What do you think?
Rate this book
The Road Warriors: Danger, Death, and the Rush of Wrestling
Delivering an inside account of one of wrestling's most famous fighters, this autobiography offers a rare chance to learn about Joe "Animal" Laurinaitis's life both inside and outside the ring. Revealing riveting stories about his participation in the 1980s and 1990s superstar wrestling team the Road Warriors, it recounts memorable fights with his partner Mike "Hawk" Hegstrand. He describes how he and Mike rose to become a revolutionary tag team—reinventing themselves with spiky accessories and wearing face paint before it was popular—and chronicles famous rivalries, movement between different wrestling associations, and dealing with Mike's longtime struggle with drugs and alcohol. He also invites fans into his personal life and discusses his family and newfound Christian faith. Featuring stories of incredible physical feats and deep-felt companionship, this testimony will help fans relive the glory days of a wrestling legacy.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2011
11 people are currently reading
456 people want to read
About the author
Joe Laurinaitis
1 book1 followerJoe "Animal" Laurinaitis, best known as Road Warrior Animal, is an internationally recognized professional wrestling superstar, devoted husband, and proud father. Joe, along with late partner Mike Road Warrior Hawk Hegstrand, also developed the 1990s sporting clothes company Zubaz, popularized by top professional bodybuilders and NFL players. A faithful Christian, he is an avid motivational speaker to youth groups across the United States. Joe currently lives with his wife, Julie, in Minnesota. "
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
August 9, 2018
I would have given it five stars but I was expecting a lot more stories about the Road Warriors from after hour Entertainment. But Road Warrior Animal gets inside the wrestling business and their matches.
June 21, 2017
I admit bought this book out of nostalgia. I was actually planning for Chris Jericho's second book to be the last wrestling book I bought simply because I stopped watching the trash that passes for pro-wrestling a few years (no offence to ROH as they are the one wrestling league I will willing watch), but that is a rant for another day. I bought this book at the last minute simply because I was and always will be a Road Warriors/LOD fan. MAN AM I GLAD I DID!!!!!!
From the first page of Animal's (Joe) writing suddenly I am a fan again. We all know wrestling is a "work" but the Animal manages ignite the spark in us all that want to believe that wrestling and our on screen heroes are real. Which as the book progress I realise was always the appeal of the Road Warriors. They were not two pumped up play actors pretending to be tough guys, as many stars of today are (the Blue Meanie by his own words). Hawk (Mike) & Animal (Joe) were/are legitimate tough guys playing tough guys in the ring. That is what made them believable as Mick Foley pointed out the most successful wrestlers were the ones who could base the characters on their own personalities. The books covers Animal's disastrous start as a singles character, to teaming up with his best friend and dominating tag team wrestling like nobody else. Also the member of his family's influence in wrestling. Starting with Animal's younger brother Johnny "Ace" who while wrestling was the originator of the ace crusher which was modified into the Stone Cold Stunner, The Whipper Snapper the Diamond Cutter, and RKO to name the most famous incarnations. Ace also works as a very successful WWE agent today. The books states Animals kid's achievements outside of wrestling.
The down side of this book for me was the fact that I personally would have like to hear more about the matches with the Stinners Bros, also Animal talks about Hawks, drug and partying problems, but never his own. Of course it is his book so that's his right. He continually says he is no angel but hardly ever elaborates. Again it is his book. Another disappoint thing about the book the last few year of the Road Warriors are literally sped through example when Droz & the German guy joined and left the LOD is covered in a page and a half each and summed up in Animal saying on he hated it and it was a mistake. Maybe the publication deadline was approaching, the end of the book does feel rushed and condensed compared to the rest. Like most of the wrestling books I have read recently the book finishes on Animal's becoming a born again Christian. Which I have to admit he does without preaching too much. Then there are other testimonials from other all time wrestling greats.
All in all this book is fun to read. It brings back the days when wrestlers were seen as real life superheroes. If you were ever a fan of the Road Warriors this is the books for you. It will not diminish your perceptions of Animal & Hawk at all.
From the first page of Animal's (Joe) writing suddenly I am a fan again. We all know wrestling is a "work" but the Animal manages ignite the spark in us all that want to believe that wrestling and our on screen heroes are real. Which as the book progress I realise was always the appeal of the Road Warriors. They were not two pumped up play actors pretending to be tough guys, as many stars of today are (the Blue Meanie by his own words). Hawk (Mike) & Animal (Joe) were/are legitimate tough guys playing tough guys in the ring. That is what made them believable as Mick Foley pointed out the most successful wrestlers were the ones who could base the characters on their own personalities. The books covers Animal's disastrous start as a singles character, to teaming up with his best friend and dominating tag team wrestling like nobody else. Also the member of his family's influence in wrestling. Starting with Animal's younger brother Johnny "Ace" who while wrestling was the originator of the ace crusher which was modified into the Stone Cold Stunner, The Whipper Snapper the Diamond Cutter, and RKO to name the most famous incarnations. Ace also works as a very successful WWE agent today. The books states Animals kid's achievements outside of wrestling.
