1
00:00:05,005 --> 00:00:10,219
They had the look,
they had that power.
2
00:00:10,219 --> 00:00:12,012
They had put it
all together.
3
00:00:12,012 --> 00:00:14,389
It was a total package.
4
00:00:14,389 --> 00:00:17,017
The face paint,
the shoulder pads, and...
5
00:00:17,017 --> 00:00:18,352
jacked to the sky.
6
00:00:18,352 --> 00:00:20,145
Man, they
trained their asses off.
7
00:00:20,145 --> 00:00:23,023
I mean, they hit the
ring like badasses.
8
00:00:23,023 --> 00:00:26,902
We were two badasses
trying to be wrestlers.
9
00:00:26,902 --> 00:00:30,447
They were wrestlers
trying to be badasses.
10
00:00:30,447 --> 00:00:33,033
They were just like
the guys in Mad Max.
11
00:00:33,033 --> 00:00:36,453
I mean, they were meaner
than the guys in Mad Max.
12
00:00:36,453 --> 00:00:38,622
In the history of
professional wrestling,
13
00:00:38,622 --> 00:00:42,709
no duo has dominated the
ring like Hawk and Animal:
14
00:00:42,709 --> 00:00:45,337
The Road Warriors.
15
00:00:45,337 --> 00:00:48,966
When we'd go to Japan,
they were like Godzilla.
16
00:00:48,966 --> 00:00:51,927
You look at them and
you went, "Holy shit.
17
00:00:51,927 --> 00:00:53,220
I hope they don't kill me."
18
00:00:53,220 --> 00:00:54,972
They were
legitimate tough guys.
19
00:00:54,972 --> 00:00:57,140
They clawed their
way to the top,
20
00:00:57,140 --> 00:01:00,143
becoming one of wrestling's
biggest attractions.
21
00:01:00,143 --> 00:01:02,646
But an unrelenting
lifestyle for one,
22
00:01:02,646 --> 00:01:05,482
ultimately led to
their downfall.
23
00:01:05,482 --> 00:01:08,110
He partied hard,
played hard. He lived hard.
24
00:01:08,110 --> 00:01:09,444
Whoa!
25
00:01:09,444 --> 00:01:11,989
That switch would flip
after the match, and bam!
26
00:01:11,989 --> 00:01:13,907
I woke up this morning...
27
00:01:13,907 --> 00:01:16,076
this is where I felt sick!
28
00:01:16,076 --> 00:01:19,288
It becomes a way out,
as well as an escape.
29
00:01:19,288 --> 00:01:23,125
You'll feel like you wanna be
dead when we're done with you!
30
00:01:23,125 --> 00:01:25,460
The road can eat you alive.
31
00:01:25,460 --> 00:01:28,005
At the age of 46,
Road Warrior, Hawk,
32
00:01:28,005 --> 00:01:31,133
unexpectedly passed away of
a suspected heart attack.
33
00:01:31,133 --> 00:01:33,051
I literally cried
like a baby.
34
00:01:33,051 --> 00:01:35,053
I mean, that was my friend.
35
00:01:35,053 --> 00:01:37,139
I've been through hell
and back with this guy.
36
00:01:37,139 --> 00:01:40,017
[growling] What a rush!
37
00:01:40,017 --> 00:01:44,479
♪
38
00:01:47,399 --> 00:01:48,984
[Narrator] The art of
tag team wrestling
39
00:01:48,984 --> 00:01:52,404
engages fans in a dynamic,
far more complex way
40
00:01:52,404 --> 00:01:54,614
than one-on-one matches.
41
00:01:54,614 --> 00:01:58,535
The greatest tag team duos in
history share a 6th sense,
42
00:01:58,535 --> 00:02:01,163
operating as
two halves of one whole.
43
00:02:01,163 --> 00:02:03,790
There's no one
without the other.
44
00:02:03,790 --> 00:02:08,545
And no team proves that more
than Mike "Hawk" Hegstrand
45
00:02:08,545 --> 00:02:11,048
and Joe "Animal" Laurinaitus.
46
00:02:11,048 --> 00:02:13,967
In an era dominated by
iconic personalities...
47
00:02:13,967 --> 00:02:18,013
Just what exactly goes through
the Road Warriors' mind!
48
00:02:18,013 --> 00:02:20,515
...Whose singles matches
were the star attraction,
49
00:02:20,515 --> 00:02:23,477
The Road Warriors would break
the mold as comic book heroes
50
00:02:23,477 --> 00:02:26,730
come to life and
post-apocalyptic warriors
51
00:02:26,730 --> 00:02:28,607
beyond the realms of earth.
52
00:02:28,607 --> 00:02:30,317
The most important
thing to us
53
00:02:30,317 --> 00:02:32,611
has always been
beating people up!
54
00:02:32,611 --> 00:02:34,821
Their larger than life
personas propelled them to
55
00:02:34,821 --> 00:02:36,865
main event status
around the world,
56
00:02:36,865 --> 00:02:39,159
winning titles
wherever they went.
57
00:02:39,159 --> 00:02:41,953
But the price for
success is often high,
58
00:02:41,953 --> 00:02:44,706
and in this episode,
we reveal the heavy cost
59
00:02:44,706 --> 00:02:47,793
paid by both men, and how
their wrestling brotherhood
60
00:02:47,793 --> 00:02:50,921
met its heartbreaking end.
61
00:02:50,921 --> 00:02:53,590
I think tag team wrestling's
the most interesting part of
62
00:02:53,590 --> 00:02:57,260
the wrestling business.
Tag team wrestling is an art.
63
00:02:57,260 --> 00:03:00,263
It's a 4-person
athletic dance.
64
00:03:00,263 --> 00:03:03,392
I'm Road Warrior, Animal,
one half of the greatest
65
00:03:03,392 --> 00:03:07,145
tag team ever in the history
of professional wrestling,
66
00:03:07,145 --> 00:03:08,814
The Road Warriors.
67
00:03:08,814 --> 00:03:11,358
There's more of a story told
with the tag team
68
00:03:11,358 --> 00:03:12,859
than there is with the single.
69
00:03:12,859 --> 00:03:16,071
You can't just put two guys
together and make 'em a tag.
70
00:03:16,071 --> 00:03:18,698
You have to have two guys
that really know each other.
71
00:03:18,698 --> 00:03:20,325
- [sighs]
- [growls]
72
00:03:20,325 --> 00:03:22,411
My name is Barry Darsow.
73
00:03:22,411 --> 00:03:26,331
I was The Repo Man,
and Demolition Smash.
74
00:03:26,331 --> 00:03:29,668
And, I always thought we
had incredible matches
75
00:03:29,668 --> 00:03:31,002
with The Road Warriors.
76
00:03:31,002 --> 00:03:33,004
What made The Road Warriors
successful was that
77
00:03:33,004 --> 00:03:34,673
they're two guys that
really clicked.
78
00:03:34,673 --> 00:03:37,509
Everybody believed that
they could beat anybody,
79
00:03:37,509 --> 00:03:40,303
and they looked incredible.
80
00:03:40,303 --> 00:03:42,639
I saw the "It".
81
00:03:42,639 --> 00:03:45,767
These two have
the "It" factor.
82
00:03:45,767 --> 00:03:48,812
Paul Ellering, Manager
of The Road Warriors
83
00:03:48,812 --> 00:03:50,897
for 20-something years.
84
00:03:50,897 --> 00:03:53,775
The Road Warriors, it's a
group that comes along
85
00:03:53,775 --> 00:03:55,986
once in every generation.
86
00:03:55,986 --> 00:03:59,448
And they're always copied,
never duplicated.
87
00:03:59,448 --> 00:04:00,824
Hawk and Animal
are just two,
88
00:04:00,824 --> 00:04:02,909
no-nonsense badasses.
89
00:04:02,909 --> 00:04:04,911
Hawk was the
off-the-wall flier guy,
90
00:04:04,911 --> 00:04:06,955
and Animal was like...
91
00:04:06,955 --> 00:04:08,790
the buck stops here.
92
00:04:08,790 --> 00:04:10,917
Most teams had one big guy
and one little guy.
93
00:04:10,917 --> 00:04:13,211
Here, you got two
fricking monsters.
94
00:04:13,211 --> 00:04:15,547
They could do
things in the ring that,
95
00:04:15,547 --> 00:04:18,508
prior to them,
big guys didn't do.
96
00:04:18,508 --> 00:04:21,178
I'm Nikita Koloff.
Not from Russia,
97
00:04:21,178 --> 00:04:23,013
although that's what I
portrayed for many years
98
00:04:23,013 --> 00:04:24,681
in the
wrestling business.
99
00:04:24,681 --> 00:04:26,349
It was the
chemistry of tag team,
100
00:04:26,349 --> 00:04:27,726
picking the guy up
on the shoulder,
101
00:04:27,726 --> 00:04:30,103
coming off the top rope.
102
00:04:30,103 --> 00:04:31,438
[Paul]
The Doomsday, you know,
103
00:04:31,438 --> 00:04:34,941
he flew off of the top
turnbuckle and that was
104
00:04:34,941 --> 00:04:39,529
the ultimate finish in
wrestling for decades.
105
00:04:39,529 --> 00:04:42,073
They knew what each other
one was thinking all the time.
106
00:04:42,073 --> 00:04:45,702
But sometimes, Animal knew
more than Hawk as far as...
107
00:04:45,702 --> 00:04:47,537
what was going on.
108
00:04:47,537 --> 00:04:50,248
[Nikita] Joe was much more
patient than Mike was. [laughs]
109
00:04:50,248 --> 00:04:51,958
Again, you hear
some of the stories, right,
110
00:04:51,958 --> 00:04:54,669
of how Mike would
snap in an instant or
111
00:04:54,669 --> 00:04:55,921
fly off the handle.
112
00:04:55,921 --> 00:04:57,714
Oh, yeah, man.
We got along instantly.
113
00:04:57,714 --> 00:05:00,550
I was like 18 year's old.
114
00:05:00,550 --> 00:05:02,260
And, I knew of
Mike Hegstrand,
115
00:05:02,260 --> 00:05:05,388
known as a loose cannon,
tough guy.
116
00:05:05,388 --> 00:05:09,935
In 1977, Mike Hegstrand and
Joe Laurinaitus are two kids
117
00:05:09,935 --> 00:05:12,604
growing up on the streets
of Northeast Minneapolis,
118
00:05:12,604 --> 00:05:15,732
a tough,
working-class neighborhood.
119
00:05:15,732 --> 00:05:17,526
You know, I was...
120
00:05:17,526 --> 00:05:19,444
at Jesse "The Body"
Ventura's gym.
121
00:05:19,444 --> 00:05:21,947
And I'm sitting there,
and I'm doing inclines,
122
00:05:21,947 --> 00:05:25,408
and I got like 315 pounds on
the bar and, all of a sudden,
123
00:05:25,408 --> 00:05:29,079
in the middle of my set,
I get this, "whack!"
124
00:05:29,079 --> 00:05:31,957
on my chest.
This big, fat palm print.
125
00:05:31,957 --> 00:05:33,333
And he goes, [growling]
"Laurinaitus, you ain't right.
126
00:05:33,333 --> 00:05:35,418
You should be lifting
more weights than me".
