Every Wrestling Rookie Of The Year: Where Are They Now?

40. 1983: The Road Warriors

Essa Rios Lita
WWE.com

Ungodly primordial ass-kickers, the Road Warriors were an awesome, business-defining tag team.

They embodied the cliché of "men want to be them" because this quite literally was the case: multiple tag teams at the time and in the years since drew heavy inspiration from their Mad Max-inspired post-apocalyptic meathead schtick.

Even when the old, reckless explosive power deserted them, the look was so iconic that they experienced success well into the 1990s.

Both Hawk and Animal have since passed on; Hawk died at 46 of a heart attack in 1993, while Animal suffered the same cause of death in 2020 at 60.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!