WWE Superstars comment on Hawk

[Lil' Bitch 0]

SOURCE: <http://www.wwe.com>

 

WWE.com asked several of the Superstars for their comments on Mike Hegstrand, aka Road Warrior Hawk. Here is what they had to say:

 

Lance Storm

The Road Warriors were the reason behind me first purposely watching wrestling. My dad was always against wrestling -- wouldn't let us watch it. It was just after seeing the movie, "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior," which I was a big fan of. I was flipping channels, and it was an AWA show. It was just going to commercial and they said, "When we come back, the Road Warriors." I'm like, "Oh cool," because of the connection with the movie. And it was the first time I purposely stayed on a channel to watch wrestling -- to watch the Road Warriors.

 

Molly Holly

When I was 10 years old, my dad took me to an APF power lifting meet. The special guests there were Animal and Hawk, and they were signing autographs. My mom walked me up to the autograph line, and I was so scared because they were the biggest guys. But they didn't have their face paint on, so I was a little confused, being 10. (Laughs) But Animal and Hawk were both very, very nice. So my very first wrestling autograph ever was from Hawk.

 

Ivory

Hawk was actually the first real WWE Superstar that I ever met. We were at a convention where the GLOW girls were promoting the show. WWE and Mr. McMahon sat with us, and I remember the Road Warriors being so charming and interesting. They had all of their garb on with their spiked shoulder pads. But they were very respectful to us all as newcomers to the business. It's such a shame. It's too early to pass on. We see so many unfortunate passings in such a short amount of time. This is my fourth year here in WWE, and it's not like three or four people have passed; it's more like 10 or 15, and some tragically. All of them too young. So it's a very tough business. It’s all the more reason why it's important for people to stay close to their families and make sure their off time is very productive -- lay around, enjoy your kids, kiss your wife and try to get some of that stress out.

 

Steven Richards

The few times I've had the pleasure of talking to Road Warrior Hawk, he was nothing but courteous, kind and always had nothing but positive things to say about my work and what he knew of me as a person. I just wish I had the opportunity to know him better.

 

Theodore Long

We worked a long time for Jim Crockett Promotions. The Road Warriors vs. Doom -- Butch Reed and Ron Simmons. We had a lot of classic matches. Superstars comment on Hawk. The wrestling world is certainly going to miss Hawk. I'm going to miss him. We traveled down the road together. I broke up a fight that him and "Dr. Death" Steve Williams were in one time. I'll never forget that. I mean, me trying to break it up. That wasn't happening. But I was just in there. He always called me "Tedders." God bless his wife and his kids and I just hope that their life will continue to go on as peacefully as possible.

 

Jerry Lawler

The Road Warriors along with Paul Ellering worked for us down in Tennessee basically when they were just starting. Hawk mentioned this every time I'd see him: He'd always come up to me and say, "King, you were the guy who made the Road Warriors." It was the Road Warriors against Austin Idol and me in Memphis one night. I gave him the piledriver, and he got up before I did. That was my finishing move, and when I used the piledriver on someone, that was it. Until that night. At least in Memphis, they were made after that. I really enjoyed working with those guys. They were a huge influence on the business. They were responsible for the change in the appearance of wrestling, and a big change in the style of wrestling, from their time until now. All of a sudden, the Road Warriors were what everybody wanted to look like. And still to this day, guys want to have that look. We worked together probably 40 or 50 times, which is a lot when you think about it. I always had good matches with him.

 

Harvey Whippleman

Hawk and I were the best of friends. I used to travel with Hawk. When he came to Memphis, he stayed at my house, and I don't let that many people from the business come to my home because that's my private time away from the business. But Hawk was one of my good friends. Steve Lombardi and I travel together exclusively in WWE, but one person we always let travel with us was Hawk because he wasn't a troublemaker. In fact, he was a great guy. He would do anything for you. I love Hawk very much. I always stayed in touch with him. He sent me a Christmas card every year. I saved them all. I've still got the invitation to his wedding when he married Dale. He was a great guy and a true good friend of mine, and I'll always miss him. He was a good Christian man too.

 

Kevin Nash

You can't say anything bad about him. He was a good guy. He was a great talent. He and Animal had a hell of a run together. I heard he felt tired and he went to sleep. If anything else, it's nice that he probably wasn't in any pain. Still, another guy at 45 years old, in the prime of his life, is gone.