127
00:05:35,418 --> 00:05:37,796
That was my meeting
with Mike Hegstrand.
128
00:05:37,796 --> 00:05:39,714
♪
129
00:05:39,714 --> 00:05:41,299
This is a great
school photo of Mike,
130
00:05:41,299 --> 00:05:44,594
and he was voted
class bully. [laughs]
131
00:05:44,594 --> 00:05:46,555
[Producer] Yeah,
you can see it there.
132
00:05:46,555 --> 00:05:49,849
I think that was,
that was staged, but... [laughs]
133
00:05:49,849 --> 00:05:52,602
Mike's reputation
in school was a scrapper.
134
00:05:52,602 --> 00:05:56,022
His idea of a good time
was to go beat up someone...
135
00:05:56,022 --> 00:05:59,067
Just stay away from him,
he'll be a great friend to ya...
136
00:05:59,067 --> 00:06:01,111
But, don't cross him.
137
00:06:01,111 --> 00:06:03,780
I'm Rich Hegstrand,
Mike's older brother.
138
00:06:03,780 --> 00:06:05,907
And I'm Dan Hegstrand.
I was...
139
00:06:05,907 --> 00:06:07,826
4 years younger than Mike.
140
00:06:07,826 --> 00:06:09,911
Mike was a lost soul
as far as,
141
00:06:09,911 --> 00:06:11,413
"What am I gonna do,"
and everything.
142
00:06:11,413 --> 00:06:13,873
And, our mom
had passed away. Ah...
143
00:06:13,873 --> 00:06:18,044
♪
144
00:06:18,044 --> 00:06:20,255
Come on, bro.
You can do it.
145
00:06:20,255 --> 00:06:22,966
Ah... But, he obviously
found his way,
146
00:06:22,966 --> 00:06:26,261
but it was a bit of
a road to get there.
147
00:06:26,261 --> 00:06:28,763
He was hyperactive.
He didn't sit still, you know.
148
00:06:28,763 --> 00:06:31,266
If he was sitting still, his leg
was bouncing up and down, and...
149
00:06:31,266 --> 00:06:33,643
you know, he was--
he had a lot of energy to...
150
00:06:33,643 --> 00:06:35,854
lift weights
and punch people.
151
00:06:35,854 --> 00:06:37,939
Yeah.
152
00:06:37,939 --> 00:06:40,859
The way we put it is, I'm from
the other side of the tracks
153
00:06:40,859 --> 00:06:43,028
and Hawk was pretty
much the toughest guy
154
00:06:43,028 --> 00:06:44,654
on his side of the tracks,
and I was pretty much
155
00:06:44,654 --> 00:06:46,615
the toughest guy on
my side of the tracks.
156
00:06:46,615 --> 00:06:47,991
My name is Scott Norton.
157
00:06:47,991 --> 00:06:51,161
Professional Wrestler from
Minneapolis, Minnesota.
158
00:06:51,161 --> 00:06:52,871
I grew up with
Mike Hegstrand,
159
00:06:52,871 --> 00:06:54,581
known as Hawk.
He was gonna,
160
00:06:54,581 --> 00:06:57,751
kind of like, mark his
territory in each school,
161
00:06:57,751 --> 00:06:59,711
so he got into a
little brawl with a guy from
162
00:06:59,711 --> 00:07:02,422
south high school and
knocked his ass out.
163
00:07:02,422 --> 00:07:04,674
Got into one with the guy
from north high school,
164
00:07:04,674 --> 00:07:07,761
knocked him out.
Went to west, same thing.
165
00:07:07,761 --> 00:07:09,304
And he would
condition himself.
166
00:07:09,304 --> 00:07:11,890
He would punch
himself in the face,
167
00:07:11,890 --> 00:07:14,142
and I mean,
it wasn't just a...
168
00:07:14,142 --> 00:07:16,394
I don't even want to
hit my hand that hard.
169
00:07:16,394 --> 00:07:19,022
Fractures between
each one of his teeth.
170
00:07:19,022 --> 00:07:21,524
You know,
basically broke his face.
171
00:07:21,524 --> 00:07:23,485
Their hard-hitting lifestyle
growing up in
172
00:07:23,485 --> 00:07:25,945
northeast Minneapolis
would serve as a
173
00:07:25,945 --> 00:07:28,448
training ground for their
careers in the ring.
174
00:07:28,448 --> 00:07:31,326
And their circle of friends
soon expands to include
175
00:07:31,326 --> 00:07:35,330
a massively talented
roster of future superstars.
176
00:07:35,330 --> 00:07:38,208
Pretty interesting that
Minneapolis was just a
177
00:07:38,208 --> 00:07:40,835
mecca of guys who ended
up in the crazy,
178
00:07:40,835 --> 00:07:43,129
whacky world of
professional wrestling.
179
00:07:43,129 --> 00:07:45,840
Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig,
The Road Warriors,
180
00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:49,010
and John Nord, and...
Barry Darsow.
181
00:07:49,010 --> 00:07:53,223
Ah, Nikita Koloff.
Rick Rude.
182
00:07:53,223 --> 00:07:55,141
Scott Norton, too,
right around the same time.
183
00:07:55,141 --> 00:07:56,685
We all knew of each other.
184
00:07:56,685 --> 00:08:00,980
We got closer as Hawk would
ask me to fill in working at
185
00:08:00,980 --> 00:08:04,359
this bar, Granmma B's,
down in Minneapolis.
186
00:08:04,359 --> 00:08:07,404
It's at one of Minneapolis'
toughest bars that
187
00:08:07,404 --> 00:08:11,157
Joe and Mike get a
chance to cut their teeth.
188
00:08:11,157 --> 00:08:12,784
Paid the bills and it was
189
00:08:12,784 --> 00:08:15,662
a perfect outlet for him,
I guess you might say.
190
00:08:16,955 --> 00:08:19,040
Just 'cause he could beat
up people and
191
00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:20,625
get paid for it,
you know. [laughs]
192
00:08:20,625 --> 00:08:23,336
I mean, it was just
like wrestling, so...
193
00:08:23,336 --> 00:08:25,880
[Joe] I can't mention any names,
but the guy that used to
194
00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:27,424
own the bar we used
to bounce at,
195
00:08:27,424 --> 00:08:29,884
he dealt in coke and when
someone owed him
196
00:08:29,884 --> 00:08:31,720
a lot of money,
he'd say, "Hey, man,
197
00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:34,180
you need to go have a
conversation with this guy."
198
00:08:34,180 --> 00:08:35,557
I remember one time,
you know,
199
00:08:35,557 --> 00:08:37,350
Hawk had one leg,
I had one leg of the guy,
200
00:08:37,350 --> 00:08:39,602
and then we were hanging him
over the Franklin Avenue Bridge
201
00:08:39,602 --> 00:08:41,354
here in Minneapolis
and said, "Listen, man.
202
00:08:41,354 --> 00:08:43,064
You need to
frigging pay up."
203
00:08:43,064 --> 00:08:46,192
At Granmma B's, there was a
strip bar in the afternoon.
204
00:08:46,192 --> 00:08:48,570
And then they'd always have
wet t-shirt contests and
205
00:08:48,570 --> 00:08:50,697
everything so, I mean,
it brought some of
206
00:08:50,697 --> 00:08:52,532
the worst of the worst guys.
207
00:08:52,532 --> 00:08:54,784
Every night,
something happened.
208
00:08:54,784 --> 00:08:57,954
Lo and behold, the bartender
was Ed Sharkey.
209
00:08:57,954 --> 00:09:00,498
I had heard of Ed Sharkey
before because he wrestled
210
00:09:00,498 --> 00:09:03,626
for Verne Gagne in the AWA,
and he comes up to us and
211
00:09:03,626 --> 00:09:06,296
he goes, "Hey, I'm gonna
do a wrestling school.
212
00:09:06,296 --> 00:09:07,422
You guys wanna do it?"
213
00:09:07,422 --> 00:09:08,715
And, we all looked
at each other, said,
214
00:09:08,715 --> 00:09:10,884
"Ah, man, I don't
know if I want to do that."
215
00:09:10,884 --> 00:09:13,636
And I'm thinking to myself,
"Well, what can it hurt?"
216
00:09:13,636 --> 00:09:14,929
My name is Eddie Sharkey.
217
00:09:14,929 --> 00:09:16,723
I've been in the
wrestling business for,
218
00:09:16,723 --> 00:09:18,183
well, most of my life.
219
00:09:18,183 --> 00:09:20,310
Starting on a carnival,
I've been a
220
00:09:20,310 --> 00:09:24,689
professional wrestler, referee,
promoter, trainer.
221
00:09:24,689 --> 00:09:26,775
I've done just
about everything.
222
00:09:26,775 --> 00:09:30,487
Eddie ended up having a
church in northeast Minneapolis
223
00:09:30,487 --> 00:09:33,907
and, he had a
boxing ring downstairs.
224
00:09:33,907 --> 00:09:35,116
Eddie was a character.
225
00:09:35,116 --> 00:09:36,451
He'd sit down
there and he'd go,
226
00:09:36,451 --> 00:09:38,787
"Yeah, guys, good tackle,"
you know,
227
00:09:38,787 --> 00:09:40,580
"good drop kick,"
or good whatever.
228
00:09:40,580 --> 00:09:43,374
But Eddie really--
never got out of his chair.
229
00:09:43,374 --> 00:09:46,044
Well, you know, if I would
leave the room or something,
230
00:09:46,044 --> 00:09:47,837
I said, "No, don't
try a suplex," or...
231
00:09:47,837 --> 00:09:49,964
I mean, you know,
"You're gonna hurt yourself."
232
00:09:49,964 --> 00:09:51,800
And, I'd walk out of the
room for whatever reason and
233
00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:53,384
the one's got the
other up in the air,
234
00:09:53,384 --> 00:09:54,886
and oh, my goodness.
235
00:09:54,886 --> 00:09:57,514
Ed never showed us how to
throw what they call today
236
00:09:57,514 --> 00:09:59,766
a "working punch".
237
00:09:59,766 --> 00:10:03,436
So, we would literally
back up and go, bam!
238
00:10:03,436 --> 00:10:05,271
You know, and
punch each other.
239
00:10:05,271 --> 00:10:07,607
Nose would be broken
and bleeding like crazy.
240
00:10:07,607 --> 00:10:10,735
[Barry] Eddie never really
smartened us up on exactly
241
00:10:10,735 --> 00:10:12,487
what was going on until
after a while,
242
00:10:12,487 --> 00:10:15,281
he says, you know,
"Well, here's what you do."
243
00:10:15,281 --> 00:10:18,827
Eddie soon realizes that this
promising crop of talent
244
00:10:18,827 --> 00:10:21,663
might have a future
in the squared circle.
245
00:10:21,663 --> 00:10:24,082
Ole Anderson was a
very, very good wrestler.
246
00:10:24,082 --> 00:10:26,584
Another Minnesota guy.
And he became a promoter.
247
00:10:26,584 --> 00:10:29,087
He worked for Ted Turner
so, he was the main guy.
248
00:10:29,087 --> 00:10:31,589
And, he came up
to Gramma B's.
249
00:10:31,589 --> 00:10:35,343
[Joe] One night, some guy
was misbehaving and
250
00:10:35,343 --> 00:10:37,095
I had to escort him out.
251
00:10:37,095 --> 00:10:40,014
Well, I had one hand behind
his collar and one hand on
252
00:10:40,014 --> 00:10:42,350
his belt loop, and I threw
him through the front door.
253
00:10:42,350 --> 00:10:44,936
And, we had this
trip wire outside.
254
00:10:44,936 --> 00:10:48,273
And, we used to gauge each
other by how many flips
255
00:10:48,273 --> 00:10:50,358
a guy could do
around this wire.
256
00:10:50,358 --> 00:10:51,776
And when the guy
gets down flipping,
257
00:10:51,776 --> 00:10:54,404
he lands right one
Ole Anderson's shoes.
258
00:10:54,404 --> 00:10:56,573
And alls I did was say,
"Hey, how you doing?"
259
00:10:56,573 --> 00:10:58,199
Then I turn around,
went back in the bar.
260
00:10:58,199 --> 00:11:01,160
Next thing you know, Ole
brings me down to Atlanta.
261
00:11:01,160 --> 00:11:04,789
While Ole recruits Joe to work
in his Georgia territory,
262
00:11:04,789 --> 00:11:07,542
his future tag team
partner has already been
263
00:11:07,542 --> 00:11:09,669
scouted by
another promotion.
264
00:11:09,669 --> 00:11:14,299
Mike started first for
Al Tomko, up in Canada.
265
00:11:14,299 --> 00:11:16,217
Now, you men up there
that are married to some
266
00:11:16,217 --> 00:11:18,511
good-looking wife, you know,
when your wife takes
267
00:11:18,511 --> 00:11:21,097
a look at this man,
she's gonna go crazy!
268
00:11:21,097 --> 00:11:25,143
I went down for Ole Anderson
as The Road Warrior,
269
00:11:25,143 --> 00:11:26,686
singularly, by myself.
270
00:11:26,686 --> 00:11:29,147
I looked like a giant version
of The Village People.
271
00:11:29,147 --> 00:11:32,150
Now, keep in mind, when Joe
broke into the business
272
00:11:32,150 --> 00:11:34,110
he had got his
girlfriend pregnant.
273
00:11:34,110 --> 00:11:36,112
And, Joe did
the right thing,
274
00:11:36,112 --> 00:11:38,615
and by that,
meaning, he got married...
275
00:11:38,615 --> 00:11:42,577
and, 'cause he wanted to,
you know, raise his child.
276
00:11:42,577 --> 00:11:43,995
You know, I was sending
all my money that
277
00:11:43,995 --> 00:11:45,413
I was making back home.
278
00:11:45,413 --> 00:11:47,248
I was wrestling
9 times a week,
279
00:11:47,248 --> 00:11:49,250
making $150 total.
280
00:11:49,250 --> 00:11:51,544
You know, I lost 50 pounds
of body weight.
281
00:11:51,544 --> 00:11:53,046
I said, "I can't
live off this."
282
00:11:53,046 --> 00:11:56,841
And Mike's experience wasn't
that great up in Vancouver.
283
00:11:56,841 --> 00:11:59,260
So, we both came
back to Minnesota.
284
00:11:59,260 --> 00:12:01,304
I actually could make more
money in one night bouncing
285
00:12:01,304 --> 00:12:03,681
than I was making
working there in two weeks.
286
00:12:03,681 --> 00:12:06,601
Ole Anderson came back
into the bar and Ed Sharkey
287
00:12:06,601 --> 00:12:10,313
showed him a picture that Mike
had taken up in Vancouver.
288
00:12:10,313 --> 00:12:12,440
Ole thought it was
a picture of me.
289
00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:15,902
Eddie Sharkey goes, "No,
that's not Joe. That's Mike."
290
00:12:15,902 --> 00:12:19,489
And Ole goes,
"There's two of these guys?"
291
00:12:19,489 --> 00:12:21,240
[Eddie] "Joe and Mike,
you're a tag team.
292
00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:23,534
Be in Atlanta next week."
293
00:12:23,534 --> 00:12:25,328
He goes, "Son of a bitch,"
and then Ole called me up
294
00:12:25,328 --> 00:12:26,871
and said, "Hey, I want to
bring you guys in
295
00:12:26,871 --> 00:12:28,790
as The Road Warriors."
296
00:12:28,790 --> 00:12:30,792
From rough and
tumble beginnings in the
297
00:12:30,792 --> 00:12:34,045
Minneapolis bar scene,
Joe and Mike are about to be
298
00:12:34,045 --> 00:12:37,173
catapulted into super
stardom and eventually
299
00:12:37,173 --> 00:12:39,217
towards their own undoing.
300
00:12:39,217 --> 00:12:40,677
♪
301
00:12:43,972 --> 00:12:48,643
In 1983, Joe Laurinaitis and
Mike Hegstrand are recruited
302
00:12:48,643 --> 00:12:52,438
to wrestle in Georgia,
except this time as a tag team.
303
00:12:52,438 --> 00:12:55,441
They have no idea they're
about revolutionize
304
00:12:55,441 --> 00:12:57,360
the world of wrestling.
305
00:12:57,360 --> 00:12:59,529
Hawk, thanks for spending
a few moments with us.
306
00:12:59,529 --> 00:13:01,447
What got you
started in wrestling?
307
00:13:01,447 --> 00:13:04,242
I just started watching it
one time and I thought
308
00:13:04,242 --> 00:13:06,619
if they could, I could do it
better and first time we
309
00:13:06,619 --> 00:13:09,497
appeared together
on TV, you know,
310
00:13:09,497 --> 00:13:11,124
we were both real green.
311
00:13:11,124 --> 00:13:13,543
[Announcer] And The Road
Warriors moving up.
312
00:13:13,543 --> 00:13:16,462
[Joe] The start of The Road
Warriors on TV was like
313
00:13:16,462 --> 00:13:19,215
surreal for Hawk and I
because it was like,
314
00:13:19,215 --> 00:13:21,009
man, here's all these
megastars in
315
00:13:21,009 --> 00:13:22,593
Georgia Championship Wrestling.
316
00:13:22,593 --> 00:13:25,263
There's Sergeant Slaughter
and there's Tito Santana,
317
00:13:25,263 --> 00:13:27,140
and there's Dusty Rhodes,
and I'm going,
318
00:13:27,140 --> 00:13:29,892
holy crap, there's some
major superstars here.
319
00:13:29,892 --> 00:13:33,438
And then, here we are,
now we're a part of this.
320
00:13:33,438 --> 00:13:35,732
Upon their arrival
in the territory,
321
00:13:35,732 --> 00:13:39,235
matchmaker Ole Anderson
approaches his new tag team
322
00:13:39,235 --> 00:13:41,904
with a bold, new idea.
323
00:13:41,904 --> 00:13:43,573
[Joe] They actually handed
us the belts when we
324
00:13:43,573 --> 00:13:47,994
got at the TV station.
They say, "Here's your belt.
325
00:13:47,994 --> 00:13:49,996
Here's your belt."
And we're going,
326
00:13:49,996 --> 00:13:51,789
"Where do we say we won 'em?"
They said,
327
00:13:51,789 --> 00:13:54,250
"Ah, say you won 'em in a tag
team tournament in Chicago."
328
00:13:54,250 --> 00:13:56,836
[Announcer]
From Chicago!
329
00:13:56,836 --> 00:13:59,964
[Paul] Ole says, "This is gonna
be the new tag team and
330
00:13:59,964 --> 00:14:03,718
they're Minnesota boys like you.
Take care of 'em."
331
00:14:03,718 --> 00:14:07,138
The names, they both
came up with themselves.
332
00:14:07,138 --> 00:14:10,933
I think Ole pointed at me, says,
"You look like an Animal.
333
00:14:10,933 --> 00:14:13,603
And then, he said to Hawk,
"You look like--"
334
00:14:13,603 --> 00:14:17,940
I forget what he said, but Hawk
says, "I think I'm a Hawk."
335
00:14:17,940 --> 00:14:20,610
So, it became
Animal and Hawk.
336
00:14:20,610 --> 00:14:23,196
After their very
first match together,
337
00:14:23,196 --> 00:14:25,907
newly crowned champions
Hawk and Animal
338
00:14:25,907 --> 00:14:28,618
soon join forces
with Paul Ellering.
339
00:14:28,618 --> 00:14:31,537
He acts as both their on
and off-screen manager,
340
00:14:31,537 --> 00:14:34,040
leading them to
the big leagues.
341
00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:37,168
So, I just took 'em
from that day one.
342
00:14:37,168 --> 00:14:40,171
They jumped in my van,
and that was it.
343
00:14:40,171 --> 00:14:44,092
[Mike] Paul was, was great at,
at fine tuning us.
344
00:14:44,092 --> 00:14:45,343
You know, he...
345
00:14:45,343 --> 00:14:47,011
he said go with what your,
your raw strength.
346
00:14:47,011 --> 00:14:48,346
Go with what you do best.
347
00:14:48,346 --> 00:14:50,056
We used to sit
there at Denny's,
348
00:14:50,056 --> 00:14:53,017
and Paul would take the
time to draw on a napkin.
349
00:14:53,017 --> 00:14:55,520
"Animal, you're here.
Hawk, you're here.
350
00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:58,106
Throw this guy into this
rope after you make the tag.
351
00:14:58,106 --> 00:15:00,733
Hawk, you drop down.
Let's incorporate that in."
352
00:15:00,733 --> 00:15:03,069
We had the motorcycle boots
and everything, you know,
353
00:15:03,069 --> 00:15:05,279
and that's what
we wore down to the ring.
354
00:15:05,279 --> 00:15:07,031
After about a month,
Ole goes,
355
00:15:07,031 --> 00:15:09,325
"Hey, we got an
idea for you guys.
356
00:15:09,325 --> 00:15:11,244
Remember the heel guy in the
Road Warrior movie that had
357
00:15:11,244 --> 00:15:13,746
the red mohawk and
the feather in his ear?
358
00:15:13,746 --> 00:15:18,042
Well, we want you to try and do
something with the face paint."
359
00:15:18,042 --> 00:15:20,628
[Paul] And that became an
evolution because the early
360
00:15:20,628 --> 00:15:24,006
face paint was, you know, like a
black eye or something.
361
00:15:24,006 --> 00:15:27,009
[Joe] But we were trying
different things at that time to
362
00:15:27,009 --> 00:15:30,972
try to get a painting of
expressing the way we feel,
363
00:15:30,972 --> 00:15:34,642
and Mike Hegstrand goes,
"Hey, I got another idea.
364
00:15:34,642 --> 00:15:38,479
What if Animal shaves his hair
into a mohawk to look like
365
00:15:38,479 --> 00:15:41,065
the guy in the movie?
I'll shave my head in a
366
00:15:41,065 --> 00:15:43,901
double mohawk so
when Animal bends over and
367
00:15:43,901 --> 00:15:45,945
I bend over,
we plug our heads in,
368
00:15:45,945 --> 00:15:47,155
it looks like one unit."
369
00:15:50,449 --> 00:15:51,909
[Paul] You know,
that came from Animal.
370
00:15:51,909 --> 00:15:53,452
That was his idea.
371
00:15:53,452 --> 00:15:55,955
And, it was genius,
on his part.
372
00:15:55,955 --> 00:15:58,875
I had a friend of mine
that worked for Honeywell.
373
00:15:58,875 --> 00:16:01,252
He milled me some spikes.
I said, "Listen, man.
374
00:16:01,252 --> 00:16:04,255
I need some 6-inch spikes,
I want some 4-inch spikes,
375
00:16:04,255 --> 00:16:07,592
some 2-inch spikes, and I
sat in my garage with my drill
376
00:16:07,592 --> 00:16:10,303
and I drilled holes
in those shoulder pads."
377
00:16:10,303 --> 00:16:12,722
Licking my thumb,
like, fricking...
378
00:16:12,722 --> 00:16:14,473
Picasso, right.
379
00:16:14,473 --> 00:16:16,100
Then I put some
chains on them,
380
00:16:16,100 --> 00:16:19,020
and that was the birth of
The Road Warrior shoulder pads.
381
00:16:19,020 --> 00:16:22,982
They put 'em on and it was
just frosting on the cake.
382
00:16:22,982 --> 00:16:25,193
[Scott] And, you know,
the people just ate it up.
383
00:16:25,193 --> 00:16:26,903
These poor guys
they're working against.
384
00:16:26,903 --> 00:16:29,572
I mean,
they ran people over.
385
00:16:29,572 --> 00:16:32,325
Hawk used to apologize to
them in the back:
386
00:16:32,325 --> 00:16:34,118
"I'm sorry for what's gonna
happen to you, pal,
387
00:16:34,118 --> 00:16:38,664
but your ass is getting
kicked." [laughs]
388
00:16:38,664 --> 00:16:41,626
[Paul] They were bad boys,
but when they were bad,
389
00:16:41,626 --> 00:16:43,628
they were very good.
390
00:16:43,628 --> 00:16:46,130
[Joe] Man, as long as we stayed
away from the guy's nuts and
391
00:16:46,130 --> 00:16:48,799
we didn't break their nose
or anything, it was cool.
392
00:16:48,799 --> 00:16:51,594
But, if you look back, man,
some of those clothes lines
393
00:16:51,594 --> 00:16:55,431
we hit guys with, guys were
doing natural flips
394
00:16:55,431 --> 00:16:57,350
we were hittin' 'em so hard.
395
00:16:57,350 --> 00:17:00,061
As cable was spreading
across the country,
396
00:17:00,061 --> 00:17:02,563
it was creating
a revolution...
397
00:17:02,563 --> 00:17:04,815
in the wrestling business.
398
00:17:04,815 --> 00:17:07,860
Unlike other promotions
in the early 1980s,
399
00:17:07,860 --> 00:17:10,738
Georgia's World Championship
Wrestling enjoys a
400
00:17:10,738 --> 00:17:13,950
prime-time spot
on Atlanta's TBS,
401
00:17:13,950 --> 00:17:20,539
the first TV station to be
broadcast across the entire USA.
402
00:17:20,539 --> 00:17:23,125
I told the guys,
I think it was '84.
403
00:17:23,125 --> 00:17:26,087
I said, "We can
work the whole world.
404
00:17:26,087 --> 00:17:28,297
We'll just make it
our territory."
405
00:17:28,297 --> 00:17:31,175
[Joe] Paul would book us in the
AWA or he would book us
406
00:17:31,175 --> 00:17:33,302
for the Rougeau's, up in Canada.
407
00:17:33,302 --> 00:17:35,763
Go to Puerto Rico
for Carlos Colon,
408
00:17:35,763 --> 00:17:37,556
and then go to the NWA.
409
00:17:37,556 --> 00:17:40,268
And then, you know, we were
going all over the world,
410
00:17:40,268 --> 00:17:41,936
not tied to any one company.
411
00:17:41,936 --> 00:17:43,980
[Mike]
Paul's very instrumental in,
412
00:17:43,980 --> 00:17:47,483
in not letting the promoters
manipulate us.
413
00:17:47,483 --> 00:17:49,860
We were one of the few tag
teams that were main events
414
00:17:49,860 --> 00:17:52,697
every night in the arena.
415
00:17:52,697 --> 00:17:56,409
We never stayed any one
place and it kept us fresh.
416
00:17:56,409 --> 00:17:59,495
And it was always good
because they bring us in,
417
00:17:59,495 --> 00:18:01,247
and the place would fill up.
418
00:18:01,247 --> 00:18:04,333
Everybody in the
business recognized
419
00:18:04,333 --> 00:18:08,296
that Road Warrior pop.
Just loud.
420
00:18:08,296 --> 00:18:11,173
I've lost all my hearing.
[laughs]
421
00:18:11,173 --> 00:18:14,010
Even today, if someone gets
a good cheer going down
422
00:18:14,010 --> 00:18:16,345
to the match, it's called
The Road Warrior Pop.
423
00:18:21,142 --> 00:18:24,103
You know, first trip to Japan,
we got there,
424
00:18:24,103 --> 00:18:26,605
we get off the flight...
We gotta do an interview.
425
00:18:26,605 --> 00:18:30,776
In this room was literally
150 photographers and
426
00:18:30,776 --> 00:18:33,487
reporters from all over
the country of Japan.
427
00:18:33,487 --> 00:18:35,906
They said there was more
reporters there than when
428
00:18:35,906 --> 00:18:38,367
Michael Jackson
came over to Japan.
429
00:18:38,367 --> 00:18:43,122
We will fight tonight like we
will never have fought before!
430
00:18:43,122 --> 00:18:46,417
Well, Japan wanted us and,
the Japanese people
431
00:18:46,417 --> 00:18:49,211
always like to be scared.
432
00:18:49,211 --> 00:18:53,841
You know, we're entertainers
as well as wrestlers.
433
00:18:53,841 --> 00:18:56,010
Hey, you guys hungry?
434
00:18:56,010 --> 00:18:57,636
[Joe] You know, the Japanese
responded to us because
435
00:18:57,636 --> 00:19:00,222
we were so far
ahead of our time.
436
00:19:00,222 --> 00:19:03,768
We were so nothing like
the Japanese wrestlers.
437
00:19:03,768 --> 00:19:05,144
We don't care who it is.
438
00:19:05,144 --> 00:19:07,438
We're gonna stop
everybody in the country.
439
00:19:07,438 --> 00:19:09,482
I mean, we wrestled
some top guys, man,
440
00:19:09,482 --> 00:19:11,442
you know, Killer Khan...
441
00:19:11,442 --> 00:19:14,820
When I pressed Killer Khan,
Japanese people were like,
442
00:19:14,820 --> 00:19:17,406
"[speaking Japanese]".
Like, "I can't believe it!"
443
00:19:17,406 --> 00:19:22,703
Killer Khan was
6"3, 6"4, 365 pounds.
444
00:19:22,703 --> 00:19:25,122
I press landed him
over my head. [growls]
445
00:19:25,122 --> 00:19:28,709
Then I gorilla slammed
him down.
446
00:19:28,709 --> 00:19:30,294
It was national news.
447
00:19:30,294 --> 00:19:33,214
[Japanese news coverage]
448
00:19:33,214 --> 00:19:36,801
It was no secret that,
you know, Mike liked to party.
449
00:19:36,801 --> 00:19:39,095
Partied hard, ran hard.
450
00:19:39,095 --> 00:19:41,013
There was nothing
he was afraid of.
451
00:19:41,013 --> 00:19:43,224
No situation bothered him.
452
00:19:43,224 --> 00:19:45,184
Mike got involved
with these people,
453
00:19:45,184 --> 00:19:47,686
the Japanese
mafia over there.
454
00:19:47,686 --> 00:19:49,438
They would pick him up and
he would go out to
455
00:19:49,438 --> 00:19:50,564
dinner with them, and
next thing you know,
456
00:19:50,564 --> 00:19:52,233
you wouldn't see
him for two days.
457
00:19:52,233 --> 00:19:54,276
He'd meet Japanese
mafia over there and,
458
00:19:54,276 --> 00:19:56,362
he'd tell me about, if you
made a mistake over there,
459
00:19:56,362 --> 00:19:58,697
they just took a digit
off of your fingers.
460
00:19:58,697 --> 00:20:00,950
And he'd come home
with just stacks of $100 bills,
461
00:20:00,950 --> 00:20:02,993
which he declared.
[laughs]
462
00:20:02,993 --> 00:20:06,580
I think Joe was more the
guy that would rather,
463
00:20:06,580 --> 00:20:09,041
you know, go out to
dinner and, go to the room,
464
00:20:09,041 --> 00:20:10,459
and get some sleep so
you can get up and
465
00:20:10,459 --> 00:20:12,128
have a great
workout the next day.
466
00:20:12,128 --> 00:20:14,255
Where Hawk, he was wild,
467
00:20:14,255 --> 00:20:16,966
he wanted to go out to the bar,
he wanted to do this.
468
00:20:16,966 --> 00:20:19,009
[JOE] He had no shut off
valve to it, man.
469
00:20:19,009 --> 00:20:20,386
It was just like...
470
00:20:20,386 --> 00:20:23,597
go, 100 miles an hour,
all the time.
471
00:20:23,597 --> 00:20:26,183
That's when it started
hitting a nerve with me.
472
00:20:26,183 --> 00:20:27,685
♪
473
00:20:31,814 --> 00:20:35,109
By 1986, The Road Warriors
have become one of the
474
00:20:35,109 --> 00:20:38,779
top wrestling
attractions in the world.
475
00:20:38,779 --> 00:20:42,324
To be that good in that
many different territories,
476
00:20:42,324 --> 00:20:45,411
it's unprecedented.
My vision was, of course,
477
00:20:45,411 --> 00:20:47,872
to make money,
you know, for all of us.
478
00:20:47,872 --> 00:20:51,834
This is an opportunity that only
comes along once in a lifetime.
479
00:20:51,834 --> 00:20:54,211
Everybody out
there watching...
480
00:20:54,211 --> 00:20:56,547
we'd like to kick
your teeth in too.
481
00:20:56,547 --> 00:20:59,425
My first reaction to seeing
Mike in everything was, wow.
482
00:20:59,425 --> 00:21:01,719
This is... this is amazing.
483
00:21:01,719 --> 00:21:04,722
And I, it just took
you by surprise how,
484
00:21:04,722 --> 00:21:09,643
how far he had come in such a
short period of time, really.
485
00:21:09,643 --> 00:21:12,855
As their popularity grows,
the promotions booking
486
00:21:12,855 --> 00:21:15,232
The Road Warriors realize
they're not just getting a
487
00:21:15,232 --> 00:21:18,986
run of the mill tag team,
they're getting rising stars
488
00:21:18,986 --> 00:21:22,072
with a guaranteed
sellout crowd.
489
00:21:22,072 --> 00:21:24,825
The greatest thing about
The Road Warriors is that...
490
00:21:24,825 --> 00:21:26,702
we never had to
change who we were,
491
00:21:26,702 --> 00:21:28,787
whether we were
babyface or heel.
492
00:21:28,787 --> 00:21:32,958
I mean, we were stone cold heels
until we wrestled the Koloffs.
493
00:21:32,958 --> 00:21:35,836
Probably some of the best
matches that I remember are
494
00:21:35,836 --> 00:21:38,380
the Russian Chain matches
that we had against them.
495
00:21:38,380 --> 00:21:42,343
And now we're getting USA cheers
and cheers from the fans.
496
00:21:42,343 --> 00:21:44,929
We were over so
bad as heels,
497
00:21:44,929 --> 00:21:46,680
it made us great babyfaces.
498
00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:49,892
Your winners of the match,
The Road Warriors!
499
00:21:49,892 --> 00:21:54,313
In early 1986, Carolina-based
Jim Crocket Promotions
500
00:21:54,313 --> 00:21:56,899
approaches The
Road Warriors with an offer
501
00:21:56,899 --> 00:21:59,610
to headline their
flagship event.
502
00:21:59,610 --> 00:22:01,153
Dusty Rhodes calls
us and he says,
503
00:22:01,153 --> 00:22:02,947
"Hey, we got this idea."
504
00:22:02,947 --> 00:22:05,491
♪
505
00:22:05,491 --> 00:22:07,117
A scaffold match.
506
00:22:07,117 --> 00:22:09,662
Had never been done
on a national scale.
507
00:22:09,662 --> 00:22:12,540
Man, I was 310 pounds,
315 pounds,
508
00:22:12,540 --> 00:22:13,958
and Hawk was 270.
509
00:22:13,958 --> 00:22:16,710
Then you had both
The Midnight Express up there.
510
00:22:16,710 --> 00:22:18,629
They were over
200 pounds, each.
511
00:22:18,629 --> 00:22:20,881
About 3 days before
the scaffold match,
512
00:22:20,881 --> 00:22:23,425
Hawk broke a small bone in
the bottom part of his leg,
513
00:22:23,425 --> 00:22:25,261
over in Tokyo.
514
00:22:25,261 --> 00:22:27,471
We were the old school,
the show must go on.
515
00:22:27,471 --> 00:22:30,724
And he wrestled up there
with a broken leg in a boot.
516
00:22:30,724 --> 00:22:32,977
You know, he didn't want to
let the people down 'cause
517
00:22:32,977 --> 00:22:36,772
it was sold out and...
it was a big, big deal.
518
00:22:36,772 --> 00:22:39,567
Well, what you see
in a lot of sports,
519
00:22:39,567 --> 00:22:41,902
and wrestling's
no different, is,
520
00:22:41,902 --> 00:22:44,738
there's injuries and
there's pain,
521
00:22:44,738 --> 00:22:47,825
and you just self-medicate
after a while.
522
00:22:47,825 --> 00:22:49,577
You don't even
go to a doctor.
523
00:22:49,577 --> 00:22:52,037
And then it becomes
a vicious cycle.
524
00:22:52,037 --> 00:22:54,582
And, that's probably
where Hawk was at that time.
525
00:23:01,338 --> 00:23:06,677
It started getting bad latter
part of NWA, WCW run
526
00:23:06,677 --> 00:23:11,265
before we went to WWF.
The drinking's a no brainer.
527
00:23:11,265 --> 00:23:12,725
I mean, that's...
528
00:23:12,725 --> 00:23:15,019
you know, Hawk was straight
up vodka on the rocks guy.
529
00:23:15,019 --> 00:23:17,187
The muscle relaxers
were a big part.
530
00:23:17,187 --> 00:23:21,108
I'll say 85% of the
guys that died early,
531
00:23:21,108 --> 00:23:23,569
in the wrestling business,
the common denominator was
532
00:23:23,569 --> 00:23:25,070
the muscle relaxers.
533
00:23:25,070 --> 00:23:26,322
I think...
534
00:23:26,322 --> 00:23:29,241
Joe was very disappointed
in Hawk and,
535
00:23:29,241 --> 00:23:32,202
he didn't let that
out so people knew it.
536
00:23:32,202 --> 00:23:34,997
But, knowing Joe,
I could see that.
537
00:23:34,997 --> 00:23:37,291
I think it's just
like any marriage,
538
00:23:37,291 --> 00:23:38,500
you know,
which it kind of was,
539
00:23:38,500 --> 00:23:40,169
that I don't think they
always, you know,
540
00:23:40,169 --> 00:23:41,795
saw eye to eye
on everything.
541
00:23:41,795 --> 00:23:44,256
So, I think there was, you know,
some friction there at times.
542
00:23:44,256 --> 00:23:48,177
It wasn't until he,
we really got into...
543
00:23:48,177 --> 00:23:53,223
WWF years where it
really started to get bad.
544
00:23:53,223 --> 00:23:56,018
The Road Warriors have
conquered the wrestling world
545
00:23:56,018 --> 00:23:58,354
with one
big exception...
546
00:23:58,354 --> 00:24:01,273
and the pressures of
performing in the WWF
547
00:24:01,273 --> 00:24:04,693
will soon set the stage
for their downfall.
548
00:24:04,693 --> 00:24:08,822
The WWF was
always on our screen.
549
00:24:08,822 --> 00:24:11,992
It looked like they were the
place to go in this
550
00:24:11,992 --> 00:24:15,663
wrestling war, if you wanted
to be on the winning side...
551
00:24:15,663 --> 00:24:16,830
And we did.
552
00:24:16,830 --> 00:24:19,291
You're gonna feel the pain
by the hands of
553
00:24:19,291 --> 00:24:20,876
The Legion of Doom!
554
00:24:20,876 --> 00:24:23,420
Vince had just hired
the Modern Day Warrior,
555
00:24:23,420 --> 00:24:26,965
Kerry Von Erich. He already
had the Ultimate Warrior.
556
00:24:26,965 --> 00:24:28,676
And he says, "Hey, I know
you guys have been
557
00:24:28,676 --> 00:24:30,052
The Road Warriors.
Can you think of a
558
00:24:30,052 --> 00:24:33,055
different name that we
could use to call you guys?"
559
00:24:33,055 --> 00:24:36,141
I said, "How about
the Legion of Doom?"
560
00:24:36,141 --> 00:24:38,394
"Oh, that's great!
I love The Legion of Doom!
561
00:24:38,394 --> 00:24:40,229
Let's call you guys
The Legion of Doom!"
562
00:24:40,229 --> 00:24:42,523
It was actually He-Man.
563
00:24:42,523 --> 00:24:45,943
The most powerful
man in the universe!
564
00:24:45,943 --> 00:24:48,529
And Hawk would watch
that all the time.
565
00:24:48,529 --> 00:24:50,531
He always watched He-Man.
566
00:24:50,531 --> 00:24:51,990
This was Hawk...
567
00:24:51,990 --> 00:24:54,576
[imitating voice] "Back at
the Legion of Doom!"
568
00:24:54,576 --> 00:24:57,371
And then, he, he'd just
start to make up stories,
569
00:24:57,371 --> 00:24:59,832
and this is while
we're driving in the car.
570
00:24:59,832 --> 00:25:01,959
And he'd just start to
make up that we were
571
00:25:01,959 --> 00:25:03,252
The Legion of Doom.
572
00:25:03,252 --> 00:25:05,087
[cheering]
573
00:25:05,087 --> 00:25:08,924
[Joe] The WWF, on the road at
the time, was a grind.
574
00:25:08,924 --> 00:25:13,345
And you were busy
14 days on, 4 days off,
575
00:25:13,345 --> 00:25:14,972
all year long.
576
00:25:14,972 --> 00:25:16,807
So, it's like your
whole life is no sleep.
577
00:25:16,807 --> 00:25:17,975
But when you get in the ring,
578
00:25:17,975 --> 00:25:19,977
then all of a sudden,
you get an injury.
579
00:25:19,977 --> 00:25:23,939
Well, now there's no sleep,
you have to train.
580
00:25:23,939 --> 00:25:26,900
That injury doesn't go away
and you have to perform.
581
00:25:26,900 --> 00:25:29,027
So now, all of a sudden,
you take a pain pill.
582
00:25:29,027 --> 00:25:31,071
Pretty soon, you're drinking,
you're taking pain pills,
583
00:25:31,071 --> 00:25:33,031
you're taking this,
you're taking that.
584
00:25:33,031 --> 00:25:37,828
That's kind of the cycle
that a lot of guys got into.
585
00:25:37,828 --> 00:25:42,332
But now, Hawk's downward
spiral is about to intersect
586
00:25:42,332 --> 00:25:45,335
with The Road Warrior's
historic climb to the top,
587
00:25:45,335 --> 00:25:48,088
and in front of a
record-setting crowd.
588
00:25:48,088 --> 00:25:50,466
♪
589
00:25:55,053 --> 00:25:58,307
To the non-wrestling fan,
I wrestled for many years
590
00:25:58,307 --> 00:26:00,225
in the WWF.
591
00:26:00,225 --> 00:26:03,520
The Godfather's probably
what I'm most well known for.
592
00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:06,106
♪
593
00:26:06,106 --> 00:26:08,150
Alright, so...
594
00:26:08,150 --> 00:26:09,985
We're in this club,
and then all of a sudden,
595
00:26:09,985 --> 00:26:14,573
for some reason, Vince decides
to take everybody's finish.
596
00:26:14,573 --> 00:26:17,785
In The Road Warrior's case,
it hurt people.
597
00:26:17,785 --> 00:26:19,328
Have you seen their finish?
598
00:26:19,328 --> 00:26:21,789
I wouldn't take it
in the ring!
599
00:26:21,789 --> 00:26:24,291
And Vince took that
finish in the club.
600
00:26:24,291 --> 00:26:27,878
The CEO of this big,
------- company is taking
601
00:26:27,878 --> 00:26:32,549
people's finishes in a
------- titty bar?
602
00:26:32,549 --> 00:26:34,301
Just, I was like...
603
00:26:34,301 --> 00:26:36,762
♪
604
00:26:36,762 --> 00:26:39,223
Just as The Road Warriors
are reaching new heights at
605
00:26:39,223 --> 00:26:43,143
Vince McMahon's WWF,
Hawk's substance abuse
606
00:26:43,143 --> 00:26:45,979
was becoming harder
and harder to hide.
607
00:26:45,979 --> 00:26:48,899
That's when we were starting
to get into the age of doing
608
00:26:48,899 --> 00:26:50,484
the Pay Per Views now.
609
00:26:50,484 --> 00:26:52,653
And now we're doing
the big, huge events,
610
00:26:52,653 --> 00:26:55,906
and everything else so,
there was a lot of respect
611
00:26:55,906 --> 00:26:58,492
and a lot of pride in what
you did for your work 'cause
612
00:26:58,492 --> 00:27:00,911
you wanted to be the guy
that was gonna be top dog
613
00:27:00,911 --> 00:27:02,162
on that Pay Per View.
614
00:27:02,162 --> 00:27:04,122
Those WWF years was
when it started getting
615
00:27:04,122 --> 00:27:06,166
real kind of nasty.
616
00:27:06,166 --> 00:27:08,460
He would fail a drug test
and then there would be
617
00:27:08,460 --> 00:27:09,753
3 months off.
618
00:27:09,753 --> 00:27:11,547
And of course, me being
a tag team partner,
619
00:27:11,547 --> 00:27:13,215
I had to take a few
months off with him.
620
00:27:13,215 --> 00:27:16,468
But Mike, again, he wasn't
shy about, about, you know,
621
00:27:16,468 --> 00:27:18,428
hiding anything.
You know, whether it was...
622
00:27:18,428 --> 00:27:20,764
you know, his drinking
or his, his...
623
00:27:20,764 --> 00:27:23,225
his drug use,
or his steroid use,
624
00:27:23,225 --> 00:27:26,353
he was pretty outspoken
about, about all of it.
625
00:27:26,353 --> 00:27:29,064
As Hawk drifts
closer to the edge,
626
00:27:29,064 --> 00:27:31,984
over 80,000 fans
await their match
627
00:27:31,984 --> 00:27:34,403
at London's Wembley Stadium,
628
00:27:34,403 --> 00:27:37,281
and things are about to
come to a head.
629
00:27:37,281 --> 00:27:40,534
Wembley Stadium was a
classic event 'cause
630
00:27:40,534 --> 00:27:43,370
they had 90,000 people there.
631
00:27:43,370 --> 00:27:45,497
We were supposed to wrestle
for the tag team championship
632
00:27:45,497 --> 00:27:47,040
in Wembley Stadium.
633
00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:49,334
And, getting ready to go out
to the show and
634
00:27:49,334 --> 00:27:51,420
we're doing a run through.
635
00:27:51,420 --> 00:27:54,214
Vince McMahon's trying to
tell us what we're gonna do.
636
00:27:54,214 --> 00:27:58,510
And I could just see where
Vince is fuming 'cause
637
00:27:58,510 --> 00:28:00,470
every time Vince tried
to say something,
638
00:28:00,470 --> 00:28:05,058
Hawk's going, "Now Vince,
I got this idea."
639
00:28:05,058 --> 00:28:08,687
Found out later there was
this thing called placidyls,
640
00:28:08,687 --> 00:28:11,815
which is another kind of little
like a hallucinogenic drug
641
00:28:11,815 --> 00:28:14,818
that Hawk had took it and
it lasts, like, for 6 hours.
642
00:28:14,818 --> 00:28:16,820
And here we are, gotta drive
motorcycles down to the ring.
643
00:28:16,820 --> 00:28:19,948
We went from semi-main event
match against
644
00:28:19,948 --> 00:28:23,619
The Natural Disasters, to
wrestling Money Incorporated,
645
00:28:23,619 --> 00:28:25,954
I think, their first
or second match.
646
00:28:25,954 --> 00:28:28,874
As Animal watches his
partner step into the ring,
647
00:28:28,874 --> 00:28:33,211
it's clear that Hawk is
in no shape to perform.
648
00:28:33,211 --> 00:28:35,672
Getting in the ring and they
wanted us to do the finish,
649
00:28:35,672 --> 00:28:37,424
the Dooms Day off the
top rope and everything,
650
00:28:37,424 --> 00:28:38,842
and I said, "We can't do it.
651
00:28:38,842 --> 00:28:40,218
He's gonna fall
off the top rope."
652
00:28:40,218 --> 00:28:41,428
And he goes,
"No, no, we gotta."
653
00:28:41,428 --> 00:28:42,930
I said, "Look at him.
He can't do it."
654
00:28:42,930 --> 00:28:44,514
They were watching
him and, you know,
655
00:28:44,514 --> 00:28:47,601
Hawk was kind of
like inebriated, you know,
656
00:28:47,601 --> 00:28:50,562
quite a bit and...
so, we changed the finish.
657
00:28:50,562 --> 00:28:52,022
Hawk's like
right in the middle.
658
00:28:52,022 --> 00:28:54,107
I kind of had to push
him out of the way and...
659
00:28:54,107 --> 00:28:57,569
When Hawk was on,
he was the best, man.
660
00:28:57,569 --> 00:28:59,196
Nobody was better.
661
00:28:59,196 --> 00:29:02,950
But, when he kind of was
like that, it kind of really...
662
00:29:02,950 --> 00:29:05,285
I wasn't very
happy with him.
663
00:29:05,285 --> 00:29:06,954
I knew there was a
suspension coming on,
664
00:29:06,954 --> 00:29:09,164
that I was fricking hot.
665
00:29:09,164 --> 00:29:10,707
[Barry] You know, and it's like,
we're gonna spend
666
00:29:10,707 --> 00:29:13,168
millions of dollars on
TV and do all this stuff
667
00:29:13,168 --> 00:29:16,171
for these guys at Wembley,
the biggest show ever,
668
00:29:16,171 --> 00:29:17,881
and if he came
and messed up...
669
00:29:17,881 --> 00:29:22,344
Right there, you're not
the top guys anymore.
670
00:29:22,344 --> 00:29:24,471
Irritated by
Hawk's recklessness,
671
00:29:24,471 --> 00:29:29,017
Animal chooses to
go his separate way, alone.
672
00:29:29,017 --> 00:29:32,062
We went to, from that
London taping to
673
00:29:32,062 --> 00:29:34,398
Hershey, Pennsylvania
to do TV.
674
00:29:34,398 --> 00:29:35,983
And when we got to
Hershey, Pennsylvania,
675
00:29:35,983 --> 00:29:37,734
Paul Ellering and I
are ready to do TV,
676
00:29:37,734 --> 00:29:39,194
waiting for Hawk
to do interviews.
677
00:29:39,194 --> 00:29:40,821
Well, Hawk hadn't
shown up yet.
678
00:29:40,821 --> 00:29:42,406
[Paul]
Nobody knew where Hawk went.
679
00:29:43,448 --> 00:29:44,866
Well, he's just not
on the plane.
680
00:29:44,866 --> 00:29:46,451
Nobody knew where Hawk was.
681
00:29:46,451 --> 00:29:49,788
Got a phone call, and Hawk
called Vince's secretary
682
00:29:49,788 --> 00:29:52,374
and said, "Hey, I quit."
We're sitting there, like,
683
00:29:52,374 --> 00:29:55,043
okay, now what am
I gonna do?
684
00:29:55,043 --> 00:29:57,462
Animal decides he's not
gonna chase after
685
00:29:57,462 --> 00:29:59,256
his partner this time...
686
00:29:59,256 --> 00:30:03,552
after performing the role
of fixer for so many years.
687
00:30:03,552 --> 00:30:08,849
I think it just got the time to
draw the line in the sand and,
688
00:30:08,849 --> 00:30:11,393
listen, man, shit,
I've had enough. That's it.
689
00:30:11,393 --> 00:30:13,020
I'm fricking done with this.
690
00:30:13,020 --> 00:30:15,063
[Barry] You know, Joe was
probably in a panic,
691
00:30:15,063 --> 00:30:17,441
wondering how in the world
are we gonna solve this?
692
00:30:17,441 --> 00:30:19,192
You know, wrestling
is your whole life.
693
00:30:19,192 --> 00:30:20,527
It's all you have.
694
00:30:20,527 --> 00:30:22,404
Your family's at home,
and you're with the guys,
695
00:30:22,404 --> 00:30:24,322
and you finally
get that push and,
696
00:30:24,322 --> 00:30:27,325
you can't have something be
negative to bring you back down
697
00:30:27,325 --> 00:30:29,244
and that's,
that's what was happening.
698
00:30:29,244 --> 00:30:31,329
Mike kind of, you know,
the short fuse and losing
699
00:30:31,329 --> 00:30:34,124
his temper and, whether it
was with the promoter,
700
00:30:34,124 --> 00:30:36,251
could have a real impact
on Joe's career and
701
00:30:36,251 --> 00:30:37,878
even Ellering's career, right?
702
00:30:37,878 --> 00:30:39,254
So, I'm thinking
to myself, well,
703
00:30:39,254 --> 00:30:42,007
I'm gonna be a business man,
and I'm gonna serve out
704
00:30:42,007 --> 00:30:44,843
the dates that I
have left with WWF,
705
00:30:44,843 --> 00:30:47,888
to protect our name, in case
we ever want to come back.
706
00:30:47,888 --> 00:30:49,556
I said, man, I want
to do these dates, Mike,
707
00:30:49,556 --> 00:30:51,058
so we leave on
good terms.
708
00:30:51,058 --> 00:30:54,519
Right, to be businessmen.
I put my foot down and,
709
00:30:54,519 --> 00:30:58,732
Hawk was so out of his mind
he called up a couple guys and
710
00:30:58,732 --> 00:31:02,110
ended up working out
his own deal in Japan.
711
00:31:02,110 --> 00:31:03,570
Like, screw the team.
712
00:31:03,570 --> 00:31:06,448
He just went on his own.
Then we were done.
713
00:31:06,448 --> 00:31:08,950
Well, he tried to get it over
there and had Kensuke Sasaki
714
00:31:08,950 --> 00:31:10,702
dressing up as
The Power Warrior,
715
00:31:10,702 --> 00:31:12,913
all spiked shoulder pads,
the face paint, and...
716
00:31:12,913 --> 00:31:17,167
[Japanese commentary]
717
00:31:17,167 --> 00:31:19,669
I said, man, that's...
that's our gimmick.
718
00:31:19,669 --> 00:31:21,505
♪
719
00:31:25,258 --> 00:31:27,969
Hawk inadvertently leaves
the future of the world's
720
00:31:27,969 --> 00:31:31,348
biggest tag team in limbo
by replacing Animal and
721
00:31:31,348 --> 00:31:36,061
continuing The Road
Warriors' brand in Japan.
722
00:31:36,061 --> 00:31:40,065
Standing in front of you
lies the future in
723
00:31:40,065 --> 00:31:45,153
tag team wrestling, my new
partner, Power Warrior!
724
00:31:45,153 --> 00:31:46,279
What are you doing, bro?
725
00:31:46,279 --> 00:31:47,948
I'm not doing
that here in the US.
726
00:31:47,948 --> 00:31:50,992
I'm not having
anybody replace you.
727
00:31:50,992 --> 00:31:52,744
I'm by myself!
728
00:31:52,744 --> 00:31:54,746
I ended up doing a
two on one match and,
729
00:31:54,746 --> 00:31:56,456
I herniated a couple discs.
730
00:31:56,456 --> 00:31:58,875
[Paul] Animal got injured and,
you know,
731
00:31:58,875 --> 00:32:01,253
there were like two years
there where I didn't do
732
00:32:01,253 --> 00:32:02,879
anything with
wrestling anymore.
733
00:32:02,879 --> 00:32:05,715
And, I didn't think
I'd ever go back.
734
00:32:05,715 --> 00:32:09,511
While Animal lies in wait
recovering from his injury,
735
00:32:09,511 --> 00:32:11,471
Hawk presses on.
736
00:32:11,471 --> 00:32:13,598
But without the
guidance of his partner,
737
00:32:13,598 --> 00:32:16,935
he spirals out of control.
738
00:32:16,935 --> 00:32:19,187
Like 3 different times
he'd been rushed into
739
00:32:19,187 --> 00:32:22,065
an emergency room of
drug overdoses.
740
00:32:22,065 --> 00:32:24,609
He told me he had a head-on
collision with an 18-wheeler
741
00:32:24,609 --> 00:32:27,863
and rolled the pickup truck
6 times with no seatbelt on,
742
00:32:27,863 --> 00:32:29,781
and walked away from it.
743
00:32:29,781 --> 00:32:31,658
You know, I don't
know how many...
744
00:32:31,658 --> 00:32:33,910
ah, near death
experiences Hawk had.
745
00:32:33,910 --> 00:32:35,662
I know he had a few.
746
00:32:35,662 --> 00:32:39,082
When he got Hep C,
it's like he got
747
00:32:39,082 --> 00:32:41,501
slapped in the face like, wow.
748
00:32:41,501 --> 00:32:44,588
He's not the first wrestler
that contracted that.
749
00:32:44,588 --> 00:32:46,840
You know, guys in this
wrestling business, man,
750
00:32:46,840 --> 00:32:50,844
used to do some crazy things,
you know, speed balling,
751
00:32:50,844 --> 00:32:52,387
mixing different drugs together,
752
00:32:52,387 --> 00:32:53,847
different things like
that where, you know,
753
00:32:53,847 --> 00:32:55,765
guys would share a
needle and just go,
754
00:32:55,765 --> 00:32:57,851
"Oh, god dang, buddy.
You guys are nuts."
755
00:32:57,851 --> 00:32:59,978
He was on the interferon,
756
00:32:59,978 --> 00:33:02,230
which is the medicine
you get from Hep C.
757
00:33:02,230 --> 00:33:04,983
He fricking cured himself
of the Hep C.
758
00:33:04,983 --> 00:33:07,444
But the worst part about it
is the doctor gave him the
759
00:33:07,444 --> 00:33:10,238
green light to go do
whatever he wanted to do so,
760
00:33:10,238 --> 00:33:12,657
he thought that meant,
okay, I guess I can
761
00:33:12,657 --> 00:33:14,618
keep drinking and partying.
762
00:33:14,618 --> 00:33:18,288
Hawk's wild side shows
no sign of slowing down,
763
00:33:18,288 --> 00:33:24,002
but in 1997, a new opportunity
arises from the WWF and
764
00:33:24,002 --> 00:33:27,380
is too tempting
for either man to resist.
765
00:33:27,380 --> 00:33:30,050
Vince McMahon has
been great to us...
766
00:33:30,050 --> 00:33:32,469
and the WWF has
been great to us.
767
00:33:32,469 --> 00:33:34,471
And they're a classy
organization and we only
768
00:33:34,471 --> 00:33:36,973
want to associate ourself
with a classy organization.
769
00:33:36,973 --> 00:33:39,351
I, I knew eventually that
it would come back to it
770
00:33:39,351 --> 00:33:40,894
was gonna be The Road Warriors.
771
00:33:40,894 --> 00:33:44,147
We were so unique in the
way we did everything,
772
00:33:44,147 --> 00:33:46,441
and we were so unique
as a tag team and...
773
00:33:46,441 --> 00:33:49,069
it's like nothing else like
it in the wrestling business.
774
00:33:49,069 --> 00:33:51,655
[Mike] Animal and I have
become so close.
775
00:33:51,655 --> 00:33:53,406
We're probably the only
tag team that's been around
776
00:33:53,406 --> 00:33:56,868
14 years straight.
We're pretty much a unit.
777
00:33:56,868 --> 00:34:00,330
Their new contract comes
with a strict insurance policy,
778
00:34:00,330 --> 00:34:03,208
guaranteeing they
will make their matches.
779
00:34:03,208 --> 00:34:06,586
But WWF introduces a
third member to the team,
780
00:34:06,586 --> 00:34:11,341
29-year-old ex-Denver
Bronco, Daren Drozdoff.
781
00:34:11,341 --> 00:34:14,052
They introduce Droz, and...
782
00:34:14,052 --> 00:34:16,680
he was gonna be like
the youngest member
783
00:34:16,680 --> 00:34:18,014
of The Road Warriors.
784
00:34:18,014 --> 00:34:20,100
Actually, I remember
when I first saw them.
785
00:34:20,100 --> 00:34:22,143
You know, they had
been icons forever.
786
00:34:22,143 --> 00:34:24,062
Hey, this is Droz.
787
00:34:24,062 --> 00:34:26,982
You know, I'm one of the
players they brought in for
788
00:34:26,982 --> 00:34:29,526
The Road Warriors
to work with and,
789
00:34:29,526 --> 00:34:32,195
you know, had a
great run with 'em.
790
00:34:32,195 --> 00:34:35,657
While the WWF has
enforced a contingency plan,
791
00:34:35,657 --> 00:34:39,077
it also sees The Road Warriors'
real life problems
792
00:34:39,077 --> 00:34:42,580
as something it
can capitalize on.
793
00:34:42,580 --> 00:34:44,624
Vince McMahon came
to us and said, "Hey,
794
00:34:44,624 --> 00:34:47,585
we want to do this angle
with you guys where Hawk's,
795
00:34:47,585 --> 00:34:49,963
we're gonna portray him
as drunk and have him,
796
00:34:49,963 --> 00:34:51,339
happens on TV."
797
00:34:51,339 --> 00:34:52,632
[Commentary] I don't know
if he's inebriated.
798
00:34:52,632 --> 00:34:54,467
The referee's not gonna
start this match, is he?
799
00:34:54,467 --> 00:34:57,178
Yeah, he'd come out like
staggering around while,
800
00:34:57,178 --> 00:34:59,472
you know, they were saying
I was trying to separate them.
801
00:34:59,472 --> 00:35:01,725
[Commentary] Well, Droz...
just assaulting Hawk.
802
00:35:01,725 --> 00:35:05,020
"We don't need him, you know,
he's messed up again." So...
803
00:35:05,020 --> 00:35:06,354
[Announcer]
Drozdoff!
804
00:35:06,354 --> 00:35:08,648
Delivering Hawk's
own move to Hawk!
805
00:35:08,648 --> 00:35:11,067
Yeah, it was,
it was heartbreaking.
806
00:35:11,067 --> 00:35:12,485
But that's wrestling.
807
00:35:12,485 --> 00:35:16,573
They take the dominant part
of your personality and
808
00:35:16,573 --> 00:35:18,742
they just make it bigger.
809
00:35:18,742 --> 00:35:19,993
You know, it was
kind of tough.
810
00:35:19,993 --> 00:35:22,329
It's like, you know,
they're doing this.
811
00:35:22,329 --> 00:35:23,955
But, he had been
through it and
812
00:35:23,955 --> 00:35:25,707
he didn't have a
problem with it.
813
00:35:25,707 --> 00:35:27,334
They wanted Hawk to climb
the Titantron and
814
00:35:27,334 --> 00:35:29,044
they wanted me to...
815
00:35:29,044 --> 00:35:31,421
you know, they wanted
me to portray like,
816
00:35:31,421 --> 00:35:33,882
"Hey, Hawk, don't jump,"
type of thing.
817
00:35:33,882 --> 00:35:38,345
Hawk, I wish I could say I
know how you feel, but I can't!
818
00:35:38,345 --> 00:35:40,930
But I care about your life!
819
00:35:40,930 --> 00:35:43,224
Droz did a deal where they
made up, made pretend he was
820
00:35:43,224 --> 00:35:45,602
gonna go up to the Titantron
and help Hawk
821
00:35:45,602 --> 00:35:47,854
and Hawk had all his demons
and everything else and
822
00:35:47,854 --> 00:35:49,105
he was drunk up there.
823
00:35:49,105 --> 00:35:50,607
When they really
went to go grab him,
824
00:35:50,607 --> 00:35:51,941
he really went
and pushed 'em.
825
00:35:51,941 --> 00:35:54,277
Get his shirt-- Ah, no! Ah!
826
00:35:54,277 --> 00:35:55,737
Got away.
827
00:35:55,737 --> 00:35:57,655
You know, to be
honest with ya,
828
00:35:57,655 --> 00:36:01,201
I didn't really have it in me
to want to do the angle.
829
00:36:01,201 --> 00:36:04,371
It was too close to what
was going on in real life.
830
00:36:04,371 --> 00:36:07,040
And that bothered me.
831
00:36:07,040 --> 00:36:10,460
The angle is not only unpopular
with Hawk and Animal,
832
00:36:10,460 --> 00:36:12,420
but with the
fans as well.
833
00:36:12,420 --> 00:36:15,548
And once again, The Road
Warriors make the choice
834
00:36:15,548 --> 00:36:18,259
to hit the road on
their own terms.
835
00:36:18,259 --> 00:36:20,595
We were wrestling
in Australia and,
836
00:36:20,595 --> 00:36:23,014
you had the beach,
you got drinks,
837
00:36:23,014 --> 00:36:24,974
you could buy Xanax
over the counter,
838
00:36:24,974 --> 00:36:28,061
and so, it's just
not a good mix.
839
00:36:28,061 --> 00:36:31,272
Rumor had it that 3
or 4 of the guys,
840
00:36:31,272 --> 00:36:35,402
and Hawk was one of 'em,
had gotten ahold of some
841
00:36:35,402 --> 00:36:38,029
party essentials,
let's just say,
842
00:36:38,029 --> 00:36:40,865
and they were pretty much
up for two days.
843
00:36:40,865 --> 00:36:43,451
So, when you're doing the
coke and you're doing
844
00:36:43,451 --> 00:36:45,370
the muscle relaxer,
you're going,
845
00:36:45,370 --> 00:36:48,415
yo, yo, yo, like a yo-yo.
846
00:36:48,415 --> 00:36:50,583
Your heart can't
take that all the time.
847
00:36:50,583 --> 00:36:53,002
And, as I'm looking around
the arena by the
848
00:36:53,002 --> 00:36:56,131
entrance area there, I see this,
I see this big crowd of people.
849
00:36:56,131 --> 00:36:57,715
And I'm thinking
to myself, well,
850
00:36:57,715 --> 00:36:59,217
somebody just came
back from the last match,
851
00:36:59,217 --> 00:37:00,552
they're just laying down.
852
00:37:00,552 --> 00:37:03,388
And I push everybody aside
and it's fricking Hawk,
853
00:37:03,388 --> 00:37:05,181
and they're putting
the oxygen mask on him.
854
00:37:05,181 --> 00:37:06,641
I said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa.
What are you doing?"
855
00:37:06,641 --> 00:37:08,184
I said, "He's gotta
go out wrestling."
856
00:37:08,184 --> 00:37:09,853
They said, "Man,
he can't wrestle."
857
00:37:09,853 --> 00:37:12,230
He goes, "This guy's about
ready to stroke out,"
858
00:37:12,230 --> 00:37:13,648
and they took him
to the hospital.
859
00:37:13,648 --> 00:37:15,483
Hawk had cardiomyopathy,
860
00:37:15,483 --> 00:37:18,027
his heart was about
ready to blow up.
861
00:37:18,027 --> 00:37:20,155
And he calls me up
and he says,
862
00:37:20,155 --> 00:37:22,115
"Animal, you gotta
come get me."
863
00:37:22,115 --> 00:37:23,616
I said, "What's going on,
man?"
864
00:37:23,616 --> 00:37:26,870
He goes, "I am not dying
in this fricking country."
865
00:37:26,870 --> 00:37:29,539
Hawk and I were literally,
when we were on the road,
866
00:37:29,539 --> 00:37:32,417
we were brothers.
It was a hard situation
867
00:37:32,417 --> 00:37:36,546
because there was
such a love of the guy,
868
00:37:36,546 --> 00:37:39,215
but the hate of
what was going on.
869
00:37:39,215 --> 00:37:41,176
So, I went, picked Hawk up,
870
00:37:41,176 --> 00:37:42,802
checked him out of
the hospital -
871
00:37:42,802 --> 00:37:45,472
against doctor's orders -
and from Sydney,
872
00:37:45,472 --> 00:37:48,266
flew all the way
to LA and from LA,
873
00:37:48,266 --> 00:37:49,684
he was going back to Tampa.
874
00:37:49,684 --> 00:37:51,686
I said,
"You're on your own now."
875
00:37:51,686 --> 00:37:54,522
When it seems Hawk and
Animal's run as wrestling's
876
00:37:54,522 --> 00:37:57,984
most dominant tag team is
about to come to an end,
877
00:37:57,984 --> 00:38:01,613
an unlikely event brings
them back together
878
00:38:01,613 --> 00:38:04,032
in a way nobody expects.
879
00:38:04,032 --> 00:38:05,492
♪
880
00:38:08,453 --> 00:38:11,331
Animal is faced with no
choice but to strike out on
881
00:38:11,331 --> 00:38:14,125
his own when Hawk's drug
affliction threatens to
882
00:38:14,125 --> 00:38:17,337
ruin both of their careers.
883
00:38:17,337 --> 00:38:19,506
I had just gotten
home off the road.
884
00:38:19,506 --> 00:38:21,216
I got done
working out at the gym,
885
00:38:21,216 --> 00:38:23,968
and there's 6,
300-pound guys called
886
00:38:23,968 --> 00:38:26,346
The Christian Power Team.
They did this event.
887
00:38:26,346 --> 00:38:28,765
So, I went to it and I
was pretty impressed by it.
888
00:38:28,765 --> 00:38:31,434
Eventually, Joe shared that
story with me and I said,
889
00:38:31,434 --> 00:38:34,187
"Man, why don't you come out
to this conference in Phoenix?
890
00:38:34,187 --> 00:38:36,648
Come on out."
He goes, "Could Hawk come?"
891
00:38:36,648 --> 00:38:40,318
They came to Phoenix and,
I just remember Mike was the
892
00:38:40,318 --> 00:38:43,446
first one to the altar and
wanted to make a decision to
893
00:38:43,446 --> 00:38:44,906
give his life to the lord.
894
00:38:44,906 --> 00:38:47,825
And, that weekend,
we actually even baptized him.
895
00:38:47,825 --> 00:38:49,702
We did a--
In the swimming pool,
896
00:38:49,702 --> 00:38:51,579
we did a water
baptism with him.
897
00:38:51,579 --> 00:38:55,625
And, from that point on,
Hawk lived in a good way.
898
00:38:55,625 --> 00:38:58,211
I think he found religion,
and then,
899
00:38:58,211 --> 00:39:01,005
he married a gal named Dale.
900
00:39:01,005 --> 00:39:03,591
And, he was very
happy with her.
901
00:39:03,591 --> 00:39:06,219
He was a different
person then, with her.
902
00:39:06,219 --> 00:39:07,971
Now, my motivation's
different than what it was
903
00:39:07,971 --> 00:39:09,305
when I first started out.
904
00:39:09,305 --> 00:39:12,517
My motivation now is
my family, my fiancé.
905
00:39:12,517 --> 00:39:14,143
To make sure that if
something were to ever
906
00:39:14,143 --> 00:39:15,770
happen to me,
she's not gonna be hurt.
907
00:39:15,770 --> 00:39:18,022
He used to say,
"God has 9 lives,
908
00:39:18,022 --> 00:39:21,317
but God gave me 10, so I
can give my life to Jesus."
909
00:39:21,317 --> 00:39:24,821
He was moving out of his
house off the beach and,
910
00:39:24,821 --> 00:39:27,865
he had just moved the last
piece of heavy furniture
911
00:39:27,865 --> 00:39:29,951
in the house for
his wife, Dale.
912
00:39:29,951 --> 00:39:32,203
And he said, "Dale,
I'm gonna go upstairs and
913
00:39:32,203 --> 00:39:34,247
lay down for a little bit.
I don't feel well."
914
00:39:34,247 --> 00:39:36,207
And I was out
in my backyard,
915
00:39:36,207 --> 00:39:38,251
and all of a sudden,
I get a phone call.
916
00:39:38,251 --> 00:39:40,587
Friend of mine,
Bob, and he goes,
917
00:39:40,587 --> 00:39:41,963
"Hey, have you
talked to Mike?"
918
00:39:41,963 --> 00:39:43,631
I said, "Yeah, man,
talked to him last night."
919
00:39:43,631 --> 00:39:48,011
He goes, "Huh. Have you
talked to him yet today?"
920
00:39:48,011 --> 00:39:49,512
And I said, "No."
921
00:39:49,512 --> 00:39:52,640
And he goes,
"Joe, Mike died."
922
00:39:52,640 --> 00:39:55,226
It was an early Sunday morning,
October the 19th,
923
00:39:55,226 --> 00:39:57,520
when the world of wrestling
was saddened to hear
924
00:39:57,520 --> 00:40:00,106
that Michael Hegstrand
had passed away
925
00:40:00,106 --> 00:40:02,942
at the young age of 46.
926
00:40:02,942 --> 00:40:05,403
And it wasn't that
he OD'd or whatever.
927
00:40:05,403 --> 00:40:08,323
You know, it was just
that his heart just stopped.
928
00:40:08,323 --> 00:40:09,866
It was probably one of
the hardest things
929
00:40:09,866 --> 00:40:11,284
I ever had to go through.
930
00:40:11,284 --> 00:40:14,120
Well, it was, you know,
I was just at home and,
931
00:40:14,120 --> 00:40:18,916
and Animal calls me
up and, and tells me.
932
00:40:18,916 --> 00:40:22,962
You know, "Hawk is gone."
933
00:40:22,962 --> 00:40:26,924
Joanie, my wife,
I said...
934
00:40:26,924 --> 00:40:32,430
"We gotta get the..." Hm.
Yeah, we--
935
00:40:32,430 --> 00:40:37,101
"We gotta get the black van
and drive to the funeral."
936
00:40:37,101 --> 00:40:40,855
The old black van that I
took him to the airport in
937
00:40:40,855 --> 00:40:45,276
our first day together.
I still had that black van.
938
00:40:45,276 --> 00:40:51,574
Went to the K-Mart and got
cans of black spray paint,
939
00:40:51,574 --> 00:40:56,704
cover up all the rust.
And, we got in the black van
940
00:40:56,704 --> 00:41:01,751
and drove all the way to Tampa.
55 miles an hour.
941
00:41:01,751 --> 00:41:05,088
Got passed by 10,000 cars.
942
00:41:09,592 --> 00:41:15,181
Yeah. I remember. Ah...
943
00:41:15,181 --> 00:41:21,604
October 19th, 2003.
944
00:41:21,604 --> 00:41:26,776
The dark clouds
covered the bright sun.
945
00:41:26,776 --> 00:41:31,197
Today we lost our friend.
946
00:41:31,197 --> 00:41:37,036
Our brother of planes,
trains, and automobiles.
947
00:41:37,036 --> 00:41:39,914
Many miles.
948
00:41:39,914 --> 00:41:43,960
If I could steal a line from,
949
00:41:43,960 --> 00:41:47,046
from The Outlaw Josey Wales,
950
00:41:47,046 --> 00:41:56,180
"Hawk, it is good that men like
us met in the struggle of life."
951
00:41:56,180 --> 00:41:58,850
Hawk's death brings to an
end a partnership that has
952
00:41:58,850 --> 00:42:01,686
not been matched in
wrestling ever since.
953
00:42:01,686 --> 00:42:04,564
He was unique both in
and out of the ring.
954
00:42:04,564 --> 00:42:10,361
A warrior, a partner,
a friend, and a brother.
955
00:42:10,361 --> 00:42:14,532
He, he wasn't Hawk.
[sniffles]
956
00:42:14,532 --> 00:42:15,992
Yeah.
957
00:42:15,992 --> 00:42:21,247
I think that is a
key point is, he was still Mike.
958
00:42:21,247 --> 00:42:23,541
We never looked
at him as Hawk.
959
00:42:23,541 --> 00:42:27,211
He really gave a
shit about his friends.
960
00:42:27,211 --> 00:42:31,215
He just had your back, and
he probably knew I needed it.
961
00:42:31,215 --> 00:42:35,303
♪
962
00:42:35,303 --> 00:42:39,515
Biggest compliment that I
can make to Hawk is that
963
00:42:39,515 --> 00:42:43,394
everybody liked
to be around him.
964
00:42:43,394 --> 00:42:45,772
So, it was a huge void.
965
00:42:45,772 --> 00:42:48,483
And, Animal would know a
lot more about that than me
966
00:42:48,483 --> 00:42:49,984
because they've been
together and
967
00:42:49,984 --> 00:42:53,154
always thought of as a twosome.
968
00:42:53,154 --> 00:42:56,282
A lot of things in common.
At the gym, worked hard.
969
00:42:56,282 --> 00:42:57,533
They were a great tag team.
970
00:42:57,533 --> 00:42:59,827
They performed
unbelievably in the ring.
971
00:42:59,827 --> 00:43:02,455
But you know,
totally different.
972
00:43:02,455 --> 00:43:03,664
They were brothers.
973
00:43:03,664 --> 00:43:06,834
You know, brothers,
they love each other,
974
00:43:06,834 --> 00:43:09,212
but they'll have a
fight once in a while.
975
00:43:09,212 --> 00:43:11,088
I mean, listen, man, there were
times where we were
976
00:43:11,088 --> 00:43:13,341
at each other's throat 'cause
we were together so much.
977
00:43:13,341 --> 00:43:17,887
But, 99.9% of the time there
was a common respect there.
978
00:43:17,887 --> 00:43:22,767
It's over half my life, man,
I was with Hawk.
979
00:43:22,767 --> 00:43:26,062
From being stars in Japan
to being family members,
980
00:43:26,062 --> 00:43:28,773
to being brothers,
to everything else.
981
00:43:28,773 --> 00:43:31,317
You know, now what do
I do now he's gone?
982
00:43:31,317 --> 00:43:32,944
And that's the
hardest thing.
983
00:43:32,944 --> 00:43:34,946
I think we will be remembered
as the greatest tag team
984
00:43:34,946 --> 00:43:37,698
in professional wrestling
and I'd just like to go down
985
00:43:37,698 --> 00:43:40,993
as one tough dude
that had one tough partner.
986
00:43:40,993 --> 00:43:43,538
Hawk should be
remembered as one of the...
987
00:43:43,538 --> 00:43:46,165
one half of the
greatest tag team ever.
988
00:43:46,165 --> 00:43:49,043
He had one of the best
punches in wrestling,
989
00:43:49,043 --> 00:43:51,462
one of the best
interviews, for sure.
990
00:43:51,462 --> 00:43:53,130
Well!
991
00:43:53,130 --> 00:43:55,299
Hawk was
definitely a character.
992
00:43:55,299 --> 00:43:57,385
To be honest with you, a part
of the wrestling business
993
00:43:57,385 --> 00:43:59,428
died when Hawk died.