Wrestling World Reacts to Death of Joe ‘Road Warrior Animal’ Laurinaitis

Courtesy of WWE

Tributes poured in from around the wrestling world for Joe “Road Warrior Animal” Laurinaitis after his death on Wednesday.

Laurinaitis, 60, teamed with Mike “Road Warrior Hawk” Hegstrand for two decades in numerous wrestling promotions, most notably the WWF. Their Mad Max-inspired entrance gear and unmistakable theme music made them one of the most popular tag teams of their era. They won the WWF tag team championship twice and were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011, eight years after Hegstrand’s death. 

After the news of his death, many of Laurinaitis’s former colleagues and the performers of today who grew up idolizing him paid tribute to him on social media. 

Laurinaitis’s two brothers, John (aka Johnny Ace) and Marcus (aka Terminator), were also professional wrestlers. John continues to work in a backstage role with WWE. Laurinaitis was also the father of former Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis.