10 Most Shocking WrestleMania Turns

7. Rick Martel (WrestleMania V)

trish kiss
WWE.com

A stroke of luck for Tito Santana in 1987, Strike Force were a popular combo risen from the ashes of Tito's former Can-Am Connection pairing with Tom Zenk.

After Zenk acrimoniously exited the company, the ice-white trunks were given to Rick Martel and the duo promptly won the tag team titles in a November clash with The Hart Foundation. Particularly popular with women and children, Strike Force were a white meat babyface team in personality, but brought athleticism and technique to their matches in a manner that gained them genuine respect as champions.

However, after losing the titles at WrestleMania IV to Demolition, things quickly unravelled for the pair as Rick Martel sustained an injury in a tag title rematch that shelved him for several months and ultimately derailed the team entirely. It was a more bitter Martel that returned in time for a match against The Brain Busters at WrestleMania V, with the lingering disdain showing itself after a miscommunication lead him to completely abandon his partner.

Santana was mauled by Bobby Heenan's ruthless heel duo, as heartbreak rang out amongst the previously quiet Trump Plaza crowd for his plight. Martel angrily marched off regardless.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett