Who Was Better: The Road Warriors, or Demolition?

[DiscipleofWrestling]

I got this far into your post, stopped, and immediately looked to see how young you were. Yep, 22.

Sorry bro, but you have no idea what you are talking about. Do some research, buy some DVD's. Anything...but please don't waste people's times with ridiculous threads like this.

Not only are the Roadies better than Demolition (who were legends), but they were and always will be the best tag team in the history of the sport. No questions about it.

First off, that's quite a big leap to tell someone they don't know what they are talking about based on their age. You don't know how much research a person's done or how many DVDs they have. Secondly, there's nothing "ridiculous" about it. For years, all I've heard is that Demolition was Vince McMahon's ripoff of the Legion of Doom and that L.O.D. was mistreated from the moment they came into the company.

Before I continue, let me check. Do I have DVDs of L.O.D. so I can meet the standards set by the above? Check. Ok, I'm qualified. Damn, I'm only 25 though. I wasn't around to remember Jimmy Snuka either. Damn. Oh well, I'll have to depend on the research I've done and the countless hours I've spent watching wrestling to give me a solid answer here to live up to these high standards.

And here's my response:

L.O.D. is only slightly better than Demolition as a whole although I prefer Demolition to the Legion of Doom. L.O.D. to me comes off as the stereotype of what people expect when they watch wrestling: two bullies who rough up their opponents and spit slobber during their promos, promising death, destruction, and mutilation to their opponents. It also doesn't suck when you are consistently fighting some of the best tag teams that wrestling had at the time: The Midnight Express, The Steiner Bros., Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, The Freebirds, and others before even crossing over into WWF. Also, consider this: The Road Warriors bounced around from promotion to promotion, only adding more prestige to their name when they were booked to win over that promotion's top tag team. And while some would have you believe that the L.O.D. was treated like a White House intern under the Clinton Administration while in WWF, the fact is they won a WWF Tag Team Championship and defeated some of the top teams WWF had to offer: The Hart Foundation, The Nasty Boys, Money Inc., Demolition (version 3 or 4 depending on your definition), and The Natural Disasters.

Demolition, on the other hand, didn't have the luxury to jump promotion to promotion to add to their name. They do appear to be WWF's answer (not ripoff, there's a difference) to the popularity of the Legion of Doom: makeup on their faces and unique entrance attire. Demolition were a little different than Legion of Doom though. L.O.D. had both the strength and the ability to do aerial maneuvers if necessary to beat an opponent. Demolition lived up to its name: demolishing opponents with their brute force and strength. Demolition also held the WWF Tag Team Championship for a record amount of time in an era where the Hart Foundation, The Rockers, The Twin Towers (Akeem and Boss Man), The Bulldogs, Arn and Tully, and The Powers of Pain (a TRUE L.O.D. ripoff) were around. To their credit, they also were OVER with the crowd. They were getting applause while they were being "the heels" at events like WrestleMania IV. And the pop they received at WrestleMania VI after their victory was enormous as well. They also became the first 3 time WWF Tag Team Champions during their title run. Also, and here's a shocker: they sold well.

But, in the end, it's hard to compare a good run of two men who had maybe 2 or 3 years together compared to a team that had a good decade and a half (even when you take out their time apart) together. So, yes, I have to give the nod to Legion of Doom as the "better overall" tag team. However, let's not shun Demolition as they were given a job to do, and they more than lived up to it. In my opinion, what Demolition did during their run means more to me than what the Road Warriors did. The Warriors were able to go from promotion to promotion and have their way essentially with the talent on the roster. Demolition was an in-house product that was created to fill a need for a real roughhouse tag team in the company. Give credit to Ax and Smash while singing the praises of Hawk and Animal.

 

[Hulkamaniac]

Other than being superior in-ring workers (from a safety and selling perspective...I think LOD's offense looked far superior, stiff or not), I think LOD/Road Warriors get the nod. The bottom line is this: they were bigger...MUCH bigger draws. They're probably the top drawing tag team of all time. Fans ate everything they did up. And, in the end, that's really what matters most.

People talk about how they were booked so strong, but they only got booked that way because it sold HUGE.

I never thought either team was a GREAT promo, but both were strong. I think Hawk and Animal's intensity was a little better and more appropriate.

