The SmarK Rant for WWE Vault presents Best of the Legion of Doom

The SmarK Rant for WWE Vault presents Best of the Legion of Doom

Originally written 05.08.26

This one should be fairly straightforward, I’d imagine.

https://youtu.be/PIJ1rLT4MAE?si=PPyBunicLP28od9q

Skywalker Scaffold match: The Road Warriors v. The Midnight Express

Kicking this off with a famous match, from Starrcade 86. I’ve never cared for it, but the heat for it was off the charts. The Warriors of course sprint up the scaffold and they’re ready to hurl people off, while the Midnights take the more conservative approach and delay going up there as long as possible. So once they finally get up there, they pair off and it’s Animal fighting Bobby and Hawk fighting Dennis. Condrey quickly uses powder to blind Hawk, and Bobby thinks that’s a great idea and he does it, also. Animal manages to shove Bobby under the scaffold but can’t get him down due to blindless and whatnot. People start bleeding as Hawk gets Condrey off the scaffold and clinging to the rigging below. So Dennis tries swinging on the bars while Hawk climbs down to go after him, on a shoot BROKEN LEG no less, and then the Warriors follow them out to the middle and kic them both down for the win at 7:00. This one omits poor Jim Cornette falling off the scaffold and Bubba missing the catch. **

The Road Warriors v. The Midnight Express

This is from the 87 Crockett Cup, with Stan Lane now replacing Condrey. Hawk destroys Bobby and sends him running to the floor, where Cornette declares that they’re fighting for a million dollars, or “$333,333 a piece!” That’s an underrated banger of a joke on two levels, first that Cornette is assuming he gets a third of the money for his team winning, and also that Big Bubba is STANDING RIGHT THERE and presumably gets nothing! Back in the ring, Hawk beats on Stan as well and Bubba threatens to get involved on their behalf before the ref talks him out of it. “You’re a chicken shit!” notes someone at ringside. The Warriors double-team Bobby in the corner and Hawk gives him a WICKED chop, which Bobby rightly sells like death and then runs away from Animal. Back in, Animal catches him with a powerslam for two and then nails Stan off the apron, and Cornette has to pep talk his team again with promises of a MILLION DOLLARS. Hawk with a gut wrench on Lane and a flying clothesline for two, but Bobby breaks it up and then comes off the top with his own elbow to take over. Stan chokes him out on the ropes and Bobby uses Cornette’s belt to add more choking, plus a shot from the racket for good measure. Bobby with some shots on Hawk in the corner and Stan necks him on the top rope before Bobby adds a high knee and then antagonizes Animal. So Animal runs in and the Express double-teams Hawk some more and tosses him over the top rope. Back in, Bobby uses the racket again while the idiot ref sees nothing and boots Hawk down while claiming innocence, and Stan adds a savate kick for two. It’s HOT TAG Animal finally and he backdrops Bobby and adds a dropkick, but Eaton falls into the ref and takes him out. It’s BREAKING LOOSE IN TULSA and Cornette throws a fireball at Animal, so the Warriors grab the racket and retaliate until the ref disqualifies them at 12:28 for a rather stunning upset. So the Warriors are OUT and the Midnights go to the semi-finals. These two immediately went together like peas and carrots. ***1/2. The crowd is of course NOT HAPPY with this decision by the referee and lets them know.

NWA World tag team title: Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson v. The Road Warriors

From Starrcade 87. They couldn’t even overdub “Iron Man” with the WWF theme, it’s just more super-generic crap rock. So this is the match that killed Chicago for about a decade afterwards. Arn immediately goes up and Hawk just casually presses him off the top rope and dumps him on the floor. That’s a great spot. Arn tries to overpower Hawk and gets nowhere, so it’s over to Tully. He too gets mauled and press-slammed, and Hawk dropkicks him for two. Tully goes up and Animal catches him with a powerslam for two. The Warriors double-team Tully and batter him in the corner, and finally Arn comes back in to try with Animal. Hawk comes in and tries another press-slam on Tully, but this time Arn takes out his knee and the champs take over. Hawk gets trapped in the corner while the Horsemen work the knee, and Tully gets a figure-four. Arn comes in and works a knucklelock on the mat, but Hawk gets his knees up and makes the hot tag to Animal. It’s BONZO GONZO and Tommy Young gets taken out by Hawk accidentally, and then they hit the Doomsday Device on Arn for the pin and the titles at 13:25 with Hebner counting. BUT WAIT! Young recovers and declares that Arn got tossed over the top, so it’s a DQ and the Horsemen retain. It’s like, Dusty couldn’t even just have the Warriors win by DQ or something, they had to fuck the fans out of the title change they’d waited years to see. **3/4