 

Howard Finkel

I always used to watch them when they were in WCW and the NWA and the AWA, and I always thought that their unique characters combined with their physical prowess was a can't miss. They certainly proved that in those federations. So when we got the opportunity to bring Mike and Joe (Laurinaitis, aka Animal) into our organization, I thought it was a tremendous, tremendous acquisition. I really didn't know Mike all that well, but for the times I got to talk to him about life in general and the wrestling industry in general, he was always very gracious to me. He was also very knowledgeable about our business. The LOD/Road Warriors are one of the most unique tag team combinations in the history of our business, and Mike certainly had a strong presence to make that happen. Twenty years from now, when you ask about some of the greatest catchphrases in our industry, "Oh what a rush!" will probably still be very close to the top of the list.

 

Gerald Brisco

Going back to the earl 1980s, my brother and I had the privilege of working with the Road Warriors quite a bit. Hawk was one of the leaders of the new age of sports entertainment. Politically, I can tell you a story: He helped prevent me from getting my arms and legs broke when I sold Georgia Championship Wrestling to Vince McMahon. There was a lot of animosity towards me and my brother. Hawk and Animal came to me and told me that we'd better watch our backs, and that certain people had put other people up to try to injure my brother and I. To this day, I hold a lot of respect for those guys for breaking ranks and doing what they did.

 

Dave Hebner

I refereed the matches with Animal and Hawk back in the 80s. Two of the greatest guys I've ever been in the ring with. Hawk's one of the guys who would always have your back. If something happened to you, he was there to help you. He was just a great individual.

 

Goldberg

He was one of the inspirations for my character -- no question -- (due to) his intensity and his ferocity in the ring, along with Arn Anderson, Nikita Koloff and guys like that. When I did watch wrestling as a kid, those were the only guys I really watched. Great guy too. It was an honor to finally wrestle on the same card as those guys.

 

"Brooklyn Brawler" Steve Lombardi

I knew both very well. I actually did some road trips with Hawk. I enjoyed his company every time I was with him. Hawk's death touched me; it touched me like a family member. Hawk was a great guy and he'll always be in my heart.

 

Shawn Michaels

I'm going to miss him, but I'm glad to know that I know exactly where he's going to be. I was there when he got saved. Anytime you go, it's too early, I think, for the people in your life. But he was content and happy, and that's about as good of a way as you can go -- being very happy, with everybody in your life knowing where you're going to spend eternity, and knowing that they're going to see you again. That's as good as it gets. It's always heartbreaking whenever people are taken early, but to know they're going to have their family and are going to have peace is nice.

 

Bubba Ray Dudley

One of my heroes has died. I wanted to be in a tag team my whole life. Those were the guys that I remember sticking out the most in my mind as the epitome of tag team wrestling. They weren't the greatest wrestlers in the world, but they were without a doubt that most hated and most loved tag team that ever existed, and that's why, to me, they were the greatest tag team of all time. D-Von and I regret that we never got to actually get in the ring with them and have at least one match. I always thought that somewhere down the line there would be that possibility, and when I saw them here in WWE when they wrestled Kane and Rob Van Dam, I thought the chance was still there. I hope he's in a better place. I hope his soul is at peace. I hope his family's taken care of. I'm sure it's very difficult for his family and for Animal -- for Joe Laurinaitis. Those guys were brothers. More than 20 years they spent together. My hat is off to them and all due respect to those guys.

 

Sgt. Slaughter

I met Hawk and Animal in Minneapolis. We had a tag team match -- myself and Jerry Blackwell against them. Jerry Blackwell, of course, was almost 500 pounds. The first thing Hawk did was grab him and slam him, to everyone's surprise, and I think to Jerry Blackwell's.

 

Jim Ross

When I first went to work for Crockett in the 1980s, he and his partner, Joe, were really supportive of my work, and helped me become accepted in the locker room, which is not always easy for a new guy in our business, or in any locker room. Probably one of the scariest moments of my career was when he had a disagreement with Steve "Dr. Death" Williams in the locker room. And I was the foolhardy soul that happened to be at the right place -- or the wrong place, depending on your perspective -- and stepped in to stop a fight between the two of them. They hadn't come to blows yet, but they were about to. They both, over the years, thanked me for that because they became good friends afterwards. But Hawk and Animal were certainly influential, to say the least, in a strongman style. I'm sure a lot of guys were influenced in tag team wrestling by some things they did. They were phenomenons in their day. At one time, they were without a doubt the best tag team in the world as far as selling tickets and merchandise. You think of Patterson & Stevens and the Brisco Brothers and the Funk Brothers, who were probably better technical wrestlers. But I don't know of any team that sold more tickets, and at the end of the day, that's kind of what it's all about.

