while another wrestler climbs...
. Both men used the move as a team finisher throughout their careers, even when teaming with other partners.
Georgia Championship Wrestling (1982-1984)
In the early 1980s, in NWA's Georgia Championship WrestlingGeorgia Championship Wrestling
Georgia Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion whose self-titled TV program aired in the 1970s and 1980s on Atlanta, U.S., superstation WTBS. Though based in Atlanta, the company also ran live wrestling shows throughout its geographic "territory" of Georgia Georgia...
, Paul Ellering
Paul Ellering
Paul Ellering is a retired professional wrestling manager.-Professional wrestling career:Before entering the wrestling business, Ellering was an accomplished weightlifter...
introduced a stable called "The Legion of Doom" that consisted of the Road Warriors, Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Jake Roberts
Aurelian Jake Smith, Jr. is a second-generation American professional wrestler, the son of former wrestler Aurelian "Grizzly" Smith...
, The Spoiler
Don Jardine
Don Jardine was a Canadian professional wrestler best known for his masked gimmick as "The Spoiler".-Career:Jardine began wrestling in the mid-1950s,making his wrestling debut in 1955 at the age of 15...
, Matt Borne
Matt Osborne
Matthew "Matt" Wade Osborne is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. Osborne is a second generation wrestler, being son of "Tough" Tony Borne, but he is best known as the first wrestler to portray the character of Doink the Clown, which he still uses to this day.-Independent...
, King Kong Bundy
King Kong Bundy
Christopher Alan "Chris" Pallies is an American professional wrestler, stand-up comedian and actor, better known by his ring name, King Kong Bundy.-Personal:...
, Arn Anderson
Arn Anderson
Martin Anthony Lunde better known by his ring name Arn Anderson, is a former American professional wrestler and author. His career has been highlighted by his alliances with Ric Flair and various members of the wrestling stable, The Four Horsemen, in the NWA/WCW...
, The Iron Sheik and the original Sheik
Ed Farhat
Edward George Farhat was an American professional wrestler best known as by his ring name The Sheik...
. Animal had briefly competed as the Road Warrior before Ellering paired him up with fellow Chicagoan Hawk to form the Road Warriors. The stable was short lived and the name "Legion of Doom" soon referred only to the Road Warriors and Ellering with either name used interchangeably throughout their career. Animal reveals in the "Road Warriors: The Life and Death of the Most Dominant Tag-Team in Wrestling History (2005)" DVD set that the name "Legion of Doom" was taken from the Super Friends
Super Friends
Super Friends is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1986 on ABC as part of its Saturday morning cartoon lineup...
cartoon.
The Road Warriors’ high impact power style and unique attire quickly got them noticed by fans and dreaded by opponents, so much so that some wrestlers would grab their bag and leave the arena when they saw they were scheduled to face the Road Warriors. In Georgia, the team quickly rose to the top despite being very young and without the traditional “paying dues” period just because they were so believable in their role as power monsters. It took them less than 6 months from their debut to win the NWA National Tag Team Championship
NWA National Tag Team Championship
The NWA National Tag Team Championship was the major tag team title in the NWA-affiliated Georgia Championship Wrestling from 1980 until 1986.The championship was introduced in November 1980 when Georgia Tag Team Champions the Fabulous Freebirds won a tournament to determine the first champions,...
, a title they would win three more times while in Georgia.
Japan (1985-1990)
In March 1985, the Road Warriors began touring JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, mainly with All Japan Pro Wrestling
All Japan Pro Wrestling
is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...
(AJPW) where they made an immediate impact squashing the monster team of Killer Khan
Killer Khan
is a retired professional wrestler. Popularly known as Killer Khan, he was billed from Mongolia and had numerous high-profile matches with André the Giant in the World Wrestling Federation during the 1980s, including the first ever "stretcher match"...
and Animal Hamaguchi in under 4 minutes. This and subsequent dominant victories garnered the Road Warriors a lot of Japanese wrestling media headlines and front page stories. Their tours with AJPW in 1985 and 1986 made the Road Warriors such legends in Japan that they toured the country whenever they were “between contracts” of the big three.
The Road Warriors won the NWA International Tag Team Championship on March 12, 1987 from Jumbo Tsuruta
Jumbo Tsuruta
, better known by his ring name Jumbo Tsuruta, was a professional wrestler who wrestled for All Japan Pro Wrestling for most of his career, and is well-known for being the first ever AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, having won the PWF Heavyweight Championship, the NWA United National...
and Genichiro Tenryu
Genichiro Tenryu
Genichiro Tenryu , real name Genichiro Shimada , is a Japanese professional wrestler. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling...
and would hold them for 15 months before losing them to PWF World Tag Team champions Jumbo Tsuruta and Yoshiaki Yatsu to unify the titles as the AJPW World Tag Team titles, making the Road Warriors the last defending champions of the NWA International Tag Team titles. Their last match in Japan was on July 22, 1990, for New Japan Pro Wrestling
New Japan Pro Wrestling
is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
(NJPW), losing to Masahiro Chono
Masahiro Chono
, is a Japanese professional wrestler. He primarily wrestles for New Japan Pro Wrestling , but has also made appearances for the now defunct World Championship Wrestling, as a member of the New World Order. Chono was also known as Mister Black Jack when he first started as a villain. He is a...
and Keiji Mutoh
Keiji Mutoh
is a Japanese professional wrestler who first gained international fame in the National Wrestling Alliance. He is mostly known for his work as The Great Muta in New Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s, but he has also competed in United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Taiwan...
by disqualification.
American Wrestling Association (1984-1986)
In 1984, the Road Warriors moved on to Verne GagneVerne Gagne
Laverne Clarence "Verne" Gagne , is a retired American professional wrestler, football player, and professional wrestling trainer and promoter. He was the former owner/promoter of the American Wrestling Association , based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which was the predominant promotion throughout...
