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Animal shares what it's like to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame
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The Road Warriors: Danger, Death, and the Rush of Wrestling is the captivating true story of The Legion of Doom: The Road Warriors, presented by Joe “Animal” Laurinaitis. Alongside Mike “Hawk” Hegstrand, Laurinaitis stormed onto the wrestling scene. With a monstrous style and image like no other, the Road Warriors went on to become two of the most influential and celebrated wrestlers the world has ever known. In his first book ever, Laurinaitis shares his perspective of the dangers of being in the ring, the death of his lifelong friend and tag team partner “Hawk,” and the rush of leaving a legacy in tag team wrestling that is unmatched to this day.
Joe takes readers behind the scenes of their most famous matches, including what it was like . . .
Reviews “From
unpolished beginnings in the rich wrestling ‘soil’ of
Minnesota (the birthplace of a surprising number of great pro
wrestlers), two very big, very strong, and very wild young men
decided to give pro wrestling a go, and they came up with a ‘gimmick’ that
stood the test of several decades of ups and downs in the crazy
world of pro wrestling, most of it prior to the dominance of
the WWE and WWF. . . . Their intensity and creative talents led
to widespread fan acceptance everywhere. . . . In a business
where so many copy so many others, the Road Warriors stand tall
as originals in both performance and presentation and are undoubtedly
the greatest professional tag team wrestling duo of all time.” “.
. . Laurinaitis takes us through the training process and shows
how he and Hegstrand learned to put on a show for fans. . . .
A lively, highly informative look at an ever-more-popular though
still controversial sport.” "You
feel like you're right alongside Hawk & Animal during the
biggest matches of their career, and you're back in the locker
room to see all the craziness of pro wrestling firsthand. It's
a fine companion to WWE's DVD set on the Road
Warriors a few years back, with the addition of more details
and some funny stories that can only happen in wrestling. If
you're a fan of the Road Warriors, reading this book is an absolute
must." “The
book is well worth buying, and for those of us of a certain age,
it is a welcome trip down memory lane.” “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.” “This
book tells it like it is—letting the reader inside the
wrestling world, from how the Road Warriors met to how they decided
on their gimmick, and letting people see the men behind the roles
that they play on television. If you are a Road Warrior fan or
even just a wrestling fan, you will enjoy reading The
Road Warriors: Danger, Death, and the Rush of Wrestling.” “.
. . the Road Warriors are the most recognized name in the history
of tag team wrestling, and more importantly, Animal and Hawk
were great guys—just fantastic people.” “The
Road Warriors revolutionized the way we all looked at characters
in our industry.” “I
think the Road Warriors, or LOD, was one of the greatest wrestling
tag teams of all time. . . . All I can do is shake my head and
smile at the memory of a spiked up Joe saying, ‘Tell ’em,
Hawk!’ and Mike with that crazy mad look on his face, his
tongue hanging out, barking out, ‘Oh . . . what a rush!’ Both
Joe and Mike were first-rate pros who were loved and respected
by all who knew them.” “Joe
and Mike weren’t polluted by politics, maintained the ethics
of the business when it needed it most, and their convincing
style made people proud to be wrestling fans. No one
could’ve done a better job.” “The
first time we saw them on TV, my brother (Stevie Ray) and I were
like, ‘Whoa!’ Hawk and Animal were way bigger than
anyone else we’d seen, and they were just killing everybody.
And that’s what people wanted to see. . . .” “The
first time I witnessed Animal and Hawk entering the arena to
take care of business, I was in awe. From their hardcore music
to the welcoming roar of the crowd, I felt the immense energy
build as they approached the ring, and I had no doubt that these
guys earned massive expectations from their fans. And the Warriors
didn’t disappoint. . . . Animal and Hawk earned legendary
status with their extensive careers and have influenced wrestlers
for many generations to come.” “.
. . they’ll be remembered by historians of professional
wrestling as one of the all-time great tag teams.” “Animal
and Hawk are unmatched by any other team in wrestling. . . .
The Road Warriors were . . . the most dominating force to ever
come out.” “.
. . the Road Warriors were two tough, take-no-shit guys with
the right look and just exploded onto the scene. . . .” “They’re
the greatest tag team of all time, and no one can touch ’em.
They came out with those spikes, that look, and that size and
completely changed professional wrestling. . . . I think tag
team wrestling died when Mike passed. It was the end of not just
a great life but a big chapter in the wrestling history book
itself as well. . . . They took on a bigger-than-life status
and carried it like pros, always making sure the crowd was just
as much of the match as they were, and that was the difference.” “Animal
and Hawk were badass muscle bullies that ran over everything
in their path. They were heavy metal when heavy metal was king;
they were Stone Cold before Stone Cold. They had the rap; they
had it all, the it factor for sure.” “.
. . this excellent book will bring him back, hopefully to the
WWE Hall of Fame.” “If
you are a fan of The Road Warriors, then you definitely want
to read this book. The writing is easy to follow, and once you
pick it up, you won’t put it down. In the end, The
Road Warriors: Danger, Death, and the Rush of Wrestling was
a ‘rush.’” “.
. . a riveting memoir that pulls no punches and is every bit
as powerful as the pair that once dominated the
wrestling scene.” “An
extraordinary tour de force, enthusiastically recommended to
wrestling fans in general and Road Warrior fans
in particular.” “As the Road Warriors, ‘Animal’ and ‘Hawk’ made
up one of the most famous acts in the pro wrestling heyday of the
1980s and 1990s. From the rise of the WCW to Vince McMahon’s
breaking of ‘kayfabe’ (pretending that wrestling is
real) and redefining wrestling as ‘sports entertainment’ to
steroid scandals, drug-related deaths, and spiritual awakenings,
the Road Warriors were witness to it all—until the death
of Hawk himself, of a heart attack, in 2003. In this intimate memoir,
Laurinaitis recounts their training, their rise to glory, their
fall from it, the second chances, and the entirety of their time
together in the ring, providing a unique insight into professional
wrestling.”
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