Demolition (professional wrestling)

Last updated

Demolition
Demoliton WWF Tag Champions.jpg
Smash (left) and Ax as WWF Tag Team Champions
Tag team
Members Ax [1]
Smash [1]
Smash (original) [1] [2]
Crush [1]
Blast [1]
Billed heightsAx: [1]
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) [3] [4]
Smash: [1]
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) [5] [6]
Crush: [1]
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) [7]
Billed from Parts Unknown [8]
DebutJanuary 17, 1987 [1] [9]
DisbandedMay 6, 2017

Demolition was an American professional wrestling tag team most prominent during the late 1980s and early 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) made up of Ax (Bill Eadie), Smash (Barry Darsow), and later Crush (Brian Adams). In the WWF, Demolition were three-time WWF World Tag Team Champions, and hold the record for the most combined days as reigning champions with that championship.

Contents

Their first reign with the WWF World Tag Team Championship is the fourth longest reign with any tag team championship in WWE history (behind Mark Coffey and Wolfgang's reign with the NXT UK Tag Team Championship, The New Day's reign with the WWE (Raw) Tag Team Championship and The Usos' reign with the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship) and is the longest reign on record for that specific championship (which has been defunct since 2010). [10] Beginning in 2007, Ax and Smash reunited for several appearances at various independent shows and legends conventions. [1]

Career

World Wrestling Federation (1987–1991)

Formation and early push (1987–1988)

Randy Colley and Bill Eadie created the Demolition gimmick and worked for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). They debuted as a heel tag team on January 4, 1987, at the Springfield Civic Centre in Massachusetts, alongside manager Luscious Johnny V, defeating the team of The Islanders and later participating in a battle royal won by Pete Doherty. [11] Demolition wore studded black leather outfits and leather-covered hockey masks to the ring, which they removed to reveal face paint usually made up of some combination of black, white, red, or silver colors, though other colors were sometimes included. The tag team wore outfits similar to Lord Humungus of the 1981 film Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior , while their facepaint was reminiscent of hard rock band KISS. However, in TV interviews the characters generally compared themselves to another hockey-masked horror movie villain, Jason Voorhees of the Friday the 13th film series, as well as Freddy Krueger of Nightmare on Elm Street .

After only two more matches (wins over enhancement talent at TV tapings on January 5 and 6), Colley was replaced with Barry Darsow starting with a match filmed January 26, 1987 at the Sundome, Tampa FL and aired on the February 14, 1987 edition of Superstars . Eadie has stated that Colley was replaced because he was too recognizable to the fans as the man who previously performed as Moondog Rex. The WWF pitched a few potential replacements to Eadie, but he thought fans would recognize the suggested replacements. However, Eadie felt that many WWF fans would not recognize Darsow, who had been working for Jim Crockett Promotions as Krusher Khruschev alongside Nikita Koloff. Darsow had left Crockett following a dispute in order to take over the role of Smash. [1] [5] [6] [2] On the March 14 Saturday Night's Main Event X , Demolition participated in another battle royal, won by Hercules Hernandez. [11] Around that same period, Johnny Valiant (who went on to manage the "new Dream Team" of Greg Valentine and Dino Bravo before leaving the WWF at the end of 1987) sold their contracts to Mr. Fuji who became their manager.

Demolition's undefeated streak ended when they suffered their first pinfall loss to The Can-Am Connection (Rick Martel and Tom Zenk) on June 6, 1987 at the Boston Garden, Demolition became known for their aggressive style in the ring and the way that they dominated their matches. Their first feud was with the team of Ken Patera and Billy Jack Haynes, which started after Ax and Smash brutalized WWF jobber Brady Boone (billed in storyline as the cousin of Haynes), during a televised match and then battered first Haynes and then Patera when they each tried to come to the rescue. Demolition claimed victories over all of the established face tag teams in the WWF at the time, including The Killer Bees (Jim Brunzell and B. Brian Blair), The Rougeau Brothers (Jacques and Raymond), the British Bulldogs (Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith), [12] the Young Stallions (Paul Roma and Jim Powers), The Islanders (Haku and Tama), [9] and The Can-Am Connection. [12]

Demolition made their pay-per-view debut at Survivor Series in an elimination tag team match as part of the heel team. They eliminated The Rougeau Brothers, but were disqualified when Smash shoved down referee Dave Hebner during the match and the face team went on to win the match. [13]

Tag team title reigns (1988–1990)

Demolition was known for their distinctive outfits which involved an entrance mask as well as red and silver face paint. Demoliton.jpg
Demolition was known for their distinctive outfits which involved an entrance mask as well as red and silver face paint.

At WrestleMania IV, Ax and Smash defeated Strike Force (Rick Martel and Tito Santana) to win their first WWF Tag Team Championship. Ax struck Martel in the back of the neck with Fuji's cane while he had Smash in a Boston crab (Fuji had dropped the cane into the ring while taking a beating from Santana who carried on oblivious to what was happening in the ring). Martel was knocked out and Smash covered him for the pin while Ax hid outside with the cane. [1] [14] [15] As champions, they defeated a number of the top teams of the WWF, which at the time had a very talent-rich and hotly contested tag division, most notably the British Bulldogs [1] [16] and Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart). [1] [17] [18]

Their first big challenge came in the summer of 1988, when The Powers of Pain (The Warlord and The Barbarian) entered the WWF and challenged them for the Tag Team Championship. During the elimination tag team match at Survivor Series, Mr. Fuji attacked Demolition and joined forces with the Powers of Pain. A double turn took place as Demolition turned face while the Powers of Pain turned heel. [19] [20] Interviewed after the contest, Fuji claimed that he had turned on Demolition because, since winning the championship, they had become insubordinate and disrespectful towards him, whereas the Powers would be utterly obedient and loyal apprentices. [21] For their part, Demolition denounced their former manager as a parasite, [22] labelling him "Fuj the Stooge." [23] [24] [25]

Ax and Smash also memorably squared off against each other as entrants #1 and #2 in the Royal Rumble match at the Summit in Houston in 1989, tearing into each other for the full two minutes before being joined in the ring by the third entrant André the Giant, where they once again joined as Demolition and targeted the big man. [26]

Demolition defeated the Powers of Pain and Mr. Fuji in a tag team handicap match at WrestleMania V to retain the WWF World Tag Team Championship when they caught Fuji in the "Demolition Decapitation". [27] That day, Demolition became the longest reigning WWF World Tag Team Champions after breaking the previous 370 day record of The Valiant Brothers (Jimmy and Johnny). Subsequently, on May 2 Demolition's reign exceeded the 399-day third reign of The Fabulous Kangaroos with the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship, thus becoming the longest running holders of any tag team championship in WWF/WWWF history. They would eventually last a reign of 478 days, and while the general record for any tag team championship has since been broken (by The New Day in 2016, by Mark Coffey and Wolfgang in 2020 and by The Usos in 2022), this still stands as the specific record for the "classic" World tag team title of 1971–2010. [28] [29]

After WrestleMania V, Demolition started a feud with The Twin Towers (Akeem and The Big Boss Man) and then a feud with The Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard), who were managed by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. On the May 27, 1989 Saturday Night's Main Event XXI , the Brain Busters defeated Demolition by disqualification. [30] They finally dropped the titles to the Brain Busters in a two out of three falls match on the July 29 Saturday Night's Main Event XXII (filmed July 18, 1989 in Worcester, Massachusetts at the Worcester Centrum) following outside interference from André the Giant who threw a chair into the ring for Anderson to use on Smash. [1] [31] As well as looking to regain the belts, Demolition sought revenge on André and closure on The Twin Towers. At SummerSlam 1989, King Duggan and Demolition defeated André and the Towers in a six-man tag team match (already advertised prior to the title change) where Darsow showcased his strength by body slamming both of the Twin Towers. [32] Demolition focused on regaining the tag titles and restarted their feud with the Brain Busters. On the November 4 edition of Superstars (taped on October 2), Demolition defeated the Brain Busters to regain their tag titles and win their second WWF Tag Team Championship. [1] [33] [34]

Demolition next feuded with the new Heenan Family team, The Colossal Connection (André the Giant and Haku). On the December 30 edition of Superstars (taped on December 13), Demolition lost the tag titles to the Colossal Connection. [1] [33] At WrestleMania VI at the SkyDome in Toronto, Demolition defeated the Colossal Connection to regain the titles and win their third and final WWF World Tag Team Championship, and finally put an end to their feud with the Heenan Family. [1] [35] [36] Due to his deteriorating physical condition, André never tagged in during the match with Haku facing Demolition on his own.

Addition of Crush (1990–1991)

Shortly after WrestleMania VI, the team quietly turned heel. This intensified when Brian Adams debuted in WWF and joined the team as Crush. [1] [7] [37] In kayfabe it was claimed that this was a heinous scheme to gain a three-on-two advantage over other tag teams. (In reality, it was actually because Eadie had developed an allergy to shellfish which he attributed to his frequent trips to Japan, which hospitalized him, and WWF owner and head booker Vince McMahon wanted to add a third member to the team just in case the illness put Eadie out of action for an extended period of time.) [38]

Crush soon took a more active role, teaming with Smash while Ax faded into the background, becoming more of a manager. At this time Demolition used the "Freebird rule" to allow any two members to wrestle the matches. Smash and Crush defended the titles in the summer of 1990. On the July 28 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, Smash and Crush defeated The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty) to retain the titles [1] [39] after Ax interfered on their behalf and scored the pin on Michaels. [40] The next month at SummerSlam, however, Demolition lost the titles to the Hart Foundation in a two out of three falls match. In that match, Smash & Crush started, but Ax secretly came down later on to substitute himself into the match behind the referee's back. Ultimately, the Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal), [1] [41] [42] who had signed with the WWF a month earlier, interfered and snuffed out the deception. Demolition never recaptured the titles after this loss.

As a result of the interference by LOD, Demolition began feuding with Hawk and Animal who would often be joined in six man matches by reigning WWF Champion The Ultimate Warrior. WWF commentators at the time would often claim that the team wearing the face paint would win whichever particular match they were broadcasting (Demolition, LOD and the Warrior all wore face paint). On the October 13 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, Ax, Smash, and Crush lost to the Ultimate Warrior and LOD. [1] [43]

Soon after, due to the Legion of Doom (L.O.D.) now being on the WWF roster, Demolition's popularity began to decline and they regained the managerial services of Mr. Fuji in the fall of 1990. At Survivor Series, The Perfect Team (Demolition and Mr. Perfect) was defeated by The Ultimate Warriors (the Ultimate Warrior, the "Texas Tornado" Kerry Von Erich, and the Legion of Doom). [1] [44] Shortly after, Ax left the WWF, with the on-air explanation being an order from kayfabe WWF President Jack Tunney that there could only be two members of Demolition. Smash and Crush were the two remaining members, and went on to primarily lose to teams such as the Rockers and the Legion of Doom. The team lost a match to Genichiro Tenryu and Koji Kitao at WrestleMania VII. [45]

The team's next match was at WWF/SWS Wrestlefest on March 30, 1991 where they defeated Shunji Takano & Shinichi Nakano. [46] Following this match, Demolition would continue to wrestle in both the WWF and the SWS throughout the summer usually on the losing end of matches. Crush went on a leave of absence from the WWF (his SWS commitments aside), while Smash wrestled in singles matches (usually on the losing end) for a brief time before also leaving the WWF. They also teamed in the WWC. The team's final WWF-related match occurred on an SWS show in Japan on September 18, 1991 in a losing effort to George Takano and Shunji Takano. [47] Afterwards, they eventually broke up and the members went their separate ways. Crush would return to PNW (where he hed previously wrestled as Brian Adams), still in his Demolition atire and paint, but as a face, where he would eventually win the PNW Heavyweight Championship [48] Smash would later return to the WWF as the Repo Man a sneaky thief claiming to be a repossessor, in the fall of 1991. Crush would also return in the spring of 1992, still as a face, beginning a run as the popular "Kona Crush" surfer type building on Adams being a native of Hawaii). The two ended up facing off at SummerSlam 1992, with Crush getting the victory over Repo Man. [49] Crush would later turn heel on Randy Savage and rehire Mr. Fuji as his manager in 1993, once again painting his face, only in a different pattern from his Demolition days.

