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I'll buy the squat and deadlift as plausible given the "chemical era" he competed in, and I'll buy the 610 bench even, but not 650.... I have my limits. 😅
Id love to see a video on WWE Barbarian as he was suppsoed to be one of if not the strongest and toughest wrestlers ever. Id like to see a Dino Bravo vid too as he supposedly did a recorded bench of over 700lbs.
@@boldchristian6239 Ken Patera claimed Dino could bench well over 600lbs but most guys seem to say around the high 500s. Meltzer said 580-590 IIRC but said he was the strongest bencher in WWE in 1988-89 alongside the Warlord
Another cool one to do would be Michael Elgin. He's still wrestling now and is relatively young, so might have some lifting footage available. His claimed top numbers 8 years ago were 505 Bench, 750 squat and 775 deadlift. He's put on a lot of size since then so might have done even more, if those claims can be believed.
He definitely is one of the strongest… I trained at the same gym he did in Plymouth Minnesota. The gym. Way back in the mid 90s I was pretty strong myself, I think I did like 4-5 reps in the incline bench with 405lbs then I saw animal do a set of incline bench 500 for a set of 5 reps. Incredible strength…
No I'm going to call bullshit on that. Animal was extremely strong but he wasn't strong enough to do five reps with 500 lb on an incline bench. And as far as your claim goes, you would absolutely remember if you did four or if you did five reps with 405 lb. Come on knock it off.
Joe was an amazing human being, inside and outside the ring. he and Hawk were two of a kind and were so kind to my wife and i. from what i read and heard, he benched 605 and Hawk did 585. the road warriors were the best team in wrestling.
Having had 2 buddies that worked out in Rick Steamboats Gym in Charlotte, Joe's (Animal) bench press was actually higher than 605, but that's what my friend Barry PERSONALLY saw him press in Steamboats Gym. Mike's (Hawk) bench press was actually over 100lbs less than Joe's, as he had a bench press of around 475lbs. That's through 2 good friends of mine, actually seeing it done. Now I've been to Steamboat's on visits to Charlotte with those 2 dudes, and I saw unbelievably Strong guys in that gym. It seems that a 500lb. Bench was normal around there!!
As someone who just happened to train with joe in the afternoon when he was in town at a place called The Gym in Plymouth,MN I was there on many workouts helping spot each other during are training and have witnessed his strength firsthand. I know that he squated a few pounds over 700 on one occasion for three reps as I was spotting him on the side with two other gym members just wraps and a belt. I didnt judge his depth but as avid competitor myself they sure looked good from my postioning. As for the bench press I did spot him doing 575 lbs for two reps in the power room with no wraps and shirt. I remember talking to him that day he was hoping to be able to spend more time in the gym on a regular basis as him and Hawk both just got back from a Japan tour and were planning to wrestle locally in the AWA before going back to Caralina's and wrestle . This would have been around1986
I like what you said here. This sounds very realistic. Especially the bench. Animal claimed that he probably could’ve done a 650 bench when in all reality he was nowhere near that. People always hype up their lift’s by at least 50 to 60 pounds more than what they really can do.
@@harryangel4822 Joe, Most likely could of been much stronger if he could of trained as a powerlifter, the amount of traveling he did it was tough to have any consistency in his training and diet. There was a two year period in the mid eighty's were we trained in the afternoon together as that was my training time and when he was in town he certainly trained together or more or less spotted each other. I cant every remember seeing him deadlift, but I know he did behind the neck presses with 315 lbs he often did these standing he told me on a few occasions that was the one exercise he thought worked the best for him in his strength for wrestling as it incorporated what he thought was an overhead body press and slam.
@@Keranu I sure did I know he did 225 lbs with a olympic bar for many reps on more than a few occasins. I spotted him doing Lying ez curl tricep extensions with 315 lbs for sets of eight, because I picked it up many times and handed it to him. I thought his triceps were his strongest bodypart, his bench grip at the time was pretty close for a bigguy
I've been a Road Warrior fan since I was a kid, and I've said for a long time that this video needed to be made. He started out wanting to compete as a powerlifter (where his partner was more into bodybuilding). People talk about the RWs steroid use, but it takes more than chemicals to get to a 600+lb bench and have legit 24" arms. Barring the 'professional' strongmen like Mark Henry, Kazmaier, Patera and Arcidi, Animal was arguably one of the strongest pro. wrestlers ever. Idk why hes usually overlooked in the list of strongest pro wrestlers ever..esp when guys who arent as strong are mentioned.
I remember seeing Animal getting a pump on before a WWF event in Victoria, BC. He was benching 315 like it weighed almost nothing. I was a skinny 17 year old kid and was in awe.
I used to have a PWI magazine showing road warrior animal shrugging over 900lbs and this was in the mid 80s. All of animals best lifts were done in the 80s and they are still impressive even by today's standards. He could've easily competed in WSM when he was in his prime.
There is a guy that has a channel called Mr. Iron Bodybuilding that is Shoulder Shrugging over a 1000lbs. He weighs less than 300lbs. too! He is not really famous but is really strong as hell! I think he is in movies now.👍
Fun fact: what many people don't know is that Paul Ellering (the manager of the Road Warriors) was a powerlifter and was as strong as them in his prime (at least stronger than Hawk). He looked so much smaller than the Road Warriors as their manager because he shrunk in size after his wrestling career ended prematurely due to an injury.
I remember Animal body pressing Terry Gordy during a match in Old Comisky Park back in the 80’s. Body pressed him and walked around the ring with Gordy over his head and almost full extension of his arms , Unreal ! My favorite wrestler.
I knew Hawk and spotted him many times but Animal trained at a different gym. I know some of Animal's competition lifts which were quite a bit less however that was very early in his career. He did get much bigger and stronger. The Squat and Deadlift claims I think are pretty accurate. I didn't witness his 315 cheat curl but know several people that did that I have no doubt about the accuracy. It was a real cheat curl not that upright row joke like Kali muscle does LOL! The Bench seems very high compared to what he did in comp however as noted below a number of people in the comments that did train with him or spots him witnessed lifts around 600ish. 600+ Raw at low 300's BWDT is pretty awesome. They were extreme PED abusers so it's possible. I competed against his younger brother in powerlifting contest who was on PEDs as a teenager.
I remember he body slammed Jerry Blackwell he weighed in the neighborhood of 470 pounds this was at the St Paul Civic center he also picked up my mother-in-law which is no small task so he was strong
Met him in Miami in the early nineties at a WCW card. He told me he was 305 and looked every bit of it. I am bodybuilder and he was one of the biggest thickest guys I have ever seen.
I remember my Road Warriors shirt I had in 1985 Hawk and Animal were just insane ..Dino Bravo was another beast . There were so many back then with incredible strength .. TEXAS TORNADO, RON SIMMONS.. LIST GOES ON AND ON..
Pro Wrestler really handicapped for time compared to most gym lifters. They are constantly on the road have to train with weights,followed by working out routines with event competition,attending promo events before wrestling event. This is really draining so the level of strength they still retain is amazing.
Scott Steiner was really impressive. He was as lean as a 1990s pro bodybuilder despite all the traveling and wrestling. He wasn't stiff like the typical heavyweight either too, he was very agile for his size. Can't imagine how he handled his carbs and God knows what drugs he was using.
As i was going thru Sharkeys training camp, Joe was the first person to ever body slam me with ease. He also shoulder pressed me like i was a rag doll. I was 6’5” and 425 lbs at that point. I always loved the Roadies but totally gained a new respect for him that day! #ripAnimal
@@abhinavkumar547 i was in training , i didn’t have a clue what i was doing yet. if you ever saw the roadies in person you’d understand how big n strong they were. they did what they wanted to with just about anybody
@@zoomba31 yes they were big but u were bigger as u were over 400 lbs back then. What was your strength level at that time like in bench, deadlift and squat?
It's a fact that both Hawk (Mike Hegstrand) and Animal (Joel Laurentiis) were both very well known in the power lifting world back in the 80s. As far as any records I don't know. As far as any proof that Animal put up the kind of weight mentioned here I can't say but I wouldn't be surprised to know that Animal put up the kind of weight he claims. Mike Hegstand, ie Hawk was a very powerful man himself but it was always known that Joel Laurentiis was the stronger of the two. They used to rib one another pretty hard because Hawk, most people believed, had the better physique where as Animal always won out in power lifting competitions in the gym. Animal would rub it in that he was stronger and Hawk would answer back "Yeah, well I look better!" lol. All I know for certain is that Hawk and Animal were hands down my favorite tag team of all time. They were and still are the measuring stick for tag team wrestling. They were at their best with Precious Paul Ellering in their corner as manager. Often imitated but never duplicated, the best ever, hands down!
Animal was the first wrestler to gorilla press Hulk hogan, hold him for a couple a seconds and smoothly slam him to the mat. It was in Japan if I remember. Best power slam technique as well in the ring.
He was a strong dude. They had a match in Boston and he came in Polaris in Malden and lifted that morning. I was doing reps with 315 seated military at the time for 8 and he did 10. I went up to 365 for a single and he did 405 x 1 His shrugs and upright rows were crazy heavy. I stull have a pic with him from that day. RIP sir.
Animal was about 5' 11". Heights and weights are usually kayfabed. You have to knock off a couple of inches and about 20lbs off of any listed stats of any pro wrestler. Especially from back then.
@@williamcopeland2617 On paper, sure. I hate to burst your bubble, but Hawk was 6' 1" at a stretch. I LOVE those guys! I became a wrestling fan from the first time that I looked at a picture of them! It was far and away the coolest thing my little eyes had ever seen! But the stats lie. That's just wrestling.
@@alexandertroy9621 I'm 6ft and a quarter to be exact and I stood next to both of those guys during their AWA run and both were taller than me brotha. You're assuming, I'm not.
I would really like to see Brian Shaw vs Eddie hall. They were both on the same tv show a few years back, and although most of the time Brian was superior in strongman events, I want to see him vs Eddie in bench press, squat, etc
Eddie would win in static lifts, he's one of the strongest static lifters ever. Brian of course has world class static strength, but he excels in dynamic events.
@@jason11061978 That's why I said "Brian of course has world class static strength." I acknowledged Brian is a tremendous static lifter, but Eddie is still a better presser.
Maybe, I think his bench press is a little optimistic but he did compete in powerlifting as a junior in the 275lb class and the numbers he states would be possible later in his career
Everything is exaggerated in pro wrestling, it's a carny business after all. Their stated heights and weight are universally bullshit as well - generally take at least 2 inches off the claimed height and 30-40 pounds off the weight
I think it’s funny how he said he didn’t use any of the equipment powerlifters today use, yet states he used wraps and a belt…which is pretty much what any raw powerlifter uses with the possible exception of squat shoes and a singlet.
Not sure about specifics but I heard Joe's lift numbers were, and very well still could be, posted in the weight room at Irondale HS in New Brighton, MN.
U can watch Joe in the 80's and the way he moved and lifted Large Humans around and at times Launching them at Great Distances, to me, if Animal were a Strongman competitor he would have been Amazingly strong and at an Elite level
Impressive strength! I was a big fan of WWF back in the late 80's -90's ( Best Wrestling times) watching as a kid and I remember Hawk being super strong too. Wrestling and Arnold Schwarzenegger movies always inspired me to hit the gym but I only managed to bench press 150kg and that's on a smith machine. I'll never reach the level of these guys. However I never took steroids and never hit the gym mega hard because of work and family.
Nice video. Definitely he was one of the strongest professional wrestlers in the history of pro wrestling. His bench press claims could be inconsistent but he was a legit 600 plus lbs raw bench presser and if any one has doubt about his freakish strength, he should listen to what his contemporary wrestlers have said about his strength. Even one of the strongest arm wrestler and also one of the strongest professional wrestler Scott Norton has complimented Warrior's strength as they used to train with each other many times in gym in those days. I have seen him shoulder press Killer khan for probably reps who was around 310-320 lbs. Also he pressed hogan in Japan when hogan was over 300 lbs legit and he did it without the assistance of hogan. Hogan tried to sandbag him yet he pressed him without his will.
@@StrengthUniverse definitely and also one thing i would like to highlight here that in a time period of 80s-early 90s , there were quite a wrestlers who had freakish pressing power and were close to the world record level in bench press. The thing was that they had hardcore attitude towards their training unlike today so i m not surprised that some of them would have been really close to the level of powerlifters in specially bench press without actually being a powerlifter themselves. Guys like Warlord, Road warrior animal, Vader, Dino Bravo etc. were all close to 600 lbs or over 600 lbs bench presser that were not actual competitive powerlifters. Then u had guys like Fred ottoman aka Tugboat, Scott Norton, Tony atlas, Nick busick etc. who were actual powerlifters who had over 600 lbs bench press. So, there were lots of guys like them back in the roid n wrestling era during 1985-1992. I would love u to cover about Scott Norton. He was even stronger than road warrior animal. From what i have heard he did a legit 640 lbs bench press with a light bench shirt in an actual powerlifting contest in 1988 probably. Also he has claimed to have shoulder pressed 495 lbs for few reps when he was at his absolute strongest before preparing for his arm wrestling clash with Cleve dean.
I just wrote a comment about the time he pressed Hogan, in my opinion it's one of the most impressive feats of strength in wrestling because of how easy he did it.
His lifts were independently confirmed by guys like Andrew Collura and Big Lenny (which sounds like a joke but isnt). He lived in South Florida and trained with those guys who were even stronger than him believe it or not
I have deadlifted 240kgs at 200lbs bodyweight when on tren. And I am 5'2. He should have done 336kgs fairly easy/ and a 277kg bench press shouldn't have been a problem either as I know a few guys who've done over 200kgs.
I am 185 now after even a few muscle tears. Lean at 50 years old. I wouldn't say I was that big. Some say I am. But yes when younger I was pretty strong. I think the most important years of training are when you are 15-20 or maybe even before that. If you haven't built a good body by then. You'll find it hard work@@Miiiiiiighty
@@abhinavkumar547 The same day .The wrestlers were all in town for a show They had at the Showboat hotel That evening .They only would do 1-2 shows I believe Friday and Saturday night They worked out before the matches To get pumped up before they had to wrestle that night Animal and Tony were both benching heavy together .While Hawk would do more super sets .Plus higher resolution training This was around 1984 .Almost 40 years ago
A friend told me that they saw him bench 605 in Rick Steamboats Gym in Charlotte, NC., in 1986. He would have squatted alot more, but his knees were destroyed from earlier sports through bthe years.