The down side of this book for me was the fact that I personally would have like to hear more about the matches with the Stinners Bros, also Animal talks about Hawks, drug and partying problems, but never his own. Of course it is his book so that's his right. He continually says he is no angel but hardly ever elaborates. Again it is his book. Another disappoint thing about the book the last few year of the Road Warriors are literally sped through example when Droz & the German guy joined and left the LOD is covered in a page and a half each and summed up in Animal saying on he hated it and it was a mistake. Maybe the publication deadline was approaching, the end of the book does feel rushed and condensed compared to the rest. Like most of the wrestling books I have read recently the book finishes on Animal's becoming a born again Christian. Which I have to admit he does without preaching too much. Then there are other testimonials from other all time wrestling greats.
All in all this book is fun to read. It brings back the days when wrestlers were seen as real life superheroes. If you were ever a fan of the Road Warriors this is the books for you. It will not diminish your perceptions of Animal & Hawk at all.
November 3, 2013
Even intense nostalgia could not save this. The authors forgo any real insight into behind the scenes action in pro wrestling to focus on literal blow-by-blow accounts of matches from 30 years ago.
This book earns its lone star for informing me that the Road Warriors invented and started Zubaz. Yet another reason for me to be eternally grateful to them.
This book earns its lone star for informing me that the Road Warriors invented and started Zubaz. Yet another reason for me to be eternally grateful to them.
September 29, 2020
This book served as the "spine" of the obituary I wrote for the Ringer about Laurinaitis. It's 6000 words; read it here:
https://www.theringer.com/2020/9/25/2...
https://www.theringer.com/2020/9/25/2...
March 1, 2022
My time watching wrestling was short, between around 1984-1989 and primarily the NWA. I even attended live shows when they'd come around, all NWA. This included getting to see the Road Warriors in live action against the Midnight Express, the Russians, and others. Always a "rush" seeing this team, unlike any other in the league.
The NWA(WCW) went seriously downhill around the time Dusty Rhodes was fired (89?) as booker for use of blood on the TBS tapings, and as far as I'm concerned never recovered. Even back then the WWF felt like a joke in comparison, and the rebranding and change to complete scripted bouts as the WWE turned it into the completely unwatchable crapfest that it is today. I never got back into watching wrestling after those late teenage years when the NWA was at its prime.
These days I've rewatched some of the matches from those days (and see how much better they were to modern WWE), and I started finding stories of how things were behind the scenes interesting.
That's when I discovered this book only last year, 10 years after it was written. Having learned of the death of its author, the remaining living Road Warrior - my all-time favorite team, I finally managed to find it and read it.
The stories were fascinating, learning how the Warriors managed to come into existence, how several of their local friends would end up becoming people they'd eventually wrestle in the ring, and just how much damage they were actually doing to their opponents (and the opponents to them) despite the matches being fake. When real anger at someone becomes real hits in the ring, or just people getting hurt from the brutal nature of the Warriors moves. I'd heard others like Jim Cornette on podcasts and such talk about how (in the era before the shows were fully scripted, like the 80s NWA) when people learned they were going in the ring with the Warriors, the normal response was a groan because they knew they'd likely be hurting by the end.
I saw after the fact some random matches of theirs on Youtube from the later WWE years, but I'm truly glad I didn't see just how badly the WWE destroyed them, turning them into a poor imitation of what they'd been before (the red shoulder pad years were just horrible). How they replaced manager Paul with some forgettable woman. How they treated Hawk's drug and alcohol issues, turning Hawk into a freakshow instead of actually getting him help, leading to his early death in 2003.
I hated that they'd been done that way by the WWE, but I read through those years as well as Animal does his best to explain how it ended up that way after they'd had so much say over their spots in the NWA years that others didn't.
Overall I found the book incredibly informative of the behind the scenes stories and politics that were going on that defined what we the spectators were actually seeing in the ring. I only removed one star because: While reading about some of the bouts in blow-by-blow in the pre-fully-scripted era is great because it showed just how much effort the wrestlers themselves had to put into selling their own matches, it did get a little tedious after the first few as it stopped providing insight into how the matches were done, and I found myself skimming past multiple paragraphs to find the end of the match and continue reading.