 

Stone Cold Steve Austin

I loved Hawk to death. I made a lot of trips with him, to Japan and everywhere in the U.S. Hawk lived life to the fullest. But he was a great guy, he was straight-up, he'd tell you what was going on. He didn't lie, and he'd look at you when he was talking to you. You knew where he stood on everything. I really, really loved Hawk to death, and I'm sad to see him go -- one-half of one of the greatest tag teams in the history of the business.

 

D-Von Dudley

Without a doubt, one of the greatest teams ever, whether it be in WWE, AWA, NWA or WCW. These guys set the trend for tag teams. These guys had charisma. They did what they had to do to attract a crowd. They had that look. They were scary. They had that Road Warrior/Mad Max look that, you knew when you came in the ring, they were going to kick ass. When Bubba and I got here, we wanted so much to be able to work with those guys. When they came back a few months ago, we thought we might have the opportunity to do that. Sadly, we didn't have the time to do it. It's definitely one of the biggest tragedies in this business. What Hawk and Animal have accomplished will never be broken, not by us or any other tag team.

 

Michael Hayes

The Freebirds and the Warriors go back a long, long time. We first met them, and were excited to meet them, in Raleigh, N.C., at Jimmy Crockett's bachelor party. We had a bond from them on. Hawk and I had a real special one too. We drew a lot of money with those guys. What I'll always remember about him is that even though he was a very impressive person verbally and physically, even though he lived by intimidation and could back it up, he really, truly had a good heart. I will miss him every day that I wake up. I saw him a couple of months ago in Gainesville, Ga., and I was in Terry Gordy's son's corner -- my nephew Ray. I had a good talk with Hawk that night. One of the last things he said was, "I hope we get to come up there and work with you guys." I told him, "I'm sure it will happen. I just don't know when." More importantly than anything, Mike straightened out his life and gotten right with the Lord. He'll be missed. There will be tears of joy and tears of sadness, but he'll always be remembered, "Oh yeah!"

 

Faarooq

Hawk and I have been very good friends for a great many years. I was just very sorry to hear about the sudden death of him. I can promise you that he will be missed a great deal by me. I'd like to give my condolences and my sympathies to everyone.

 

Eddie Guerrero

What I remember most about him was him turning over his life to Christ. It just goes to show you the power of Christ. It's amazing. To see the personal change in him -- I mean, I traveled a lot with him in Japan, and I even got into it with him in my heyday. My heart and my prayers go out to his family. The only thing that gives me comfort in this is that he's at rest with God. You just can't express the feeling. You lose a family member. In wrestling, we're all family members. But like I said, I'm thankful that he knows Christ and he's in His presence right now, so there's no more pain, no more sorrow. He's at peace. I truly believe that in my heart.

 

John Laurinaitis

A lot of people realize that Animal is my older brother, and Hawk is his partner. Hawk has been like a brother in our family since they've been together, which is about 21 years. So the loss of Road Warrior Hawk is like a loss of my own brother. Hawk had a great heart. He would give you the shirt off his back. And I think I could say this for everybody: A lot of guys, talent, bosses, males (and) females, are going to miss what he brought to the business. Obviously, the Road Warriors paved the way for a lot of tag teams.

 

Kurt Angle

Hawk and Animal were the innovators of what you would call "guys that can squash their opponents." They proved to be the most dominating tag team in WWE history. Watching them wrestle, they were the kind of guys who would dominate and not get beat up much. I think that they could have still, today, continued with their popularity. that Hawk will be engraved in many wrestlers' minds and in the history books forever.

 

Bradshaw

The most influence tag team in history, by far. They created the monsters that later came about in the tag team division, but they were the originals, and they were the best at it. No matter what people say, that's the simple fact that can't be argued with. Mike was fantastic. I had some absolutely great times with Hawk. He was a good guy and a stand-up guy. There wasn't a dishonest bone in Hawk's body. And they took it like they gave it. They got accused of being overly stiff sometimes. But Hawk didn't mind getting hit hard either. You appreciate that in guys. He was a real man.

