After watching a few videos of my favorite wrestling tag team last month on You Tube, it occurred to me, only one Road Warrior is left in this world. His human name was Joe Laurentius, his superhuman name was Road Warrior Animal. At the time, when the memory was best and new, he and his partner, Mike Hegstrand, aka Road Warrior Hawk had muscles, mohawks, reverse mohawks, chains and dog collars. It was Gordon Solie with his fatherly loud and gravely voice only heard on TBS Superstation from 5:05 until 7:05PM, as the ringleader to all this madness, there were many grapplers on hand for this squared circle brawl, but the 2 most rememberable were The Road Warriors, (or for all you youngsters LOD, Legion of Doom). Joe and Mike were from Minnesota, took the wrestling scene by storm in 1983, and spent approximately 20 sum odd years entertaining all over the world. Mike dealt with personal demons in his life and lost his battle in 2003. Joe was, for the most part, the voice of reason in the dynamic duo. Mike, more of a hothead and free spirit, which we all realize usually makes for great combinations. “The wrestling business is strange and weird, with a dose of artistic dancing”. Dusty Rhodes was once quoted as saying.
Their Road Warrior persona was from the 1981 Mad Max: The Road Warrior starring a young Mel Gibson and Vernon Wells. “We were searching for name with a cool and intimidating look at the same time, and when we saw the villain in the Mad Max movie, the paint on his face it clicked”, explained Joe in a recent interview with Bill Apter.
…”Joe was, for the most part, the voice of reason in the dynamic duo. Mike, more of a hothead and free spirit”……
Watching their backs in the process was Manager “Precious” Paul Ellering, who was the voice, the mover and shaker of the big wrestling machine that was the Road Warriors. Ellering was a great wrestler in his own right in earlier years. Watching a studio show back in the 70’s, Ellering once stepped up and down on a folding chair the full hour of the show without stopping, changing feet with every step, that’s about 18 inches off the ground. As a kid I didn’t really appreciate that until later in my life, working out at the gym. (Try that for just 2 minutes!)
When hearing of Joe’s death Wednesday September 23rd, it made me think, an industry that many have always thought of as fake, has lost a very real hero, father and husband. Joe was the last Road Warrior, as the wrestling great Jackie Fargo once pinned in an interview, “Often imitated, but never, ever duplicated”, that sums up the Road Warriors (Legion of Doom). Thanks Animal….. RIP!
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