's American Wrestling Association
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
(AWA) along with their manager Paul Ellering. On August 25, 1984, they defeated The Crusher
Reginald Lisowski
Reginald Lisowski was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, The Crusher ....
and Baron Von Raschke for the AWA World Tag Team Championship
AWA World Tag Team Championship
The American Wrestling Association World Tag Team Championship was professional wrestling world tag team championship in the American Wrestling Association from 1960 until the promotion folded in 1991.-History :...
. The Road Warriors were brought in by Gagne to work as heels, but their squash matches soon won over fans. They became the AWA's top draw throughout 1984 and 1985, feuding primarily with The Fabulous Freebirds
Fabulous Freebirds
The Fabulous Freebirds were a professional wrestling tag team that attained fame in the 1980s, performing into the 1990s. The team usually consisted of three wrestlers, although in different situations and points in its history, just two performed under the Freebirds name.-History:The Fabulous...
. The Warriors then began splitting their time between the AWA and NWA where they started feuding with NWA World tag team champions
NWA World Tag Team Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Championship is the professional wrestling world tag team championship within the NWA framework.-History:...
The Russians
Russian Team
The Russian Team was a professional wrestling team in the 1980s that attempted to prove their Soviet dominance over their opponents.-History:The Russian Team was formed in December 1984 in the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions...
, all while still holding the AWA belts. Hawk and Animal eventually lost the AWA title to Jimmy Garvin
Jimmy Garvin
James Williams is a retired American professional wrestler. He is best known by his ring name "Gorgeous" Jimmy "Jam" Garvin and as a member of the legendary Fabulous Freebirds....
and "Mr. Electricity" Steve Regal on September 29, 1985, due to the interference of the Freebirds. The Road Warriors' last appearance in the AWA was on April 20, 1986 at WrestleRock
WrestleRock 86
-WrestleRock:The event was held at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota on April 20, 1986. The card was heavily promoted for months during weekly television programming...
where they defeated the team of Garvin and Michael Hayes
Michael Hayes (wrestler)
Michael Seitz is a retired American professional wrestler and former musician. Seitz is best known for leading The Fabulous Freebirds under the ring name Michael "P.S." Hayes and for his role as the announcer Dok Hendrix in the World Wrestling Federation...
in a steel cage match.
National Wrestling Alliance/World Championship Wrestling (1986-1990)
In the middle of 1986, The Road Warriors moved to National Wrestling AllianceNational Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
(NWA) exclusively, winning the inaugural Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament
Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament
The Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament was a tag team professional wrestling tournament held annually in the month of April from 1986 through 1988. Jim Crockett Promotions , headed by Jim Crockett, Jr., hosted the Crockett Cup, held in honor of Crockett's father, JCP founder Jim...
by beating Ron Garvin
Ron Garvin
Ron Garvin is a Canadian former professional wrestler and referee most known for his time in the National Wrestling Alliance.-Early career:...
and Magnum T.A.
Magnum T.A.
Terry Wayne Allen is a retired American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Magnum T.A..-Early years:...
in the finals. Building upon their rapid push, Hawk and Animal were featured attractions of the Great American Bash tour where they were matched against Ivan and Nikita Koloff as well as the Midnight Express. At Starrcade '86, the Road Warriors were featured in a Scaffold Match, defeating the Midnight Express.
The Warriors joined forces with Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes (wrestler)
Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. , better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for WWE...
and Nikita Koloff
Nikita Koloff
Nikita Koloff is a retired American professional wrestler,. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, he wrestled as "The Russian Nightmare" Nikita Koloff, which was a play on the nickname of fan favorite "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes .Nikita was brought into the National...
in a bloody feud with the Four Horsemen. During the 1987 Great American Bash, the rival sides faced off in the first ever WarGames match
WarGames match
The WarGames match was a gimmick match used originally in the National Wrestling Alliance and later held annually in World Championship Wrestling , usually at their Fall Brawl pay-per-view event in September.-History:...
. The Road Warriors were on the winning side of War Games both matches that summer taking their feud with the Horsemen to Starrcade '87, where they lost by disqualification to Tully Blanchard
Tully Blanchard
Tully Arthur Blanchard is a semi-retired second generation American professional wrestler. He is best known as an original member of the Four Horsemen....
and Arn Anderson
Arn Anderson
Martin Anthony Lunde better known by his ring name Arn Anderson, is a former American professional wrestler and author. His career has been highlighted by his alliances with Ric Flair and various members of the wrestling stable, The Four Horsemen, in the NWA/WCW...
. The Road Warriors also picked up the NWA Six-Man tag team titles twice alongside Dusty Rhodes. The Warriors engaged in a violent feud with The Powers of Pain
Powers of Pain
The Powers of Pain are an on-and-off professional wrestling tag team. They are best known for their tenure in Jim Crockett Promotions and the World Wrestling Federation.-Jim Crockett Promotions:...
(The Barbarian and The Warlord
Terry Szopinski
Terry Scott Szopinski is an American professional wrestler. He is best known by his ring name The Warlord and for his tenures in Jim Crockett Promotions and the World Wrestling Federation as one half of the Powers of Pain alongside The Barbarian.-National Wrestling Alliance / Jim Crockett...
) where the Road Warriors finally met their equal physically, but the angle ended when the Powers of Pain left the NWA after finding out they were booked against the Road Warriors in a series of Scaffold Matches that they were supposed to lose.
In 1988, Hawk and Animal turned heel, beating the Midnight Express for the NWA World Tag Team Championship
NWA World Tag Team Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Championship is the professional wrestling world tag team championship within the NWA framework.-History:...
on October 29, 1988 in New Orleans, Louisiana. In November of that year the Road Warriors played a role in ending Dusty Rhodes' tenure as head booker for the promotion. During the November 26 episode of World Championship Wrestling, which was under strict instructions from TBS television executives prohibiting blading
Blading (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, blading is the practice of intentionally cutting oneself to provoke bleeding. It is also known as juicing, gigging, or drawing color. Similarly, a blade is an object used for blading, and a bladejob is a specific act of blading...
, the Road Warriors attacked Rhodes, removed a spike from their shoulder pads, and attempted to gouge his eye out. Rhodes was fired for that episode shortly after Starrcade '88. Before Rhodes was fired, Animal beat him at the Clash of the Champions, so the Road Warriors were allowed to pick a new partner to hold the NWA World Six-Man Tag Team titles; they picked AJPW superstar Genichiro Tenryu
Genichiro Tenryu
Genichiro Tenryu , real name Genichiro Shimada , is a Japanese professional wrestler. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling...
but the titles were quickly abandoned.
The Road Warriors quickly turned face yet again due to overwhelming fan support no matter how brutal or violent they were. Their World Tag Team title reign came to an end when they faced The Varsity Club
Varsity Club
The Varsity Club was a professional wrestling heel stable in the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship Wrestling. The stable was formed in 1987 and lasted until 1989...
(Mike Rotunda
Mike Rotunda
Lawrence Michael "Mike" Rotunda is a former American professional wrestler, perhaps best known under the name Irwin R. Schyster or I.R.S. for short. He is currently signed with WWE working as a road agent and making occasional appearances on WWE shows as Irwin R...
and Steve Williams) on April 2, 1989. The title change was a controversial one as referee Teddy Long
Theodore Long
Theodore R. "Teddy" Long is an American professional wrestling manager and former referee who currently works for WWE on its SmackDown brand as its General Manager.-National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling:...
performed an excessively fast count. Long would be fired from his job due to the count but the titles were not returned to the Road Warriors. Hawk and Animal would spend the rest of their tenure in the NWA feuding with teams like The Samoan Swat Team
The Headshrinkers
The Headshrinkers were a professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation that consisted of Fatu and Samu. They previously competed under the name The New Wild Samoans in the National Wrestling Alliance , and as The Samoan Swat Team in World Championship Wrestling , World Class...
and The Skyscrapers
Skyscrapers (professional wrestling)
The Skyscrapers were a professional wrestling tag team in World Championship Wrestling in 1989 and 1990 in six distinct forms with members ”Psycho” Sid Vicious, ”Dangerous” Dan Spivey, "Mean" Mark Callous with The Masked Skyscraper making a one night appearance.-Career:In early 1989 Teddy Long was...
. Their last big wins in the NWA came when they defeated three other teams (including the red hot Steiner Brothers) to win the Ironman Tag Team Tournament at Starrcade 1989 “Future Shock”
Starrcade (1989)
Starrcade '89 was the seventh annual Starrcade professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced under the National Wrestling Alliance banner. It was the second Starrcade event produced by World Championship Wrestling , and it took place on December 13, 1989 at The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia.The...
(The Steiners actually defeated the Warriors by pinfall in their match, but the Warriors won the round robin style tournament on a point system basis.) and over The Skyscrapers
Skyscrapers (professional wrestling)
The Skyscrapers were a professional wrestling tag team in World Championship Wrestling in 1989 and 1990 in six distinct forms with members ”Psycho” Sid Vicious, ”Dangerous” Dan Spivey, "Mean" Mark Callous with The Masked Skyscraper making a one night appearance.-Career:In early 1989 Teddy Long was...
in a Chicago Street Fight at WrestleWar '90: Wild Thing.
The Road Warriors made their last WCW pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
appearance on May 19, 1990 at Capital Combat
Capital Combat
Capital Combat: The Return of Robocop was a one time professional wrestling pay-per-view from the National Wrestling Alliance held under the World Championship Wrestling name. It took place on May 19, 1990 from the D.C. Armory in Washington, D.C....
where they teamed with Norman “The Lunatic”
Mike Shaw
Mike Shaw was a professional wrestler who was best known for his stint in World Championship Wrestling as Norman The Lunatic, and as Bastion Booger in the World Wrestling Federation...
against Kevin Sullivan
Kevin Sullivan (wrestler)
Kevin Francis Sullivan is an American professional wrestler and booker, perhaps best known for his role in WCW as "The Taskmaster" and his leading of the "Dungeon of Doom".-Early career:...
, Cactus Jack
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
and Bam Bam Bigelow in a match that was cut from the commercial tape of the event. They left WCW in June 1990 due to heat
Heat (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, heat refers to both crowd reaction and real-life animosity between those involved in the professional wrestling business. In terms of crowd reaction, heat is usually either cheers for a babyface or boos for a heel...
with then-WCW head Jim Herd
Jim Herd
Jim Herd is a former professional wrestling executive. Herd was the Executive Vice President of World Championship Wrestling from 1988 to 1992, following Turner Broadcasting's acquisition of the NWA-affiliated Jim Crockett Promotions in 1988. His tenure however received much criticism from...
according to Animal on their WWE produced DVD.
During their NWA/WCW stint, the group became well known for using the Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
song "Iron Man
Iron Man (song)
"Iron Man" is a song by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath from their second studio album Paranoid released in 1970. It was later included on their initial greatest hits compilation We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll , as well as all subsequent greatest hits compilations.-Writing and...
" as their entrance theme.
World Wrestling Federation (1990-1992)
When Hawk and Animal signed with the World Wrestling FederationWorld Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWF) in June 1990, Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
retired the Road Warriors moniker. They both made their TV debuts on the July 15, 1990 episode of Wrestling Challenge. In the WWF the team would be known only as the "Legion of Doom". Hawk and Animal immediately entered into a feud with Demolition
Demolition (professional wrestling)
Demolition is a professional wrestling tag team most prominent during the late 1980s / early 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation made up of Ax , Smash , and later Crush . In WWF, Demolition were three-time Tag Team Champions, and hold the records for both the single longest tag title reign...
, the team McMahon had supposedly created in their likeness three years earlier, which led into a televised six-man tag-team match where Hawk and Animal teamed up with Ultimate Warrior against all three members of Demolition. Ax
Bill Eadie
Bill Eadie is a professional wrestler who has competed under the names of Ax as part of Demolition and The Masked Superstar...
was having health issues and an agreement was made to phase him out and eventually replace him with Crush
Brian Adams (wrestler)
Brian Keith Adams was an American professional wrestler. Adams gained fame in the 1990s while performing for the World Wrestling Federation , under the name Crush, and for World Championship Wrestling under his given name.Trained in Japan by Antonio Inoki, Adams was a two time WCW World Tag Team...
. Ax was moved into a role as manager for the team with the hope of taking a front office position, which eventually fell through. The Legion of Doom / Demolition feud did not have the expected intensity because of the change and L.O.D. soon set their sights on the tag team titles. At SummerSlam 1991
SummerSlam (1991)
SummerSlam was the fourth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 26, 1991 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York....
, the Legion of Doom defeated The Nasty Boys
The Nasty Boys
The Nasty Boys are a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags, active from the mid to late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. Their gimmick was that of anti-social punks who specialized in hardcore wrestling and brawling...
to win the World Tag Team Championship, becoming the only team to win world tag titles in all three of the top promotions of the 1980s. Hawk and Animal would eventually lose the titles to Money Inc.
Money Inc.
Money Inc. was a heel professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation from February 1992 to August 1993. The team consisted of "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Schyster . They held the WWF Tag Team Championship three times, defeating the Legion of Doom, The Natural...
on February 7, 1992 after which they briefly left the promotion.
LOD would return a short time later with original manager Paul Ellering. The team incorporated a ventriloquist dummy called "Rocco" (Originally Introduced as "Freckles" in front of a live crowd at a WWF TV Taping, the segment bombed so bad that it never aired) Which served as their “inspiration”, but this gimmick was short-lived. Hegstrand left the company in disgust with the Rocco gimmick immediately after SummerSlam 1992
SummerSlam (1992)
SummerSlam was the fifth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 29, 1992 at Wembley Stadium, London, England but was aired in the United States on August 31...
,going AWOL in London after the event with John Nord
John Nord
John Nord is a retired American professional wrestler. He lives in Bozeman, Montana.-Career:John Nord started wrestling in late 1984 as "The Barbarian" for Mid-South Wrestling under manager Skandor Akbar...
and missing the flight back to the US, while Laurinaitis stuck around, finishing the team's contractual obligations with former Demolition member Crush (now repackaged as a face) replacing Hawk on house shows, before an injury to his back forced him into a lengthy hiatus.
The Hell Raisers (1992-1995)
When Hawk left the WWF after SummerSlam 1992SummerSlam (1992)
SummerSlam was the fifth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 29, 1992 at Wembley Stadium, London, England but was aired in the United States on August 31...
he traveled to Japan and started working for New Japan Pro Wrestling
New Japan Pro Wrestling
is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
(NJPW) where he quickly teamed up with young mid-carder Kensuke Sasaki
Kensuke Sasaki
is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently wrestles for various promotions through his own agency, Kensuke Office. He is the first of two men ever to hold all 3 of puroresu's major heavyweight titles , the other being Yoshihiro Takayama.-Early years :Kensuke Sasaki...
who was soon dubbed "Power Warrior" as he adopted the trademark Road Warrior face paint and spiked shoulder pads. The duo was dubbed "The Hell Raisers" and carried on the legacy of the Road Warriors in NJPW winning the IWGP Tag Team Championship from Tony Halme
Tony Halme
Tony Christian Halme was a member of the Finnish Parliament, representing the True Finns party. He was also known by the pseudonym Viikinki he used while appearing in the Finnish version of the TV game show Gladiators in the 1990s...
and Scott Norton
Scott Norton
Scott Michael Norton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling.-Before wrestling:...
in December 1992 and then again from the team of Scott Norton and Hercules
Ray Fernandez
Raymond Fernandez was a professional wrestler who primarily wrestled in Florida and Texas before joining the World Wrestling Federation. He was best known by the ring name Hercules Hernandez or simply Hercules...
(known as the Jurassic Powers) in January 1994. They also competed in both the 1993 and 1994 versions of the Super Grade Tag league making it to the semi finals of the 1994 tournament before losing to Masahiro Chono
Masahiro Chono
, is a Japanese professional wrestler. He primarily wrestles for New Japan Pro Wrestling , but has also made appearances for the now defunct World Championship Wrestling, as a member of the New World Order. Chono was also known as Mister Black Jack when he first started as a villain. He is a...
and Super Strong Machine.
Teaming with Hawk (or Hawk Warrior as he was called) helped elevate Kensuke Sasaki in the eyes of the fans, so much so that when the Hell Raisers broke up in the middle of 1995, Sasaki shed the Power Warrior gimmick and became a main eventer on the singles scene. On special occasions, Sasaki would break out the "Power Warrior" persona.
During this stint, they used the theme song "Hellraiser" by Motorhead.
When Animal came back from his back injury, he joined the duo in Japan in 1996. The three were announced collectively as the Road Warriors, using "Iron Man" as their theme music.
World Championship Wrestling (1996)
When Laurinaitis’ back was finally healed enough for him to return to wrestling, the Road Warriors signed a contract with World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
(WCW) in late 1995. Upon their return in January 1996, immediately started a feud with the returning Steiner Brothers, as well as Harlem Heat
Harlem Heat
Harlem Heat was a professional wrestling tag team made up of two real-life brothers, Booker and Lane Huffman. Booker Huffman took the ring name of Booker T, and Lane Huffman took the ring name of Stevie Ray...
before moving on to challenging the WCW Tag Team Champions Sting and Lex Luger
Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy...
. The Road Warriors had several shots at the champions but failed to win the titles.
Hegstrand and Laurinaitis stayed with WCW for about six months, before leaving over a dispute with Eric Bischoff
Eric Bischoff
Eric Aaron Bischoff is an American entrepreneur, and professional wrestling booker and on-screen personality currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
. The pair made claims that Bischoff promised them a second-highest paid contract, as well as a separate contract from Japan, something which he denies remembering.