Post-WWF

Original "Smash" gimmick owner Randy Colley moved to the Continental Championship Wrestling territory in late 1987 and revived his version of the Demolition character with only minor modifications as Detroit Demolition. He was managed by Downtown Bruno and stayed in the territory until the end of 1988. [50] In May 1988 he teamed with D.I. Bob Carter to win the CWF Tag Team Championship.

Detroit Demolition feuded with Lord Humungous after Humungous turned babyface on Bruno's stable, helping (kayfabe) childhood friend Shane Douglas defeat Detroit Demolition . In retaliation, Detroit Demolition squirted ink in Humungous' eyes, causing Douglas to come to his old friend's aid, cementing their alliance. Humungous and Douglas would defeat Detroit and Carter for the tag team title in June 1988. As Darsow and Adams would do later on, Colley as Detroit Demolition also made occasional visits to the WWC in Puerto Rico. By early 1989 he had reverted to Moondog Rex and signed with WCW.

After leaving the WWF, Eadie began using the name Axis the Demolisher on the independent circuit and took in Colley as well as Carmine Azzato under the name of Demolition Blast in an attempt to resurrect the Demolition name and gimmick. [51] [52] They were sent a cease and desist letter by the WWF once they found out. They wrestled for Universal Superstars of America where they held tag team title once. Also Demolition Hux portrayed by Garry Robbins.

In between his time as Repo Man in the WWF and his 1994–1995 stint as Blacktop Bully in WCW, Darsow wrestled as Smash in Australia for local promotion AWF in mid 1993, losing to Hawk on 14 June in Melbourne.

In the mid-1990s, Bill Eadie filed a lawsuit against the WWF for the rights of the "Demolition" name and gimmick but lost. Ax, Smash and Crush signed a deal with Jakks Pacific to make Demolition Classic Superstars action figures. Ax and Smash were together in a 2-pack for Toys R Us, each had a singles figure from series #14, and were packaged and repainted with Crush in a 3-pack for Walmart.

On April 1, 2007, Darsow and Eadie reunited for the first time in 16 years at a "Meet the Legends" event in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. [53]

On August 13, 2007, Brian Adams was found unconscious in his Tampa, Florida home. Adams' wife found him not breathing in his bed, and summoned paramedics. The wrestler could not be revived, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Police could not immediately determine a cause of death, but noted no signs of injury. [54] [55]

On September 29, 2007, Darsow and Eadie reunited as the tag team Demolition for the first time in 16 years in Orlando, Florida at a United States Xtreme Wrestling event. They once again became tag team champions, defeating the Christopher Street Connection (Buff-E and Mace) to win the UXW Tag Team Championship. [53]

On Friday, February 22, 2008, both Ax and Smash were re-united and inducted into the XWF Hall of Fame by Jack Blaze who also inducted both New Jack & Shark Boy in the same night. Later that year, XWF became LPW (Legends Pro Wrestling) where Demolition are still honored as LPW Hall of Fame Inductees- Class 2008.

Demolition teamed with One Man Gang in the 28-team King of Trios tournament held by Chikara during the weekend of February 29 and March 1 and 2, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While losing the three-man tournament they did win the Tag Team gauntlet. [56]

On November 13, 2010, Demolition appeared at WrestleRage VIII in Villa Park, Illinois with POWW Entertainment. [57] They beat the team of Picture Perfect for the POWW Tag Team titles, but quickly lost them after the first match to the team of Trevor Blanchard and Black Iron. [57]

On May 21, 2011, Demolition reunited at Full Impact Pro's debut iPPV In Full Force. [58] Their match against Tony DeVito and Ralph Mosco went to a no contest when local commentator and manager Larry Dallas came out and said his men wanted revenge. The ring was stormed by Manu, Sami Callihan, Blain Rage and Joey Attel. Demolition, Devito and Mosco managed to clear the ring and beat Dallas to end the show. [58] [59]

On September 16, 2012, Demolition returned to Chikara, taking part in the tag team gauntlet match at the 2012 King of Trios tournament, from which they were eliminated by their old WWF rivals, The Powers of Pain. [60]

In 2013, Demolition were set to perform for the eastern Canadian independent promotion XWA. The former champions were scheduled to make appearances in Saint John (June 6), Fredericton (June 7), Miramichi (June 8), and Bathurst (June 9).

In November 2013, their Demolition Decapitation finishing move was rated the 7th greatest Tag Team Finisher of all time. [61]

In July 2016, Eadie and Darsow were named part of a class action lawsuit filed against WWE which alleged that wrestlers incurred traumatic brain injuries during their tenure and that the company concealed the risks of injury. The suit is litigated by attorney Konstantine Kyros, who has been involved in a number of other lawsuits against WWE. [62] The lawsuit was dismissed by US District Judge Vanessa Lynne Bryant in September 2018. [63]

On May 6, 2017, Demolition wrestled their last match as a tag team. Both Eadie and Darsow retired from wrestling later that year.

Members

Demolition (professional wrestling)


Championships and accomplishments

See also Moondog Rex#Championships and accomplishments, Ax (wrestler)#Championships and accomplishments and Brian Adams (wrestler)#Championships and accomplishments for singles titles (and tag team titles with a non-Demolition partner) won by the original Smash, Ax and Crush respectively while using the Demolition gimmick.

The below list includes only tag team titles held by teams billed under the Demolition name and consisting purely of two or more of the members both/all using their Demolition personas. All championships and accomplishments below are by the Ax and (Darsow) Smash line-up unless otherwise noted.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smash (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler (born 1959)

Barry Allen Darsow is an American retired professional wrestler who performed as Smash, one half of the tag team Demolition. He also wrestled as Krusher Kruschev, Repo Man, the Blacktop Bully, Man Mountain Darsow and "Mr. Hole in One" Barry Darsow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yokozuna (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler (1966–2000)

Agatupu Rodney Anoaʻi was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where he wrestled under the ring name Yokozuna. He was also known for his appearances with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as Great Kokina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania IV</span> 1988 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

WrestleMania IV was the fourth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The event took place on March 27, 1988, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The announced attendance of the event was 19,199.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania V</span> 1989 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

WrestleMania V was the fifth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on April 2, 1989, at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. A total of 14 matches were contested at the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania VI</span> 1990 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

WrestleMania VI was the sixth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on April 1, 1990, at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, marking the first WrestleMania to be held outside of the United States. The event had an announced attendance of 67,678, a record for the Skydome at the time. The main event of WrestleMania VI was "the Ultimate Challenge" — pitting WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan against WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion the Ultimate Warrior in a Winner Takes All match.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania IX</span> 1993 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

WrestleMania IX was the ninth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The event took place on April 4, 1993, at Caesars Palace in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada. It was the first WrestleMania event held outdoors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Fuji</span> American professional wrestler and manager (1934–2016)

Harry Masayoshi Fujiwara was an American professional wrestler, actor and manager, known professionally by his ring name Mr. Fuji. He was famous for often throwing salt in the eyes of fan favorite wrestlers. Notable wrestlers and tag teams managed by him include Don Muraco, Yokozuna and Demolition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Martel</span> Canadian professional wrestler

Richard Vigneault is a Canadian retired professional wrestler, trainer, and television presenter, better known by his ring name, Rick "The Model" Martel. He is best known for his appearances with the American Wrestling Association, the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling. Championships held by Martel over the course of his career include the AWA World Heavyweight Championship, WCW World Television Championship, and WWF World Tag Team Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Adams (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler (1964–2007)

Brian Keith Adams was an American professional wrestler. Adams is known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), under the name Crush, and for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under his real name Brian Adams. Trained in Japan by Antonio Inoki, he was a two-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, a one-time WWF Tag Team Champion and a one-time AJPW World Tag Team Champion, among other accomplishments. He was a challenger for various singles titles in the WWF and WCW, including the WWF Championship. In 2002, he briefly tried a career in boxing until retiring due to back and shoulder injuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ax (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler

William Reid "Bill" Eadie is an American retired professional wrestler who has competed under the names of Ax as part of Demolition and The Masked Superstar. He was a high school teacher and coach at Cambridge High School in Cambridge, Ohio, and at East Liverpool, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heenan Family</span> Professional wrestling stable

The Heenan Family was a stable of wrestlers managed by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan beginning in the 1970s. Heenan managed wrestlers under the Heenan Family name in the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the National Wrestling Alliance's (NWA) Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW), and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).

