Animal was one-half of arguably the most influential and greatest tag team in sports-entertainment history, the Road Warriors. With their ominous face paint, crazy Mohawk hairdos and their trademark spiked shoulder pads, the Road Warriors were one of the most intimidating sights in sports entertainment. Also known as the Legion of Doom, Animal and Hawk used that intimidation factor along with their immense, brute strength and incredible agility to become the most dominant tag team to ever enter the squared circle.
Their journey to dominance actually began before they ever entered a wrestling ring. Animal (Joe Laurinaitis) and Hawk (Michael Hegstrand) grew up on the mean streets of Chicago. They eventually both moved to Minneapolis, where they became bouncers in some of the toughest joints in the area. Since they were already dealing with some of the toughest thugs around, it was a natural transition when Animal and Hawk made their way into the world of sports-entertainment. They were discovered by wrestler and trainer Eddie Sharkey in, of all places, a restaurant, and Sharkey took them under his wing and trained them.
Their first stop was Georgia Championship Wrestling. Led by their manager, "Precious" Paul Ellering, the Road Warriors wasted no time in capturing their first piece of gold in 1983 – the NWA National Tag Team Championship. They won the championship in convincing fashion by winning a tournament. They would go on to hold the championships twice more before heading to the AWA.
After conquering Georgia, the Road Warriors continued their dominance in the AWA, as they quickly became AWA Tag Team Champions when they defeated Baron von Raschke & The Crusher. The Road Warriors went on to hold the championship for more than a year, defending against the likes of the The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express, Harley Race & Stan Hansen and The Freebirds.
As the NWA became a part of WCW, the Road Warriors continued their dominance. Hawk and Animal came out on top of several rivalries with some of sports entertainment’s best, including The Four Horsemen, The Varsity Club and Doom, as well as rekindling their rivalries with The Freebirds and The Midnight Express.
Having already captured two of the three major Tag Team Championships (AWA and NWA), Hawk and Animal moved on to WWE in 1990 to try and complete the trifecta by winning the World Tag Team Championships. The Legion of Doom sent immediate shockwaves throughout WWE as they helped the Hart Foundation defeat Demolition for the World Tag Team Championship at SummerSlam. The Road Warriors continued to climb up the championship ladder and even defeated Power & Glory in less than a minute at WrestleMania VII. Before long they were the No. 1 contenders for the championship. At SummerSlam in 1991, Hawk and Animal disposed of the Nasty Boys to become the World Tag Team Champions, thus becoming the only tag team in the history of sports entertainment to hold Tag Team Championships in AWA, NWA and WWE.
Animal and Hawk went back and forth between WCW and WWE in their last years as a team, having memorable rivalries with Sting & Lex Luger, The Steiner Brothers and Harlem Heat in WCW and winning their second World Tag Team Championship from the Godwinns in 1997. Animal and Hawk made their last appearance as a team in WWE in a surprise matchup on Raw on May 12, 2003 against then-World Tag Team Champions Kane & Rob Van Dam. The Legion of Doom came up short, but our fans were overjoyed to see Animal and Hawk back together.
Our fans were shocked when Hawk passed away just months later on Oct. 18, 2003. Animal paid tribute to his late partner by taking Heidenreich under his wing in 2005 and anointing him as a member of the Legion of Doom. Animal & Heidenreich won the WWE Tag Team Championships, beating MNM at The Great American Bash in 2005.
Animal last appeared in WWE as a singles competitor under the name Road Warrior. The Legion of Doom as our fans know and love it has passed away with Hawk’s death, but their legend will live on forever.