Return to the WWF (1997-1999)
After leaving WCW, the duo took various independent bookings both in the U.S.United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Japan before signing with the WWF, making their surprise return on the February 24, 1997 edition of Monday Night Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
where they destroyed the Headbangers
The Headbangers
The Headbangers is a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Mosh and Thrasher, best known for their work in the World Wrestling Federation...
, despite both teams being counted out. The Legion of Doom would be heavily involved in the feud with the Hart Foundation siding with Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
, Ken Shamrock
Ken Shamrock
Kenneth Wayne Shamrock is an American mixed martial arts fighter, UFC Hall of Famer and professional wrestler...
and Goldust at In Your House: Canadian Stampede
In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede
In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation , which took place on July 6, 1997 at the Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta...
. The Legion of Doom also became 2-time WWF tag team champions on October 7, 1997 when they defeated The Godwinns
The Godwinns
The Godwinns was the best known gimmick of the professional wrestling tag team composed of Dennis Knight and Mark Canterbury that they used in the WWF. The team has used other gimmicks before they joined the WWF and had a gimmick change in the WWF shortly before disbanding...
. In November 1997, the Legion of Doom faced the newly formed New Age Outlaws
New Age Outlaws
The New Age Outlaws, later known as the James Gang and the Voodoo Kin Mafia, were a professional wrestling tag team in World Wrestling Federation, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , Jersey All Pro Wrestling, and Maryland Championship Wrestling consisting of B.G...
(Road Dogg
Brian Gerard James
Brian Gerard James is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE as an agent and producer. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation as "The Road Dogg" Jesse James or simply Road Dogg...
and Billy Gunn
Monty Sopp
Monty Kip Sopp is an American professional wrestler, best known as Billy Gunn during his tenure for World Wrestling Entertainment. He is probably best known as one of the members of the New Age Outlaws. He also worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Kip James...
) and shockingly lost the titles to the upstart team.
The Legion of Doom would challenge the Outlaws several times in the next couple of months but could not win the gold. In early February 1998, the Legion of Doom disappeared from WWF television after the two men brawled on Raw, seemingly spelling their demise.
L.O.D. 2000 (1998-1999)
Hawk and Animal next appeared as Legion of Doom 2000, billed as an updated version of the Road Warriors “for the new millennium”, at WrestleMania XIVWrestleMania XIV
WrestleMania XIV was the fourteenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation , which took place on March 29, 1998 at the FleetCenter in Boston, Massachusetts....
during a tag team Battle Royal
Battle royal (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a battle royal is a multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared winner...
. The duo sported a new look, including new shoulder pads and helmets (the helmets wouldn't last long, as Hawk got rid of his by throwing it to the crowd) and a new manager in Sunny. LOD 2000 won the battle royal and earned a shot at the tag team titles, but did not manage to win the gold.
Sunny soon left the team and Droz
Darren Drozdov
Darren Drozdov, is an essayist, former NFL player and retired professional wrestler who competed in the World Wrestling Federation in 1998 and 1999 under the ring names Puke and Droz....
, then known as Puke, started to accompany them to the ring. At the same time, Paul Ellering
Paul Ellering
Paul Ellering is a retired professional wrestling manager.-Professional wrestling career:Before entering the wrestling business, Ellering was an accomplished weightlifter...
returned, but sided with the Disciples of Apocalypse
Disciples of Apocalypse
The Disciples of Apocalypse were a biker-themed professional wrestling stable in the World Wrestling Federation in the late 1990s. The group came together from the demise of the Nation of Domination stable in June 1997 and consisted of four main members: Crush, Chainz, Skull and...
(D.O.A.), whom L.O.D. were feuding with at the time; Ellering and Animal explained on the DVD it was hard for them to rip on each other on promos. For the first time in the history of the Road Warriors they participated in a storyline where tension arose between the members, teasing a break up. In this storyline, Hawk was seen by his partner Animal as unfit to wrestle and Puke was tapped to take Hawk's place in the tag team as an official member. The angle played off Hegstrand’s real life alcohol and drug issues, going so far as to faking a suicide jump off the top of the TitanTron. After the angle bombed and both Hegstrand and Laurinaitis voiced their objections to it, the angle was dropped. The Legion of Doom made a very brief return, first on the March 22, 1999 Raw is War by attacking Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco
Gerald Brisco
Floyd Gerald "Jerry" Brisco is a former American professional wrestler, and prior to June, 2009, worked as a road agent for WWE on its Raw brand....
in a backstage skit after the two impersonated LOD in a handicap match against Shane McMahon
Shane McMahon
Shane Brandon McMahon is an American executive, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of YOU On Demand. A former executive and professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment , he is the son of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and former US Senate candidate Linda...
, on the March 15, 1999 Raw is War. Both LOD entered the pre-WrestleMania battle royal with the last two participants getting a tag team title show later at WrestleMania XV
WrestleMania XV
WrestleMania XV was the fifteenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation , which took place on March 28, 1999 at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
but both came up short. They would make one final appearance on the March 29, 1999 Raw challenging Owen Hart
Owen Hart
Owen James Hart was a Canadian professional and amateur wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling , World Championship Wrestling , and most notably, the World Wrestling Federation , where he wrestled under both his own name, and ring name The...
and Jeff Jarrett
Jeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett is an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , an organization he co-founded along with his father and in which he holds some stock but not total control...
for the tag team titles but failed to win them; they left the WWF afterwards.
Independents (1999-2003)
After leaving the WWF, the Road Warriors would appear for various independent federationsIndependent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
, including the i-Generation
I-Generation Superstars of Wrestling
i-Generation Wrestling Superstars of Wrestling was a small series of professional wrestling shows in 2000.The roster consisted of wrestlers who had previously achieved fame in other promotions. The tour promoted a World Championship, an International Championship and a Tag Team...
pay-per-view in July 2000 where they won the promotion's tag team titles. They performed both as a team and individually. Animal competed solo in WCW for a while as Hegstrand dealt with his personal issues. Hegstrand finally overcame his battle with addiction and became a born-again Christian appearing on Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase, Sr. is a retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. DiBiase achieved championship success in a number of wrestling promotions, holding thirty titles during his professional wrestling career...