Despite that, any fan of the Road Warriors, especially their 80s golden era before the WWF ruined them, will find this book fascinating. RIP Joe "Animal" Laurinaitis.
The NWA(WCW) went seriously downhill around the time Dusty Rhodes was fired (89?) as booker for use of blood on the TBS tapings, and as far as I'm concerned never recovered. Even back then the WWF felt like a joke in comparison, and the rebranding and change to complete scripted bouts as the WWE turned it into the completely unwatchable crapfest that it is today. I never got back into watching wrestling after those late teenage years when the NWA was at its prime.
These days I've rewatched some of the matches from those days (and see how much better they were to modern WWE), and I started finding stories of how things were behind the scenes interesting.
That's when I discovered this book only last year, 10 years after it was written. Having learned of the death of its author, the remaining living Road Warrior - my all-time favorite team, I finally managed to find it and read it.
The stories were fascinating, learning how the Warriors managed to come into existence, how several of their local friends would end up becoming people they'd eventually wrestle in the ring, and just how much damage they were actually doing to their opponents (and the opponents to them) despite the matches being fake. When real anger at someone becomes real hits in the ring, or just people getting hurt from the brutal nature of the Warriors moves. I'd heard others like Jim Cornette on podcasts and such talk about how (in the era before the shows were fully scripted, like the 80s NWA) when people learned they were going in the ring with the Warriors, the normal response was a groan because they knew they'd likely be hurting by the end.
I saw after the fact some random matches of theirs on Youtube from the later WWE years, but I'm truly glad I didn't see just how badly the WWE destroyed them, turning them into a poor imitation of what they'd been before (the red shoulder pad years were just horrible). How they replaced manager Paul with some forgettable woman. How they treated Hawk's drug and alcohol issues, turning Hawk into a freakshow instead of actually getting him help, leading to his early death in 2003.
I hated that they'd been done that way by the WWE, but I read through those years as well as Animal does his best to explain how it ended up that way after they'd had so much say over their spots in the NWA years that others didn't.
Overall I found the book incredibly informative of the behind the scenes stories and politics that were going on that defined what we the spectators were actually seeing in the ring. I only removed one star because: While reading about some of the bouts in blow-by-blow in the pre-fully-scripted era is great because it showed just how much effort the wrestlers themselves had to put into selling their own matches, it did get a little tedious after the first few as it stopped providing insight into how the matches were done, and I found myself skimming past multiple paragraphs to find the end of the match and continue reading.
Despite that, any fan of the Road Warriors, especially their 80s golden era before the WWF ruined them, will find this book fascinating. RIP Joe "Animal" Laurinaitis.
April 4, 2023
Joe "Animal" Laurinaitis' 2011 autobiography is a solid read and a journey through The Road Warriors' lives and career, diving into the turbulent self destruction of Road Warrior Hawk and the ups and downs of the team's career. There's some really great bits here that dive into backstage stories and drama, but there's just as much drawn out explanation of events that are already well known not just to LOD fans but to all wrestling fans - I could have done without the beginner's lesson on how the Monday Night Wars ended, but there's definitely a lot of heart behind this autobiography and it's a solid read, much longer than most wrestler autobiographies but feels short and not drawn out in length. Animal also does the ultimate fan service of barely getting into his life before wrestling and getting straight into the meat of the matter. There's some bits that could be chopped off but this is a good read and addition to any wrestling book collection.
September 17, 2018
4 stars. Oh what a rush! it was to read this.
As a long time pro wrestling fan, I have been reading there memoirs/bios ever since Mick Foley's self written autobiography "Have a Nice Day!: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks " in 1999.
I try to only read the one that are actually or primarily written by the wrestler, with only mild help from another writer.
This one fits that description.
It is a very well written memoir of the life of one half of The Greatest Tag Team ever, that was only brought down due to one members disease, & Vince McMahon's stupidity in how he packaged them & used them.
The only part that I didn't like is the chapter that too many older, former wrestlers have, their sudden discovery of christ. Not knocking what one believes, I just don't want to read about it in a wrestling bio.
As a long time pro wrestling fan, I have been reading there memoirs/bios ever since Mick Foley's self written autobiography "Have a Nice Day!: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks " in 1999.
I try to only read the one that are actually or primarily written by the wrestler, with only mild help from another writer.
This one fits that description.
It is a very well written memoir of the life of one half of The Greatest Tag Team ever, that was only brought down due to one members disease, & Vince McMahon's stupidity in how he packaged them & used them.
The only part that I didn't like is the chapter that too many older, former wrestlers have, their sudden discovery of christ. Not knocking what one believes, I just don't want to read about it in a wrestling bio.
August 30, 2019
One thing I liked about this book was how there is not a ton of childhood writings in the book , and gets almost straight to when the author started training in football and wrestling. Sometimes writers dwell too much on the early days and leave lout a ton of stuff when they become famous.
There are great wrestling stores here from the Road Warriors in the AWA, NWA, WWE. Stories about Ole Anderson, Verne Gagne , Jim Crockett and more are all here. Very easy to read and short chapters for the most part.
An In depth review can be found at : https://lancewrites.wordpress.com/201...
There are great wrestling stores here from the Road Warriors in the AWA, NWA, WWE. Stories about Ole Anderson, Verne Gagne , Jim Crockett and more are all here. Very easy to read and short chapters for the most part.
An In depth review can be found at : https://lancewrites.wordpress.com/201...
July 17, 2020
Solid book. As often with some older wrestlers, there’s some timeline inaccuracies but big whoop: we are here to learn about the meteoric rise of the Road Warriors and the tragic undoing of Hawk. Lots of poignant stories, both happy and sad. I’m not religious and I do roll my eyes a little when people find God later in their lives, but Animal’s tale of finding the lord isn’t crammed down your throat. This is a good book with some interesting tidbits and viewpoints from one of the biggest stars of his era.
January 6, 2021
Another great pro wrestling autobiography, from the leader of the J family. It covers his time as a gym rat, to working bars in Minnesota with other future wrestlers, including Mike Hegstrand. How they trained in deplorable conditions, to getting their names from the legendary Dusty Rhodes. Their tag team was one of the best in history. But people came to know them for their tag team and when Hawk missed shows and quit because he wanted to live that partying life, it left Animal unable to work. Good book.
April 13, 2019
I am huge fan of the Road Warriors. I could not put this book down. It was an amazing story of a man who worked hard to make his dreams come true. It also showed the ins and out of the life of a wrestler. I learned a lot more than I wanted to know as there are sad spot in any story. It was amazing read for me. I would highly recommend this book to any wrestling fan.
August 19, 2024
Well! This book is the definitive guide on THE greatest tag team to ever grace a wrestling ring. Animal does a great job narrating the rise of the team while coinciding with his life story to give the reader a chance to see one of the Road Warriors behind the paint and spikes. A great read. RIP to these two fantastic wrestlers.
June 11, 2020
OH!!! WHAT A RUSH!!!!!
The Road Warriors in my opinion are the greatest tag team in the history of professional wrestling. I found this book to be highly entertaining and peak behind the curtains of the wrestling boom in the 80s. Can't recommend this book enough! 👍👍
The Road Warriors in my opinion are the greatest tag team in the history of professional wrestling. I found this book to be highly entertaining and peak behind the curtains of the wrestling boom in the 80s. Can't recommend this book enough! 👍👍
March 7, 2022
I really enjoyed this book , I felt it was truefully written about all the good and bad that had happend to the road warriors. I couldn't put it down once i started reading it.
Goes from the very begining of animals life in bodybuilding, being a bouncer and then a wrestler. Talks about family life aswell, felt he was very open and honest about everything.
Allso the trouble they had with hawk and his battle with drink and drugs.
This is a must read for any wrestling fan even more so if you were a road warrior fan
Goes from the very begining of animals life in bodybuilding, being a bouncer and then a wrestler. Talks about family life aswell, felt he was very open and honest about everything.
Allso the trouble they had with hawk and his battle with drink and drugs.
This is a must read for any wrestling fan even more so if you were a road warrior fan
August 5, 2017
for fans of wrestling ...hawk and animal in perticular
February 12, 2019
It is was alright, not a super insider book, but I was a wrestling fan and remember legion of doom and they talked about vern ganga and zubaz a bit, light hearted reading for a cloudy day.
May 29, 2020
A great book that gives a history away from the wwe.
March 29, 2024
Entertaining but pretty standard autobiography.
September 21, 2021
Tomorrow marks one year since Road Warrior Animal, Joe Laurinaitis, unexpectedly passed away at the age of 60. Animal and his tag team partner, Hawk, teamed together for the better part of two decades, and are widely regarded as one of, if not THE Greatest Tag Teams of All Time. To honor the memory of Joe Laurinaitis, the Literary Squared Circle reviews his 2011 book The Road Warriors: Danger, Death, and the Rush of Wrestling by Joe “Animal” Laurinaitis and Andrew William Wright (Medallion Press, 2011).
The Road Warriors covers Laurinaitis’ life both inside and outside of the ring. He details his friendship with fellow Road Warrior, Hawk (Mike Hegstrand) whom he met in a Minnesota gym in the early 1980s. Both worked as bouncers at clubs, and both began training to become professional wrestlers together. Laurinaitis began wrestling for Ole Anderson in Georgia Championship Wrestling. He was given a biker gimmick, and named The Road Warrior after the Mad Max film of the same name.
Hegstrand had left wrestling and returned to bouncing, when Laurinaitis showed Anderson his photo and suggested that Hegstrand be brought in as his tag team partner. Anderson agreed. Laurinaitis was renamed “Animal”. Hegstrand became “Hawk”. They were paired up with manager “Precious” Paul Ellering, and The Road Warriors were born. The duo made an immediate impression with their unique look and powerhouse moves.
The Road Warriors quickly became tag team champions, and were soon joined by Jake “The Snake” Roberts and The Spoiler in Ellering’s stable, The Legion of Doom. Hawk and Animal were unlike anything professional wrestling had seen before. Soon, they moved to, and headlined for the American Wrestling Association, Jim Crockett Promotions/World Championship Wrestling, as well as in Japan before finally joining the World Wrestling Federation in 1990.
In 1991, The Legion of Doom (as they were known in the WWF) captured the WWF World Tag Team Championship becoming the only team to have won the tag team titles in the top three promotions of the 1980s: the AWA, NWA, and WWF. It was during their time in the WWF that things began to unravel. Hawk struggled with substance abuse and was suspended multiple times, which caused Animal not to be booked as well.
Years later, when Animal was recovering from back surgery, Hawk traveled to Japan and formed a new tag team (very reminiscent of The Road Warriors) with Kensuke Sasaki, known as The Hell Raisers. After two years in Japan, Hawk returned to the United States, and The Road Warriors reunited. Hawk and Animal continued to team together until Hawk’s hard-living lifestyle caught up with him in 2003. He died from heart failure at the age of 46.
After Hawk’s death, Animal briefly returned to the now WWE in 2005. He was given a new tag team partner, Heidenreich, and together they were given the LOD moniker. However, Heidenreich proved to be an unreliable partner and they soon disbanded. Though The Road Warriors were no more, there were countless imitations throughout professional wrestling who were obviously influenced by Hawk and Animal.
The Road Warriors: Danger, Death, and The Rush of Wrestling covered the career of The Road Warriors in depth. Though not in great detail, even the darker elements such as substance abuse and steroids were addressed. Though Laurinaitis’ personal life was discussed, I didn’t feel that I got to know him any better by reading the book. He discussed his wife, his kids, his Christian faith, but most of the book was about his in-ring accomplishments… and that’s fine.
One thing did not like stylistically about the book was how whenever Animal would discuss one of The Road Warriors’ classic matches, his description had to include “sound effects” straight out of the 1960s Batman television series. For example, when describe an AWA match between The Road Warriors and The Fabulous Freebirds it reads, “Hayes caught Hawk with a flurry of punches, then got him up for a piledriver. Bam!... Hawk picked him right back up by his long and flowing golden mop of hair and pressed him high above his head before slamming him hard. Boom!” Crack! Boom! Boom! Bam! Once or twice for emphasis, okay. This was multiple times in seemingly every chapter.
Overall, the book is just alright. If you were a fan of The Road Warriors or 1980s wrestling in general, you will probably enjoy looking back at Animal’s career. It’s not a bad autobiography, it’s not a great autobiography. If you don’t expect too much from it going, you will probably enjoy the book.
3 Stars out of 5
The Road Warriors covers Laurinaitis’ life both inside and outside of the ring. He details his friendship with fellow Road Warrior, Hawk (Mike Hegstrand) whom he met in a Minnesota gym in the early 1980s. Both worked as bouncers at clubs, and both began training to become professional wrestlers together. Laurinaitis began wrestling for Ole Anderson in Georgia Championship Wrestling. He was given a biker gimmick, and named The Road Warrior after the Mad Max film of the same name.
Hegstrand had left wrestling and returned to bouncing, when Laurinaitis showed Anderson his photo and suggested that Hegstrand be brought in as his tag team partner. Anderson agreed. Laurinaitis was renamed “Animal”. Hegstrand became “Hawk”. They were paired up with manager “Precious” Paul Ellering, and The Road Warriors were born. The duo made an immediate impression with their unique look and powerhouse moves.
The Road Warriors quickly became tag team champions, and were soon joined by Jake “The Snake” Roberts and The Spoiler in Ellering’s stable, The Legion of Doom. Hawk and Animal were unlike anything professional wrestling had seen before. Soon, they moved to, and headlined for the American Wrestling Association, Jim Crockett Promotions/World Championship Wrestling, as well as in Japan before finally joining the World Wrestling Federation in 1990.
In 1991, The Legion of Doom (as they were known in the WWF) captured the WWF World Tag Team Championship becoming the only team to have won the tag team titles in the top three promotions of the 1980s: the AWA, NWA, and WWF. It was during their time in the WWF that things began to unravel. Hawk struggled with substance abuse and was suspended multiple times, which caused Animal not to be booked as well.
Years later, when Animal was recovering from back surgery, Hawk traveled to Japan and formed a new tag team (very reminiscent of The Road Warriors) with Kensuke Sasaki, known as The Hell Raisers. After two years in Japan, Hawk returned to the United States, and The Road Warriors reunited. Hawk and Animal continued to team together until Hawk’s hard-living lifestyle caught up with him in 2003. He died from heart failure at the age of 46.
After Hawk’s death, Animal briefly returned to the now WWE in 2005. He was given a new tag team partner, Heidenreich, and together they were given the LOD moniker. However, Heidenreich proved to be an unreliable partner and they soon disbanded. Though The Road Warriors were no more, there were countless imitations throughout professional wrestling who were obviously influenced by Hawk and Animal.
The Road Warriors: Danger, Death, and The Rush of Wrestling covered the career of The Road Warriors in depth. Though not in great detail, even the darker elements such as substance abuse and steroids were addressed. Though Laurinaitis’ personal life was discussed, I didn’t feel that I got to know him any better by reading the book. He discussed his wife, his kids, his Christian faith, but most of the book was about his in-ring accomplishments… and that’s fine.
One thing did not like stylistically about the book was how whenever Animal would discuss one of The Road Warriors’ classic matches, his description had to include “sound effects” straight out of the 1960s Batman television series. For example, when describe an AWA match between The Road Warriors and The Fabulous Freebirds it reads, “Hayes caught Hawk with a flurry of punches, then got him up for a piledriver. Bam!... Hawk picked him right back up by his long and flowing golden mop of hair and pressed him high above his head before slamming him hard. Boom!” Crack! Boom! Boom! Bam! Once or twice for emphasis, okay. This was multiple times in seemingly every chapter.
Overall, the book is just alright. If you were a fan of The Road Warriors or 1980s wrestling in general, you will probably enjoy looking back at Animal’s career. It’s not a bad autobiography, it’s not a great autobiography. If you don’t expect too much from it going, you will probably enjoy the book.
3 Stars out of 5
July 23, 2025
This book charts the journey of Joe Laurinaitis, who is better known as “Animal”, and his late tag-team partner, Mike “Hawk” Hegstrand, as they rise to wrestling superstardom as The Road Warriors, or Legion of Doom (LOD). From humble beginnings working for smaller independent promotions to taking on the biggest names across every major wrestling company, including WWE. Animal walks readers through the highs, lows, and madness of life as one half of the most feared tag team in the history of professional wrestling.
The book touches on everything a fan would want to know: how their iconic look and gimmick were created, what it was like behind the scenes at different promotions, the impact of their matches across the globe, and some personal reflections on Hawk’s struggles and Animal’s faith.
Initial Thoughts:
After reading A Lion’s Tale by Chris Jericho (which is, in my opinion, one of the best wrestling autobiographies ever written), I had high expectations going into this. I have always been a fan of LOD—those shoulder pads, the snarling promos, the face paint. It was wrestling gold. So when I saw this book was available, I was excited to get Animal’s first-hand account. Sadly, while there were some enjoyable insights, the overall experience did not live up to the legacy these two left in the ring.
Enjoyment:
I genuinely liked the behind-the-scenes moments about how Animal and Hawk developed their gimmick, especially how they were the originators of the whole painted-face, wrecking-ball persona that became a staple in wrestling through the ’80s and ’90s.
The early years are quite interesting. How the 'Road Warriors ' got started in the business, what life was like on the road, and the way their popularity exploded worldwide. Animal’s commentary on some of their most famous matches is a nice touch for long-time fans. He also comes across as someone who genuinely respects the industry, which is refreshing in a genre where books often turn into exposés.
Objections:
Where the book falls flat is in its lack of depth and consistency. It starts slowly and never quite hits the emotional or narrative highs you would expect from a team that was such a massive part of wrestling history.
Animal’s tone is also confusing at times. He describes matches as though they were real fights, blurring the line between kayfabe and reality in a way that makes it hard to tell what is meant to be factual. And while Hawk’s struggles are acknowledged, there is a sense that Animal distances himself a bit too much, placing blame without fully owning his part in the partnership’s dysfunction.
