16 Best Road Warriors Matches, According To Dave Meltzer

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• Dave Meltzer obviously has a particular taste in wrestlers and the duo of Road Warrior Hawk and Animal fit that to a tee. Being the recipient of more than a few high ratings from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Although their style is very much different than what many fans perceive as Meltzer's preference of smaller, speedier wrestlers, Hawk and Animal still received high ratings from wrestling's premier historian. Here are just a few of the highest ratings Mr. Meltzer has given The Road Warriors tag team.

The Road Warriors, also known as the Legion of Doom, were, and perhaps are, the most popular tag team in pro wrestling history. After all, Hawk and Animal went around the globe collecting championships and leaving crushed bodies in their wake.

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Be it in the AWA, NWA, WCW, or WWE (as LOD), the duo found massive success. Their signature move, Doomsday Device, is still seen as one of the most devastating and protected finishers ever, and their legacy lives on in the tag teams seen today. How good were their matches, though? Dave Meltzer's ratings could be an accurate indicator of their in-ring prowess.

UPDATE: 2023/08/16 07:30 EST BY ETHAN SCHLABAUGH

Dave Meltzer obviously has a particular taste in wrestlers and the duo of Road Warrior Hawk and Animal fit that to a tee. Being the recipient of more than a few high ratings from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Although their style is very much different than what many fans perceive as Meltzer's preference of smaller, speedier wrestlers, Hawk and Animal still received high ratings from wrestling's premier historian. Here are just a few of the highest ratings Mr. Meltzer has given The Road Warriors tag team.

16 With Power Warrior Vs. Rick Steiner, Scott Norton & Scott Steiner, NJPW Battle Formation In Tokyo Dome 1996 (3.25 Stars)

A match with the now three-person Road Warriors, also containing Power Warrior, saw them take on fellow heavyweights Rick Steiner, Scott Norton, and Scott Steiner. As expected, this was a hard-hitting affair that played true to the performers involved.

The legendary tag team again came out on top, but this was a match that elevated everyone involved. Also, this TV show card contained the likes of Great Muta, The Great Sasuke, Randy Savage, Jushin Thunder Liger, and Lex Luger.

15 Vs. Rick & Scott Steiner, WCW Nitro (3.25 Stars)

In a match that started off at The Road Warriors facing off against The Nasty Boys, Scott and Rick Steiner made their returns to WCW after four years away from the company. The Steiners took The Nasty Boys out of the match and replaced them for this incredible television bout.

The match broke out into total chaos before the finish of the match saw The Steiners steal their opponent's finishing maneuver and hit Hawk with The Doomsday Device. Animal then hit Rick with a spiked weapon granting Animal the pinfall victory. This is the highlight of the Road Warriors' brief 1996 run in WCW.

14 With Ahmed Johnson Vs. Crush, Faarooq & Savio Vega, WrestleMania 13 (3.25 Stars)

Sandwiched in between the instant classic Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Submission match and the awful Sycho Sid vs Undertaker main event was this fun brawl. The Road Warriors, as the Legion Of Doom, team up with Ahmed Johnson to take on The Nation Of Domination's Crush, Faarooq & Savio Vega in a six-man Tag Team Chicago Street Fight at WrestleMania 13.

This match resulted from Johnson's feud with Nation leader Faarooq, who had injured and forced him to vacate the Intercontinental Championship. LOD helped their tag team partner get a measure of revenge by winning the bout.

13 Vs. Bobby Eaton & Dennis Condrey, NWA Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup 1986 (3.5 Stars)

The Road Warriors took on long-time rival Bobby Eaton as he tagged with Dennis Condrey in a new iteration of The Midnight Express. This bout occurred as a Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup 1986 Quarter Final Match.

This time, however, Animal and Hawk got the better of The Midnight Express, winning the bout and advancing to the tournament's semi-final. They would win the whole thing by beating Ron Garvin and Magnum T.A. in the finals.

12 Vs. Bobby Eaton & Dennis Condrey, Starrcade 1986 (3.5 Stars)

A historic rivalry took place in 1986 where The Road Warriors and The Midnight Express faced each other countless times that year. Their Starrcade 1986 match is a highlight of this feud.

At NWA Starrcade 1986, the duos met in a Scaffold Tag Team Match that was seven minutes of excellent tag wrestling. In the end, the Road Warriors walked away with their hands held high and bragging rights till the next time the two tandems met.

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11 With Power Warrior Vs. Keiji Muto, Riki Choshu & Satoshi Kojima, NJPW Summer Struggle 1996 - Tag 19: WCW World In Sapporo (3.5 Stars)

At the joint TV show between NJPW and WCW called Summer Struggle 1996, the Road Warriors tagged with Power Warrior to take on Keiji Muto, Riki Choshu, and Satoshi Kojima. Animal and Hawk had enough experience in Japan to always leave a mark when they traveled there.

This match was no different, and the participants put in quite the brawl before the Road Warriors and Power Warrior came out on top. This association with the legendary tag team also helped young mid-carder Kensuke Sasaki, who adopted the Power Warrior moniker, become a main event player.

10 Vs. Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard, Starrcade 1987 (3.5 Stars)

Surpassing their Starrcade 1986 match against Eaton and Condrey, The Road Warriors challenged Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard for the NWA World Tag Team Championships. Both teams were accompanied by their managers Paul Ellering and J.J. Dillon respectively.

Another match for The Road Warriors ended in a DQ after Blanchard knocked out the referee and Animal threw Anderson over the top rope. A second ref would count a pinfall for The Road Warriors, but the initial ref reversed the decision and DQ'ed them.

9 Vs. Steve Williams & Mike Rotunda, NWA WrestleWar '89 (3.5 Stars)

The debut WrestleWar PPV featured an NWA World Tag Team Championship match between champions, The Varsity Club (Steve Williams and Mike Rotunda) facing off against The Road Warriors. The champions would lose the match but retain via a disqualification.

The match ended when Dan Spivey and Kevin Sullivan attacked special guest referee Nikita Koloff causing the DQ. After the show, WCW decided to vacate the NWA World Tag Team Championships due to the controversy and crowned new champions in The Fabulous Freebirds.

8 Vs. Booker T & Sting, WCW Uncensored 1996 (3.5 Stars)

At the second WCW Uncensored PPV during the semi-main-event match, Sting and Booker T were partnered together to face the Road Warriors in a Chicago Street Fight. The match lasted almost 30 minutes before Sting and Booker T got the victory.

After the show, Booker T was still wrapped up with the Road Warriors while Sting main-evented the following Slamboree against The Giant for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Booker T had to team with Animal in a Lethal Lottery tag team match against Hawk and Lex Luger.

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7 Vs. Genichiro Tenryu & Hulk Hogan, WWE/SWS WrestleFest (3.5 Stars)

In a stacked and crazy card featuring matches such as Randy Savage vs. George Takano or Koji Kitao vs. John Tenta, WWE and SWS combined PPV WrestleFest was main-evented by The Road Warriors going against Hulk Hogan and Genichiro Tenryu.

The match lasted 14 minutes with The Road Warriors surprisingly getting the victory, even if it was via count-out. Dave Meltzer gave the match 3.5 stars, the highest rating on the entire card.

6 Vs. Genichiro Tenryu & Jumbo Tsuruta, AJPW Excite Series 1987 (3.75 Stars)

The Road Warriors met Genichiro Tenryu & Jumbo Tsuruta in an NWA International Tag Team Title Match at the 1987 AJPW Excite Series. The two teams put on a hard-hitting affair and were rewarded so by Dave Meltzer.

Interestingly, the fearsome duo won the titles from their Japanese rivals after almost 11 and a half minutes of intense action, with the straps switching hands via a count-out win for the Road Warriors.

5 Vs. The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane), NWA Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup 1987 (4 Stars)

This traditional tag team match saw the Road Warriors take on Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane, who formed the legendary The Midnight Express tandem. They faced off in the Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup 1987 quarterfinal match, which the latter won.

These two tag teams also enjoyed a tremendous rivalry, and their chemistry showed whenever they were put together in the ring.

4 With Bobby Eaton, Stan Lane & Steve Williams vs. Fatu, Jimmy Garvin, Michael Hayes, Samu, & Terry Gordy, NWA The Great American Bash '89 (4 Stars)

The Road Warriors, known for their vicious and brawling nature, were made for a gimmick like WarGames, so it is no surprise that they were involved in seven of the first ten such matches and 11 of the first 15, winning them all.

Their third best-rated match by Dave Meltzer was the 1989 iteration of the legendary match, as they teamed with Bobby Eaton, Stan Lane, and Steve Williams to get the better of Fatu, Jimmy Garvin, Michael Hayes, Samu, and Terry Gordy.

3 With Goldust, Ken Shamrock & Steve Austin Vs Bret Hart, Brian Pillman, Jim Neidhart, Owen Hart & The British Bulldog, WWE In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede 1997 (4.25 Stars)

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Tagging with Goldust, Ken Shamrock, and Steve Austin, the Road Warriors (as the Legion of Doom) took on the Hard Foundation in a great match.

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The show is considered one the best WWE has ever put on, receiving critical acclaim from wrestling publications, websites, and fans. This match may have furthered the Austin-Bret feud, but every participant did their bit to make it a superb watch.

1 With Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, Paul Ellering Vs Arn Anderson, JJ Dillon, Lex Luger, Ric Flair & Tully Blanchard, WarGames @ NWA The Great American Bash 1987 (5 Stars)

A match containing the who's who of professional wrestling saw the Road Warriors team up with Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, and Paul Ellering to take on The Four Horsemen (Arn Anderson, JJ Dillon, Lex Luger, Ric Flair, and Tully Blanchard) in a 26-minute classic.

This was also the first-ever WarGames bout and boy, it set a precedent that is still hard to beat. During this period, they also faced one of their most legendary rivals, Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson.