Road Warrior Animal Passes Away At 60 Years Old, World Reacts

Wrestling fans are waking up today to learn about the passing of Road Warrior Animal. The news is still fresh, but fans and wrestlers are pouring in tributes.

Road Warrior Animal Passes Away At 60 Years Old

Sad news to report this morning as Road Warrior Animal, real name Joseph Michael Laurinaitis, has passed away. Laurinaitis was 60 years old.

The news comes as surprise as there were no reports about his health. As of now, there is no word on what led to his passing.

He is best known as one half of the The Road Warriors, who were also called the Legion of Doom. Many have placed them in the debate for the greatest tag team in pro wrestling history.

Personally, they were my favorite tag team growing up. Their energy, face paint and awesome spiked pads were a hit with fans.

History Of The Road Warriors

Road Warrior Animal began his wrestling career in 1983 for Georgia Championship Wrestling. He was quickly paired with Road Warrior Hawk, who passed away suddenly in October 2003.

Together, along with Paul Ellering as their manager, they would dominate across the world. They held tag titles in Japan, WWE and other promotions.

Also, they spent time in WCW and also appeared for Impact Wrestling during their early days. To this day, a major pop from the crowd is still called a ‘road warrior pop.’

In 2011, the Road Warriors with Paul Ellering were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. In recent years, Road Warrior Animal made sporadic appearances on WWE TV; mostly with a quick appearance during a segment featuring other wrestling legends.

Now, one of the greatest tag teams are together once again. For now, there are plenty of great moments to remember and share about the fallen superstar.

It is likely that WWE and AEW will pay their respects during tonight’s NXT and Dynamite. 

From everyone at Wrestle Newz, we send our thoughts to the friends and family of Joseph Michael Laurinaitis. 

World Reacts

Wrestlers Send Their Condolences