Brilliant, thanks so much for doing this. The Minnesota boys were strong, even the smaller ones like Tom Zenk and Curt Hennig I think the 610 bench is plausible but not the claimed 625 or 640. The squat and DL are plausible but I remember reading he claimed to have squatted 720 for a triple or something - he seemed to pull numbers out of thin air sometimes. One of the old wrestling mags had a photo of him doing shrugs with 900lbs, allowing him to build those mountainous traps
Agreed. 610lbs touch and go with a healthy bounce was possible. That is unbelievably strong if true as it would have been the top 5 bench in the 1980s WORLDWIDE.
@@Nick-cp8wf for what it’s worth, I’ve seen numerous people claim Barbarian could bench 600 and his partner the Warlord claimed his PB was 640. Warlord was HUGE, a legit 6’4” and 325 but I’m not totally convinced.
@@nbaldwin45 why r u not convinced that Warlord would have done 640 bench. I mean he was bigger than even animal, had a bigger chest, bigger triceps ( although, I remember animal claiming that he had the biggest arms in his territory at that time of 24 inches which made warlord pissed off because warlord had half inches shorter arms than animal. But at his heaviest warlord was between 330 and 340 lbs. ) I think Warlord's claim was legit as there are reports of him in wrestling forums to have done 575 lbs for 6 reps without any pause in long island, Gold gym and on that same day Barbarian did 550 for 3 reps touch and go. Also warlord shrugged over 1000 lbs as claimed by himself.
I dont know about the actual lifting numbers, but watching Road Warriors/LOD back in the 80/90's as a kid it was pretty obvious they were in the top 5 of actual strongest men in WCW or WWF. They would literally manhandle big guys with slams & military presses like it was no big deal.
Bruno was the man. 565 lb bench . 735 squat. No steroids. Just pure beast. Other guys were monsters like animal but all except mark henry were on the gas
You think Bruno did 565 BP no gas? LOL. That's about as real as pro wrestling my friend. I don't think Henry was clean either. He was squatting 700+ and BP 400+ as a TALL 16-year-old! Takes time to build up to those numbers and 16-year-olds haven't been lifting long enough...I know. I saw many of the best powerlifters as teenagers.
There's stories about Ron Simmons being one of the strongest guys in the gym. Luger mentioned in an interview that Ron warmed up with like 225, 350 or so and went straight to benching 500 for like 3 reps with jeans on.
@@rongabrieljr.8784 Can't remember if it was 500 or 600...but Lex basically said Ron would come in jeans, small warmup and a set of 500 or 600 for a few reps and that was it.
Go watch the bench press between the road warriors and the powers of pain. It's in NWA too back in the mid to late 80s. These guys were STRONG for real.
Yeah it was all ass whoopin after that just watched it again 🤣. But gear or no gear back then the raw power of these guys was nuts. I'm talking about all the federations. Just freakishly powerful men.
@@StrengthUniverse Exactly. Fake plates were used. You'll notice most of the wrestling "lift" contests in those days had multiple different types of plates vs all the same type York 45 plate which was most common plate in the 80s/90's.
@@StrengthUniverse the question I have been asking for 33 years may remain unanswered for all eternity lol. I remember being furious with Hogan in an episode of Hogan Knows Best where he was dissing Brooks boyfriend at the time for his bench max, I think it was something like 275lb which is reasonably for a young lad, he wasn't even big either lol.
In terms of powerlifting strength the prowrestlers stronger than Road Warrior Animal would be Mark Henry, Ken Patera, and Dino Bravo. The others who had insane powerlifting strength were Rick Steiner and John Cena. I'm not counting Bill Kazmaeir or Ted Arcidi as they were only part time pro wrestlers .
The thing is Animal had better bench press than Mark Henry and Ken patera. In deadlift and squat he was way behind. Regarding Dino bravo, he was a great bench presser but how much did he pressed in his prime is unknown because there r numerous figures of him. Some says 570 lbs, some 580 lbs, some even claimed to have seen him bench press over 600 lbs like Ken patera who said that Dino did 630 lbs legit bench press. No information about his best deadlift and squat. John Cena was not anywhere close to the powerlifting strength level of Animal as his bench press, deadlift and squat are all way below animal. Don't know much about Rick steiner's exact lifts except that he did squat over 700 lbs. But there were Wrestlers like Doug furnas, Tom magee who were stronger overall than Animal as both of them had superior deadlift and squat. Also, Braun strowman has superior raw deadlift and squat than Animal. Scott Norton was legitimately one of the strongest pro wrestler in his time, had a better bench press, squat and shoulder press and behind the neck press. No information about his deadlift. So there were many who were stronger than animal overall.
I forgot to mention The Barbarian. That guy was an absolute freak of nature. His Polynesian genetics combined with his Incredible Hulk like physique enabled him to perform world class feats of strength. He could bench 600 lbs for reps, and looking at his body structure I'm pretty sure he could squat and deadlift crazy weights as well.
@@chaoticdays where did u get the information that Barbarian could bench press 600 lbs for reps? Can u provide the source behind your claim because there is nothing documented proof about barbarian's best bench press, just rumours that he could do 600 lbs bench press.
@@abhinavkumar547 "documented proof"?!? LOL. Are you writing a thesis on lifting stats of pro-wrestlers. It's well known that Barbarian was a 600 lb bencher and I've heard it plenty of times. The latest interview I remember hearing it is when Ric Flair talks about the strongest wrestlers in the gym in a video clip on youtube titled 'Ric Flair Shoots on Rick Rude at the gym'. Go look for it and good luck on your thesis.
@@chaoticdays It is well known that the Barbarian could not bench press 600lb. The guy looked great and was very athletic but he was not a 600lb bencher.
Warlord's stats are 640 lbs bench press, 225 lbs biceps curl for 12 reps, over 1000 lbs shoulder shrug. He said that he didn't go super heavy on squat due to risk of getting back injury as he had to wrestle also, he said that he went good but not very heavy . So , no information about his squat number. No information about his best deadlift too but for back he did rows for 225 lbs for 10-12 reps. Also, he was reported to have shoulder press 315 lbs in a gym like it was an empty weight so his 1 rm would be higher than that.
Ive never particularly been a beast on the weights (265, 450, 500) but I've always done isometrics and I can hold my own throwing guys around. A lot more goes into it than what you can push. Its grip strength, footwork, balance, stamina, and will. EDIT: I'm 6'1" and right around 200 lbs (91kg)
One thing to really take into consideration here, is that Animal was able to do those lifts while on the road driving from city to city across the Country, as well as often flying all over the World wrestling probably 300+ nights a year. Eating badly, drinking and partying into the wee morning hours most nights. To then get in the car, drive all day to some other city, to do it all over again that night. So, Apples to Apples, what could he have done if he was just powerlifting and taking care of himself to do it?
Fair point, although I don't think Animal was ever much of a partier or drinker. He took his training really seriously whereas he said Hawk rarely trained legs and was training for cosmetics. Hawk's alleged to have one said 'wrestling is an upper body business' - he had a great dropkick though, so he must have had some strength.
@@nbaldwin45 When I said partying it was in referance to generally partying. Animal wasn't into the coke, pharmaceuticals and the normal excessive booze drinking like Hawk was. But, he definitely was still throwing brews down and hanging out late on the regular. That was just the normal being on the road life for a professional wrestler. Pounding the road, the mat, their bodies and the beer.
It's do crazy how people leave the earth. Just a couple of years ago, Animal was commenting on the current state of wrestling. Now he is gone😢😢😢 I loved him and Hawk!!!!
