Hack-Man Pro-Wrestling Road Warrior Page

Last updated 4 December 1999

The Road Warriors

by Donald Brugel, Nicole Rossi, Christina Ramirez, and Sally Gould

We interviewed tag team wrestlers, The Road Warriors - Animal and Hawk - of the National Wrestling Alliance, before their match at the Nassau Coliseum recently. Animal and Hawk, who wouldn't tell us their real names, have been childhood friends, since growing up in Chicago. They've won the NWA and AWA Tag Team titles, and the Jim Crockett Senior Memorial Cup. They decided to go into wrestling while watching it on TV; they didn't think there was anyone who could beat them. They were right because they've been rated either No. 1 or 2 since joining the sport five years ago. They are married and live in Minneapolis, Minn.



Question:When did you start wrestling?

Hawk:We've kind of been doing it all our lives, but we haven't been getting paid for it, if you know what I mean. About five years a promoter saw some of our handiwork, and he asked us to join him.

Question:Do your parents like profession?

Animal: They are happy if I can make money any way I can. Hawk: My parents lost control of me since I was a little kid, so they go along with anything I want to do.

Question:How often do you practice?

Hawk:We fight so much in a year's time, we really don't practice. We're in shape all the time. We wrestle 100 times a year. We stay in shape by doing road work and lifting weights.

Question:Do you have enemies?

Hawk:Everyone is our enemy when we are in the ring. When you are in a money match, you have to learn to put friendships aside and we look out for each other all them time. Animal: Anyone who fights the Road Warriors is making themselves our enemy.

Question:Do you have any other hobbies besides wrestling?

Animal: No. It takes up too much time. All our time is taken up with working out.

Question:What are your most dangerous moves?

Hawk:I think mine is the clothesline off the top. His would be the slam off the top of the rope. Animal: Our most devastating move is when I put the guy on my shoulders and Hawk comes off the top of the ropes.

Question:How do you celebrate after a victory?

Hawk:Me and Animal have won so many matches that we're tired of celebrating. We like to win.

Question:Why did you choose to join the NWA?

Animal: The quality of wrestlers themselves are better in this league. I'm not going to put down the others because we may one day wrestle there. There are a lot wrestlers in this organization that we have scores to settle.

Question:Do you have a choice to be a bad guy or a good guy?

Animal: There are no bad guys or good guys in wrestling. People make their own choices, they decide who they want to be good or bad. In the beginning, when they saw us with our mohawks and our style of wrestling, nobody liked who we were. After a while people began to respect us because we went out there - said exactly what we were going to do and then we did it. Now people say we are good guys, when actually we haven't changed a thing.

Question:What's your strategy for tagging out?

Hawk:There is no strategy, you tag when you are ready. Sometimes you will do it when you want to do a tag team move on someone.

Question:Do you ever dream of a different career?

Hawk:We had no idea of what we wanted to do. We were just young kids in a big city.

Question:Has anything embarrassing ever happened to you in the ring?

Animal: No. I think were the ones who have embarrassed people.

Question:Have you ever hurt a referee?

Animal: Sometimes a referee gets in the way. We never intentionally hit a referee, that would result in a fine and suspension.

Question: How long does it take to put on makeup?

Hawk:It takes me about 10 minutes.

Question:What does your war paint represents?

Hawk:Our makeup takes about 10 minutes. It's just a way to start up before going into the ring.

Q.. What do you do before you match starts?



Animal: We just try to build each other's confidence.