Strike Force (professional wrestling)
| Strike Force | |
|---|---|
| Tag team | |
| Members |
Rick Martel Tito Santana |
| Name(s) | Strike Force |
| Heights | Rick Martel: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Tito Santana: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Combined weight |
460 lb (210 kg; 33 st) |
| Debut | August 1987 |
| Disbanded | April 2, 1989 |
| Years active | 1987-1989 |
| Promotions | WWF |
Strike Force was a professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) composed of Rick Martel and Tito Santana.
On August 29, 1982, Martel and Santana teamed up for the first time. They faced AWA Tag Team Champions The High Flyers, Greg Gagne and "Jumpin'" Jim Brunzell for the title. Martel and Santana came up short after Brunzell pinned Santana.
The team officially formed on a permanent basis after Martel defeated both members of The Islanders (Haku and Tama) in separate singles matches in July 1987 (after the departure of his then tag team partner Tom Zenk from the WWF). On the August 15, 1987 episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling, the Islanders jumped Martel after his win over Barry Horowitz. Santana, who was doing commentary in the Spanish broadcast booth, ran to the ring to help Martel fight off the attackers. The team were played off as good looking pretty boys (a story-line that came directly from the team's predecessor the Can-Am Connection) even using the theme called "Girls In Cars", which was originally made for the Can-Am Connection. The name Strike Force came from Santana's promise that as a team they would, "be striking (the Islanders) with force." Martel immediately came up with the team's name based on this. They feuded with the Islanders until October, when they got a shot at the Hart Foundation for the Tag Team Championship. On October 27, 1987 they won the title when Jim Neidhart submitted to Martel's Boston crab. While feuding with the Harts, they resumed their feud with the Islanders, successfully defending the title against both teams at house shows across the country.
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