Road Warrior Animal was a wrestling legend and passed away at the age of 60
The wrestling world lost a legend of the game as WWE confirmed that Road Warrior Animal had passed away at the age of 60.
Animal and his tag team partner, Hawk, could be considered as pioneers of the tag team division. The Road Warriors won several titles across the promotions they performed in, and they are not only remembered for their wrestling skills but the characters they were.
The other name that the Warriors were known as was the Legion of Doom. Many of the top wrestling tag teams still use moves brought up by the pair and this is another major loss to the wrestling world.
Animal, real name Joe Laurinaitis, will be remembered not only for the “What a rush” slogan but the spike jackets and face paint worn.
His partner, Hawk, also did the same and the pair remain one of the most iconic teams in wrestling history.
Wrestling world reacts
Several WWE stars reacted to the news of the legend passing away. WWE didn’t provide any details of the death of Animal, however, his family posted an update on his Twitter handle:
https://twitter.com/RWAnimal/status/1308747451415830529?s=20
A couple of NXT stars, Bronson Reed and Damian Priest, tweeted about the passing away of Animal.
One of the coolest icons ever. Will be missed and remembered always. Condolences to the Laurinaitis family. #RIPAnimal 🕷 https://t.co/3vkLjJTWW1
— Damian Priest (@ArcherOfInfamy) September 23, 2020
It's no secret the road warriors are one of my favourite tag teams of all time. They're on my wall in the gym and I use that image for inspiration.
Thank you Animal, Rest In Power! https://t.co/6Xq5J0Trjx
— BIG BRONSON REED (@BRONSONISHERE) September 23, 2020
Drew Gulak and Lince Dorado, from SmackDown, also shared their reactions after learning of the demise.
I use this maneuver because of The Legion of Doom. RIP Road Warrior Animal! #OhWhatARush pic.twitter.com/CwtK97fG06
— Drew Gulak (@DrewGulak) September 23, 2020
Whether you called them LOD, Road Warriors, or just bad ass dudes, Doomsday Device always ended the match! #RIP Animal! #WhatARush pic.twitter.com/l6malsiNMK
— “Lucha Lit” Lince Dorado (@LuchadorLD) September 23, 2020
Ric Flair, who had a huge rivalry with the Road Warriors, also posted a touching tribute to the fallen legend:
— Charlotte Flair (@MsCharlotteWWE) September 23, 2020
It wasn’t just the WWE stars who felt a huge loss after the news. Many AEW stars also commented on the passing away of Animal.
RIP such a nice dude, would always let me mess around with his shoulder pads which weighed half of me…. https://t.co/OVcC4zP4MB
— “The Bad Boy” Joey Janela (@JANELABABY) September 23, 2020
https://twitter.com/FrankieKazarian/status/1308757590235635718?s=20
Shocked to hear of the passing of @RWAnimal.
An iconic figure in our business who I was looking forward to seeing this Saturday night in Jackson, Tennessee at the @JerryLawler celebration.
Condolences to Joe’s family and friends. 🙏🤠
— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) September 23, 2020
https://twitter.com/VickieGuerrero/status/1308755091172851715?s=20
The Hall of Famer left an impact on Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler, FTR, and the pair highlighted how much of an influence he was to them:
Without you, the road would not have been paved. #RIPAnimal #OhWhatARush pic.twitter.com/otsdFYerAG
— Uncle Dax FTR (@DaxFTR) September 23, 2020
The Road Warriors were larger than life. They made it possible for so many others to live their dreams. Rest in Power, Animal.
— Daniel “Cash” Wheeler (@CashWheelerFTR) September 23, 2020
This is another huge loss to the wrestling world and we send our condolences to the family to Animal.
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