Ellering created the Legion of Doom, a large faction including the Road Warriors, the Spoiler, Jake Roberts and Rick Rude at different times. Together, the Road Warriors won their first NWA World Tag Team Championship in a tournament in 1983. The Road Warriors would trade the titles with the teams of Mr. Wrestling II & Magnum TA and Junk Yard Dog & Sweet Brown Sugar. In 1984, the Road Warriors began working for Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association in addition to their bookings for the NWA. 

    They defeated Baron von Raschke & the Crusher to become the AWA World Tag Team Champions in August of 1984 and feuded with the Hennig Family, the Gagnes and others as one of the most ruthless heel tag teams in the AWA. They began appearing for the Giant Baba's promotion, All Japan Pro Wrestling, as well to establish an international following. In the NWA, the Road Warriors wrestled as fan favourites while they stayed heels in the AWA. They feuded with Krusher Kruschev and Ivan Koloff over the NWA World Tag Team Titles, and also teamed against Harley Race & Stan Hansen. They wrestled classic bouts against the Rock-n-Roll Express, the Freebirds, and others. 

    In August of 1986, the Road Warriors won the first Crocket Cup by defeating the teams of Wahoo McDaniel and Mark Youngblood, the Midnight Express and Ronnie Garvin and Magnum TA and participated in a bloody steel cage match at AWA WrestleRock 1986 against the Freebirds. They took to the cage again, defeating Ivan and nikita Koloff at the joint AWA/NWA event Rage in the Cage in May of 1986, defeated them again in a Russian Chain Match at the 1986 Great American Bash, and then teamed with Babydoll to defeat the Midnight Express and Jim Cornette, once again in a steel cage. The Road Warriors wrestled their first Starrcade in 1986, defeating the Midnight Express in a Scaffold Match. They later won the NWA International Tag Team Titles from Jumbo Tsuruta and Genichiro Tenyru. 

    The awesome Road Warriors made history by taking part in the first ever War Games cage match at the 1987 Great American Bash, teaming with Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff and their manager Paul Ellering to defeat Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Lex Luger and manager James J. Dillon. They would also win the re-match where the War Machine, who would go on to become the Big Bossman and a close friend of both Road Warriors, replaced Dillon. The Road Warriors continued teaming with Dusty Rhodes in six man tag team matches, winning the Six Man Tag Team Titles of the NWA from Ric Flair, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard in July of 1988. Later that month, they teamed with Jimmy Garvin, Ronnie Garvin and Steve Williams to defeat Kevin Sullivan, Mike Rotundo, Ivan Koloff, Al Perex and the Russian Assassin. In October, they made history by winning the NWA World Tag Team Titles from the Midnight Express before successfully defending them against Dusty Rhodes and Sting at the 1988 Starrcade. The Road Warriors kept feuding with Kevin Sullivan and the Varsity Club, culminating in a classic at WrestleWar 1989. They wrestled their final War Games Match in July of 1989, teaming with the Midnight Express and Steve Williams to defeat the Freebirds and the Samoan Swat Team. The Road Warriors would continue to feud with the Skyscrapers, Samoan Swat Team, Freebirds, Doom, and Steiner Brothers before deciding to change career paths. 

    The Road Warriors dropped Paul Ellering as their manager and signed with the World Wrestling Federation in the summer of 1990. They made a major impact, feuding with the team that had been privately called a Road Warrior rip-off, Demolition. It was expected the two teams would clash over the WWF World Tag Team Titles but at Summer Slam 1990, the Road Warriors, now known as the Legion of Doom, helped Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart take down Demolition for the titles. The Legion of Doom would join the Ultimate Warrior and Kerry von Erich to defeat Mr. Perfect and all three members of Demolition at Survivor Series, but continued to feud with Demolition into early 1991. The pair entered the 1991 Royal Rumble match and together, eliminated the Undertaker. When the WWF toured Japan, the Legion of Doom defeated Hulk hogan and Genichiro Tenyru in the Tokyo Dome in a match replacing the anticipated Hogan-Rhodes bout. 