What is most frustrating, though, is the lack of juicy detail. Fans expecting insider scoops, backstage drama, or breakdowns of heat with other wrestlers will be disappointed. None of it makes the cut, which feels like a missed opportunity.
The ending also feels completely detached from the rest of the book. Animal spends the final chapters reflecting on his faith and family life, which, while important to him, seems tacked on and out of place in a wrestling memoir.
Final Thought:
In the end, The Road Warriors book is an okay read for diehard fans, but it does not quite live up to the legacy of the men behind the paint. There are moments where it shines, especially in the nostalgic bits about the team’s creation and early success, but overall, it feels rushed and pulled back when it could have gone deeper. If you are after a no-holds-barred wrestling biography, there are stronger titles out there. But if you just want a light, respectful tribute to LOD from Animal’s perspective, you’ll find some value in this.
The book touches on everything a fan would want to know: how their iconic look and gimmick were created, what it was like behind the scenes at different promotions, the impact of their matches across the globe, and some personal reflections on Hawk’s struggles and Animal’s faith.
Initial Thoughts:
After reading A Lion’s Tale by Chris Jericho (which is, in my opinion, one of the best wrestling autobiographies ever written), I had high expectations going into this. I have always been a fan of LOD—those shoulder pads, the snarling promos, the face paint. It was wrestling gold. So when I saw this book was available, I was excited to get Animal’s first-hand account. Sadly, while there were some enjoyable insights, the overall experience did not live up to the legacy these two left in the ring.
Enjoyment:
I genuinely liked the behind-the-scenes moments about how Animal and Hawk developed their gimmick, especially how they were the originators of the whole painted-face, wrecking-ball persona that became a staple in wrestling through the ’80s and ’90s.
The early years are quite interesting. How the 'Road Warriors ' got started in the business, what life was like on the road, and the way their popularity exploded worldwide. Animal’s commentary on some of their most famous matches is a nice touch for long-time fans. He also comes across as someone who genuinely respects the industry, which is refreshing in a genre where books often turn into exposés.
Objections:
Where the book falls flat is in its lack of depth and consistency. It starts slowly and never quite hits the emotional or narrative highs you would expect from a team that was such a massive part of wrestling history.
Animal’s tone is also confusing at times. He describes matches as though they were real fights, blurring the line between kayfabe and reality in a way that makes it hard to tell what is meant to be factual. And while Hawk’s struggles are acknowledged, there is a sense that Animal distances himself a bit too much, placing blame without fully owning his part in the partnership’s dysfunction.
What is most frustrating, though, is the lack of juicy detail. Fans expecting insider scoops, backstage drama, or breakdowns of heat with other wrestlers will be disappointed. None of it makes the cut, which feels like a missed opportunity.
The ending also feels completely detached from the rest of the book. Animal spends the final chapters reflecting on his faith and family life, which, while important to him, seems tacked on and out of place in a wrestling memoir.
Final Thought:
In the end, The Road Warriors book is an okay read for diehard fans, but it does not quite live up to the legacy of the men behind the paint. There are moments where it shines, especially in the nostalgic bits about the team’s creation and early success, but overall, it feels rushed and pulled back when it could have gone deeper. If you are after a no-holds-barred wrestling biography, there are stronger titles out there. But if you just want a light, respectful tribute to LOD from Animal’s perspective, you’ll find some value in this.
January 3, 2017
As I child, Road Warriors was the OMG of all OMG. Everyone wanted to watch them on tv. Road Warrior Hawk talks about his & Animals days with Precious Paul in the Georgia Championship Wrestling, AWA Wrestling, Japanses Wrestling, NWA/WCW Wrestling, WWF Wrestling. Talks about Hawks addiction to drinking and cocaine. Talks about who where great tag teams and wrestlers who help them out alot. Animal mentions the Fabulous Ones as doing some great bumps for them and putting them over, talks about the Freebirds, and Midnight Express Scaffold match.Talks about his Minnesota Bar bouncer days with Hawk, John Nord, Scott Norton, Rick Rood. Talks about how he helped out The Powers of Pain Terry Warlord out. Not going to lie, when I saw the Powers of Pain on TV I was like The Legion of Doom is going to get destroyed. Just a great insight in wrestling and different wrestling promotions and talks about Ric Flair how he knows how to put on a great show and how mean Rowdy Piper was to him in the beginning.
November 23, 2014
Better than a lot of wrestling autobiographies out there, but definitely not in the upper tier. A good chunk of the book is actually play-by-play of notable Road Warriors matches from the past. While an interesting differentiation from other wrestling books, it also gets old after a few times. Especially since in every case Animal's recap would have you believe the match was amazing, the Road Warriors put on a perfect performance, and the crowd went bonkers. It all comes across as very self-serving.
