Wikipedia

Road Warrior Hawk

This article is about an American professional wrestler. For other uses, seeRoad warrior (disambiguation).

Michael James Hegstrand(January 26, 1957 – October 19, 2003) was an Americanprofessional wrestler.He was best known asRoad Warrior Hawk,one half of thetag teamknown as theRoad Warriors(or the "Legion of Doom" ), withRoad Warrior Animal.Outside of the Road Warriors, Hawk was a sporadic challenger forworld heavyweight championshipsonpay-per-viewfrom the late 1980s to the mid-1990s. He headlined the inaugural1993 editionofExtreme Championship Wrestling's premier annual event,November to Remember.[4]

Road Warrior Hawk
A man in face-paint wearing spiked shoulder pads looks off into the distance
Hawk in 1997
Birth nameMichael James Hegstrand[1]
Born(1957-01-26)January 26, 1957[2]
Saint Paul, Minnesota,U.S.
DiedOctober 19, 2003(2003-10-19)(aged 46)
Indian Rocks Beach, Florida,U.S.
Cause of deathHeart attack
Spouse(s)
Judy Pendzimas
​
​
(m.1986;div.1991)​
Dale Watts
​
(m.1998)​
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Crusher Von Haig
Hawk
Hawk Warrior
Road Warrior Hawk
Billed height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[3]
Billed weight275 lb (125 kg)[3]
Billed fromChicago, Illinois
Trained byEddie Sharkey[3]
Debut1983[3]

Early life

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While living in Minneapolis, Hegstrand attendedPatrick Henry High Schoolwhere he graduated in 1976. After high school, he had various odd jobs to make ends meet such as a butcher. It was while working as a bouncer at Gramma B's in theTwin Citiesthat he caught the eye ofEddie Sharkey,a well-known wrestling trainer. Sharkey thought that Hegstrand, along withJoe Laurinaitis,Rick RoodandBarry Darsowcould make it big in professional wrestling.

Professional wrestling career

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Early career (1983–1986)

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Main article:the Road Warriors

Hegstrand started his career as part of the Traveling All-Stars. He was billed as "Crusher Von Haig" and wrestled in Vancouver. Soon growing weary of the road and becoming homesick. Hegstrand traveled back home with Rood. Later in 1983, fate struck again when Laurinaitis's partner for the night found himself in legal trouble. Needing a quick replacement, Ole Anderson gave Hegstrand a call, and he accepted the booking to team with Laurinaitis. Neither man knew at the time that they would make wrestling history that day.[5]WhenPaul Elleringwas looking to put together a stable of heels inGeorgia Championship Wrestlingcalled The Legion of Doom it was decided to pair Laurinaitis with Hegstrand and change their names to "Animal" and "Hawk" respectively; thus, theRoad Warriorswere born. To look more intimidating the two shaved their heads into Mohawks and started wearing studded dog collars, leather chaps, and face paint. The look and name was taken fromMad Max 2: the Road Warrior,helping to paint the two as no-mercy monsters. Theirinterviewstyle was vicious, yet charismatic and a bit humorous. Hawk was known for often beginning his promos with his trademark yell of "Wellllllllllllll!..." and ending with hiscatch phraseof "Oooooooooh, what a ruuuuuuuuuuuush!"[6]The team was an instant hit, revolutionizing the tag-team scene with their power moves, no mercy attitudes, and innovative face paint that would spawn many future imitators in wrestling.[7]In Georgia, they won theNWA National Tag Team Championshipfour times[8]before moving on to bigger promotions such as theAmerican Wrestling Associationin the US andAll Japan Pro Wrestlingin Japan, winning tag-team titles wherever they went.[8]

National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling (1986–1990)

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Hawk (right) kickingBobby Eaton(left), circa 1987.

Their hard hitting style, no nonsense attitude, and winning ways made the Road Warriors fan favorites wherever they went; even when they were booked as heels, the fans refused to boo them.[7]They were so in demand that they started to split their time between the AWA and theNational Wrestling Allianceuntil finally leaving the AWA for big money contracts with the NWA and a huge push for the monster duo.[6]The move paid off instantly as they won the inauguralJim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament[9]and feuded with the top stars of the NWA such asThe Four Horsemen[10][11][12][13]andThe Russian Team(which included the Road Warriors’ old training buddy Barry Darsow, then wrestling as Krusher Khrushchev).[14][15][16]During their initial run in the Mid-Atlantic region of the NWA, they helped popularize theWarGames match,[10]theScaffold match,[17]and their trademarkChicago Street Fight.[18]

