Biography
Their journey to supremacy began before they ever entered a wrestling ring. After a rough upbringing in the Windy City, Hawk & Animal both moved to Minneapolis, MN, where they became bouncers in some of the toughest joints in the area. Their huge size and no-nonsense attitudes caught the attention of local grappler Eddie Sharkey who offered to train the pair. Since they were already dealing with some of the meanest thugs around, it was a natural transition to sports-entertainment for the powerhouses. In 1982, the team made their debut in Georgia Championship Wrestling. With their hair shaved into wild Mohawks and their faces covered in war paint, Hawk & Animal based their look on the post-apocalyptic madmen who wreaked havoc on the badlands in the “Mad Max” film series. Their unique appearance immediately brought them attention, but it was the carnage they caused in the ring that truly gave them a following. Led by their manager, Precious Paul Ellering, The Road Warriors wasted no time in capturing their first championship, winning the NWA National Tag Team Titles in 1983. After conquering Georgia, The Road Warriors stomped into Verne Gagne’s American Wrestling Association and quickly defeated Baron von Raschke & The Crusher to become AWA Tag Team Champions in 1984. The dominant duo would hold the titles for over a year in the face of serious competition from The Rock N’ Roll Express, Harley Race & Stan Hansen and The Freebirds. With no one left to beat in the AWA, The Road Warriors went on a quest for the NWA Tag Team Championship. They made an immediate impact in 1986 by beating three teams in a single day to win a tag team tournament known as The Crockett Cup. During this time, the team also began to carve out distinction in Japan by defeating some of the country’s top teams. Throughout the years, Hawk & Animal would regulalry return to the Land of the Rising Sun and soon became two of the most respected and beloved competitors in the nation. In the late ’80s, the NWA underwent a shakeup and became a part of WCW, but Hawk & Animal’s dominance continued unabated. Now being exposed to a wider audience through Ted Turner’s programming, The Road Warriors exploded in popularity as they battered some of sports-entertainment’s top teams, including The Four Horsemen, The Varsity Club and Doom. With their trophy case overflowing, the team finally arrived in WWE in August of 1990. Now known as The Legion of Doom, the tough guys immediately disposed of Demolition before defeating The Nasty Boys to become the World Tag Team Championship at SummerSlam in 1991. With this victory, The Legion of Doom became the only duo in the history of sports-entertainment to hold the tag team titles in AWA, NWA and WWE. In 1996, The Road Warriors went back to WCW and had several memorable rivalries with the likes of Sting & Lex Luger, The Steiner Brothers and Harlem Heat. The team couldn’t stay away from WWE, though, and returned in 1997. After again working their way up the ranks, they defeated The Godwinns to win their second World Tag Team Championships that same year. In the many years since The Road Warriors first exploded on the scene in 1982, countless teams have attempted to imitate the explosive duo, but no one ever did it. It is a testament to Hawk & Animal's unmatched influence that no pair has come close to matching thei r success, dominance and wealth of championships. Now, WWE proudly adds one more prize to their legacy — entry into the WWE Hall of Fame. Superstar Gameplay Ratings
Strike Power
85
Grapple Power
85
Submission
75
Strike Defense
80
Grapple Defense
80
Speed
65
Agility
80
Adrenaline
70
Recovery
75
Toughness
85
Charisma
85
Tag Team
100
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