The Road Warriors v. The Samoan Swat Team

From Clash VIII in 1989. This is of course a blowoff that’s a few months coming. Animal cleans house to start and chases Fatu with a powerslam. Over to Samu and Hawk, as Samu decides to run away and Animal runs over and clobbers him on the floor before sending him back in. Hawk with a fistdrop for two and it’s back to Animal, who overpowers Fatu and the Warriors double-team him for a bit. Hawk clothesline gets two. He charges and hits the COORS LIGHT post, landing on the floor, and Samu drops him on the railing crotch-first for good measure. Back in with a powerslam for two. Fatu with the bearhug, but Hawk fights over for the tag, which is sadly missed by the referee and that allows more double-teams from the SST. Fatu comes in with a Demolition elbow for two and then goes up for the flying splash, but he lands on Hawk’s foot and it’s HOT TAG Animal. He runs wild with a shoulder tackle on Samu for two, but Fatu saves and it’s BONZO GONZO. Paul E throws the phone into the ring, but Hawk steals it and knocks Fatu out, then the Doomsday Device finishes at 6:42. Simple and effective win by the LOD. *** And then Paul Ellering slugs Dangerously out and smashes the phone and that’s the end of the feud, as the SST walks out on Paul to also finish up that chapter.

Legion of Doom v. The Orient Express

From the Main Event #5, Feb 1991, as we jump to the WWF era. Kind of sad they didn’t include the LOD massacring the MX to finally win the World titles in 1988 before getting here. Animal chases Kato out of the ring and catches him with a powerslam back in the ring, and then Tanaka takes a double backdrop and manages to spin around in the air before hitting the ground again. The Express bails to think it over, and back in the ring Hawk dominates Tanaka and beats up Kato as well for good measure. So the Orients bail again, but Animal presses Kato back into the ring and then Hawk clotheslines him to the floor again so Animal can destroy him with a clothesline. I’m not liking the chances for the Orient Express at this point. Back in the ring, Tanaka tries some fancy gymnastics and Animal just clotheslines him, but Fuj the Stooge uses the Racist Salt to blind Animal and take over. That lasts literally 15 seconds before Animal just smashes both of them and makes the hot tag to Hawk, resulting in things somehow getting even worse for the Orients. And the Doomsday Device finishes Kato at 5:14. The heels were basically tackling dummies out there for the LOD. *

WWF World tag team title: The Nasty Boys v. The Legion of Doom

From Summerslam 91 of course. Kind of a weird deal in that this was announced as the LOD’s last title shot, but unless you saw the match at the house shows, they had never even had a FIRST title shot! Realistically they should have won the belts way before this point but with only four PPVs a year there wasn’t a lot of chances. Animal quickly powerbombs Knobs for two and Hawk hits Sags with an enzuigiri for two. Sags uses the Young Bucks’ cold spray on Hawk to take over and drops a tray of drinks on him. Sounds like a normal night for Hawk. Nasties go to work on Hawk in the corner and Knobs puts the boots to him before Sags runs him into the stairs. Back in, Hawk fights back on Sags, but Knobs puts him down with a back elbow for two. Sags goes up for the Shitty Elbow, but Animal makes the save. Knobs goes up as well and lands on Hawk’s foot, and it’s hot tag Animal. He cleans house and powerslams Knobs for two as it’s a DONNYBROOK. Sags gets the helmet from Jimmy and manages to avoid hitting his own partner for once, knocking Animal down for two. So Hawk goes and beats up Jimmy and steals the helmet, nails Sags, and the Doomsday Device finishes to give them the tag team titles at 7:44 for the monster pop. Well hopefully Vince has a good plan to get the belts off them when the time comes. Just kind of a normal tag team match, when it should have been a big brawl. **

The Legion of Doom v. Money Inc.

From Summerslam 92 now as they’re just doing the greatest hits. Dibiase is rocking the all white gear for this and throws chops on Hawk to start, but has to run away when that doesn’t work. Animal throws him back in and then Hawk clotheslines him right back out for an Animal clothesline, and back in he goes again. MAKE UP YOUR DAMN MINDS. These guys are worse than Brexit. Over to IRS and Hawk steps on the tie, but Irwin comes back with the sleeper and he really should have used the tie for extra heat. Hawk escapes, but the heels haul him out for a cheapshot and take over. IRS with elbow drops for two and he goes to the chinlock. Vince and Bobby are such an odd combination together, as Bobby is trying to feed Vince all these lines for jokes and Vince just no-sells everything and barrels on WITH AUTHORITY and no-sells all of it. Kind of weird because every other heel gets to score off Vince constantly on commentary. Hawk tries to fight back and Money Inc cuts him off in the corner, but Hawk basically just no-sells and hits IRS with an awkward clothesline to set up the hot tag, but the heels cut it off again. Another try and it’s a false tag behind the ref’s back, and IRS puts Hawk down with a clothesline this time, but finally it’s hot tag Animal. IRS gets dumped and a corner clothesline on Dibiase sets up the Doomsday Device, but IRS saves with a dropkick. Animal powerslams Dibiase instead and pins him at 12:00 for the win, however. This was decidedly an OK match to open the PPV and nothing more. Hawk in particular looked completely bored despite the giant crowd and electric atmosphere. **1/2

