Rick Martel

Richard Vigneault (born March 18, 1956) is a Canadian former professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) between 1980 and 1995 under the ring name Rick Martel.

Career

Independent Circuit

Rick Martel is from a family of wrestlers, and made his professional debut at just seventeen when his brother Martin, a wrestler, asked him to replace an injured wrestler. Martel was already a skilled amateur wrestler, and quickly adapted to professional wrestling.

Martel wrestled throughout the world, winning titles in Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling promotion, New Zealand and Puerto Rico. His first real success in America came in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)'s Portland affiliate Pacific Northwest Wrestling and in Vancouver-based NWA All Star Wrestling, where he became a top talent, holding the Canadian and PNW Tag Team titles simultaneously. He left PNW on August 16, 1980 when he lost a "Loser Leaves Town" match to Buddy Rose.

World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF)

Martel made a number of appearances with the WWWF, winning the Tag Team Titles twice with current WWE Road Agent Tony Garea.

American Wrestling Association (AWA)

Martel signed with the AWA in 1982 and quickly ascended through the ranks, defeating Jumbo Tsuruta to win the AWA World Heavyweight Championship on May 13, 1984. Martel was below average height and weight for a world champion in the 1980s, and the fact that he was chosen to be champion despite his limited stature is testament to his skill inside the ring and charisma. His reign as champion lasted nearly nineteen months, during which time he wrestled several matches with NWA Champion Ric Flair. Martel lost the title to Stan Hansen who forced Martel to submit to the "Brazos Valley Backbreaker" - a renamed variant on what would as a result of this defeat become Martel's own submission maneuver: the Boston Crab, later dubbed by Martel the "Quebec Crab" in honor of his French-Canadian heritage.

The Can-Am Connection

In 1987, Martel returned to the WWF with his then tag team partner, the American Tom Zenk, as the Can-Am Connection. The Can-Am Connection had been formed by Martel in the Montreal International Wrestling Association in 1986. Tom Zenk was the boyfriend of Martel's sister-in-law, and had been introduced to Martel in the AWA by Curt Hennig. The Can-Am Connection quickly garnered the affections of fans, and they looked certain to win the WWF tag team titles in the near future. However, the team split shortly after Wrestlemania III; Zenk claimed Martel had secretly negotiated an individual contract worth three times more than his partner's contract (traditionally, tag teams are paid roughly equal salaries). ^{^*}

Martel claimed Zenk "...was overwhelmed by it all... Wrestling is very hard on your body. Hard on you also mentally. It's hard physically. Tom wasn't mentally or physically hard as I thought he would be." ^{^*}

Strike Force

Upon the departure of Zenk, Martel formed a new tag team with Tito Santana, Strike Force, winning the tag titles on one occasion. At WrestleMania V, during a match with the Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard) Tito accidentally hit Martel with his signature Flying Forearm and out of the ring. A frustrated Martel refused the tag, leaving Tito to be beaten down and pinned. Later, in an interview with Gene Okerlund, Martel claimed "I’m sick and tired. Sick and tired of him. I’m sick and tired." The former partners feuded for a year before Martel defeated Santana once and for all on November 23, 1990.

The Model

In the 1990s, Martel became a Gino Hernandez-esque narcissistic heel, "The Model". He had his own brand of perfume, Arrogance, which was kept in a large atomizer and would be sprayed in the eyes of his opponents to blind them or striking his adversary with the comically large pink atomizer to defeat them. In the 1991 Royal Rumble he would survive in the ring for 53 minutes, the longest in any Royal Rumble at the time.^*

Martel would then go on to feud with Jake "The Snake" Roberts. He blinded Roberts with his perfume which led to a symbolic "blindfold match" at Wrestlemania VII, where Martel was defeated. He then feuded with Shawn Michaels, as both men sought the affections of Sherri Martel. The feud ended with an entertaining and comedic chain of events, that concluded in a double count out at SummerSlam 1992. He followed that with a lengthy rivalry with Tatanka. It revolved around Tatanka's sacred "eagle feather", which Martel stole from him.

After briefly competing for the Intercontinental Championship, Martel left the Federation in 1995. He formed a tag team with Don Casablancas known as "The Supermodels". His wrestling career began to slow as he pursued a career in real estate.

World Championship Wrestling (WCW)

Martel reappeared in World Championship Wrestling in 1997, feuding with Booker T for the WCW World Television Championship, which he won on February 16, 1998. Martel's comeback was cut short when, at SuperBrawl VIII on February 22, 1998, he landed badly during his match with Booker T, hitting his leg on one of the steel cables that WCW used as ring ropes. He tore an inside ligament of his right knee, fractured his leg and suffered cartilage damage, effectively ending his in-ring career. He then worked for WCW as a trainer and as the host of the French versions of WCW programming.

Guest appearance at WWE House Show

At the end of a house show in Canada in 2003, Brock Lesnar revealed that he had a surprise for the crowd. It was none other than Martel himself, coming out to greet the fans. Martel put Lesnar over as a legitimate star by shaking hands with him.

In wrestling

Finishing and signature moves

Signature illegal weapons

Arrogance perfume
Atomizer

Previous managers

Championships and accomplishments

National Wrestling Alliance

1-time NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Champion (March 22, 1980 - August 16, 1980)
3-time NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Champion (with Roddy Piper)
1-time NWA Canadian Tag Team Champion (with Roddy Piper)
1-time NWA Georgia Tag Team Champion (with Tommy Rich)
1-time NWA North American Heavyweight Champion (Hawaii version)

Stampede Wrestling

1-time Stampede International Tag Team Champion (with Lenny Hurst)

World Wrestling Council

1-time WWC North American Tag Team Champion (with Pierre Martel)

Miscellaneous

3-time New Zealand British Commonwealth Champion
1-time International Wrestling Canadian International Champion

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI ranked him # 48 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003
PWI ranked him # 70 with Tito Santana and # 74 with Tony Garea in the best tag teams of the "PWI Years"

References

^* http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Arena/9893/zshoot2.htm - Interview with Tom Zenk
^* http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Arena/9893/bttropes.htm - Interview with Tom Zenk
^* http://www.canoe.ca/SlamWrestling/martel_interview2.html - Interview with Rick Martel
^* http://www.dutchsavage.com/history2.html - NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Title History
^* http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/wiamain.htm - Wrestling Information Archive