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Always loved The Model Rick Martel. He is deserving of a Hall Of Fame nod!

One of the most charismatic wrestlers of all time! He should be in the WWE Hall of Fame! His character paved the way for alot of future wrestlers after him.

Awesome episode. One of my friends was a Strike Force mark and actually cried when they lost the tag team titles to Demolition. LOL I still remember that Rick Martel promo where he said he wasn't a quitter, he was a fighter. He was burying Tom Zenk, but as a kid I had no clue what had happened. So many of my doubts were answered here. Why Tito and Rick never settled their feud on a PPV makes sense now. And totally off subject but now I know why Booker T never used the Harlem Hangover. I always thought that was a badass move but I had no clue he had injured Martel or Saturn with it to the point it got banned. Always enjoy these shows. Keep em coming. Great job.

When I was a wee young lad I thought that Rick was so cool. I happen to have Asperger's Syndrome and didn't really talk until I was 3. One day I was at home with my mom and waiting to go to school. My dad would sometimes tape a WWF show for me and I'd watch it at my dear grandparents' house. One of Rick's promos happened to come on and I stood right up. I started to strut like did and even adopted Rick's French Canadian accent. My grandpa quietly entered the family room so he could make sure that it wasn't just his imagination playing a cruel trick on him. When he saw that it definitely was real he ran to pick me up, crying and laughing all the way. Needless to say I finally started talking and it wasn't simply in the manner of the 4 year old that I was. My vocabulary was that of college student and I wouldn't shut up. Within a year I'd be reading and writing. So, in a way, I can thank the wonderful Mr. Martel for me emerging from my thick shell and finally interacting with others as though I'd always had.

The Model was the first heel turn that upset me as a kid but I used to really believe he was a model and I looked for his cologne at Belks when my Mom would take me shopping!

I love his run in the 91 rumble

Bruce is so dam busy!!! The fact he's doing this for us is special!!! Thank you bruce for the best dam podcast there is!!!

You can tell Vince really respected Martel as a worker and man in general. He let him have time off and he did keep him around until the mid 90s

Great episode. Martel is a class act and the Model was a great character. Even though he argued with Zenk, he never talked about money, yet he could have argued that he should have been worth more because of his experience and title wins. Also wish they had talked about his longevity in the 1991 Royal Rumble. 53 minutes long, back then, was a big deal.

That blindfold match was iconic. I would love to see one of these again eventually when live crowds are a thing for the right guys feuding.

It's interesting trivia that Shawn Michaels wrestled both members of Strike Force at consecutive pay per views -- Shawn pinned Tito Santana at Wrestlemania VIII, and then wrestled Rick Martel at Summerslam 1992.

I really enjoyed Rick Martel both as AWA top face or as the arrogant Model. He was talented in every way that matters and i really hope his WWE HOF due is in the near future. As has been said so many times i have never heard anyone say a bad word about him, no controversies so there really is no excuses. Thank you for covering Rick Martel guys.

1:24:40-I laughed so hard at this. I remember as a kid thinking how funny it was that both guys thought they were so good looking that-God-forbid anyone hit their face!

The Model is the most underrated and under decorated wrestler in history ,or was he so good he didn't need a title

Aloha guys! The Metal Maniac here! I have those 2 matches we had on Oahu I. 1999. Thankyou for saying the HIWF. If you want to see how great he still was I have the films! Aloha!

Underrated performer

Sooooo underated!!! Martel was a great wrestler!!!

Martel never gets mentioned, he doesn't grant interviews and the WWE never talks about him. He was a great wrestler in both the WWE and AWA.

I loved the promo when Rick Martel started of in the Italian language, and after a few seconds he said... "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot, that the most of you people are not as intelligent as I am, speaking two languages just like that." *snap fingers* I have tried so to find that promo again! XD

My question was asked!!! Thanks, guys!!!

Totally underrated. He was there through the early 80s, left for a short time but returned to wwf. He was an awesome in ring performer

We need a Nick Bockwinkle and/or Stan Hansen episode!!!

i see conrad also watched the martel interview on youtube and got his 80 pages of notes from it

Great tag team with Tony Garea taking on the Moondogs and Mr.Fuji and Mr Saito both managed by Captain Lou Albano

In hindsight a Model Rick Martel and Ravishing Rick Rude heel tag team would have been HUGE.

I never understood why rick Martell never had a singles title run but Marty janetty did.

My all time favorite, never gets enough love, and never gets enough credit for being one of the best in ring of all time

When I was a kid, I had my mom take me to the local Dillard's so I could ask if they had arrogance cologne . It was over at the time

Most underrated wrestler in wwf history

That’s a lot of talent. A lot of hall of famers. And the red rooster.

There are some great Bob Backlund stories out there and we got another one here. Thank you.

Thanks for the appreciation, and we thank you for what you do too.

My brother and I grew up on Portland wrestling in the 80s,Billy Jack Haynes,Grappler,Beetlejuice,Buddy Rose,Midnight Soldier(Bryan Adams/Crush)Scott Levy(Raven) and more

I’m just here for the Stu Hart impression

Great all around talent. Shame he got that career ending injury in WCW right when he won the WCW World Television Title. He was really getting over with the fans.

Martel's feud with Stan Hanson was awesome.

Yes, I am a model!

The Modeling & Arrogance starts at 2:48

Rick really was a better babyface than heel. The Model stuff was good, but he was such a damn good babyface. He is probably the top 3 underrated and overlooked performers of least the last 40 years. I'd say him, Muraco, and Santana are my top 3 in underrated workers.

Kinda disappointed that his 91 rumble performance barely got a mention.

I was such a huge fan of Strike Force. Martel and Santana had fantastic chemistry.

Def correct about French Canadians here, especially at that time with the business & the people of Montreal. They LOVED their own & when the WWF ran shows in the 80s with Montreal guys (Patterson, Martel, Dino, Rougeau’s, Pierre the Pirate) it didn’t matter if they were Heels they were getting cheered & they were going over.

1:30:30 I really was looking forward to the 10 man tag at Wrestlemania X. Glad they had it on Raw, but sucks that it was cut from the big event.

Bruce lol he said the eagle feather is so damn special he dont even know where it is lol thank u Bruce I love it

The model is literally one of the greatest wrestlers ever. Not even close. Top 50 ever in ability ever. He played the model character perfectly. It was casting genius by Vince or whomever thought of it

Love the heel model character, he had the model look and was a great technical wrestler

..strike force was my favorite tag team as a kid ..Rick Martel was and still is my all time favorite wrestler !!

Feb 16 1998 in Tampa Florida was the day before my 10th bday and I lived 20 min from Tampa back then. Too bad I didn't watch wrestling til 2002.

One of the more underrated wrestlers from the glory days of wrestling. As a kid I hated this guy, as an adult rewatching stuff on WWE network I appreciate Rick's in ring skills and how he could work a crowd.

The model was Awesome. Deffo should have had an I-C title run. He looked best id say 90-91 in his purple trunks,slick back ponytail.

Aw man! Please get to Captain Lou soon. Most people don't realize what a great heel he was. Nobody made us madder than, "The Guiding Light!". Pre Cindy Lauper, He was pure evil.

1:19:40 The Blindfold match was ripped off the "Prince of Darkness" match from the Crockett Cup 1988 between Jim Garvin and Kevin Sullivan.

To the last question, I’ll always remember him as the heel Model and don’t even think of Martel as a baby face so yeah it might be because of the age difference.

The Super Models tag team with Don Callis would have been good to see too.

FACT CHECK: Rick Martel was out with an injury, cancelling his SummerSlam 1990 match against Tito Santana.

Great worker, tons of charisma, ok promo but great character and from what I understand, a heck of a nice guy.

If you can find Bobby Heenan's first shoot interview with RF, he is adamant that Verne's biggest mistake happened before he didn't go with Hogan and let him slip away, rather it was around 1982 and not going all the way with Martel...he said that waiting until 1985 missed the boat.

1:19:45 In terms of the Blindfold match, the good storytelling was ironically what caused the match itself to stink.

Thanks Rick!

Maybe you guys should do a terrstory episode. Talk about 10-12 famous wrestling territories back in the day, some wrestler that started or past through there and Bruce give input on what he heard.

The Rick Martel I best Remember is teaming with Tony Garea, with the blue trunks and the matching jackets. Great Time in the wrestling business.

He was at the Hudson Valley Mall signing autographs at a plain white table with nothing but an envelope of glossy pics but no camera, in the 90s when he was MIA for a bit.... Unfortunately No one.... Nobody knew who he was....Not 1 person. He left in under 2 hours with zero promo material even hinting to who he was!

I remember two of his feuds in WWE, one with Jake the Snake when he blinded him with cologne and the other with Tatanka when he stole his feathers

Rick Martel would have had the two Intercontinental Championship reigns Tito Santana has had if he were to have been able to get into the WWF in 1983.

It’s a travesty that jobbers like Koko B. Ware are in the hall of fame and Rick Martel isn’t.

As a kid I used to like Rick Martel and Tony Garrea , strike force , but when he turned into the model was my favorite he should’ve beat Hogan at least a run as WWF champ he could do it all

I love the model, great heel, had the look n wrestling ability

Rick Martel as the AWA world champion then was 10 times better than that stupid model gimmick.

Wasn't happy this one was made.of Rick but needed something to listen 2

Ah I always remember him as The Model. He was very convincing. Brill as a kid to watch

sad we never got a proper Rick vs Tito feud blow off on PPV (and no, i don't count the 6 man tag at Summerslam 89).

Great episode! Any chance you can do a Charles Wright profile? Keep up the good work!

1:50:07-I feel like Strike Force took the direction that the Can-Am Connection would have taken.

The model I love him

Martel was always one of the top 5 greatest heels in history. He had the IT factor. He knew how to get the crowed to hate him. The art of REAL sneaky "cheating" is gone. Martel was a genius at telling a story. He and Jake in that blind fold match, hilarious and holds up today. He was a pro at selling. Many fans hate some ways wrestlers sell other wrestlers moves today because its so generic. The reason why the late 80's and 90's were unique was because not only were performers able to pull off fun gimmicks but they had their own unique way of selling. Ric Flair in his later years and HBK both had their own way of selling moves. Its an art and wrestlers today, not many I have seen, stand out. Martel should have had at least 1 PPV to PPV intercontinental title run. I think Bret winning the IC belt from Hennig was one of the greatest matches. In 1992 Bret had an OK feud with Boy Toy Shawn Michaels a couple times. Though the matches were good, I think Martel should have been in those IC matches with Bret, Shawn was still finding his athletic ability as Martel was a veteran. Maybe win it? Of course this is a feud pre-Bulldog vs Hart at Wembley when Bret loses the IC belt obviously. Id let Martel hold it JUST until the next following PPV. Just my opinion. My favorite of all time will always be HBK, but at that time Martel and Bret woulda been more technical...WWE could have had Michaels and Bret wrestle on house shows, letting Shawn and Bret meet for the very first time on PPV for the WWF title. Rick Martel, Legend and Hall Of Famer to me

1:07 re. Arrogance - as a babyface Rick Martel had previously been on the receiving end of spray perfume as a foreign object when he feuded with Jimmyn Garvin with Precious and her spray can in the AWA in 1985. So now he was a villain himself, it made sense for him to adopt a tactic used by an old enemy.

First match I ever saw live at a WWF houseshow was Rick Martel vs. Tito Santana.

Stu Hart makes another appearance on STW

I used to wear my WN V tape out too!

Another great episode! Please do a 123 Kid/X-pac episode soon

One reason Martel may have been paired with Slick was because he managed The Twin Towers who were Demolition's next challengers after WM5 and Martel still held a grudge against Ax and Smash for taking his tag title and injuring him, especially as fans were now cheering the Demos.

Good episode

1:18:300-I liked the idea of this “Mariner” character coming in and attacking ppl, most notably when he attacked Earthquake. I thought it was new cuz i never seen something like this before and i thought it was cool cuz this unknown was attacking the “real” wrestlers. Btw, i knew it was Bruti at 11 yrs old.

The best Wrestler in Quebec history, in my opinion.

I know Bruce is exhausted and drained but the energy is just 🥱

Veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery UNDERRATED

1:19:22-I hate when ppl today judge stuff from 39 yrs ago. The blindfold match at WM 7 was awesome, the whole story of it!

"Oh my god 470 000 stars in the tokyo dome and one time they were ashikoshi yoki dewey and they had this match and it went 49 minutes" lol, wrestling fans like wrestling, who knew. At least that's what we tell ourselves. Thank god you were around a decade ago in TNA when the internet marks thought they wanted to see guys like AJ Styles & Samoa Joe wrestler.

I looked more into the Rick Rude/Rick Martel brawl that was mentioned in the questions. It seems to be false information because I found an interview from when Rude passed away where Martel mentions Rude was great guy and they got along very well. He also said he never wrestled him because they were both heels.

Hated home as a child. But what a heel. Amazing gimmick. He wouldve been a great IC champ.

Him vs Bastion Booger is one of my favorite matches. Shit was hilarious.

"Busier than a one-armed paper-hanger." WTF is wrong with you? lol

I listen to 83 weeks and grilling with JR. And of the 3 podcast, am I the only one feeling like Conrad and Bruce don't like each other? They seem short with each other so often.

The best looking rassler of all times! A true beefcake adonis

About the Montreal thing... that's not anti-american sentiment as much as anti-anglophone (english speaker). Low key Bret Hart not so much... Brets the heel in Montreal if those two had a match there.

The ads are a massive turn off now with these. Too much

1:25 will skip the annoying ad.

Guys, it’s really hard to get into a video when you have 20 ad breaks every 2 minutes. Please, your ads are out of control. Way more than the average RU-vid content producer. Even the top you tubers don’t have this many ads. You gotta stop being so greedy, it’s out of control. Cut them down guys. You’ll still make money but this is so bad I’m considering stopping watching. And I doubt I’m the only one.

THE METAL MANIAC Gets the STW Mention! Ahhh Braddah!

great show would love a show on kerry von erich