Road Warrior Animal
One half of the most intimidating tag team in wrestling history, whose face paint and spikes defined the 1980s sports entertainment landscape.
1960–2020 (age 60)·American professional wrestler·Birthday: September 12·Baby Boomers
Biography
Joe Laurinaitis didn't just enter a wrestling ring; he invaded it. As Road Warrior Animal, he and partner Road Warrior Hawk formed a unit that changed professional wrestling's idea of a tag team. Managed by Paul Ellering, The Road Warriors, later the Legion of Doom, were monstrously muscular, clad in studded leather and face paint, and operated with a devastating, no-frills power style. They were heels who became heroes purely through the force of their dominance, capturing titles across the NWA, AWA, and WWF. Their catchphrase 'Oh, what a rush!' and their finishing move, the Doomsday Device, became iconic. Animal's career, especially after Hawk's passing, was a testament to the enduring power of their creation—a symbol of pure, unadulterated aggression that fans never forgot.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Road was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Road Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Road's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
Key Achievements
- Won the WWF Tag Team Championship as one half of the Legion of Doom.
- Captured the NWA World Tag Team Championships during their dominant run in Jim Crockett Promotions.
- Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011 as a member of the Road Warriors/Legion of Doom.
- Won the AWA World Tag Team Championship, helping to establish the team's national reputation.
Did You Know?
His brother, John Laurinaitis, is a former WWE executive and wrestler known as Johnny Ace.
His son, James Laurinaitis, was a standout linebacker in the NFL for the St. Louis Rams.
Before wrestling, he worked as a bouncer and was a competitive powerlifter.
The team's signature face paint was inspired by the film 'Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior'.
“We didn't just want to beat you, we wanted to punish you.”