From a look perspective, I liked Demolition's masks, but I thought the shoulder pads and overall builds of Hawk and Animal were scarier.

Then, there's the undeniable fact that Demolition were a rip off of the Road Warriors. I'm not saying that's dispositive as to who's the better team, but it has to be acknowledged, and it has to take some points away from Demolition in this discussion.

So, overall, I'd say Road Warriors/LOD are the superior historical tag team, even though I'm not a huge fan myself.

 

[JoonDaGr8One]

I liked both groups but i give the nod to the Road Warriors because they were beasts growing up watching them in the 80's and 90's everybody i know love LOD. It wasn't even close, its easy to pick them apart now on dvds but if you were watching wrestling back then it was LOD over everybody not just Demolition. I promise you ppl liked hart foundation and the rockers but everybody loved LOD. They even had a WWF game in the arcade that was tag team only and you fought Hawk and Animal at the end and they was super hard to beat even with the Warrior/Hogan team. In my eyes Demolition was good but LOD was just better nobody really cared about selling moves back then see Sting, Hogan and Warrior.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Demolition is better than LOD in every way shape, form, and fashion. Demolition dominated tag team wrestling in an era where it was golden moreso than LOD. I held no interest while watching a Legion of Doom match because it was boring as hell. Vince trusted Demolition to be the longest reigning tag team champions of all time and it must be because they were better workers.

Most of these posts are like saying that since Big Show has won the ECW, WWE, and WCW heavyweight championships that he is better than somebody like Cena or the Rock.

 

[dcfromcc]

Other than being superior in-ring workers (from a safety and selling perspective...I think LOD's offense looked far superior, stiff or not), I think LOD/Road Warriors get the nod. The bottom line is this: they were bigger...MUCH bigger draws. They're probably the top drawing tag team of all time. Fans ate everything they did up. And, in the end, that's really what matters most.

People talk about how they were booked so strong, but they only got booked that way because it sold HUGE.

I never thought either team was a GREAT promo, but both were strong. I think Hawk and Animal's intensity was a little better and more appropriate.

From a look perspective, I liked Demolition's masks, but I thought the shoulder pads and overall builds of Hawk and Animal were scarier.

Then, there's the undeniable fact that Demolition were a rip off of the Road Warriors. I'm not saying that's dispositive as to who's the better team, but it has to be acknowledged, and it has to take some points away from Demolition in this discussion.

So, overall, I'd say Road Warriors/LOD are the superior historical tag team, even though I'm not a huge fan myself.

yeah but who was better? not who was more over.
as workers smash and ax were far ahead of the warriors, who were a good team, but not solid workers or could tell the stories or sell or do all that sports entertainers do to make them good Workers... take in point he reason the road warriors didnt get hired in the last try out match, hawk didnt properly sell kane's chokeslam..mostly cause they never sold anything before.


i really enjoyed bill eadie's work as masked superstar, as a machine, and like demolition, i also marked for LOD minus rocko, just think The Axer and Smasher were better.

 

[Davi323]

You guys do know that the Road Warriors had already had a good career before you ever saw them in a WWF ring, right? They had already won multiple tag team championships in Japan, the NWA, the AWA, and elsewhere. In fact, the Road Warriors won every major tag team title that was available to win. They won tag team titles in 3 different decades. They were also named PWI's #1 tag team of all time.

Don't get me wrong, I am not bashing Demolition. I too enjoyed them. But, they were really two singles guys thrown together to form a tag team, where the LOD were a tag team for almost their entire careers. Whether or not they were a ripoff of the LOD doesn't matter to me, but their accomplishments do. They were a great WWF only tag team. But the Road Warriors were a truly global tag team. When they debuted in the WWF for the first time, they were already slowing down a bit. They weren't in their prime anymore. They were still very, very good. But their best days were already behind them. Judging them by their time in the WWF is completely unfair to their true legacy.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The mistake here is to assume they were thrown together... Bill Eadie had the pick of his partner... he was that well respected... they tried Moondog COlley and it bombed, but he picked Darsow from there... thrown together no... put together yes...

The Road Warriors had the hype... the fan hype... Demos had Vince's machine 100% behind them... 1 system works/worked... one doesn't... hence the LOD...