It's really hard to say what someone can do in a official powerlifting competition. Doing it in the gym doesn't mean it can be done in competition, for example in the Squat must go down a certain distance paralell or even slightly lower.. Saying one squatted X amount of weight doesn't mean nothing if not judged by those who can recognize a legal depth squat.. in the bench you must pause the bar on chest, butt must stay on bench, no excessive body english and for dead it must not ramp up legs.. as you see, a gym lift doesn't equate a PL lift
"no excessive body english " does someone play pool? LOL. Yes all those points are correct which I why I specifically say in the video "if" he could perform the lifts to powerlifting standards.
From what I have heard he isn't really all that strong for how big he is, he is pretty athletic for his size but it seems he doesn't do a lot of max strength training.
I believe his deadlift and squat, but having worked out with a ton of powerlifters, the bench press is questionable at best. I've seen a man squat 1003 lbs in knee wraps and belt only, his bench was around 550 and he weighed 380+ pounds. I've only seen one man bench press 605 in my life, and again weighed around 360. I'm not saying it's impossible, but with the build he had I'd say it's unlkely
I saw him press 500 at an event in Greensboro. The weight was nothing to him as the scene was staged and another wrestler… I can’t remember which hit him while he was racking the weight . He then fell and I swear I watched him cut himself with something while he was on the floor .
Can you maybe do a video on the Paul twins, two bodybuilders from the 80's renowned for their strength. They also starred in one or two low-budget movies.
There is an old clip that is hard to find but it's of Animal gorilla pressing a young Hulk Hogan who was easily over 300lbs at that time, this was no press where Hulk was using his arms to help Animal like when the Ultimate Warrior pressed Hulk. Animal just manhandled Hulk over his head like he weighed nothing. I miss the days of freaky wrestlers.
I believe top 5 imo....but once the back issues arose he lost it fairly quick...any1 whose had back issues will tell you....it slows everything down....cant train as hard...cant move as well
I have been researching for it but each of these videos takes a minimum of 36hrs to make so while it is on the list I can't promise when it will be completed and released
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Hi do videos on Scott Steiner and Batista.
I'll buy the squat and deadlift as plausible given the "chemical era" he competed in, and I'll buy the 610 bench even, but not 650.... I have my limits. 😅
Id love to see a video on WWE Barbarian as he was suppsoed to be one of if not the strongest and toughest wrestlers ever. Id like to see a Dino Bravo vid too as he supposedly did a recorded bench of over 700lbs.
@@boldchristian6239 Ken Patera claimed Dino could bench well over 600lbs but most guys seem to say around the high 500s. Meltzer said 580-590 IIRC but said he was the strongest bencher in WWE in 1988-89 alongside the Warlord
Another cool one to do would be Michael Elgin. He's still wrestling now and is relatively young, so might have some lifting footage available. His claimed top numbers 8 years ago were 505 Bench, 750 squat and 775 deadlift. He's put on a lot of size since then so might have done even more, if those claims can be believed.
He definitely is one of the strongest… I trained at the same gym he did in Plymouth Minnesota. The gym. Way back in the mid 90s I was pretty strong myself, I think I did like 4-5 reps in the incline bench with 405lbs then I saw animal do a set of incline bench 500 for a set of 5 reps. Incredible strength…
No I'm going to call bullshit on that. Animal was extremely strong but he wasn't strong enough to do five reps with 500 lb on an incline bench. And as far as your claim goes, you would absolutely remember if you did four or if you did five reps with 405 lb. Come on knock it off.
@@lesglover6515 ??? Only if 405 is significant. If you do it once a week for years, no you wouldn’t remember a rep. Lol
He said barbarian and haku were strong too
I doubt your claim but if that's true then it's amazing
@@Nasrin_Begum I heard another wrestler say animal said this, warlord I believe
Joe was an amazing human being, inside and outside the ring. he and Hawk were two of a kind and were so kind to my wife and i. from what i read and heard, he benched 605 and Hawk did 585. the road warriors were the best team in wrestling.
Having had 2 buddies that worked out in Rick Steamboats Gym in Charlotte, Joe's (Animal) bench press was actually higher than 605, but that's what my friend Barry PERSONALLY saw him press in Steamboats Gym. Mike's (Hawk) bench press was actually over 100lbs less than Joe's, as he had a bench press of around 475lbs. That's through 2 good friends of mine, actually seeing it done. Now I've been to Steamboat's on visits to Charlotte with those 2 dudes, and I saw unbelievably Strong guys in that gym. It seems that a 500lb. Bench was normal around there!!
I heard Joes max bench was 630 and Hawks was 585 as well.
As someone who just happened to train with joe in the afternoon when he was in town at a place called The Gym in Plymouth,MN I was there on many workouts helping spot each other during are training and have witnessed his strength firsthand. I know that he squated a few pounds over 700 on one occasion for three reps as I was spotting him on the side with two other gym members just wraps and a belt. I didnt judge his depth but as avid competitor myself they sure looked good from my postioning. As for the bench press I did spot him doing 575 lbs for two reps in the power room with no wraps and shirt. I remember talking to him that day he was hoping to be able to spend more time in the gym on a regular basis as him and Hawk both just got back from a Japan tour and were planning to wrestle locally in the AWA before going back to Caralina's and wrestle . This would have been around1986
I like what you said here. This sounds very realistic. Especially the bench. Animal claimed that he probably could’ve done a 650 bench when in all reality he was nowhere near that. People always hype up their lift’s by at least 50 to 60 pounds more than what they really can do.
@@harryangel4822 Joe, Most likely could of been much stronger if he could of trained as a powerlifter, the amount of traveling he did it was tough to have any consistency in his training and diet. There was a two year period in the mid eighty's were we trained in the afternoon together as that was my training time and when he was in town he certainly trained together or more or less spotted each other. I cant every remember seeing him deadlift, but I know he did behind the neck presses with 315 lbs he often did these standing he told me on a few occasions that was the one exercise he thought worked the best for him in his strength for wrestling as it incorporated what he thought was an overhead body press and slam.
Did you happen to see him barbell curl? King Kamali claims he saw Animal barbell curling something like 225lbs with strict form.
@@Keranu I sure did I know he did 225 lbs with a olympic bar for many reps on more than a few occasins. I spotted him doing Lying ez curl tricep extensions with 315 lbs for sets of eight, because I picked it up many times and handed it to him. I thought his triceps were his strongest bodypart, his bench grip at the time was pretty close for a bigguy
@@robertfranzen4952 Incredible. And his barbell curls looked fairly strict?
I've been a Road Warrior fan since I was a kid, and I've said for a long time that this video needed to be made. He started out wanting to compete as a powerlifter (where his partner was more into bodybuilding). People talk about the RWs steroid use, but it takes more than chemicals to get to a 600+lb bench and have legit 24" arms. Barring the 'professional' strongmen like Mark Henry, Kazmaier, Patera and Arcidi, Animal was arguably one of the strongest pro. wrestlers ever. Idk why hes usually overlooked in the list of strongest pro wrestlers ever..esp when guys who arent as strong are mentioned.
Hawk and Animal were on another level at that time. Insane power and aggression!! Loved Legion of Doom 💪🏻
Fact's💪
Great tag team, brings back memories seein this.
Yeah aggressions coming from all the trenbolone they injected
I remember seeing Animal getting a pump on before a WWF event in Victoria, BC. He was benching 315 like it weighed almost nothing. I was a skinny 17 year old kid and was in awe.
Yeah well these days high school kids are benching 315 for reps. This doesn’t say much of anything about what he could’ve done for a single?
@@harryangel4822 315 for reps?? Steroids for sure alot of steroids
Everyone is on gear these days
@@shogunrua5589 not me not even suplements
@@victorgutiere4435 It makes sense that more people are on gear these days since testosterone has dropped about 30% among average males since the 80s.
Mike was a beast too. He shoulder pressed wrestlers for reps during matches
With help from the other wrestler. All of them admit to the other guy helping. Its part of the work
@@bravojohnson5050 Animal famously pressed 285lb Nikita Koloff with no help.
Hawk’s bench PB was supposedly 505 or so
I remember Animal pressing Terry Bam Bam Gordy who was close to 300 pounds for 3 reps
This is about Animal
@@mayankingrevisited8815 so what
I used to have a PWI magazine showing road warrior animal shrugging over 900lbs and this was in the mid 80s. All of animals best lifts were done in the 80s and they are still impressive even by today's standards. He could've easily competed in WSM when he was in his prime.
I still have that magazine
There is a guy that has a channel called Mr. Iron Bodybuilding that is Shoulder Shrugging over a 1000lbs. He weighs less than 300lbs. too! He is not really famous but is really strong as hell! I think he is in movies now.👍
@@musicworldtreasures Yes! I have seen his videos too!
He is really strong!
@@musicworldtreasures I looked him up. That has got to be one of the strongest guys ever that is not famous! WOW!!!
@@musicworldtreasures Wwf wrestler warlord also did over 1000 lbs shoulder shrug.
When I was a kid I thought Hawk looked much more intimidating. But now I realize that Animal was on another level strength wise.
Hawk was always the fighter of the team, Animal was always easy going
He wasn't on "another level" both were extremely strong & athletic.
Fun fact: what many people don't know is that Paul Ellering (the manager of the Road Warriors) was a powerlifter and was as strong as them in his prime (at least stronger than Hawk). He looked so much smaller than the Road Warriors as their manager because he shrunk in size after his wrestling career ended prematurely due to an injury.
Paul Ellering was an accomplished powerlifter, setting a world record in the deadlift at 745 pounds (338 kg).
Something else straight out of the roadwarriors documentary dvd 🙄
I remember Animal body pressing Terry Gordy during a match in Old Comisky Park back in the 80’s.
Body pressed him and walked around the ring with Gordy over his head and almost full extension of his arms , Unreal ! My favorite wrestler.
Davey Boy Smith did it as well and late in the match.
I knew Hawk and spotted him many times but Animal trained at a different gym. I know some of Animal's competition lifts which were quite a bit less however that was very early in his career. He did get much bigger and stronger. The Squat and Deadlift claims I think are pretty accurate. I didn't witness his 315 cheat curl but know several people that did that I have no doubt about the accuracy. It was a real cheat curl not that upright row joke like Kali muscle does LOL! The Bench seems very high compared to what he did in comp however as noted below a number of people in the comments that did train with him or spots him witnessed lifts around 600ish. 600+ Raw at low 300's BWDT is pretty awesome. They were extreme PED abusers so it's possible. I competed against his younger brother in powerlifting contest who was on PEDs as a teenager.
I remember he body slammed Jerry Blackwell he weighed in the neighborhood of 470 pounds this was at the St Paul Civic center he also picked up my mother-in-law which is no small task so he was strong
Met him in Miami in the early nineties at a WCW card. He told me he was 305 and looked every bit of it. I am bodybuilder and he was one of the biggest thickest guys I have ever seen.
Animal was insanely strong. A serious beast. This man could lift serious weight with ease.
I remember my Road Warriors shirt I had in 1985 Hawk and Animal were just insane ..Dino Bravo was another beast . There were so many back then with incredible strength .. TEXAS TORNADO, RON SIMMONS.. LIST GOES ON AND ON..
Don't forget the legendary Bruno Sammartino who benched 565 lbs in 1959 with no steroids. He was way ahead of his time.
And George South
Pro Wrestler really handicapped for time compared to most gym lifters.
They are constantly on the road have to train with weights,followed by working out routines with event competition,attending promo events before wrestling event.
This is really draining so the level of strength they still retain is amazing.
Scott Steiner was really impressive. He was as lean as a 1990s pro bodybuilder despite all the traveling and wrestling. He wasn't stiff like the typical heavyweight either too, he was very agile for his size.
Can't imagine how he handled his carbs and God knows what drugs he was using.
As i was going thru Sharkeys training camp, Joe was the first person to ever body slam me with ease. He also shoulder pressed me like i was a rag doll. I was 6’5” and 425 lbs at that point. I always loved the Roadies but totally gained a new respect for him that day! #ripAnimal
Were u a wrestler back then?
@@abhinavkumar547 yes
@@zoomba31 Did u cooperate with that shoulder press that Animal gave u or was it all by himself?
@@abhinavkumar547 i was in training , i didn’t have a clue what i was doing yet. if you ever saw the roadies in person you’d understand how big n strong they were. they did what they wanted to with just about anybody
@@zoomba31 yes they were big but u were bigger as u were over 400 lbs back then. What was your strength level at that time like in bench, deadlift and squat?
It's a fact that both Hawk (Mike Hegstrand) and Animal (Joel Laurentiis) were both very well known in the power lifting world back in the 80s. As far as any records I don't know. As far as any proof that Animal put up the kind of weight mentioned here I can't say but I wouldn't be surprised to know that Animal put up the kind of weight he claims.
Mike Hegstand, ie Hawk was a very powerful man himself but it was always known that Joel Laurentiis was the stronger of the two. They used to rib one another pretty hard because Hawk, most people believed, had the better physique where as Animal always won out in power lifting competitions in the gym. Animal would rub it in that he was stronger and Hawk would answer back "Yeah, well I look better!" lol.
All I know for certain is that Hawk and Animal were hands down my favorite tag team of all time. They were and still are the measuring stick for tag team wrestling. They were at their best with Precious Paul Ellering in their corner as manager. Often imitated but never duplicated, the best ever, hands down!
You’ve literally just copied what animal says on their documentary dvd and put it into your own words 🙄😂
Animal was the first wrestler to gorilla press Hulk hogan, hold him for a couple a seconds and smoothly slam him to the mat. It was in Japan if I remember. Best power slam technique as well in the ring.
I think Tony Atlas did it earlier and when Hogan was even bigger.
@@nbaldwin45 yep your correct it was in 1981. th-cam.com/video/Q9oeNqxhYks/w-d-xo.html
@@nbaldwin45 Tony atlas even pressed king Kong bundy who was 400 lbs when bundy had long hairs. This took place before 1985 .
Loved these guys since childhood. It’s why I became a powerlifter. These guys were awesome!
He was a strong dude. They had a match in Boston and he came in Polaris in Malden and lifted that morning. I was doing reps with 315 seated military at the time for 8 and he did 10. I went up to 365 for a single and he did 405 x 1
His shrugs and upright rows were crazy heavy. I stull have a pic with him from that day. RIP sir.
Animal was about 5' 11".
Heights and weights are usually kayfabed. You have to knock off a couple of inches and about 20lbs off of any listed stats of any pro wrestler. Especially from back then.
Animal was a legit 6'1 athlete. Hawk was a legit 6'3 athlete.
@@williamcopeland2617
On paper, sure.
I hate to burst your bubble, but Hawk was 6' 1" at a stretch.
I LOVE those guys! I became a wrestling fan from the first time that I looked at a picture of them! It was far and away the coolest thing my little eyes had ever seen!
But the stats lie. That's just wrestling.
@@williamcopeland2617
Animal was my height in his prime. He was probably slightly shorter than me by the end of his life.
@@alexandertroy9621 I'm 6ft and a quarter to be exact and I stood next to both of those guys during their AWA run and both were taller than me brotha. You're assuming, I'm not.
@@williamcopeland2617
Then they must have been wearing platform shoes.
You believe what you need to believe...
Brother.
Animal's Powerslam was exactly that. He lifted some very heavy guys for the Destruction/Doomsday Device.
I would really like to see Brian Shaw vs Eddie hall. They were both on the same tv show a few years back, and although most of the time Brian was superior in strongman events, I want to see him vs Eddie in bench press, squat, etc
Thank you, I'll see what I can do
Eddie would win in static lifts, he's one of the strongest static lifters ever. Brian of course has world class static strength, but he excels in dynamic events.
@@tericosimpson945 I totally agree with you.
Eddie truly is a beast in static lifts. But Brian still doing over 1000 lb deads and 550 lb bench raw is strong af. Hard to squat at 6'8" I'm sure
@@jason11061978 That's why I said "Brian of course has world class static strength." I acknowledged Brian is a tremendous static lifter, but Eddie is still a better presser.
LOD was as much an inspiration to young gym rats as the boys in Venice Beach 👊💪 REST IN POWER Hawk & Animal
The 405 press behind the neck with a FULL RANGE and started dead from the shoulders is highly unlikely
The only issue I have is a lot of wrestlers exaggerate a lot about lifts. Maybe he did, I dunno. He was one of my favorite wrestlers
Maybe, I think his bench press is a little optimistic but he did compete in powerlifting as a junior in the 275lb class and the numbers he states would be possible later in his career
@@StrengthUniverse I hope he did, tbh. I loved them as a tag team when I was a kid
Everything is exaggerated in pro wrestling, it's a carny business after all. Their stated heights and weight are universally bullshit as well - generally take at least 2 inches off the claimed height and 30-40 pounds off the weight
I think it’s funny how he said he didn’t use any of the equipment powerlifters today use, yet states he used wraps and a belt…which is pretty much what any raw powerlifter uses with the possible exception of squat shoes and a singlet.
@@bobbybeard1497 30-40lbs is an exaggeration. For most guys, it's closer to 10-20lbs and for some, they don't exaggerate them at all.
I went to Irondale, class of 98' and he still held the HS bench press record at that time.
How much did he benched for that record?
Enjoyed this one. Well put together
Thank you
Not sure about specifics but I heard Joe's lift numbers were, and very well still could be, posted in the weight room at Irondale HS in New Brighton, MN.
Baddest tag team ever. Legion of Doom - Road Warriors.☠️👊🏻
i really found this video interesting. great research and detail.
Thank you, much appreciated
U can watch Joe in the 80's and the way he moved and lifted Large Humans around and at times Launching them at Great Distances, to me, if Animal were a Strongman competitor he would have been Amazingly strong and at an Elite level
Nice. I remember working out for 6 months and me and my bro were benching 300 lbs 1 time max reps for heaviest. That was in the oilfield . Fun times.
Impressive strength! I was a big fan of WWF back in the late 80's -90's ( Best Wrestling times) watching as a kid and I remember Hawk being super strong too. Wrestling and Arnold Schwarzenegger movies always inspired me to hit the gym but I only managed to bench press 150kg and that's on a smith machine. I'll never reach the level of these guys. However I never took steroids and never hit the gym mega hard because of work and family.
Nice video. Definitely he was one of the strongest professional wrestlers in the history of pro wrestling. His bench press claims could be inconsistent but he was a legit 600 plus lbs raw bench presser and if any one has doubt about his freakish strength, he should listen to what his contemporary wrestlers have said about his strength. Even one of the strongest arm wrestler and also one of the strongest professional wrestler Scott Norton has complimented Warrior's strength as they used to train with each other many times in gym in those days.
I have seen him shoulder press Killer khan for probably reps who was around 310-320 lbs. Also he pressed hogan in Japan when hogan was over 300 lbs legit and he did it without the assistance of hogan. Hogan tried to sandbag him yet he pressed him without his will.
Thanks buddy. He looks like someone with freakish pressing power.
@@StrengthUniverse definitely and also one thing i would like to highlight here that in a time period of 80s-early 90s , there were quite a wrestlers who had freakish pressing power and were close to the world record level in bench press. The thing was that they had hardcore attitude towards their training unlike today so i m not surprised that some of them would have been really close to the level of powerlifters in specially bench press without actually being a powerlifter themselves. Guys like Warlord, Road warrior animal, Vader, Dino Bravo etc. were all close to 600 lbs or over 600 lbs bench presser that were not actual competitive powerlifters. Then u had guys like Fred ottoman aka Tugboat, Scott Norton, Tony atlas, Nick busick etc. who were actual powerlifters who had over 600 lbs bench press. So, there were lots of guys like them back in the roid n wrestling era during 1985-1992.
I would love u to cover about Scott Norton. He was even stronger than road warrior animal. From what i have heard he did a legit 640 lbs bench press with a light bench shirt in an actual powerlifting contest in 1988 probably. Also he has claimed to have shoulder pressed 495 lbs for few reps when he was at his absolute strongest before preparing for his arm wrestling clash with Cleve dean.
@@abhinavkumar547 Sounds like an interesting era and one that I’d love to visit in future videos.
I just wrote a comment about the time he pressed Hogan, in my opinion it's one of the most impressive feats of strength in wrestling because of how easy he did it.
@@abhinavkumar547 Ottmann was a Powerlifter?
His lifts were independently confirmed by guys like Andrew Collura and Big Lenny (which sounds like a joke but isnt). He lived in South Florida and trained with those guys who were even stronger than him believe it or not
One of my all time fav fighters right there!
Let's see Tony Atlas. Warlord and or the Barbarian from the Powers of Pain
I have deadlifted 240kgs at 200lbs bodyweight when on tren. And I am 5'2. He should have done 336kgs fairly easy/ and a 277kg bench press shouldn't have been a problem either as I know a few guys who've done over 200kgs.
200lbs at 5'2" LOL
Must have looked like firehydrant bro !
I am 185 now after even a few muscle tears. Lean at 50 years old. I wouldn't say I was that big. Some say I am. But yes when younger I was pretty strong.
I think the most important years of training are when you are 15-20 or maybe even before that. If you haven't built a good body by then. You'll find it hard work@@Miiiiiiighty
RIP. Didn't watch much "wrestling" but loved seeing TRW when I did.
I saw Animal and Tony Atlas both bench 600 lbs raw .At George Eifermans gym .
Really did they bench pressed 600 lbs at the same day Or another day?
@@abhinavkumar547 The same day .The wrestlers were all in town for a show
They had at the Showboat hotel
That evening .They only would do 1-2 shows
I believe Friday and Saturday night
They worked out before the matches
To get pumped up before they had to wrestle that night
Animal and Tony were both benching heavy together .While Hawk would do more super sets .Plus higher resolution training
This was around 1984 .Almost 40 years ago
I met this dude right before he died …was still huge then
A friend told me that they saw him bench 605 in Rick Steamboats Gym in Charlotte, NC., in 1986. He would have squatted alot more, but his knees were destroyed from earlier sports through bthe years.
I never thought about how strong he is. I just remember him for the shoulder pads
Brilliant, thanks so much for doing this. The Minnesota boys were strong, even the smaller ones like Tom Zenk and Curt Hennig
I think the 610 bench is plausible but not the claimed 625 or 640. The squat and DL are plausible but I remember reading he claimed to have squatted 720 for a triple or something - he seemed to pull numbers out of thin air sometimes. One of the old wrestling mags had a photo of him doing shrugs with 900lbs, allowing him to build those mountainous traps
Agreed. 610lbs touch and go with a healthy bounce was possible. That is unbelievably strong if true as it would have been the top 5 bench in the 1980s WORLDWIDE.
@@Nick-cp8wf for what it’s worth, I’ve seen numerous people claim Barbarian could bench 600 and his partner the Warlord claimed his PB was 640. Warlord was HUGE, a legit 6’4” and 325 but I’m not totally convinced.
@@nbaldwin45 why r u not convinced that Warlord would have done 640 bench. I mean he was bigger than even animal, had a bigger chest, bigger triceps ( although, I remember animal claiming that he had the biggest arms in his territory at that time of 24 inches which made warlord pissed off because warlord had half inches shorter arms than animal. But at his heaviest warlord was between 330 and 340 lbs. ) I think Warlord's claim was legit as there are reports of him in wrestling forums to have done 575 lbs for 6 reps without any pause in long island, Gold gym and on that same day Barbarian did 550 for 3 reps touch and go. Also warlord shrugged over 1000 lbs as claimed by himself.
The Z-man was a competitive bodybuilder also.
@@princeekeson12 Mr Minnesota. He softened up a lot for wrestling but still had an outstanding physique
There must be something in the water in Minnesota I swear...
Loved this guy,he definitely was one of the strongest anywhere..RIP ANIMAL
Always remember how big he was. To stand next to someone like Hawk and make him look fairly small in comparison is unreal.
I'm 53 yrs old and I remember them back in the eighties.
I dont know about the actual lifting numbers, but watching Road Warriors/LOD back in the 80/90's as a kid it was pretty obvious they were in the top 5 of actual strongest men in WCW or WWF. They would literally manhandle big guys with slams & military presses like it was no big deal.
Road Warrior Animal's son was college football teammates with AJ Hawk. True story.
No doubt Animal and Hawk were among the strongest wrestlers ever. The Warlord was a beast in the 90s I wonder how he would stack up
Yeah Warlord was maybe the most jacked wrestler of that era. Mid 80s Warlord was so damn huge.
@@joeperry2065 warlord is one the biggest jacked up wrestlers I've ever seen. Maybe mason Ryan would have given him a run for his money
@@MampsUK I saw him in 1990 when I was about 5. He was huge. But I think he was even bigger in the mid 80s.
@@joeperry2065 where did u see him
@@MampsUK the town I grew up in. Marquette ,Michigan, US
His biker persona looked like something out of the village people lol
It certainly did, that was a terrible idea
He used to workout in the gym I went to when he was in town. He benched 500 for 3 very easy reps on one occasion.
I trained there too in the mid 90s when him and his partner were training there.
Bruno was the man. 565 lb bench . 735 squat. No steroids. Just pure beast. Other guys were monsters like animal but all except mark henry were on the gas
You think Bruno did 565 BP no gas? LOL. That's about as real as pro wrestling my friend. I don't think Henry was clean either. He was squatting 700+ and BP 400+ as a TALL 16-year-old! Takes time to build up to those numbers and 16-year-olds haven't been lifting long enough...I know. I saw many of the best powerlifters as teenagers.
There's stories about Ron Simmons being one of the strongest guys in the gym. Luger mentioned in an interview that Ron warmed up with like 225, 350 or so and went straight to benching 500 for like 3 reps with jeans on.
Arn Anderson said Simmons was a legit 600 lb. bencher.
@@rongabrieljr.8784
Can't remember if it was 500 or 600...but Lex basically said Ron would come in jeans, small warmup and a set of 500 or 600 for a few reps and that was it.
@@jumbothompson it was 500 lbs. But i would like to know about the best ever bench press of Ron Simmons.
Great vid. Your voice and accent are superb..
Scott Norton was another wrestler said to be freakishly strong.
As was Randy Mulkey.
Go watch the bench press between the road warriors and the powers of pain. It's in NWA too back in the mid to late 80s. These guys were STRONG for real.
That bench press topped out at 475lbs assuming the weights were real
Yeah it was all ass whoopin after that just watched it again 🤣. But gear or no gear back then the raw power of these guys was nuts. I'm talking about all the federations. Just freakishly powerful men.
I'm pretty sure in a shoot interview they revealed that not all of the plates were real in that event.
@@StrengthUniverse Exactly. Fake plates were used. You'll notice most of the wrestling "lift" contests in those days had multiple different types of plates vs all the same type York 45 plate which was most common plate in the 80s/90's.
How did u get on with Hulk Hogan vs Lou Ferrigno? Can u get the data?
I have questionable data on Lou, Hulk on the other hand, there is very little
@@StrengthUniverse the question I have been asking for 33 years may remain unanswered for all eternity lol. I remember being furious with Hogan in an episode of Hogan Knows Best where he was dissing Brooks boyfriend at the time for his bench max, I think it was something like 275lb which is reasonably for a young lad, he wasn't even big either lol.
@@richluke24 Hogan benched 2500lbs, brother!
@@pappy374 lol I remember watching it with my mates saying "Yeah she's alright, but it isn't worth it lol". ;) He's an annoyance lol
Can you also do a video on WWF Lengend Ultimate Warrior and Batista
Definitely believe Joe was elite. 100% great guy, very strong
How about a Warlord video, a Nathan Jones video and a Tom Haviland video?
Hey, I just finished a video on Nathan.
@@StrengthUniverse Jeep Swenson is another name that comes to mind. Not a whole lot out there about his lifts.
pls do the great khali
In terms of powerlifting strength the prowrestlers stronger than Road Warrior Animal would be Mark Henry, Ken Patera, and Dino Bravo. The others who had insane powerlifting strength were Rick Steiner and John Cena. I'm not counting Bill Kazmaeir or Ted Arcidi as they were only part time pro wrestlers .
The thing is Animal had better bench press than Mark Henry and Ken patera. In deadlift and squat he was way behind. Regarding Dino bravo, he was a great bench presser but how much did he pressed in his prime is unknown because there r numerous figures of him. Some says 570 lbs, some 580 lbs, some even claimed to have seen him bench press over 600 lbs like Ken patera who said that Dino did 630 lbs legit bench press. No information about his best deadlift and squat.
John Cena was not anywhere close to the powerlifting strength level of Animal as his bench press, deadlift and squat are all way below animal. Don't know much about Rick steiner's exact lifts except that he did squat over 700 lbs.
But there were Wrestlers like Doug furnas, Tom magee who were stronger overall than Animal as both of them had superior deadlift and squat. Also, Braun strowman has superior raw deadlift and squat than Animal. Scott Norton was legitimately one of the strongest pro wrestler in his time, had a better bench press, squat and shoulder press and behind the neck press. No information about his deadlift. So there were many who were stronger than animal overall.
I forgot to mention The Barbarian. That guy was an absolute freak of nature. His Polynesian genetics combined with his Incredible Hulk like physique enabled him to perform world class feats of strength. He could bench 600 lbs for reps, and looking at his body structure I'm pretty sure he could squat and deadlift crazy weights as well.
@@chaoticdays where did u get the information that Barbarian could bench press 600 lbs for reps? Can u provide the source behind your claim because there is nothing documented proof about barbarian's best bench press, just rumours that he could do 600 lbs bench press.
@@abhinavkumar547 "documented proof"?!? LOL. Are you writing a thesis on lifting stats of pro-wrestlers. It's well known that Barbarian was a 600 lb bencher and I've heard it plenty of times. The latest interview I remember hearing it is when Ric Flair talks about the strongest wrestlers in the gym in a video clip on youtube titled 'Ric Flair Shoots on Rick Rude at the gym'. Go look for it and good luck on your thesis.
@@chaoticdays It is well known that the Barbarian could not bench press 600lb. The guy looked great and was very athletic but he was not a 600lb bencher.
As a kid these two were my favorite tag team bar none!
These are awesome. You gotta do Jim Neidhart.
I watched him do 600lbs at the gym, and rep 500 lbs.
Hawk was no slouch in strength either. Both of them could have placed decent in WSM back around 1990 or so.
At one time, Animal was considered the strongest man in pro wrestling.. But you should check on the stats of the Warlord..
Warlord's stats are 640 lbs bench press, 225 lbs biceps curl for 12 reps, over 1000 lbs shoulder shrug. He said that he didn't go super heavy on squat due to risk of getting back injury as he had to wrestle also, he said that he went good but not very heavy . So , no information about his squat number. No information about his best deadlift too but for back he did rows for 225 lbs for 10-12 reps. Also, he was reported to have shoulder press 315 lbs in a gym like it was an empty weight so his 1 rm would be higher than that.
1:35 NOT a good look at all for him to start with but it got much better.
😂
Ive never particularly been a beast on the weights (265, 450, 500) but I've always done isometrics and I can hold my own throwing guys around. A lot more goes into it than what you can push. Its grip strength, footwork, balance, stamina, and will. EDIT: I'm 6'1" and right around 200 lbs (91kg)
You just walk around randomly throwing guys around ?
@@danski6694 when I feel like it 🤣
@@watcher805 i will throw you around
@@victorgutiere4435 🤣
@@watcher805 what are you laughing at ???
Can you do one of Bill Goldberg ?
One thing to really take into consideration here, is that Animal was able to do those lifts while on the road driving from city to city across the Country, as well as often flying all over the World wrestling probably 300+ nights a year.
Eating badly, drinking and partying into the wee morning hours most nights.
To then get in the car, drive all day to some other city, to do it all over again that night.
So, Apples to Apples, what could he have done if he was just powerlifting and taking care of himself to do it?
Fair point, although I don't think Animal was ever much of a partier or drinker. He took his training really seriously whereas he said Hawk rarely trained legs and was training for cosmetics. Hawk's alleged to have one said 'wrestling is an upper body business' - he had a great dropkick though, so he must have had some strength.
@@nbaldwin45 When I said partying it was in referance to generally partying. Animal wasn't into the coke, pharmaceuticals and the normal excessive booze drinking like Hawk was.
But, he definitely was still throwing brews down and hanging out late on the regular.
That was just the normal being on the road life for a professional wrestler.
Pounding the road, the mat, their bodies and the beer.
It's do crazy how people leave the earth. Just a couple of years ago, Animal was commenting on the current state of wrestling. Now he is gone😢😢😢
I loved him and Hawk!!!!
It's really hard to say what someone can do in a official powerlifting competition. Doing it in the gym doesn't mean it can be done in competition, for example in the Squat must go down a certain distance paralell or even slightly lower.. Saying one squatted X amount of weight doesn't mean nothing if not judged by those who can recognize a legal depth squat.. in the bench you must pause the bar on chest, butt must stay on bench, no excessive body english and for dead it must not ramp up legs.. as you see, a gym lift doesn't equate a PL lift
"no excessive body english " does someone play pool? LOL. Yes all those points are correct which I why I specifically say in the video "if" he could perform the lifts to powerlifting standards.
@@StrengthUniverse whom said my comment was directed at you? please.. everything isn't about you
Strong guy for sure but his lfts were not under strict powerlifting rules with three judges.
i would like to see "how strong was Dave Bautista" would be very nice
550lbs squat 420lb bench 600lb deadlift. My quess.
From what I have heard he isn't really all that strong for how big he is, he is pretty athletic for his size but it seems he doesn't do a lot of max strength training.
I believe his deadlift and squat, but having worked out with a ton of powerlifters, the bench press is questionable at best. I've seen a man squat 1003 lbs in knee wraps and belt only, his bench was around 550 and he weighed 380+ pounds. I've only seen one man bench press 605 in my life, and again weighed around 360. I'm not saying it's impossible, but with the build he had I'd say it's unlkely
Danke!
Thank you so much👍
I saw him press 500 at an event in Greensboro. The weight was nothing to him as the scene was staged and another wrestler… I can’t remember which hit him while he was racking the weight . He then fell and I swear I watched him cut himself with something while he was on the floor .
Todays BIG E in WWE max Benched 575.
For Animal to have Max Benched 600 - 625
Thats Crazy.
Can you maybe do a video on the Paul twins, two bodybuilders from the 80's renowned for their strength. They also starred in one or two low-budget movies.
You mean the barbarian Brothers. Yes I'll definitely being doing one.👍
@@StrengthUniverse Yes, thank you!
I really wish there was an Animal and Goldberg match. That would have been historic
I saw Animal press Bam Bam Gordy over his head....that's like 350 dead weight. If animal said he lifted it I'd believe him.
When did animal pressed bam bam? Can u tell me?
@@abhinavkumar547 In Chicago NWA-AWA event
@@mayankingrevisited8815 Is there any video footage of that lift?
@@abhinavkumar547 Type in Road Warriors v Freebirds
terry went 290 not 350
I think Ole put Mike and Joe together, not Ellering.
There are a couple of versions of how they got together. I also read one that suggested Mike and Joe meet each other training and arranged it
@@StrengthUniverse They definitely knew each other prior to wrestling.
Even if he fudged the numbers, still incredibly strong!!!
Of course I believe it. Look at him ffs..
Miss the Road Warriors.. best tag ream ever…
Oooohhh what a rush…. 😎🤘
There is an old clip that is hard to find but it's of Animal gorilla pressing a young Hulk Hogan who was easily over 300lbs at that time, this was no press where Hulk was using his arms to help Animal like when the Ultimate Warrior pressed Hulk. Animal just manhandled Hulk over his head like he weighed nothing.
I miss the days of freaky wrestlers.
In Japan he pressed hulk with no help. I have it on DVD...
Please make video on Andre the gaint
Think he was on the road if he couldve just trained for the bench who knows what he couldve done.
I believe top 5 imo....but once the back issues arose he lost it fairly quick...any1 whose had back issues will tell you....it slows everything down....cant train as hard...cant move as well
You should be doing Davey Boy Smith.
I will be👍
You should do one with Martyn Ford if you haven’t already
I'd like to but due to the way his trains it isn't possible
Still waiting for the Bugenhagen vid
I have been researching for it but each of these videos takes a minimum of 36hrs to make so while it is on the list I can't promise when it will be completed and released
I think that if he focused on powerlifting or Strongman without wrestling then he probably would have at least been a respectable competitor
Probably, he had some great numbers
I wish I saved the video, but King Kamali claims he saw Animal curl over 200lbs on the barbell with strict form.
That seems perfectly believable👍