WWE Hall of Famer and one half of the decorated Road Warriors tag team, Road Warrior Animal, dies at age 60.
On Wednesday Sept. 23, Road Warrior Animal’s Twitter account announced that the wrestler had died. The announcement has taken everyone by surprise as he had just tweeted the day before and he was only 60 years old.
The Greatest Tag Team Of All Time
Road Warrior Animal was part of what is widely regarded as the greatest tag team of all time, the Road Warriors or Legion of Doom (LOD) in WWE. Together with his partner, Road Warrior Hawk, the Road Warriors destroyed the who’s who of the ‘80s and early ‘90s tag division. Having a notable feud with none other than the Four Horsemen in the first ever WarGames match in 1987.
RELATED: BRIAN PILLMAN JR. WRESTLING FOR AEW AND LOOKING TO VALIDATE HIS FUTURE WITH MLW AND BEYOND
At 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighing in at 300 pounds, Animal was the powerhouse of the team. However, when Hawk is a 270 pound and 6-feet-3-inch destroyer it’s kind of like comparing a devastating tornado vs a devastating hurricane. Either way you are going to have your day ruined.
Dominate Is An Understatement
Ruining their opponents days is indeed what the team did best. The tag is known as the most feared and dominant team of all time. This is mostly because they don’t really care if they hurt their opponents. What are they going to do to Hawk and Animal? Try to fight them? Speaking of getting hurt, their finisher, the Doomsday Device, is a broken neck waiting to happen. The move entails the opponent put on Animal’s shoulders and Hawk clotheslining the opponent off. Oh and it is up to the guy to not land on his head after a cement bicep about breaks his jaw.
The team won titles in almost every promotion they wrestled including All Japan Wrestling, Georgia Championship Wrestling, WCW and WWE. They are also in every Hall of Fame that matters. In 2011 they were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame with their manager Paul Ellering.
RELATED: UNDERTAKER SEEMINGLY ANNOUNCES HIS RETIREMENT
The team separated a few times and added replacement members, but never found much success as singles competitors. However, the pair always came back together after not too long.
Upon the news of Road Warrior Animal’s death the wrestling world went to Twitter to share memories and praise for Animal and the Road Warriors.
Watch Out Heaven The Road Warriors Are Reunited And Looking To Collect Some Championships
Sadly Hawk died in 2003 of a heart attack and thus the legacy of the Road Warriors has come to an end, but they will live forever in our hearts and the WWE Network. I know I am going to look up the WarGames match against the Four Horsemen as soon as I can.
We here at The Illuminerdi give our deepest condolences to Road Warrior Animal’s (Joseph Laurinaitis) family and friends. A great wrestler has died and the Road Warriors deserve a spot on the Mount Rushmore of greatest tag teams during the golden age of wrestling.
What is your favorite Road Warriors or Road Warrior Animal memory? Do you think they are the greatest tag team of all time? Drop those comments on their head below and give us your thoughts.
Sources: Warrior’s Twitter, WWE, WrestlingHeadlines
KEEP READING: AJ STYLES WAS ALMOST AN ALL ELITE PART OF AEW