's religion and wrestling shows in 2003. The Road Warriors also appeared very briefly in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
(TNA) during the early days of the promotion, saving America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted (professional wrestling)
America's Most Wanted was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of "Wildcat" Chris Harris and "Tennessee Cowboy" James Storm, who competed in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
, and debuting to what Jeremy Borash
Jeremy Borash
Jeremy Borash , is an American professional wrestling play-by-play commentator, announcer, ring announcer, booker, interviewer, producer and website designer...
quoted as "A 1985 Road Warrior Pop".
World Wrestling Entertainment (2003-2006)
The Road Warriors' last TVTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
appearance as a team occurred on the May 12, 2003 Raw episode in a tag team match against the WWE World Tag Team Champions, Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
and Kane
Kane (wrestler)
Glenn Thomas Jacobs is a Spanish-born American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name, Kane. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to injury....
. The Road Warriors had hoped to get a full time contract with WWE but nothing ever came of it. Hegstrand died five months later on October 19, 2003.
L.O.D. 2005 (2005-2006)
Animal would later return to WWE in 2005, teaming with HeidenreichJon Heidenreich
Jon Heidenreich is an American professional wrestler, better known simply as Heidenreich. He is best known for his tenure with World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a one time WWE Tag Team Champion with Road Warrior Animal as a part of the Road Warriors.-Early career:Prior to professional...
in a feud against the tag team MNM
MNM
MNM was a villainous professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment and Ohio Valley Wrestling that consisted of Joey Mercury , Johnny Nitro, and their manager Melina Perez....
. At The Great American Bash
The Great American Bash (2005)
The Great American Bash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment .It was the second annual event and took place on July 24, 2005, at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York...
on July 24, 2005, Animal and Heidenreich defeated MNM to win the WWE Tag Team Championship
WWE Tag Team Championship
The WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
in a match personally dedicated by Animal to Hawk. After winning the titles Heidenreich changed his appearance, to a look that better suited the Legion of Doom image by shaving his hair into a mohawk and wearing face paint.
On August 18, 2005, Heidenreich was officially made part of the "L.O.D" and was presented with his own Road Warrior "spikes". Shortly after winning the tag team titles, Animal paid tribute to his late partner and friend by looking up to the heavens above and saying, "Hawk, this one's for you, brother!". During their feud with MNM, L.O.D. were joined by Christy Hemme
Christy Hemme
Christina Lee "Christy" Hemme is an American actress, singer, model, professional wrestling valet and former professional wrestler. Hemme is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, as a backstage interviewer and ring announcer.-Early life:Hemme was born in Poway, California, but she...
, who acted as a valet/manager for a short while.
On the October 28, 2005 edition of SmackDown!, L.O.D. lost the tag team titles to MNM in a Fatal Four-Way tag match that also featured Paul Burchill
Paul Burchill
Paul Birchill , better known by his ring name Paul Burchill, is an English professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment , where he signed after training and debuting for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance in his home country.-Frontier Wrestling Alliance...
and William Regal
Darren Matthews
Darren Kenneth Matthews , is an English professional wrestler, author and color commentator currently signed to WWE and competing on the SmackDown brand under the ring name William Regal. He is also known for his time in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Steven Regal...
and The Mexicools
The Mexicools
The Mexicools were a professional wrestling stable and tag team, that were signed to World Wrestling Entertainment's SmackDown! brand. The team consisted of three well-known Mexican wrestlers of the late 1990s: Super Crazy, Psicosis and Juventud...
(Super Crazy
Super Crazy
Francisco Islas Rueda is a Mexican professional wrestler, or Luchador, best known by his ring name Super Crazy. Islas is most known for his three year run in the original ECW...
and Psicosis). A few months later, on January 17, 2006, Heidenreich was released from WWE. Animal continued to perform for WWE under his old persona, The Road Warrior, for a few months before he was also released.
On November 18, 2006, Road Warrior Animal appeared in full gear on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's pre-game College Gameday show. He was shown in a video clip to promote the #1 Ohio St. vs. #2 Michigan rivalry game, where his son (James Laurinaitis
James Laurinaitis
-St. Louis Rams:Laurinaitis was drafted in the 2nd round 35th overall by the St. Louis Rams. On July 29, 2009, he signed a four-year, $5.1 million contract. The deal contained $3.3 million guaranteed...
) was preparing to start at Linebacker for Ohio State.
The Hell Warriors (2007-present)
On September 1, 2007, Road Warrior Animal appeared for All Japan Pro WrestlingAll Japan Pro Wrestling
is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...
and teamed with Sasaki to form the Hell Warriors, with Animal being billed as "Animal Warrior" to match up with Sasaki's "Power Warrior" and Hawk's "Hawk Warrior" gimmick. The newly-formed Hell Warriors defeated the team of "brother" YASSHI
Yasushi Tsujimoto
, better known by his ringname "brother" YASSHI, is a Japanese professional wrestler, known for his appearances in El Dorado Wrestling, Dragon Gate, and All Japan Pro Wrestling. He was an amateur wrestler before becoming a pro wrestler.-Toryumon - Japan:...
and Shuji Kondo
Shuji Kondo
is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for All Japan Pro Wrestling. Prior to becoming a pro wrestler, he played rugby.-Toryumon/Dragon Gate:Kondo was part of the T2P class in Toryumon. At first he was a face in the Toryumon Seikegun....
.
On May 11, 2008, The Hell Warriors wrestled in Toryumon Mexico's Dragon-Mania show. They defeated Damián el Terrible
El Terrible
Damián Gutiérrez Hernández is a Mexican professional wrestler currently performing for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre under the ring name Damián el Terrible or simply El Terrible.-Professional wrestling career:...
and Damián 666 to win the UWA World Tag Team Championship (not the same championship revived by El Dorado Wrestling
El Dorado Wrestling
El Dorado was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion that was seen as the evolution of dragondoor. Most of El Dorado's wrestlers were graduates from Ultimo Dragon's Toryumon Gym, and thus the promotion was based on a Junior Heavyweight style with varying emphasis on high flying maneuvers,...
).
Their theme music is a megamix of "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath and "Hellraiser" by Ozzy Osbourne.
WWE 2011 Hall Of Fame (2011)
On April 2, 2011, The Road Warriors with Paul Ellering were inducted into the WWE Hall of FameWWE Hall of Fame
The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for professional wrestlers maintained by WWE. It was officially created on the February 1, 1993 episode of the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw television program...
.
WWE '12
The Road Warriors are set to make an appearance in THQ's latest wrestling game WWE '12WWE '12
WWE '12 is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ for the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 systems. It is the first game in the WWE series and the fourteenth overall in the combined series. It is the sequel to WWE SmackDown vs...
making it their first appearance in a wrestling game together as part of the Legends roster since WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw , is a professional wrestling video game released on the PlayStation 2 console by THQ and developed by Yuke's. It is part of the WWE SmackDown vs...
.
Incarnations
- The Road Warriors / Legion of Doom
- Road Warrior HawkRoad Warrior HawkMichael James Hegstrand was an American professional wrestler. He is best remembered as Road Warrior Hawk, one half of the tag team known as the Road Warriors or The Legion of Doom , with Road Warrior Animal.-Early life:While living in Chicago, Hegstrand met Joe Lauranaitis, who would be later...
- Road Warrior AnimalRoad Warrior AnimalJoseph Aaron "Joe" Laurinaitis is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior...
- Power WarriorKensuke Sasakiis a Japanese professional wrestler who currently wrestles for various promotions through his own agency, Kensuke Office. He is the first of two men ever to hold all 3 of puroresu's major heavyweight titles , the other being Yoshihiro Takayama.-Early years :Kensuke Sasaki...
(when in six-man tag team matches in Japan) - "Precious" Paul ElleringPaul ElleringPaul Ellering is a retired professional wrestling manager.-Professional wrestling career:Before entering the wrestling business, Ellering was an accomplished weightlifter...
(managerManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
)
- Road Warrior Hawk
- The Hell Raisers
- Hawk WarriorRoad Warrior HawkMichael James Hegstrand was an American professional wrestler. He is best remembered as Road Warrior Hawk, one half of the tag team known as the Road Warriors or The Legion of Doom , with Road Warrior Animal.-Early life:While living in Chicago, Hegstrand met Joe Lauranaitis, who would be later...
- Power WarriorKensuke Sasakiis a Japanese professional wrestler who currently wrestles for various promotions through his own agency, Kensuke Office. He is the first of two men ever to hold all 3 of puroresu's major heavyweight titles , the other being Yoshihiro Takayama.-Early years :Kensuke Sasaki...
- Hawk Warrior
- Legion of Doom 2000
- Road Warrior HawkRoad Warrior HawkMichael James Hegstrand was an American professional wrestler. He is best remembered as Road Warrior Hawk, one half of the tag team known as the Road Warriors or The Legion of Doom , with Road Warrior Animal.-Early life:While living in Chicago, Hegstrand met Joe Lauranaitis, who would be later...
- Road Warrior AnimalRoad Warrior AnimalJoseph Aaron "Joe" Laurinaitis is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior...
- Puke/DrozDarren DrozdovDarren Drozdov, is an essayist, former NFL player and retired professional wrestler who competed in the World Wrestling Federation in 1998 and 1999 under the ring names Puke and Droz....
- Sunny (valetManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
)
- Road Warrior Hawk
- Legion of Doom 2005
- Road Warrior AnimalRoad Warrior AnimalJoseph Aaron "Joe" Laurinaitis is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior...
- HeidenreichJon HeidenreichJon Heidenreich is an American professional wrestler, better known simply as Heidenreich. He is best known for his tenure with World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a one time WWE Tag Team Champion with Road Warrior Animal as a part of the Road Warriors.-Early career:Prior to professional...
- Christy HemmeChristy HemmeChristina Lee "Christy" Hemme is an American actress, singer, model, professional wrestling valet and former professional wrestler. Hemme is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, as a backstage interviewer and ring announcer.-Early life:Hemme was born in Poway, California, but she...
(valet)
- Road Warrior Animal
- The Hell Warriors
- Animal WarriorRoad Warrior AnimalJoseph Aaron "Joe" Laurinaitis is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior...
- Power WarriorKensuke Sasakiis a Japanese professional wrestler who currently wrestles for various promotions through his own agency, Kensuke Office. He is the first of two men ever to hold all 3 of puroresu's major heavyweight titles , the other being Yoshihiro Takayama.-Early years :Kensuke Sasaki...
- Animal Warrior
In wrestling
- Finishing move
- Doomsday Device / Devastation Device / Double ImpactDoomsday DeviceDoomsday Device, often shortened to Device, is a term used in professional wrestling to reference a tandem move in which one wrestler hoists the opponent on their shoulders so that they are facing in the same direction in what is known as the electric chair position, while another wrestler climbs...
(Electric chair lift into a top rope clothesline) – innovated
- Doomsday Device / Devastation Device / Double Impact
- Entrance themesMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
- "Iron ManIron Man (song)"Iron Man" is a song by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath from their second studio album Paranoid released in 1970. It was later included on their initial greatest hits compilation We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll , as well as all subsequent greatest hits compilations.-Writing and...
" by Black SabbathBlack SabbathBlack Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22... - "War Machine" by KissKISS (band)Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
(AWA) - "We are Iron Men" (WCW)
- "The Hit" (Dubbed/Edit Music Over WCW Theme)
- "Mayhem Mavens" (WCW) 1995-1996
- "What A Rush" by J.Hart and J.J. Maguire (WWF/WWE) 1990-1992,1997–1998,2003
- "HellraiserHellraiser (song)Hellraiser is a song written by Ozzy Osbourne, his guitarist Zakk Wylde, and Lemmy Kilmister, the frontman of heavy metal band Motörhead. The song was written for Osbourne's No More Tears album, in 1991, and despite being one of the most well known Ozzy Osbourne songs, Ozzy never released it as a...