 

[Tenta]

The mistake here is to assume they were thrown together... Bill Eadie had the pick of his partner... he was that well respected... they tried Moondog COlley and it bombed, but he picked Darsow from there... thrown together no... put together yes...

The Road Warriors had the hype... the fan hype... Demos had Vince's machine 100% behind them... 1 system works/worked... one doesn't... hence the LOD...

I'm sorry, what? How can you say Demoltion didn't work? My God, they're the longest reigning Tag Team Champions of all time, man. Of all fucking time. Vince wouldn't do that if the team didn't work. I'd argue they got the third, biggest pop of the night after beating The Colossal Connection at Wrestlemania VI, only behind Warrior and Hogan. Read; on that night, they were the second biggest attraction. Not sure what you mean by Demoltion didn't work, but for the love of God, get out of here with that shit, because it's kinda dumb. Vince gave his backing to Demoltion far more than The LOD, and they got better reactions the LOD did, mate. Tis true

 

[CobraVenom]

Not sure what you mean by Demoltion didn't work, but for the love of God, get out of here with that shit, because it's kinda dumb.

Kind of dumb? It is borderline ******ed. It is definitely ignorant, and I will bet he was not even watching WWF at the time Demolition was in their heyday. Demolition was the most feared tag team in the WWF when they were heels and they were, by far, the most popular tag team in the WWF when they were faces. But, he wouldn't know that. You do Tenta, but he doesn't.


To compare these two tag teams is hard. On one hand we have a team that ran roughshod over every team in only one company for only a handful of years. On the other, we have the Road Warriors. They won everything there was to win. Don't get me wrong, Demolition is my favorite tag team of all time, but LOD takes this, hands down.

 

[Tenta]

Kind of dumb? It is borderline ******ed. It is definitely ignorant, and I will bet he was not even watching WWF at the time Demolition was in their heyday. Demolition was the most feared tag team in the WWF when they were heels and they were, by far, the most popular tag team in the WWF when they were faces. But, he wouldn't know that. You do Tenta, but he doesn't.


To compare these two tag teams is hard. On one hand we have a team that ran roughshod over every team in only one company for only a handful of years. On the other, we have the Road Warriors. They won everything there was to win. Don't get me wrong, Demolition is my favorite tag team of all time, but LOD takes this, hands down.

You know what, I'm going to borrow a line from LJL, if I may, about this subject, because everyone is saying something like this. OMG, Legion of Doom won more titles, they're better! Yeah, sorry, doesn't work that way. It's not about the reigns, but what you do memorable in those reigns. LJL, what you got to say

Most of these posts are like saying that since Big Show has won the ECW, WWE, and WCW heavyweight championships that he is better than somebody like Cena or the Rock.

Ding. Ding. Ding. Hit the nail right on the fucking head. Guys, they got more titles because they no sold their way to the top, and were the biggest tag team in an era where tag teams, usually, were smaller. See; The R'n'R Express, the Midnite Express, The Horsemen, you get the point. All of these teams carried The Road Warriors to passable matches, and help up the "mystique" of this so called great team by selling like they were dying from The Road Warriors attacks. The Legion of Doom were a good looking team, and that's about it. Really, they are the Ultimate Warriors of the tag team division.

In the WWE, The Demolition were the cornerstone to the Tag Team Renaissance we'd see. They worked with every major tag team, and mind you, those teams didn't need to carry The Demolition, it was equal give and take. They were infinitely better workers, they had better muc skills, and are the longest reigning tag team champions of all time.

Lot of misinformation here, really. Don't know where everyone's watching these matches where the Road Warriors were great workers.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I never said Demoliton didn't work... I said the LOD didn't work... they were never as good in the WWF...even with Vince's machine behind them... The name change, the red pads... LOD looked like the knock offs...not Demolition...

Road Warriors had a lot of hype but like Enos and Bloom, The Headshrinkers and The Steiners came over too late to the WWF... When they finally got there, they had missed their window to really shine there cos the teams who they would have worked well with as faces like the Powers of Pain and the Twin Towers had gone... The Harts were on the outs as a team, along with The Rockers... and Demolition themselves... LOD actually looked like poor man replacements for the Demos rather than the team their rep suggested...

They did a lot of no selling and got by on their reps of toughness for a long time which ended the moment the crowd died when they interfered on Demolition at Summerslam 1990... Would Andre and Haku, the 2 toughest bastards ever in the biz have jobbed out to the LOD...no... would they have kicked their ass if they no sold... oh yes...

