Continuing the absolute barrage of wrestlers' deaths this year, which left off with the death of Stu Hart earlier this week...
http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2003...1066586209.php
It is with great regret to announce that Mike Hegstrand, better known to the wrestling world as "Hawk", and half of the legendary "Road Warriors" passed away in his sleep at 1:30 a.m. this morning. He was 45 years old
Hegstrand's greatest success in wrestling was as one half of the legendary tag team "The Road Warriors", also known as "The Legion of Doom". They were former two time WWE Tag Team Champions, former two time WCW Tag Team Champions, and have also had tag team championship reigns in the NWA, the AWA, New Japan, All Japan, and more.
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While I myself have been an outspoken critic of the Road Warriors the past few years as their skills deteriorated past the point of reason, this is still a sad day for wrestling fans and anyone who was a fan of the days when "real" tag teams like the Road Warriors, Demolition, the Rock N Roll Express, Midnight Express, Brain Busters and the Hart Foundation dominated wrestling rings.
Sadder still is that at the age of 45, it's probably yet another drug-related death, like Curt Hennig's death from cocaine at 44 earlier this year. While it's too early to speculate, people simply don't die in their sleep at that age. When are people going to learn? How many well-known wrestlers have "died in their sleep" this past year alone? A dozen? More? Don't even get me started on people like Rick Rude and Brian Pillman, whose deaths are STILL being debated by some with everything from arteriosclerosis to cocaine to painkillers being listed as possible reasons.
Kinda makes all Hawk's "I'm a devout born-again Christian" interviews over the past year seem kind of hollow.
