10 Times Famous Wrestlers Shared A Nickname

7. Road Warrior Hawk and JBL

Ric Flair Buddy Rogers
WWE.com

The Road Warriors (or The Legion of Doom, if you're that way inclined) are still regarded as one of the best tag teams of all time.

The duo were comprised of Animal, who is the real life brother of John Laurinaitis, and Hawk, who sadly passed away in 2003. Though Hawk is no longer with us, his name lived on through a plucky young cowboy-turned-bodyguard-turned-stockbroker.

John Layfield made his WWF debut in 1996 on an episode of Superstars. This was a very different person to the man who would become JBL, as John came to the ring sporting a vest, a cowboy hat, and a very swanky moustache.

He was also sporting a different name - Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw.

Very little happened for The Hawk during this time bar a sole Pay-Per-View appearance at In Your House 10. The "Hawk" character was retired by the end of the year. it would be another two years before Layfield finally found his feet as one half of The Acolytes alongside Faarooq.

It's unclear whether JBL's old nickname was connected to the Road Warrior, but perhaps this was the Texan's way of honouring one of the all-time greats.

Or maybe he just really liked hawks.

Contributor
Contributor

Jacob Simmons has a great many passions, including rock music, giving acclaimed films three-and-a-half stars, watching random clips from The Simpsons on YouTube at 3am, and writing about himself in the third person.