 

[CobraVenom]

You know what, I'm going to borrow a line from LJL, if I may, about this subject, because everyone is saying something like this. OMG, Legion of Doom won more titles, they're better! Yeah, sorry, doesn't work that way. It's not about the reigns, but what you do memorable in those reigns. LJL, what you got to say

I see your point, but LOD being successful everywhere they went has to mean something. In my opinion, comparing Demolition and the Road Warriors is like comparing Hogan to Warrior. LOD being Hogan and Demolition being Warrior. I see we have differing opinions on who was the Warrior of the two. lol Hogan, like LOD, was successful everywhere he went. Warrior, like Demolition, had his short run. I would love to give the Demos the edge here, but I can't. I just can't.

 

[WWFNWA78]

I Liked both teams respectfully but honestly i'd take the Road Warriors anytime than Demolition.

When Vince Mcmahon wanted the Road Warriors to come to the WWF and they didn't want to jump, he made the Road Warrior clones...and they were popular, but not the same as the Warriors. And a few years later when they did come..how they manhandled Demolition..that proved that a clone ain't as good as the original!

Road Warriors were simply the best, but i won't knock Demolition either.

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

Ding. Ding. Ding. Hit the nail right on the fucking head. Guys, they got more titles because they no sold their way to the top, and were the biggest tag team in an era where tag teams, usually, were smaller. See; The R'n'R Express, the Midnite Express, The Horsemen, you get the point. All of these teams carried The Road Warriors to passable matches, and help up the "mystique" of this so called great team by selling like they were dying from The Road Warriors attacks. The Legion of Doom were a good looking team, and that's about it. Really, they are the Ultimate Warriors of the tag team division.


Stop,seriously just stop. If the Road Warriors were as bad as you claim they are,then why would any wrestling promotion in the world even consider pushing them to a top spot? I guess that's why all of the teams you just mentioned are on record saying that the Road Warriors are the best tag team they ever faced.

I mean,I understand you think that Demolition is better,we get it. But this type of logic you're trying to spin just isn't cutting it man.

 

[Tenta]

Stop,seriously just stop. If the Road Warriors were as bad as you claim they are,then why would any wrestling promotion in the world even consider pushing them to a top spot? I guess that's why all of the teams you just mentioned are on record saying that the Road Warriors are the best tag team they ever faced.

For the record, when you want to quote somebody, you really oughta, you know, do so correctly. And again, who has ever said that. Bret Hat has said that Hawk ruined the match they had together by taking too many Placydyls. Either than that, I'm not sure where you're getting this. The New Age Outlaws talk about them being stiff as shit, don't know how that translates to "greatest team ever".

I mean,I understand you think that Demolition is better,we get it. But this type of logic you're trying to spin just isn't cutting it man.

Nor are your posting skills, really, but you don't hear me saying anything about it. Oh, wait, I did. Again, the only reason The Road Warriors got over were because they were in a smaller, more technical tag division, and they stood out like sore thumbs. Seriously, give it up, or at the least, learn how to be at least a half decent poster.

 

[WWEWrestleFest]

Road Warriors were better. By far.

Seriously, the Road Warriors are just not that good in the ring, so it's not worth pretending they were. Their typical match composed of shoulder blocks, gorilla press slams, clubbing, The Doomsday Device, and that's it. It was really the most formulaic match you can ever come up with, and really, the reason The Road Warriors got over half as much was because of their look. Which, when copied by good workers who were actually safe in the ring, was infinitely better.

We on the same page, bub?

You're looking at this as a smark. Most fans don't care. Biggest draws of all time? Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Goldberg, Steve Austin, Rock.. none of them are what you would call "good in the ring." (Sure, Austin was decent early in his career, but he didn't become a top draw until after Owen Hart injured him and he lost a lot of his mobility.) While guys like Chris Benoit, Shawn Michaels, Or Bret Hart were "good in the ring," they never drew as much when they were the top stars.

It may not hold true in Japan or in Mexico, but in the United States, a big, muscular guy with a cool gimmick will get over more than a "good worker." Because when it comes down to it, most American fans want to see a big guy beat the crap out of someone in 5 minutes, not some 45 minute technical bout.