The Road Warriors v. The Steiner Brothers

From Nitro now, 03.11.96. Hawk throws chops on Scott, but gets tossed around with a pair of suplexes while Animal talks shit from the apron. Was this supposed to be a Warriors heel turn around this time? Because I totally do not remember that, but they’re clearly heeling the past couple of shows. Hawk comes back with a neckbreaker and Animal powerslams Scott for two, but Rick comes in and suplexes the shit out of HIM. Top rope belly to belly and they are throwing BOMBS out there tonight. Scott with his own suplex on Animal and he hangs him in the Tree of Woe, but walks into a boot in the corner. Scott goes to the rear chinlock as this thing finally calms down for a minute and the Steiners cut off the ring. Rick pounds him with forearms on the ropes as Bischoff notes that it’s the most vicious crossface maneuver that you’ll see anywhere. Well, I mean…never mind. Hot to Hawk and he powerslams both Steiners, and the Doomsday Device on Rick follows, but Scott saves. It’s BONZO GONZO and now Animal gets tossed and Scott hits Hawk with a flying clothesline, but Animal clotheslines HIM off the top. Frankensteiner on Animal, but Hawk saves. Steiners with the flying bulldog on Hawk, but Animal nails Rick with the gauntlet and Hawk pins him at 10:09. This was the craziest shit you’re gonna see all week, with four big roided monsters suplexing the shit out of each other and absolutely no wrestling to speak of. It was AWESOME. And the best thing that the Warriors did during this run by far. ***1/2 Steiners of course stuck around until the bitter end, while the Warriors were gone soon after this. Can you imagine all the money they would have made feuding with the Outsiders? Jesus.

The Headbangers v. The Legion of Doom

Back to the WWF, with the bizarre ECW RAW episode on 02.24.97. The New York crowd of course loses their shit for the Warriors, who are introduced as “Road Warrior Hawk and Road Warrior Animal, The Legion of Doom” in some strange branding. Never understood what that was about. Animal hits Mosh with a shoulderblock and Hawk comes in with a corner clothesline while the crowd chants “Nitro Sucks” and Vince declares “there’s no censorship in the WWF” in one of the most ridiculous whoppers he’s ever told on TV. Hawk goes to a chinlock on Mosh and blocks a sunset flip before hitting a delayed suplex. But then he misses a charge and hits the post, landing on the floor as we take a break. Back with Animal getting a hot tag, with the crowd already bored of the LOD and falling asleep, and they all brawl on the floor for the lame double countout at 10:30. What a horrible way to reintroduce the Warriors. DUD. It’s the friggin’ HEADBANGERS. Just squash them in 2 minutes and move on with your life.

WWF tag team titles: The Godwinns v. The Legion of Doom

And we finish this rather dull compilation with RAW 10.13.97, with the LOD challenging for the tag team titles. So if the LOD lose, they have to retire. I wish they could have done “If they win they also have to ret. The LOD double-teams Henry and works the arm, and Animal powerslams PIG for two. PIG beats on Hawk in the corner and we take a break. Back with Hawk getting beat up on the floor and the announcers are barely able to bother talking about the match and talk about the other stuff on the show instead. They hype the show in Oklahoma the next week and can’t even pretend that LOD won’t be there. Animal gets run into the stairs while the ref is distracted and the Godwinns continue working on Hawk, while refs attend to the injured Animal. The Godwinns double-team Hawk some more and the ref threatens them with a DQ, so Henry gives him a slop drop, which is somehow not a DQ. “I don’t think the ref saw it!” notes JR. The ref didn’t notice himself getting attacked? I mean, I know refs are blind, but that’s a bit ridiculous. So Animal sees the injustice being perpetrated and runs down to the ring, stealing Uncle Cletus’s horseshoe after an accidental shot to Henry by Cletus, and allowing Hawk to hit a flying clothesline on Phineas while a second referee counts the pin to make the LOD the tag champions for the last time in their careers. ½* And then the Godwinns turn on their Uncle and destroy him, sending him back to Bitters Arkansas, never to return.

Well that was certainly two hours of my time. Just kind of a standard “Best Of” collection on the Vault, good for background noise but not really any kind of serious deep dive into them. It was fine.