 

Scotty 2 Hotty

They were a tag team before there were real tag teams. They set the standard for a lot of teams, even today. For me, being a fan of guys my size, I was still a fan of theirs. I got to work with them. My first real match at Madison Square Garden was against the Road Warriors, before SummerSlam on Sunday Night HEAT.

 

Rikishi

It was the Road Warriors that made SST (Samoan Swat Team) as far as recognition. They were our first rival as far as people with names when we were in NWA. We ran up and down the road a lot. We had a lot of fun times. Much love goes out to his family and friends and everybody that was close to him, and may God bless his soul.

 

Chris Benoit

I remember watching the Road Warriors as a wrestling fan, and then when I first broke into the business, I remember watching them. The first time I was around them was over in Japan. And I didn't know what to expect because their characters on TV were so intimidating. But Hawk was just so down to earth, such a caring person. One of the boys. Just treated me as an equal. I'll never forget that about Hawk, about how right away he came up to me and hugged me, and introduced himself. We've always had a great relationship.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

"But Hawk was just so down to earth, such a caring person. One of the boys. Just treated me as an equal. I'll never forget that about Hawk, about how right away he came up to me and hugged me, and introduced himself."

 

Benoit is a warrior f'n poet. And Eddy Guerrero is probably the only man who could make organized religion seem semi-cool.

[TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0]

Some of those are pretty touching. And LOD did revolutionize the business(for better or worse) so you can't take that away from'em.

 

Benoit, HBK and Bubba's are the best ones. Angle's seems more like a biography though.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Stone Cold Steve Austin

I loved Hawk to death. I made a lot of trips with him, to Japan and everywhere in the U.S. Hawk lived life to the fullest. But he was a great guy, he was straight-up, he'd tell you what was going on. He didn't lie, and he'd look at you when he was talking to you. You knew where he stood on everything. I really, really loved Hawk to death, and I'm sad to see him go -- one-half of one of the greatest tag teams in the history of the business.

 

 

Spoiler (Highlight to Read):

OMG!               AUSTIN KILLED HAWK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[cbacon 0]

Spoiler (Highlight to Read):

OMG!               AUSTIN KILLED HAWK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ha!

[LivingLegendGaryColeman 0]

Stone Cold Steve Austin

I loved Hawk to death. I made a lot of trips with him, to Japan and everywhere in the U.S. Hawk lived life to the fullest. But he was a great guy, he was straight-up, he'd tell you what was going on. He didn't lie, and he'd look at you when he was talking to you. You knew where he stood on everything. I really, really loved Hawk to death, and I'm sad to see him go -- one-half of one of the greatest tag teams in the history of the business.

 

 

Spoiler (Highlight to Read):

OMG!               AUSTIN KILLED HAWK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was thinking that was some bad wording as well...

[geniusMoment 0]

Thats funny because before he died everyone used to rip on hawk for being an ass, hard to deal with and into drugs. I understand he changed his ways but was it not just a couple of months ago the entire locker room got so pissed off at him that it cost the roadies a chance to get back. His bad attitude and dealings with McMahon forced the roadies out of the WWF in the early 90s and his problems were made light of when he came back in the late 90s. It reminds me of that Newsradio episode where the guy died in the copying machine. Dave kept on saying nice things about the guy even though he did not know him. At the end it turns out the guy was in the klan. This portrays hawk as a saint. Give me a fucking break. Just because someone dies doesn't mean you can only say nice things about him, if he was a dick he was a dick.

[Guest One Trick Pony]

and helped me become accepted in the locker room, which is not always easy for a new guy in our business, or in any locker room.

 

You would know JR after using every chance you could to dig on the WCW guys. Asswipe. It seems either Long and JR were both in Hawk/Williams scuffle, there was more than one, or JR is just as senile as we thought.

 

It's funny how Angle alludes to the fact that Hawk and Animal didn't know how to sell and Bradshaw says that they were overly stiff straight out. However it does seem like he's a great guy.

[Toshiaki Koala 0]

So, what exactly did Hawk die of? (I'm assuming it was drug-related)

[Guest ligerbomb03]

So, what exactly did Hawk die of? (I'm assuming it was drug-related)

The cause of death has not been announced (determined?) yet.