The Orient Express was a professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation in the early 1990s composed of Pat Tanaka and Akio Sato, who was later replaced by Kato.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strike Force (professional wrestling)</span> Professional wrestling tag team

Strike Force was a professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) composed of Tito Santana and Rick Martel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moondog Rex</span> American professional wrestler (1950–2019)

Randy Colley was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Moondog Rex. He was best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation as a part of The Moondogs. Colley was also one of the original members of the tag team Demolition, performing under the ring name Smash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SummerSlam (1988)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1988 SummerSlam was the inaugural SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on August 29, 1988, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The pay-per-view was created to help the company compete against rival promotion Jim Crockett Promotions. It was one of the first four annual pay-per-view events produced by the WWF, along with WrestleMania, the Royal Rumble, and Survivor Series, which were eventually dubbed the "big four".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SummerSlam (1990)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1990 SummerSlam was the third annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on August 27, 1990, at The Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The card consisted of 10 televised matches, including two main events. The Ultimate Warrior successfully defended the WWF Championship against Rick Rude in a Steel Cage match, and Hulk Hogan defeated Earthquake by countout.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Survivor Series (1987)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1987 Survivor Series was the inaugural Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on Thanksgiving Night on November 26, 1987, and was held at the Richfield Coliseum in Richfield Township, Ohio. It was one of the first four annual pay-per-view events produced by the WWF, along with WrestleMania, introduced in 1985, and Royal Rumble and SummerSlam, introduced in 1988, referred to as the "Big Four".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Survivor Series (1988)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1988 Survivor Series was the second annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on November 24, 1988, at the Richfield Coliseum in Richfield Township, Ohio for the second consecutive year. Four matches were contested at the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Survivor Series (1989)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1989 Survivor Series was the third annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on Thanksgiving Day on November 23, 1989, at the Rosemont Horizon in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hart Foundation</span> Professional wrestling stable

The Hart Foundation is the name of several derivative tag teams and stables composed primarily of members and close friends of the Hart wrestling family. The name originated in the World Wrestling Federation in 1985 with the original Hart Foundation consisting of brothers-in-law Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart. Initially managed by Jimmy Hart, they won the WWF Tag Team Championship twice. WWE has consistently ranked the original Hart Foundation as one of the greatest tag teams in wrestling history.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 "Demolition Profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
  2. 1 2 "Randy Colley's Profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
  3. "Bill Eadie's Profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
  4. "Demolition Ax Bio". Accelerator's Wrestling Rollercoaster. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
  5. 1 2 "Barry Darsow's Profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
  6. 1 2 "Barry Darsow Bio". Accelerator's Wrestling Rollercoaster. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
  7. 1 2 "Brian Adams Bio". Accelerator's Wrestling Rollercoaster. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
  8. "Demolition's WWE Alumni Profile". WWE . Retrieved April 20, 2012.
  9. 1 2 "WWF Superstars of Wrestling Results (1986–1997)". The History of WWE. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  10. 1 2 "World Tag Team Championship official title history". WWE. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  11. 1 2 "WWF Show Results 1987". The History of WWE. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
    WWF @ Springfield, MA – Civic Center – January 4, 1987
    Pete Doherty won a $50,000 20-man bunkhouse battle royal; other participants included: Hillbilly Jim, Dick Slater, Mike Rotundo, Dan Spivey, Lanny Poffo, Don Muraco, Bob Orton Jr., Brutus Beefcake, Sika, Demolition, the Islanders Greg Valentine, & Jim Neidhart ... Demolition defeated the Islanders...
    WWF @ Detroit, MI – Joe Louis Arena – February 21, 1987...Saturday Night's Main Event #10 – 3/14/87 on NBC ...
    Hercules (w/ Bobby Heenan) won a 20-man battle royal at 11:16 by last eliminating Billy Jack Haynes after Haynes grabbed for Heenan on the ring apron; other participants included: WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant (w/ Bobby Heenan), Ron Bass, B. Brian Blair & Jim Brunzell, Demolition, the Islanders, Billy Jack Haynes, Hillbilly Jim, the Honkytonk Man (w/ Jimmy Hart), Blackjack Mulligan, Paul Orndorff, Lanny Poffo, Butch Reed, Sika, Nikolai Volkoff, & Koko B. Ware
  12. 1 2 "WWF Prime Time Wrestling Results 1987". The History of WWE. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  13. "Survivor Series 1987 official results". WWE. November 26, 1987. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
  14. "WrestleMania IV official results". WWE. March 27, 1988. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
  15. 1 2 "Demolition's first World Tag Team Championship reign". WWE. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
  16. "Saturday Night's Main Event results – April 30, 1988". WWE. April 30, 1988. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
  17. "SummerSlam 1988 official results". WWE. August 29, 1988. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
  18. "Saturday Night's Main Event results – October 29, 1988". WWE. October 29, 1988. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
  19. "Survivor Series 1988 official results". WWE. November 24, 1988. Retrieved April 11, 2008.
  20. "WWF Show Results 1988". The History of WWE. November 24, 1988. Retrieved May 18, 2015. The Powers of Pain, Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart, Davey Boy Smith & the Dynamite Kid, Jim Powers & Paul Roma, and Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Demolition (w/Mr. Fuji), the Conquistadors, Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard (w/Bobby Heenan), Jacques & Raymond Rougeau (w/Jimmy Hart), and Nikolai Volkoff & Boris Zhukov; Bret pinned Raymond Rougeau by blocking a backdrop attempt and using an inside cradle; Zhukov pinned Powers with the momentum of a flying crossbody put Zhukov on top; Jannetty pinned Zhukov with a sunset flip into the ring after a blow to the midsection by Michaels; Blanchard pinned Bret when Hart pinned himself with a German suplex into a bridge; Michaels & Jannetty fought Anderson & Blanchard to a double disqualification for brawling in the ring and eventually fighting to the backstage area; Smash pinned Dynamite with a clothesline after Dynamite missed a diving headbutt off the top; Demolition was counted-out after Mr. Fuji pulled the rope down, causing Smash to fall to the floor; the Barbarian pinned a Conquistador with a running headbutt off the ropes after Fuji tripped a Conquistador; after the match, Demolition cleared the ring of Powers of Pain and Fuji
  21. Post-match interview with Mr Fuji, Survivor Series 1988 Pay per view broadcast, Titan Sports transmitted November 24, 1988
  22. Demolition post-match interview, MSG Network, filmed November 26, 19888 transmitted November 28, 1988
  23. "Mr. Fuji Pro Wrestlers Database" . Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  24. "Mr Fuj the Stooge! How's that, stooge?" In-ring comments by Ax, Demolition vs Powers Of Pain match segment, The Main Event, NBC transmitted February 3, 1989
  25. Pre-match interview with Demolition, WrestleMania V Pay per view broadcast, Titan Sports transmitted April 2, 1989
  26. "Big John Studd (spot No. 27) wins the Royal Rumble Match". WWE. January 15, 1989. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  27. "WrestleMania V official results". WWE. April 2, 1989. Archived from the original on March 19, 2008. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  28. "WWE World Tag Team Championship History". Hoffco-Inc. Archived from the original on May 29, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  29. WWWF United States Tag Team Championship – Wrestling-Titles.com
