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Last night, Joseph Laurinaitis — better known to all of us as WWE Hall of Famer Road Warrior Animal — passed away in Osage Beach, MO. He was 60 years old.
Animal and Hawk didn't just redefine tag team wrestling in the 1980s, they were the template for the kinds of performers Vince McMahon would make famous in the WWF when he took the promotional nationwide. While they began their careers as The Road Warriors, it was their name in the WWE, Legion of Doom, that suited them best. They were huge, intimidating, and they were there to destroy.
Laurinaitis had recently been co-hosting Sportskeeda's WWE RAW post-show for the last few weeks with Chris Featherstone. It was fantastic to listen to such a great and accomplished veteran of the business share his opinion of the current product, as well as compare it to his own experiences. On top of that, he was a really nice guy to boot.
So, let's take a look back at some of those moments in his career and celebrate one of the greatest tag team wrestlers of all time: Road Warrior Animal.
(Please note: these are in no particular order)
#5. Animal and Hawk arrive in London
1992 wasn't a particularly kind year for the Legion of Doom in the WWF. They were nearing the end of their first run in the company, and Hawk's issues with substance abuse were beginning to become more visibly evident. While they were reunited with their original manager, Paul Ellering, they were also saddled with a ventriloquist dummy named "Rocco."
No, seriously.
When it came time to open up the first major WWF Pay-Per-View outside of North America, however, Hawk and Animal blew it right out of the water. Or, more accurately, they drove over it on motorcycles.
With over 80,000 fans exploding into the biggest "Road Warrior pop" ever heard, Hawk, Animal, and Ellering (and also Rocco) tore down the ramp on motorbikes in an entrance that would be copied over the years by legends like The Undertaker and Triple H. The Legion of Doom had invaded Wembley Stadium and London couldn't have been more thrilled.
It wasn't long after this match that Animal found himself sidelined for a while with a back injury, and it was the last appearance of the team in the WWF for a number of years. But that one moment: What a rush.
Their SummerSlam the year before, however, was even better.
#4. Animal and Hawk: WWF Tag Team Champions
Animal and Hawk made it a habit of winning tag team championships in nearly every promotion they worked for. By the time The Legion of Doom reached the WWF in 1990, they had already won the AWA and NWA/WCW Tag Team championships, as well as multiple championships in Japan.
At SummerSlam 1991, Hawk and Animal threw down with the Nasty Boys in a Street Fight and walked away with the WWF Tag Team Championship.
While their previous title wins are no less distinguished than this one, their win over Knobbs and Saggs had particularly historical importance. They became the first — and only — team to win the titles in all three of the major US companies of the 1980s.
This had to have been particularly satisfying considering their feud with Demolition (a team clearly modeled after the Warriors themselves) upon entering the company didn't really live up to expectations. While not really the fault of either team (Demolition Ax had been experiencing health issues, prompting the WWF to replace him with Crush), the Legion of Doom needed a big moment like this to get their momentum back.
Animal and Hawk would win these same titles again six years later, but this first time had to be the most memorable.
Our next entry is something a little more personal.
#3. Animal and son on the cover of Sporting News
As proud as Animal was of his wrestling career, he was just as proud (if not more so) of the career of his son, former St. Louis (now Los Angeles) Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis.
James attended Ohio State University where, under coach Jim Tressel, he was a multiple time All-American and All-Big 10 selection. He was also the recipient of both the Lott and Bronko Nagurski Trophies and the Butkus Award. Basically, he was really, really good at playing college football. So much so, in fact, that when it came time for him to enter the NFL Draft, there was a lot of speculation of where he would end up playing.
When Laurinaitis ending up signing with the NFL's St. Louis franchise, the media buzz began. Not only was James (now retired after eight years in pro football) an amazing player, but growing up the son of a legendary pro wrestler like Animal also made for a fun story.
In July of 2011, Joe and James were featured on the cover of The Sporting News, with Animal in Rams gear and his son decked out in face paint and spiked shoulder pads. The magazine also did a story on the two, as James was already two years into his NFL career.
#2. Animal and Hawk play the WarGames
Hawk and Animal's tenure in Jim Crocket Promotions (the NWA affiliate that Ted Turner would eventually purchase and rename World Championship Wrestling) was one of extreme violence. Whether it was stabbing Dusty Rhodes in the eye back before stabbing your opponent in the eye was cool, or knocking Jim Cornette of a scaffold and breaking his knees (this happened), the Road Warriors were more often than not looking to hurt somebody.
At The Great American Bash in 1987, Rhodes unveiled what was arguably his greatest creation of his backstage career: WarGames.
(This is just William Regal saying "WarGames" for an hour because William Regal saying "WarGames" is pretty much the greatest thing ever.)
We won't get into the nitty-gritty of the rules of the match, but essentially it's two rings, anywhere from eight to 10 wrestlers, a giant cage and lots of pain. Or, as Animal and Hawk would probably have put it, a normal Tuesday.
This particular match teamed the Warriors and Paul Ellering paired with Rhodes and Nikita Koloff to face the Four Horsemen of Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Lex Luger, Tully Blanchard and their manager, J.J. Dillon. This match was so brutal that Animal, Hawk, Rhodes, and Dillon were all seriously hurt afterwards.
The match was eventually won by the good guys when the Warriors essentially pummeled Dillon (including hitting him with their iconic finisher, the Doomsday Device) mercilessly until he had no choice but to give up.
When talking about the best moments in the career of a WWE Hall of Fame member, there's only one to wrap things up with.
#1. Animal and Hawk storm the WWE Hall Of Fame
2011 was a pretty good year for Animal, it seems. On top of sharing the cover of an issue of a legendary sports magazine with his son, he was also inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Joining him in the induction were Hawk and Ellering.
It had to have been a bittersweet moment for both Ellering and Animal. While it was the ultimate recognition for the achievements and impact they made on the wrestling world, they also had to celebrate it without Hawk, who passed away from a heart attack in 2003.
It was a long time coming, but richly deserved.
Sportskeeda was extremely fortunate to have had an opportunity to work with Joe over the last month, and we sincerely extend our sympathies to his family, friends, fans, and colleagues.
One last thing:
Does anyone know where we can find the whole video for this? These ads were hilarious, but we can't find them anywhere. Please help.
And rest in peace, Animal.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
