20 Years On From WWE In Your House: Canadian Stampede's Main Event: Where Are They Now?

8. Animal

Steve Austin Bret Hard Goldust
WWE

Animal naturally suffered the same fate as partner Hawk following the WWE's complete lack of interest in the Legion of Doom act by the end of 1997, but unburdened by personal demons was still able to carve out a career before and after his partner's tragic passing.

A footnote in WCW's final big angle before the organisation went out of business in 2001, Animal was brought in as a surprise assassin for Ric Flair's 'Magnificent Seven' heel group but his presence was regrettably inconsequential.

A bit-part player as the company crumbled, he perhaps benefited from real life brother John Laurinaitis' position within the company at the time, with nepotism again alleged when he made an unlikely return to full time competition as part of a desolate SmackDown roster in 2005.

Scooping the doubles straps with new partner Heidenreich in a Road Warriors tribute act, the knock-off pairing were passable card-fillers, but the Hawk fill-in's WWE release in early 2006 forced a permanent dissolution. His sudden heel turn and reinvention as 'Road Warrior' again allowed him to make up the numbers on the blue brand a little longer, but he was gone by June of that year.

Now an occasional visitor whenever nostalgia calls for the famed 'Road Warrior Pop' and famous shoulder pads, Animal accepted The Legion Of Doom's entry into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett