"There was no one greater than The Road Warriors" - Former WWE Champion reveals his admiration for the iconic tag team
AJ Styles has heaped praise on The Road Warriors as his favorite tag team from his childhood.
In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, where wrestling stars revealed their favorite or most important matches, the former WWE Champion instantly recalled memories of Animal and Hawk in their scaffold match from Starrcade 86.
Here is what Styles had to say about The Road Warriors:
“As I got older, I became drawn to the athleticism, like when Sting would splash somebody in the corner or when Lance Storm would hit a dropkick.” “But when I was younger, there was no one greater than The Road Warriors.”
“I know I don’t wrestle anything like them, but man, I loved The Road Warriors.” “Their scaffold match [against The Midnight Express from Starrcade ’86] meant everything to me.”
“I can still close my eyes and picture the video store.” “I’d search on the back of all those covers for The Road Warriors. I’m absolutely nothing like those guys in the ring, but the influence they had on me at a young age, it was magic. That’s the beauty of pro wrestling, and I’m grateful that we can still make these memories today.” - Sports Illustrated
AJ Styles says people would "criticize" the Road Warriors' scaffold match today
AJ Styles also said that fans may be critical of something like a scaffold match, should the match happen today, because of how much the wrestling product has evolved over the years:
“It was so different, so unbelievable.” “I’m sure, if that happened now, we’d say, ‘What is this?’ and criticize it, mainly because everyone is just so limited up on that scaffold. But back then, there was nothing like it. I remember renting it again and again at the video store.”
The Road Warriors would win multiple championships across several promotions during their careers. Sadly, neither Hawk nor Animal are still with us, with Hawk passing away in 2003 and Animal passing away just last year in 2020. They are widely regarded as one of the greatest tag teams of all time.