In 1988, the Road Warriors engaged in a violent feud with thePowers of Pain(The BarbarianandThe Warlord), the first team that could truly match the Road Warriors in power (and who were one of the most well known Road Warrior clones). The Powers of Pain even went so far as to injure Animal's eye (kayfabe) during a weightlifting competition. When Animal returned, he initially wore a hockey goalie mask to protect his eye. Theangleabruptly ended when the Powers of Pain left the NWA after finding out they were booked against the Road Warriors in a series of Scaffold Matches and they did not want to get hurt by falling off the scaffold.[6]Near the end of 1988, the Road Warriors captured theNWA World Tag Team ChampionshipfromThe Midnight Expresswhom they mauled in short order to win the titles inNew Orleans.Despite being heels at the time and using brutal tactics againstStan Laneand"Beautiful" Bobby Eaton,once again they were cheered by the crowd.[8]After being the "Uncrowned champions" for a long time, the Road Warriors’ run with the tag-team titles was short-lived. Crooked refereeTeddy Longused a fast count to cheat the Road Warriors out of their titles.[8]In their last year with the NWA, the Warriors feuded mainly withThe Varsity Club,[19][20][21]The Samoan Swat Team,[22][23]andThe Skyscrapers[24][25]before leaving the NWA in the summer of 1990.

World Wrestling Federation (1990–1992)

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The Road Warriors immediately signed with theWorld Wrestling Federation[26]and were pushed into a feud withDemolition(which once again included their old training partner Barry Darsow).[27]Due to his health,Axwas replaced by a new member of Demolition,Crush.(Popular rumor at the time cited a heart condition on Bill Eadie's part, but this has been discredited in recent years. An allergic reaction to shellfish while in Japan afterWrestleMania VIwas the real cause of Eadie's temporary health problem. He confirmed this in a shoot interview in 2007.)[28]However, fans did not react as strongly to this new Demolition team as they had to the original configuration, and the feud was considered a disappointment.[6]During the early part of the feud, Legion of Doom often teamed withWWF World Heavyweight ChampionThe Ultimate Warriorin six-man tag matches against all three members of Demolition. Just over a year after signing with the WWF, the Legion of Doom won theWWF World Tag Team TitlesfromThe Nasty BoysatSummerSlam 1991and held them for about six months.[8]When they lost the titles in February 1992 they were briefly taken off television, only to return with long-time manager Paul Ellering by their side, as well as a wooden dummy called "Rocco". Both members of the Legion of Doom thought thegimmickwas stupid, as did most of the fans and it led to Hawk quitting the WWF,[29]leaving Animal on his own for the first time in nine years. When Animal suffered a severe back injury a short while later, everyone thought it was the end of the legendary team.

Japan, ECW and Independents (1992–1995)

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Hawk competed as a singles wrestler in Europe, Australia, and Japan and although he won nearly every singles match he competed in, he was usually seen (by North American and Japanese fans at least) as a tag team wrestler. Thus, he always fought either mid-card opponents or made teams with better-known singles stars. When he joinedNew Japan Pro-Wrestling,he was immediately paired withKensuke Sasaki,then simply known as a good mid-carder, as the Hell Raisers (Sasaki adopting the face paint and gimmick Power Warrior).[6]The two dominated NJPW's tag team ranks for a while through their two wins of theIWGP Tag Team Championship,[8]but no North American promoter thought about bringing them as a team, due to Sasaki's affiliation with NJPW. As a singles wrestler, Hawk found success inEurope,winning the CWA World Heavyweight Championship.[8]Hawk also competed in NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling, the progenitor ofExtreme Championship Wrestling,in 1993.[30]Hawk left ECW in 1994. Hawk competed in theindependent circuitforPro Wrestling America,Mid Eastern Wrestling Federation,Smokey Mountain Wrestlingand Midwest Territorial Wrestling.

World Championship Wrestling (1993, 1995–1996)

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In August 1993 Hawk made sporadic appearances inWorld Championship Wrestlingas a mystery partner ofDustin Rhodes[31]and later as a replacement partner whenDavey Boy Smithleft the promotion[32]but nothing permanent ever came of it, and Hawk left after Starrcade in December 1993. In May 1995, he reappeared in WCW. In July 1995, he helpedStingin a feud againstMengandKurasawa,[33]but a proposed singles feud with Kurasawa fell through due to an arm injury (inkayfabeKurasawa broke Hawk's arm using a cross armbreaker, to let Hawk rest). Hawk returned in January 1996, but this time, he also brought Animal back with him as his back had finally recovered enough for him to return to active competition. During that time, Sting andLex Lugerhad won theWCW World Tag Team Championshipand the Warriors challenged them, to no success.[34][35]The rise of theNew World Orderprecluded further challenges, and they headed back to the WWF.

Return to WWF (1997–1999)

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After leaving WCW they returned to the WWF[36]where the Legion of Doom took part in the feud between"Stone Cold" Steve Austinandthe Hart Foundation,siding with Austin.[37]The Legion of Doom also became 2 time tag-team champions on October 7, 1997, when they defeatedThe Godwinns.[8]In November 1997 the Legion of Doom faced the newly formedNew Age Outlaws(Road DoggandBilly Gunn) and shockingly lost the titles to the upstart team.[8]On an episode ofMonday Night Raw,L.O.D. challengedD-Generation X(DX) in a Tag Match. During the match, The New Age Outlaws attacked L.O.D. and shaved off one of Hawk's mohawks, and threw Animal through the announcers table. After several unsuccessful challenges the L.O.D. were repackaged as "Legion of Doom 2000" with managerSunny,although she did not stay with the team for long.[6]

Duringthe Attitude Era,in which the WWF moved towards a more "adult" product, the Legion of Doom was placed into a storyline incorporating Hegstrand's real-life drug addiction andalcoholism,against the wishes of both Hegstrand and Laurinaitis.[29]The storyline found the Legion of Doom crumbling as Hawk repeatedly showed up to matches apparently drunk or under the influence of drugs, and began demonstratingsuicidal tendencies.In order to stabilize the team, a third member,Puke,was introduced later known as Droz. This led to the conclusion of the storyline, in which a suicidal Hawk climbed to the top of the TitanTron, the giant television monitor erected during episodes of WWF'sRaw Is Warto show match highlights to fans in attendance. Puke, supposedly attempting to rescue Hawk, climbed after him, only to apparently throw Hawk over the side (with a special effect being used to make it appear as though fans could see Hegstrand's body plunging a fatal distance behind the screen); Puke then revealed that he had been enabling Hawk's drug addiction in order to kill him and take his place in the Legion of Doom. Being forced to act out Hegstrand's personal demons onscreen eventually proved too much for both Hegstrand and Laurinaitis, and both men quit the company shortly after the "Puke killed Hawk" incident.[29]

Late career (1999–2003)

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While the Road Warriors never officially broke up, Animal started making an increasing number of solo appearances after they left the WWF as Hegstrand struggled with drug and alcohol addiction and generally did not appear at many wrestling shows during this time.[7]In 2000, during a tour in Australia, Hegstrand was diagnosed withcardiomyopathy,a heart condition that stopped him from wrestling for a short while. He was able to overcome its effects and returned to a regular working schedule later on. Laurinaitis and Hegstrand becameborn-again Christiansin 2001 and appeared at a number of Christian wrestling events run byTed DiBiaseandNikita Koloffhoping to reignite their tag-team career. On June 22, 2002, International Wrestling Superstars, Road Warriors Animal & Hawk defeated the Headshrinkers for the World Tag-Team Championship. That victory also led to Team USA winning the International Tournament held in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

They also appeared inTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling(TNA) in late 2002 and early 2003 as part of a group that opposedVince Russo’s factionSports Entertainment Xtremebut only wrestled one actual match for the company.[38]Animal and Hawk made a surprise appearance onRawon May 12, 2003, when they took onKaneandRob Van Damfor the World Tag Team Championship.[39]Although Hawk and Animal came up short in their attempt to become three-time champions, it was clear that Hawk had defeated the demons that had once kept him from competing, and the Road Warriors had hopes of returning to WWE. Later in 2003, Hawk made an appearance with the All World Wrestling League, a take-off of the 'original' Big Time Wrestling that was owned byThe Original Sheikwho died earlier that year; it was run by the sons of The Sheik, Eddie and Tom Farhat. They decided to book Hawk for an event in Holt, Michigan; that event was the second to last time Hawk wrestled.[citation needed]Two weeks before he died, he wrestled his final match with Animal in Oshawa, Ontario, defeatingGreg "The Hammer" ValentineandBuff Bagwell.[40]

Personal Life

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Hegstrand and his tag team partner Lauriniatis owned two gyms in Minneapolis in the late 80’s. The pair, alongside gym employees Bob Truax and Dan Stock, conceptualized theZubazworkout pants and helped popularize the brand globally.[41][42]Hegstrand owned 25% of the company until its closure in 1996.

Death and legacy

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Hegstrand died on October 19, 2003, in the early morning in his home inIndian Rocks Beach, Florida.[43][44]He was 46 years old. His friends said that he and his wife Dale had recently bought a condominium near their current home and were packing their boxes the night before. Hegstrand said that he felt tired and went to take a nap. When his wife checked on him at about 1:00AM, he had died of a suddenheart attack.[45]At the time of his death, Hawk and Animal were working on a book about their careers; Animal released the book (alongside co-writer Andrew Wright) as "The Road Warriors: Danger, Death and the Rush of Wrestling" (ISBN978-1605425788) in 2014.[46]Animal returned to WWE in mid-2005 and decided to dedicate his entire run to Hegstrand, including his tag team title victory withHeidenreichatThe Great American Bash.[47][48]

On the March 28, 2011 episode ofRaw,it was announced that the Road Warriors would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2011.[49]On April 2, 2011, the night beforeWrestleMania XXVIIthey, along withPaul Ellering,were inducted into theWWE Hall of FamebyDusty Rhodes.[50]

Championships and accomplishments

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aThe Road Warriors reign with the NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship, with Genichiro Tenryu, began December 7, 1988, after Ted Turner's purchase of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling from Jim Crockett, Jr. and having it renamed World Championship Wrestling.

bHawk and Animal's reign with this championship also happened after Ted Turner bought and renamed the promotion. However, it took place before the title was renamed the WCW World Tag Team Championship.

See also

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References

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