This is the move that broke up Martel and Santana.
Let me begin this gallery with a view of the dramatic conclusion: the nasty Elbow Smash off the ring apron by the sadistic members of Team Demolition which injured Rick Martel and put him out of wrestling for 8 months.
This video recently posted to YouTube was sub-titled “The Fall of Strike Force” which immediately caught my interest.
Looking heroic and tan in their matching white gear, Rick Martel and Tito Santana are the picture of 1980’s Baby-Face perfection — the kind of team that accelerated the heart rates of wrestling fans like me. Demolition appear threatening and dangerous in their spiky leather costumes.
Rick Martel shows off his wrestling skills (and his jacked biceps) with some Wrist-Twisting Armbars early in the bout.
They present Martel as a winner early in the match to get the audience to love and support him.
Axe pounds relentlessly on his helpless victim.
Here is a percussive beating by Axe, who repeated clobbers Martel in the upper back. Santana watches helplessly from the far corner, clearly concerned about his beloved partner.
Santana’s affection and compassion for Martel will be a theme repeated later, a sign that they have strong feelings for each other.
Santana suffers a cock grab followed by a stick to the kidneys.
Tito Santana tags in but also suffers anguish caused by Demolition’s sado-masochistic rough play.
Here the white-clad hero is forced against the ropes where Demolition’s manager drives a stiff rod into his spine to injure him. Santana then rolls around in the fetal position. I love it when the baddies fight dirty!
Axe and Santana perform a beautiful Bearhug, with Santana tossing his long hair around as Axe grinds against him.
In my twisted adolescent day dreams, I fantasized that the sharp metal studs, rings, and buckles on the front of Demolition’s leather body harnesses made their tight Bearhugs even more excruciating.
The leather-clad goons brutalize Santana, who is presented as the weaker, needier member of his team. We’re left with the impression that he needs Rick Martel to rescue him. And if anything happens to Martel, Santana will be doomed.
Eventually, Santana reaches the hot tag and the winner Martel assumes control over Demolition. He applies a Boston Crab and it appears that the Good Guys are going to finally win the belts and achieve success together!
Ref, you SAW that! How is that LEGAL??!
But Smash enters the ring illegally and demolishes Martel with a stunning Forearm Clubbing to the back of the head which stuns poor Martel.
Our helpless hero is clearly injured, but the cruel bastard kicks him in the gut with that big boot, sending his limp body out to the floor like a jobber.
A chair to the noggin knocks Martel out cold.
I googled the reasons behind this story-line, and it seems Martel’s wife was very sick, so he needed to take a long vacation. This “injury” story was concocted to explain his long absence.
But I prefer to buy in the scene as real– the evil and heartless Heels deliberately injuring Martel using this nasty chair sneak-attack.
No! NO! He can’t defend himself!
Then comes that cruel Double Neck Snapper we saw above. There is just something deliciously sadistic about these two beefy brutes in their kinky costumes working together to harm pretty-boy Martel.
And of course their patented move is more effective and injury-causing when performed out on the floor rather than in the ring.
Martel plays injured, motionless on his stomach as if he is out cold and possibly paralyzed. The commentator points out that the sadistic brutes have no concern for his well-being whatsoever, which makes this cruel assault seem even more vicious (and therefore more arousing.)
Seeing his partner (and frequent rescuer) injured breaks Santana’s heart. He begins to cry which leaves us thinking that these two studs may be much more than just traveling buddies. All in all, this was a nicely done rendition of the “Deliberate Injury” angle, just the sort of situation that fueled my wrestling dreams back when this episode first aired.
