Strike Force (professional wrestling)

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Strike Force
$A picture of {{{current_name}}}.$ Tito Santana(left), Rick Martel(right)
Tag team
Members	Tito Santana Rick Martel
Name(s)	Strike Force
Heights	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)-Rick Martel 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)-Tito Santana
Debuted	August 1987
Disbanded	April 1989
Promotions	WWF

Strike Force was a tag team in the WWF comprised of Tito Santana and Rick Martel.

Strike Force was considered by many fans a spinoff of the Can-Am Connection, a team comprised of Martel and Tom Zenk. Zenk left the WWF in the middle of a feud the Can-Ams had with the Islanders. Why the Z-man left the WWF is the subject of debate. Some say creative differences others say a pay dispute. It was rumored for some time it was due to sexual harassment. Longtime fans argue the kayfabe reason given was that "He was afraid of Demolition". Martel fought both Islanders alone in singles matches, until an attack took place on WWF Superstars of Wrestling where the Islanders jumped Martel. Santana was doing commentary in the Spanish broadcast booth, and he had seen enough, so he ran to the ring and helped Martel take out the Islanders in August 1987. The team were played off as good looking pretty boys and even had a theme called "Girls In Cars", which many fans consider to be one of the worst wrestling themes ever made. They feuded with the Islanders until October, when they got a shot at the Hart Foundation for the World Tag-Team Championship. They won the titles when Jim Neidhart submitted to Martel's Boston Crab.

The team would hold onto the titles until WrestleMania IV, where they lost the tag belts to Demolition. Martel had Smash in the Boston Crab, until Ax hit him in the back of the head with Mr. Fuji's cane, while the ref was distracted by a fight between Santana and Fuji.

Martel would suffer a real life injury during a tag team title match against Demolition, and it was made into an angle where Ax and Smash took credit for ending Martel's career.

Santana wrestled in singles matches again afterwards for awhile. Martel would return to the WWF in January 1989 at the Royal Rumble. Sometime later, Santana and Martel would reunite, taking on the Brain Busters at WrestleMania V. After Santana accidentally knocked Martel out with a flying forearm, Martel left Santana alone in the ring to fend for himself, thus turning heel. He later said that he no longer wanted to associate with Santana because his timing was off, and he was a loser. The two would feud on and off for the next two years, including a few matches that took place after Santana adopted the "El Matador" gimmick in 1991.