Strike Force (professional wrestling)

Strike Force
Tag team
Members Rick Martel[1]
Tito Santana[1]
Name(s) Strike Force
Heights Rick Martel:
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2]
Tito Santana:
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[3]
Combined
weight		 460 lb (210 kg; 33 st)[4]
Debut August 1987[5]
Disbanded April 2, 1989[6]
Years active 1987-1989
Promotions WWF

Strike Force was a professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) composed of Rick Martel and Tito Santana.[1]

History

American Wrestling Association

On August 29, 1982, Martel and Santana teamed up for the first time. They faced AWA Tag Team Champions The High Flyers, Greg Gagne and "Jumpin'" Jim Brunzell for the title. Martel and Santana came up short after Brunzell pinned Santana.[7]

World Wrestling Federation

The team officially formed on a permanent basis after Martel defeated both members of The Islanders (Haku and Tama) in separate singles matches in July 1987[8] (after the departure of his then tag team partner Tom Zenk from the WWF). On the August 15, 1987 episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling, the Islanders jumped Martel after his win over Barry Horowitz. Santana, who was doing commentary in the Spanish broadcast booth, ran to the ring to help Martel fight off the attackers.[5] The team were played off as good looking pretty boys (a storyline that came directly from the team's predecessor the Can-Am Connection) even using the theme called "Girls In Cars", which was originally made for the Can-Am Connection. The name Strike Force came from Santana's promise that as a team they would, "be striking (the Islanders) with force." Martel immediately came up with the team's name based on this.[9] They feuded with the Islanders until October, when they got a shot at the Hart Foundation for the Tag Team Championship. On October 27, 1987[10] they won the title when Jim Neidhart submitted to Martel's Boston crab.[11][12]

The team held onto the title until WrestleMania IV, where they lost the tag belts to Demolition.[13] Martel had Smash in the Boston Crab, until Ax hit him in the back of the head with Mr. Fuji's cane, while the ref was distracted by a fight between Santana and Fuji.[14]

Shortly afterward, Martel (kayfabe) suffered an injury after taking Demolition's finisher on the floor, splitting up the team for several months. In reality, Martel took an extended leave of absence to help take care of his wife, who was severely ill.[15][16]

Santana wrestled in singles matches again afterwards for a while. Martel returned to the WWF in January 1989 at the Royal Rumble. Sometime later, Santana and Martel reunited, taking on the Brain Busters at WrestleMania V.[6] After Santana accidentally knocked Martel out with a flying forearm, Martel left Santana alone in the ring to fend for himself, thus turning heel. Martel later stated that he felt Santana had been riding his coattails and was sick and tired of carrying him. The two feuded for the next year, as Martel transformed into "The Model" Rick Martel, an arrogant egomaniac.[12] Both men scored wins over the other, including a win by Santana over Martel in the final of the 1989 King of the Ring tournament.[17] Martel scored a win over Santana later in the year at the Survivor Series when he pinned his former partner as the first elimination of the opening match of the night. The feud between the two effectively died out after the Survivor Series.

In wrestling

Championships and accomplishments

  • PWI ranked them #70 of the 100 best Tag teams during the "PWI" years in 2003.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Strike Force profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2011-03-12.
  2. ↑ "Rick Martel profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  3. ↑ "Tito Santana profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  4. ↑ Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE Encyclopedia. DK. p. 291. ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0.
  5. 1 2 "1987 WWF Superstars results". The History of WWE. Retrieved 2011-03-13.
  6. 1 2 "WrestleMania V Facts/Stats". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2011-03-13.
  7. ↑ "Gagne and Brunzell vs Santana and Martel". YouTube. Retrieved 2014-01-02.
  8. ↑ "1987 WWF ring results". The History of WWE. Retrieved 2011-03-13.
  9. ↑ "Strike Force is born!". YouTube.
  10. ↑ http://www.wwe.com/classics/titlehistory/worldtagteam/304454132122111
  11. ↑ "Strike Force's first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2011-03-12.
  12. 1 2 Shields, Brian (2006). Main Event: WWE in the Raging 80s. Pocket Books. pp. 138–140. ISBN 978-1-4165-3257-6.
  13. 1 2 "WWE Tag Team Title History". Solie's Wrestling Title Histories. Retrieved 2011-03-13.
  14. ↑ "Demolition's first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2011-03-12.
  15. ↑ Santana, Tito (2008).Tito Santana's Tales From The Ring , pp.81-82, Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 978-1-59670-325-4
  16. ↑ Rick Martel, Shoot Interview By RF video
  17. ↑ "King of the Ring 1989". The History of WWE. Retrieved 2011-03-13.
  18. ↑ "History of the World Tag Team Championship". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2011-03-13.
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