“The Model” Rick Martel WrestleMania Memories
Slam Wrestling walks down memory lane with the once Former WWF Superstar Rick “The Model” Martel. Here are a few highlights:
Rick remembering his first Wrestlemania, was WrestleMania III: “I remember Wrestlemania III was the first time that wrestling really caught national attention in the States,” said Martel, in an interview conducted from his home in Quebec. “Everyone was saying, ‘What is this? What’s going on?’ and all the programs on national television would mention it. Everyone was talking about Wrestlemania III, all across the country. I think we were in Phoenix, maybe three or four weeks before the show, and this guy came in and started screaming that everything was sold out for Wrestlemania. We were all like kids (in the dressing room), because this was the first experience of something so huge for everybody.
“We flew in on the Saturday, the day before the event, and we went to the arena to do a couple of interviews at ringside, looked at all the chairs that were empty in that huge building. I said, ‘Wow, all of these seats are going to be full tomorrow!’, and of course, Tom Zenk and I opened up that Wrestlemania against Don Muraco and Bob Orton. That brought a little extra pressure, because you want to start things right, in the right mood. I remember that when I went in the ring, I didn’t look up — I just concentrated on my match and what was going on in the ring. And then, after the match was over, then I allowed myself to look up absorb the moment. I remember thinking that it would always be a great memory.”
The Model talks about his firends Hulk Hogan and Andre “The Giant” : “That was very exciting for me, because both of these guys were friends of mine. When I was in the AWA, Hulk Hogan and I shared an apartment for a few months, so we were close friends. And Andre, of course, was French, and we would travel together when we were in the same towns. So I was friends with both of these guys, and I know what this match meant to both of them, in particular for Andre, who was passing on the torch of the superstar of wrestling to Hogan. I remember having goosebumps on several occasions as I watched this match, and I remember being very glad to have been a part of it, and to be able to witness it all.
“And it’s true, there was definitely tension backstage (as to whether Andre would take the fall for Hogan). In fact, I remember Hulk talking to me about it. Andre was Andre, you know, he was a giant (laughs). He did whatever he wanted to do, whenever he wanted to do it, and no-one would stop him. There was tension between Andre and Hogan for a few months before that, because Andre had a lot of pride in being the main attraction in wrestling, and all of a sudden here was Hulk Hogan, the new man in wrestling and even in Hollywood. Before, Andre was the main wrestler they used for different projects in the movies, and wrestling was all about Andre. And Andre did not care for Hulk at first — he saw him as a threat to his status as the king of wrestling.
“But at some point in that day, Andre decided that there was nothing that he could do about it, that that was life, and that it was Hulk’s time to be the main guy. He accepted it, and they had a fantastic match, especially since Andre was in tremendous pain, with his lower back hurting him quite a bit. When he went out to the ring he was in bad shape, and when he came back from the ring he was in even worse shape. So no-one knew, not even Vince, what was going to happen. We were all hoping that things were going to go right, but no-one knew for sure.” To continue with The Model on his memories through the WrestleManias , go here.
Photo of The Undertaker, before The Undertaker gimmick
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