10 Things WWE Fans Need To Know About The Golden Era Tag Team Strike Force

Fans of old school WWE likely know Tito Santana and Rick Martel best for their singles accomplishments, with Santana being a two-time Intercontinental Champion and Martel having a solid run as “the Model.” But from 1987 to 1989 the two actually worked together as a tag team, so much that they had their own tag team name: Strike Force.

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Despite being overshadowed by the myriad iconic duos of 1980s WWE including the Hart Foundation, the British Bulldogs, and Demolition, Strike Force also reached the top of the tag division. Let’s take a look at what fans should know about Santana and Martel’s partnership, from its formation all the way to its bitter end.

10 First Tagged In 1982

The partnership of Tito Santana and Rick Martel actually predates WWE, going back to 1982 in the now-defunct Midwest institution American Wrestling Association. There, Santana and Martel didn’t just tag together, but even got some title shots as well.

On several occasions the future Strike Force took on Jim Brunzell and Greg Gagne — collectively known as the High Flyers — for the AWA World Tag Team Title on several occasions, but the closest they ever got to winning the belt was scoring a countout victory over Gagne and Brunzell.

9 Teamed Up To Battle The Islanders

Five years after their AWA outing, Rick Martel and Tito Santana would reunite in WWE in the summer of 1987. Rick Martel was fresh out of another tag team (see below) when he ran afoul of the Islanders, who Martel beat separately in singles matches.

In response, Haku and Tama staged an attack on Martel after a squash match on an episode of Superstars. Tito Santana was working on the Spanish commentary team during the attack, so he decided to get involved and make the save.

8 The Origin Of Their Name

Following the incident on Superstars, Tito Santana committed to teaming up with Rick Martel against the Islanders. In one promo, Santana swore to “strike” the Islanders “with force,” which prompted Martel to put two and two together and come up with the name Strike Force.

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Following their formation, Strike Force feuded with the Haku and Tama from September to December 1987, with about 40 clashes in total. While most of these encounters happened at untelevised house shows, several were taped for regional WWE shows on MSG Network, PRISM Network, and others.

7 A Continuation Of The Can-Am Connection

Prior to Strike Force, Rick Martel had another tag team going in WWE, teaming with Tom Zenk as the Can-Am Connection in 1986 until backstage money issues caused Zenk to depart WWE.

The Can-Am Connection were presented as heartthrobs who gave spirited performances in the ring, similar to Rock ‘n’ Roll Express or the Rockers, a gimmick that carried over with Strike Force. Reportedly, Strike Force’s theme song, Girls in Cars, was also originally intended for the team of Martel and Zenk.

6 Beat The Hart Foundation For The Tag Belts

While Tito Santana and Rick Martel united to take on the Islanders, Strike Force wasn’t satisfied just seeking retribution. In late October 1987, Martel and Santana got a shot at the World Tag Team Championship, defeating the team of Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart on an episode of Superstars thanks to Martel applying a Boston Crab to Neidhart.

This landmark win resulted in Strike Force fighting a war on two fronts, as they now had to feud with both the Islanders and the Hart Foundation.

5 Dropped The Belts To Demolition

For most of their 152-day run as World Tag Team Champions, Strike Force defended against the two above-mentioned. However, neither would successfully dethrone Tito Santana and Rick Martel.

That honor would go to the Road Warriors-like Demolition, who challenged Strike Force for the belts at WrestleMania 4, who scored the win thanks to strategic use of manager Mr. Fuji’s cane during a referee distraction. On top of that, Demolition would take out Rick Martel in a rematch on Prime Time Wrestling in order for Martel to take time off to deal with personal matters.

4 Reunited With Tito Santana At WrestleMania 5

After half a year off, Rick Martel would return to the ring in early 1989 as a singles competitor, only reuniting with Tito Santana for WrestleMania 5. There, Strike Force took on the Brain Busters, the team of Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard in a regular tag team match with nothing on the line in the middle of the show.

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However, the Strike Force reunion would end as soon as it began. After Santana accidentally took out his own partner with a flying forearm, Martel decided to ditch Santana during the match, giving the Brain Busters an easy two-on-one victory.

3 The Reason For Martel’s Betrayal

As any wrestling fan might expect, a betrayal at WrestleMania wasn’t the end of the interaction between Tito Santana and Rick Martel, who had now turned heel and gained a manager in Slick.

When questioned by legendary backstage interviewer Mean Gene Okerlund about his decision to walk out on Santana, Martel cited his newfound success as a singles performer upon his return, expressing frustration that his old partner wanted to team up again, believing that Santana was “riding his coattails.”

2 Rick Martel Became The Model During Their Feud

Slick’s management of Rick Martel wouldn’t last the year, as Martel would undergo a pretty big gimmick change. With an increasing self-obsessiveness, Martel would become “the Model,” wearing sport-coats and spraying his own cologne, “Arrogance,” in opponents’ faces to get an easy win.

It was one of the first major instances of what would become a long-running gimmick type in WWE, with Martel’s new persona further underscoring a degree of delusion about his importance over Tito Santana.

1 Rick Martel Won Their Feud

Despite the repackaging, the Rick Martel and Tito Santana were by no means done with one another. Notable clashes between the two include being on opposing teams at 1989’s SummerSlam and Survivor Series and wrestling to a double disqualification on a Saturday Night’s Main Event.

In the 1989 King of the Ring tournament, Santana was able to beat Martel in the finals, but Rick Martel would ultimately get the last laugh. Their final major encounter would be on the TV special The Main Event 4, with Martel scoring a submission victory with a Boston Crab.