    The Legion of Doom finally captured the WWF World Tag Team Championship at the 1991 Summer Slam, becoming the first team to ever win the NWA, AWA and WWF Tag Team Title belts. They would feud with Power and Glory after that, before coming against the awesome Natural Disasters. The Legion of Doom teamed with the Big Bossman against IRS and the Disasters at the 1991 Survivor Series and emerged sole survivors out of everyone. In early 1992, the Legion of Doom dropped the WWF World Tag Team Titles to the Million Dollar Man and IRS, known as Money Inc, setting the stage for the return of Paul Ellering with a ventiloquist's dummy named Rocco. The angle was largely embarassing and Hawk quit the company. Animal remained, briefly teaming with former Demolition member, Crush, as the new Legion of Doom but an injury forced Animal out of the business for a time. 

    Hawk went to Japan to form the Hellraisers with Kensuki Sasaki. The pair won the IWGP International Tag Team Titles in December of 1992. When that ran its course, Hawk returned to the United States to join World Championship Wrestling as Dustin Rhodes' tag team partner in a feud against Rick Rude and the Equalizer. Hawk would face Rick Rude in 1993 for the NWA World Title on an edition of Clash of the Champions, but a Road Warrior reunion was sought by the fans. Animal did appear for WCW a few times, but did not wrestle as he was still collecting his insurance policy. 

    Both men were retired for a time, but made a strong comeback in January of 1996 for WCW as the Road Warriors. Reunited, the Road Warriors feuded with the Faces of Fear, Harlem Heat, Lex Luger & Sting, the Nasty Boys and the Steiner Brothers during a time of great depth in the WCW Tag Team Roster. The pair weren't able to capture the WCW World Tag Team Titles and soon grew tired of WCW, leaving in the summer of 1996. 

    They made their triumphant return to the World Wrestling Federation and re-adopted the Legion of Doom name. They defeated the Headbangers in their surprise, return bout during RAW before joining Ahmed Johnson in his feud with the Nation of Domination. At Wrestlemania XIII, the Legion of Doom and Ahmed defeated hte Nation in a Chicago Street Fight, before beginning a feud with the Godwinns and then the WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith. In June of 1997, the Legion of Doom almost captured the WWF Tag Team Titles in a bout against Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin. The Legion of Doom became lost in the mid-card of the WWF, battling the Godwinns, Hart Foundation, New Blackjacks and remnants of the Nation of Domination. In October, they finally regained the gold, defeating the Godwinns on RAW. They only held the gold for a month before dropping the belts to the New Age Outlaws. They went on to feud with the NWA representatives Jeff Jarrett, Barry Windham and the Rock-n-Roll Express after that before leaving the WWF for a time. 

    They made their return as Wrestlemania XIV along with Sunny as their new manager. They quickly stormed through and won the Tag Team Battle Royal at that card and began chasing the New Age Outlaws for the World Tag Team Titles. They faced opposition, though, when their former manager Paul Ellering returned to the WWF to take the Disciples of Apocalypse up against the Road Warriors in a feud. Gradually, Darren Drosdov began appearing with the team and Hawk's previous battles with alcoholism were exploited before the Legion of Doom left the WWF as regular competitors for good in 1998. 

    The pair wrestled occasionally after that, battling legendary foes like the Samoan Swat Team, Barbarian, Warlord and others. Animal even took part in WCW toward its end as the bodyguard for Ric Flair. When WCW closed, the Road Warriors reunited to join TNA wrestling in an alliance with Jeff Jarrett and Dusty Rhodes against Vince Russo's Sports Entertainment X-Treme. They won their final championship together in Japan with a reign as IPW Hardcore Tag Team Champions. They returned to the WWF for one night only in a losing effort against WWE Tag Team Champions Rob VanDam and Kane on RAW. They won their last American championship in 2003, winning the PCW World Tag Team Titles to celebrate their 20th anniversary as a team. 

    Tragedy struck the wrestling business when Michael "Hawk" Hegstrand passed away in his sleep at the age of 46 due to heart disease. Animal began working with the WWE to create a Road Warriors tribute DVD and soon returned to team with Heidenreich as the second version of the new Legion of Doom in the WWE. They won the WWE Tag Team Titles and were quite popular but Heidenreich soon left the company and Animal became a heel. Animal was finally released from his contract in 2005 and is now retired. 

    The Legion of Doom, the Road Warriors... they set the standard. Demolition and the Powers of Pain were obviously influenced by his great team that showed the awesome power of tag team power houses in an era when technical wrestling was the norm. They broke barriers by becoming champions in three American companies and excelled in Japan. They even took the wrestling interview to new heights, showing an intensity that few have matched, and evident with Hawk's trademark growl "Oooh what a rush!". There is no doubt that these two men, the Road Warriors, belong here in the UWOW Hall of Fame.