" by Ozzy OsbourneOzzy OsbourneJohn Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal... - "Iron Man/Hellraiser Megamix" by Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath
- "Iron Man
The Road Warriors / Legion of Doom
- All Japan Pro WrestlingAll Japan Pro Wrestlingis a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...
- NWA International Tag Team ChampionshipNWA International Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA International Tag Team Championship was a National Wrestling Alliance-sanctioned title contested for in All Japan Pro Wrestling . Prior to being used in AJPW, the title was defended in the Japan Wrestling Association . The title lasted from 1962 through 1988...
(1 time)
- NWA International Tag Team Championship
- American Wrestling AssociationAmerican Wrestling AssociationThe American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
- AWA World Tag Team ChampionshipAWA World Tag Team ChampionshipThe American Wrestling Association World Tag Team Championship was professional wrestling world tag team championship in the American Wrestling Association from 1960 until the promotion folded in 1991.-History :...
(1 time)
- AWA World Tag Team Championship
- Fighting World of Japan Pro WrestlingFighting World of Japan Pro WrestlingFighting World of Japan Pro-Wrestling, frequently shortened to World Japan or WJ, and also known as "Riki Pro", was a professional wrestling promotion formed in Japan in 2003....
- World Japan Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- Georgia Championship WrestlingGeorgia Championship WrestlingGeorgia Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion whose self-titled TV program aired in the 1970s and 1980s on Atlanta, U.S., superstation WTBS. Though based in Atlanta, the company also ran live wrestling shows throughout its geographic "territory" of Georgia Georgia...
- NWA National Tag Team ChampionshipNWA National Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA National Tag Team Championship was the major tag team title in the NWA-affiliated Georgia Championship Wrestling from 1980 until 1986.The championship was introduced in November 1980 when Georgia Tag Team Champions the Fabulous Freebirds won a tournament to determine the first champions,...
(4 times)
- NWA National Tag Team Championship
- IWS International Wrestling Superstars
- World Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- i-Generation Superstars of WrestlingI-Generation Superstars of Wrestlingi-Generation Wrestling Superstars of Wrestling was a small series of professional wrestling shows in 2000.The roster consisted of wrestlers who had previously achieved fame in other promotions. The tour promoted a World Championship, an International Championship and a Tag Team...
- i-Generation Tag Team Championship (3 times)
- Independent Pro Wrestling
- IPW Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- Jim Crockett PromotionsJim Crockett PromotionsJim Crockett Promotions was a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. until the late 1980s. It was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance and was the forerunner to World Championship Wrestling .-Early history:...
/ World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship WrestlingWorld Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
- NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Dusty RhodesDusty Rhodes (wrestler)Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. , better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for WWE...
(2) and Genichiro TenryuGenichiro TenryuGenichiro Tenryu , real name Genichiro Shimada , is a Japanese professional wrestler. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling...
(1) - NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version)WCW World Tag Team ChampionshipThe World Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling...
(1 time) - Iron Team Tournament (1989)
- Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial CupJim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team TournamentThe Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament was a tag team professional wrestling tournament held annually in the month of April from 1986 through 1988. Jim Crockett Promotions , headed by Jim Crockett, Jr., hosted the Crockett Cup, held in honor of Crockett's father, JCP founder Jim...
(1986)
- NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Dusty Rhodes
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
- (Class of 2011) (Inducted Members: Road Warrior AnimalRoad Warrior AnimalJoseph Aaron "Joe" Laurinaitis is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior...
, Road Warrior HawkRoad Warrior HawkMichael James Hegstrand was an American professional wrestler. He is best remembered as Road Warrior Hawk, one half of the tag team known as the Road Warriors or The Legion of Doom , with Road Warrior Animal.-Early life:While living in Chicago, Hegstrand met Joe Lauranaitis, who would be later...
, and Paul ElleringPaul ElleringPaul Ellering is a retired professional wrestling manager.-Professional wrestling career:Before entering the wrestling business, Ellering was an accomplished weightlifter...
)
- (Class of 2011) (Inducted Members: Road Warrior Animal
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI Tag Team of the Year (1983–1985, 1988)
- PWI Feud of the Year (1987) with Dusty RhodesDusty Rhodes (wrestler)Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. , better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for WWE...
and Nikita KoloffNikita KoloffNikita Koloff is a retired American professional wrestler,. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, he wrestled as "The Russian Nightmare" Nikita Koloff, which was a play on the nickname of fan favorite "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes .Nikita was brought into the National...
vs. Four HorsemenFour Horsemen (professional wrestling)The Four Horsemen were a professional wrestling stable in the National Wrestling Alliance and later World Championship Wrestling that was disbanded in 1999. The original group featured Ric Flair, Arn and Ole Anderson, and Tully Blanchard... - PWI ranked them #1 of the 100 best tag teams during the "PWI Years" in 2003
- World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
- WWF Tag Team Championship (2 times)
- WWE Hall of FameWWE Hall of FameThe WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for professional wrestlers maintained by WWE. It was officially created on the February 1, 1993 episode of the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw television program...
(Class of 2011)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Rookies of the Year (1983)
- Tag Team of the Year (1984)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of FameWrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of FameThe Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to the sport. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Meltzer, editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame is not...
(Class of 1996)
The Hell Raisers
- New Japan Pro WrestlingNew Japan Pro Wrestlingis a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
- IWGP Tag Team Championship (2 times)
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked them #58 of the 100 best tag teams of the "PWI Years" in 2003
Legion of Doom 2005
- World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
- WWE Tag Team ChampionshipWWE Tag Team ChampionshipThe WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
(1 time)
- WWE Tag Team Championship