Road Warrior Hawk (Michael Hegstrand) and Road Warrior Animal (Joseph Laurinaitis) were known as The Road Warriors on most wrestling promotions while in WWF (later WWE) they were called the Legion of Doom.
Their gimmick was inspired by the Mad Max film The Road Warrior. They were the first wrestlers to bring a theme from a movie into the wrestling world. Their popular double-team finishing move was known as the Doomsday Device.
The two wrestlers applied face paint and spiked armor. They were known for their impressive physique and dominance in the ring.
The duo headlined multiple events like the Survivor Series in 1991, In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede, and many more. They were known as The Road Warriors in the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), World Championship Wrestling(WCW), and the Legion of Doom in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).
The legendary tag team’s debut was in the year 1983 in Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW). Joe Laurinaitis had briefly competed as Road Warrior before Ole Anderson found a perfect tag team partner for him in Mike Hegstrand. The team was called the Road Warriors and were initially brought into “Precious” which was Paul Ellering’s stable as replacements for Matt Borne and Arn Anderson.
The Road Warriors dumped Ellering saying that they did not need a manager. However, they once again joined forces in 1984 when Ellering formed a stable called The Legion of Doom in the NWA’s GCW brand.
The stable consisted of Jake “The Snake” Roberts, and The Spoiler alongside The Road Warriors. The faction existed for a short span and “Legion of Doom” soon referred only to the Road Warriors and Ellering. The name Legion of Doom was taken from the Super Friends cartoon.
Championships won by The Road Warriors aka the Legion of Doom
The legendary Road Warriors were inducted into various Hall of Fames. The list is given below:
- The Hardcore Hall of Fame – Class of 2021
- NWA Hall of Fame – Class of 2012
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame – (Road Warrior Animal, Road Warrior Hawk, and Paul Ellering were all inducted)
- Quebec Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 2015)
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2011)
Now we will take a look at the many different tag team championships won by the duo across various promotions.
| Promotion | Championship |
| All Japan Pro Wrestling | NWA International Tag Team Championship (1) |
| American Wrestling Association (AWA) | AWA World Tag Team Championship (1) |
| Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling | World Japan Tag Team Championship (1) |
| Georgia Championship Wrestling | NWA National Tag Team Championship (3) |
| International Wrestling Superstars (IWS) | IWS World Tag Team Championship (1) |
| i-Generation Superstars of Wrestling | i-Generation Tag Team Championship (3) |
| Independent Pro Wrestling (IPW) | IPW Tag Team Championship (1) |
| Jim Crockett Promotions/World Championship Wrestling | NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (3), NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (1) |
| World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment | WWF Tag Team Championship (2) |
| New Japan Pro-Wrestling | IWGP Tag Team Championship (2) |
| World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) | WWE Tag Team Championship (1) |
| Toryumon Mexico | UWA World Tag Team Championship (1) |
Other than Ellering, Sunny also served as the manager for the famous tag team. Christy Hemme also served as a valet for some time.
Last few years of the phenomenal tag team
The last US TV appearance for The Road Warriors as a team occurred on the May 12, 2003, episode of RAW. They teamed up to face the then-World Tag Team Champions Rob Van Dam and Kane.
The veterans hoped to get a full-time contract with the Stamford-based company but nothing came to fruition. They returned to Japan competing in the Fighting World of Japan Pro-Wrestling. They defeated The Shane Twins to win the Tag Team Titles but dropped them three months later in their last televised appearance on June 29, 2003.
Their last match was on October 3, 2003, in Oshawa, Ontario at a local church. They defeated the team of Greg “The Hammer” Valentine and Buff Bagwell. Road Warrior Hawk passed away on October 19, 2003.
Animal returned to WWE in 2005 and teamed with Heidenreich. They also won the WWE Tag Team Championship. Heidenreich was later officially made a part of the Legion of Doom. Heidenreich and Animal were released in 2006.
Road Warrior Animal died after suffering a heart attack on September 22, 2020.
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