On the plus side, Animal deals very honestly with his late partner's erratic behavior and his dependency on alcohol and drugs, including steroids. I appreciated the seemingly honest stories about the LOD's two firings from the WWF (both directly caused by Hawk's behavior, according to Animal) and the team's willingness to defy bookers to keep themselves looking strong. Whether or not those actions were justified is up to the reader, but Animal himself certainly does not seem to regret any of it.
The Road Warriors have an extremely unique and interesting story, to be sure. From their unusual entry into the business to their amazing 1980s runs through GCW, the AWA, and then Jim Crockett Promotions, Hawk & Animal are wrestling legends for a reason. This autobiography gives the reader a great deal of personal insight into the careers of the LOD and is a terrific companion to the 2005 WWE documentary, "Road Warriors: The Life and Death of the Most Dominant Tag-Team in Wrestling History."
On the plus side, Animal deals very honestly with his late partner's erratic behavior and his dependency on alcohol and drugs, including steroids. I appreciated the seemingly honest stories about the LOD's two firings from the WWF (both directly caused by Hawk's behavior, according to Animal) and the team's willingness to defy bookers to keep themselves looking strong. Whether or not those actions were justified is up to the reader, but Animal himself certainly does not seem to regret any of it.
The Road Warriors have an extremely unique and interesting story, to be sure. From their unusual entry into the business to their amazing 1980s runs through GCW, the AWA, and then Jim Crockett Promotions, Hawk & Animal are wrestling legends for a reason. This autobiography gives the reader a great deal of personal insight into the careers of the LOD and is a terrific companion to the 2005 WWE documentary, "Road Warriors: The Life and Death of the Most Dominant Tag-Team in Wrestling History."
September 5, 2012
Everything about this was fantastic. He spends more time in this book putting other wrestlers over than he does hyping his own team (which he does a lot of). There's also the story about IRS ripping his dick in half, which is hilarious, but not a highlight.
The only thing that sucks is that we don't get much of Hawk's perspective, and we're never going to, and that makes me sad. Preachy pages: 2. That's a really good ratio (see: Sting).
The only thing that sucks is that we don't get much of Hawk's perspective, and we're never going to, and that makes me sad. Preachy pages: 2. That's a really good ratio (see: Sting).
October 7, 2012
I'm a MX fan and never cared much for the Road Warriors. Yet, I found this to be one of the better written wrestling books.
One HUGE issue: When discussing his brother John's time in Florida he refers to Eddie Graham as Mike's late brother. Wow! Really bad proofing since everyone with any connection to old school wrestling should know who Eddie Graham was and that Mike was his son.
Other than that, I would rate it as one of the better wrestling autobiographies.
One HUGE issue: When discussing his brother John's time in Florida he refers to Eddie Graham as Mike's late brother. Wow! Really bad proofing since everyone with any connection to old school wrestling should know who Eddie Graham was and that Mike was his son.
Other than that, I would rate it as one of the better wrestling autobiographies.
May 20, 2012
This book, more than any other wrestling bio, brought back many fond memories of wrestling storylines that I remembered from my childhood, and I got a new perspective on each of those stories that only served to enrich my memories. This isn't necessarily the most well-written wrestling bio you'll read, but it's far from the worst available, and it's definitely worth the time. Give it a try...
February 15, 2015
This is a great book that deserves a place in the wrestling library of any wrestling fan that wants to know more about wrestling during the '80s and '90s. This book is similar in style and content quality to those by Bret Hart and Gary Hart, both of which I consider to be among the greatest wrestling autobiographies ever.
July 21, 2015
Entertaining most of the time. Too much play-by-play of matches, that was a little tedious. Good insights into the business of pro wrestling, how it felt to hear about wrestlers dying at young ages and watching your partner go down that pat. The last chapter about life after wrestling, and family was the best.
May 1, 2012
The Road Warrior's were one of the greatest tag teams in wrestling history. And their story was almost as great as there tag team. A lot of ups and down. Explainations of what happened and a very uplifting end.
June 12, 2013
The Road Warriors dominated tag team wrestling back in the day. Here, Animal shares his memories of how it was for him and his tag team partner, the late Hawk. Reading this was like sitting in his living room listening to his stories. Ohhhhhh, what a rush! (Had to do it!)
May 31, 2016
Middle of the pack as far as wrestling biographies go. Through no fault of his own Laurinitis does an excellent job recalling stories and tales but the lack of Hiegstrand's perspective does take away from it. Still a recommended read to fans of old territory style wrestling.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews