Mike Hegstrand, part of perhaps the most successful tag team ever on the U.S. wrestling scene, the Road Warriors, passed away at about 1:30 a.m. last night. Further details are unavailable. He is believed to be either 45 or 46. -wrestlingobserver.com
You know what's saddest about all of this? When I read this, I just thought to myself "Well, another 80's wrestler: dead". I've just become so numb to it, and almost expect to read about another 80's star's death on wrestlingobserver.com once every few months. THAT'S sad!
God damnit. The worst part of it is not the numb feeling.
The memories, the knowing and being a part of something greater than ourselves, the phenomenon of seeing two men dispense of another two men in a mere matter of seconds, and enjoying every moment of it, whether in terror or in hilarity. So sorry if that sounds grandiose and all, but do you remember seeing the RW back in the day killing jabronies left and right? And the first time in my memory, when finally, finally a team bad enough, dumb enough, daring enough (Sing and Dusty Rhodes) had the balls enough to take on the Road Warriors for the sports tag team version of the World's Richest Prize. The worst part of it its, that everyone will likely talk about Hawk's drinking problem, or his drug use, or whatever. The worst part is, some cool guy will make some snide sarcastic remark about how he didn't sell, or he was a hoss blah, blah, blah... but let me tsay, to the Hegstrand family, and to his friends and to his fans, my deepest condolences.
I think it's the lack of words for me anyway expressing how in the world of escapism, in the world of professional wrestling, that unfortunately, reality does exist, and how another titan of the square circle, a Road Warrior, is gone.
Rest In Peace Hawk, you will be missed.
Fallin back on dat ass with a hellified gangsta lean, gettin funky on the mike like an old batch of collard greens, its the CapitalSohyesNpressiondoubleOP, DOdoubleGY DOdoubleG you see.
Wow. It's been said before but this is just sad. It's been barely 15 years since I started watching wrestling, and all these greats that I grew up watching have just been dropping left and right. In this case, I was a huge LOD fan. Who wasn't back then? Hell, I even loved the stuff with Paul Ellering and Rocco. I'm curious to hear the details about this.
At least LOD had their last hurrah of sorts with their RAW apperance earlier in the year. Even though they jobbed and all, at least they got to step into that WWE ring one more time.
I guess this means this week before RAW and Smackdown, we won't get 1 but 2 of those "in memory of..." graphics.
The Road Warriors were tremendously influential in pro wrestling. Big jacked up tough guys who ran through everybody. Every promotion tried to copy the formula but it didn't work. It didn't work because all the clones didn't have the charisma of Hawk and Animal, especially Hawk.
It's really chilling that we can't go through more then a couple weeks without a wrestling star dropping dead way too young.
I always loved the Road Warriors. They were a fantastic team, and Hawk was a huge part of that. His influence on tag team wrestling was huge. That's just terrible news.
Wisconsin Badgers: 6-2 (What a sever letdown. The fact that despite getting outclassed the whole game, we stayed in it gives me a glimmer of hope for the rest of the season.)
Minnesota Vikings: 5-0 (Bye week means I don't have to care as much about football on Sunday! I hope Culpepper rests up.)
One of my favorite phrases came from Hawk (and none of my friends know what I'm talking about when I use it): "wwwwELL! It seem to me that it seems to be..."
And then I make some kind of weird comment about them being a booger on humanity's nose. All with the Hawk voice.
Hawk was awesome. RIP
"Also, don't incur the wrath of P.U. It can only lead to trouble." - Torchslasher
EDIT: People have a happen of giving people more credit than they're due after they die. It's human nature - it happens all the time. (John Ritter, for example, was a hell of a likeable guy and Three's Company was a great show, but he wasn't the greatest comedic talent of his generation, as many people made him out to be.)
But, with the wrestlers we've lost lately, no embellishment has been needed. Curt Henning, Stu Hart, "Classy" Freddie Blassie, Miss Elizabeth - if you had asked people their opinions on these folks the week before they died, you'd have gotten about the same answers you got the week after.
I just picked up the new RAW magazine with Randy Orton on the cover yesterday. The first page details the results of their "Best Tag Team Ever" poll from WWE.com. The Road Warriors won this poll of fifteen teams with a whopping 31% of the vote, beating out such contemporary teams as the Dudley Boyz, The Hardy Boyz, Edge and Christian and the New Age Outlaws, as well as fellow legendary teams like the Hart Foundation, Demolition, The Wild Samoans and The British Bulldogs.
People appriciated the Road Warriors. Even now, people realize the greatness and importance of this team to the sport itself.
He will be greatly missed.
(edited by OlFuzzyBastard on 19.10.03 1658) "So, here's what George W. Bush can't find: The White House leak, the weapons of mass destruction, Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden, a connection between Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden, the dude who mailed the anthrax and his ass with both hands and a flashlight." ---Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live
It's really hard to feel numb anymore, when everytime I log onto this site I'm almost expecting to see those words. Thing is, I'm always expecting the current year to be worse than the next, but it dont happen like that. Henning, Elizabeth, PitBull, Hawk have all died young this year and we still got a couple monthes. 3 or the 4 who played a role of making a once nieve mark kid, the happiest kid; every saturday morning during Wrestling Challenge and Wrestling Superstars Ten O'clock on FOX 19, even if it were only for two hours they were some of the greatest times of my life. Now thier gone, and it's all so fucking senseless.
If this is related to drugs, I just wish his death would have a purpose and serve as a warning for other guys from that generation and younger. But deep down I know it won't mean a damn thing.
I may be ugly, but your stupid, and I can get a job.
Sometimes I ask myself why I watch WWE after all the crap it's given me. HLA, necro, HHH, and so on. And then it hits me. That one simple phrase that can be modified and used for anything that gets you down, yet makes you keep coming back.
Every episode has the potential to be the best one ever, and I'll be damned if I'm going to miss it after sitting through this shit.
And I'm reminded of just how much I marked out when the Road Warriors appeared on Raw not too long ago. Forget the match, just the music and them appearing one more time.....
Feh. Rest in peace.....
Anybody can kick people's asses. But it takes a true monster to kick people's asses AND breastfeed at the same time - Excalibur05
Originally posted by Evil Antler GodAnd I'm reminded of just how much I marked out when the Road Warriors appeared on Raw not too long ago. Forget the match, just the music and them appearing one more time.....
Feh. Rest in peace.....
That's EXACTLY how I felt when they returned. I was hoping that would lead them to one last hurrah, a la Curt Hennig, but, no dice. I think they're my favorite tag team of all-time. RIP Roadwarrior Hawk.
I was never a fan of Hawk's specifically, or that style. It just wasn't my cup of tea, and I won't now pretend it was. However like any reasonable human being I can step back from personal prejudice and call it like I see it, and no one can deny that the Road Warriors had a tremendous impact on professional wrestling and were massive stars in the 80's and, to a lesser extent, the 90's.
Despite the NWA shmucking around with their push, and not delivering on that win that everyone wanted them to have at a major show (Chi-Town Rumble, I think. Anyone?), they remained stars. No amount of personal preference will colour or alter or make less valid the fact that the Road Warriors changed wrestling.
Hawk, who I do believe considered himself "saved", was a major player. He will never be forgotten.
What do you call Albert Einstein beatin' off? Give up? A stroke of genius!
At least LOD had their last hurrah of sorts with their RAW apperance earlier in the year. Even though they jobbed and all, at least they got to step into that WWE ring one more time.
Im shocked too, but i personally didnt like that LOD appareance against the champ duo Kane/ van damm
They deserve a decent way to say good bye to their fans, they doesnt needed to be humilliated- and as a matter a fact wwe doesnt needed to get the spotlight on their drug problems in the last feud they show on raw...but unfortunately my friends...that's the thing WWE does...thats what sport entertainment does...
America only likes the champs, the giants...they dont have a clue for people with real life prblems..
Rest in pece my friend
Thank you for the memories Hawk
damn!
Dr Wagner jr
There's no man in Earth strong enough to hold a Wagner Drive!!
The Road Warriors were always one of my favorites (or Guilty Pleasures, depending on your POV). They were the prototype for many imitations--some good, some not.
Near their height, one of the Apter Mags "asked" wrestlers what would happen in a Hawk vs. Animal Dream Match. The answer attributed to Ellering boiled down to three words: Mutual Total Annihilation. I loved it.
RIP, Hawk.
2002 rspw Quote of the Year: JR--"Lita's no Cheater"