Turnbuckle Thursday: What a Rush

The crowd is on its feet and there is a hum among them. The air is electric and you can tell that this is going to be something special. Then it happens.

Ronnie Garvin and Magnum T.A. are already in the ring when beginning chord is struck and it echoes throughout the Louisiana Superdome. It’s the opening riff to Black Sabbath’s Iron Man and with that, the crowd erupts. They know something I don’t and my heart is beating. What’s going to happen and that’s when my knowledge of Tag Team Wrestling was about to change.

They weighed over 500 plus pounds as a team. They were F’N behemoths and as they followed their manager, Precious Paul Ellering, I finally saw what would be a tantamount moment in my life. The hulking physiques, the makeup, and the music. The Road Warriors.

It’s 86 and I’m at my friend's house. While I only had the basic antenna TV stations and would only see WWF/WWE for most of my youth, he had satellite and had like a bazillion stations. It was my introduction to this amazing tournament called the Crockett Cup and this was the finals.

The Road Warriors, Legion of Doom, or whatever their names were, Hawk and Animal were Tag Team Kings. Royalty that would leave your mouth open and your eyes never blink as you might miss something important.

Everything about them was pure and unadulterated power. From their straight punches to the finisher, the Doomsday Device, they would pave the way for tag teams of the future.

They won more than the Crockett Cup that day in April, they won the admiration of this kid from Boston.

RIP Animal. Thanks for letting me be a fan.