  30. "Saturday Night's Main Event results – May 27, 1989". WWE. May 27, 1989. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  31. "Saturday Night's Main Event results – July 18, 1989". WWE. July 18, 1989. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  32. "SummerSlam 1989 official results". WWE. August 28, 1989. Archived from the original on July 26, 2008. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  33. 1 2 "WWF Superstars of Wrestling Results 1989". The History of WWE. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  34. 1 2 "Demolition's second World Tag Team Championship reign". WWE. Archived from the original on December 31, 2005. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  35. "WrestleMania VI official results". WWE. April 1, 1990. Archived from the original on February 22, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  36. 1 2 "Demolition's third World Tag Team Championship reign". WWE. Archived from the original on February 4, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  37. "WWE World Tag Team Championship History". Complete WWE. Archived from the original on May 29, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2008. Ax & Smash regained the titles, but Crush joined and defended the titles with Smash.
  38. Bill Eadie, Barry Darsow (2007). Shoot Interview with Demolition (documentary) (DVD). RF Video.
  39. "Saturday Night's Main Event results – July 28, 1990". WWE. July 28, 1990. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  40. "WWF Show Results 1990". The History of WWE. July 28, 1990. Retrieved May 18, 2015. WWF Tag Team Champions Smash & Crush (w/ Ax) defeated Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty at 9:31 when Ax interfered behind referee Joey Marella's back, hit a clothesline on Michaels as Michaels had Smash rolled up, and scored the pin; after the bout, both the Hart Foundation and the Legion of Doom came to the ring to dispute the decision
  41. "SummerSlam 1990 official results". WWE. August 27, 1990. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  42. "WWF Show Results 1990". The History of WWE. August 27, 1990. Retrieved May 18, 2015. Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Demolition (Crush & Smash) at 14:24 in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match to win the titles; fall #1: Bret was pinned at 6:09 after sustaining the Decapitation; fall #2: the champions were disqualified at 10:06 after Crush physically prevented the referee from counting a pinfall on Smash after Smash sustained the Hart Attack; fall #3: Bret pinned Crush with a school boy roll up after Neidhart hit a slingshot shoulderblock into the ring, moments after the Legion of Doom came ringside and began brawling with Smash and an interfering Ax; pre-match stipulations stated that only two of the three members of Demolition was allowed at ringside but Ax came down mid-way through the contest and hid underneath the ring, eventually switching places with Smash without the referee noticing
  43. "Saturday Night's Main Event results – October 13, 1990". WWE. October 13, 1990. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  44. "Survivor Series 1990 official results". WWE. November 22, 1990. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  45. "WrestleMania VII official results". WWE. March 24, 1991. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  46. "Wrestlefest". ProWrestlingHistory.com. March 30, 1991. Archived from the original on September 11, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  47. "Demolition Matches". CAGEMATCH – The Internet Wrestling Database. Archived from the original on April 27, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  48. Inside Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Illustrated 1991.
  49. "SummerSlam 1992 official results". WWE. August 29, 1992. Retrieved April 12, 2008. Crush def. Repo Man
  50. "Randy Colley – Online World of Wrestling". May 26, 2023.
  51. Burkholder, Denny (August 13, 2004). "Demolition: the Imitators Become Innovators". Online Onslaught. Archived from the original on February 11, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  52. Woodward, Buck (December 29, 2001). "2001: The Year in Review". 1Wrestling.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2002. Retrieved March 15, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  53. 1 2 3 Clevett, Jason (April 6, 2007). "Fans mingle with legends on 'Mania Day". Slam Wrestling. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2007.
  54. Brian "Crush" Adams passes away; WWE; 2007-08-13; accessed 2007-08-13
  55. "Cops: Wrestler's Wife Discovered Body". TMZ. August 13, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2012.
  56. "Chikara King of Trios 2008". Chikara. Archived from the original on January 27, 2008. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  57. 1 2 3 "WrestleRage Changed The Face Of POWW!". POWW Entertainment. November 13, 2010. Archived from the original on November 16, 2010. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  58. 1 2 "FIP In Full Force '11". The Internet Wrestling Database. May 21, 2011. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  59. "Full Force 2011 results". World Wrestling Network. May 22, 2011. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  60. "Past Results − King of Trios 2012 − Night 3". Chikara. September 16, 2012. Archived from the original on February 25, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  61. Artus, Matthew (November 8, 2013). "The 15 greatest tag team finishers of all time". World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on October 13, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2023. No. 7: Demolition Decapitation (Demolition)
  62. "WWE sued in wrestler class action lawsuit featuring Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka, Paul 'Mr Wonderful' Orndorff". FoxSports.com . Fox Entertainment Group (21st Century Fox). July 18, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  63. Robinson, Byron (September 22, 2018). "Piledriver: WWE uses 'Hell in a Cell' as springboard to future shows". Montgomery Advertiser . Retrieved October 28, 2018.
  64. "Keystone State Wrestling Alliance – News".
  65. Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.