Those that know of Rick Martel may best know him from his time with the WWE in the mid-eighties to mid-nineties, or more specifically, as his much-beloved (though, hated at the time) character, The Model. The Canadian oozed charisma and managed to stand out with his great in-ring skills just about every time he appeared on TV.Related: 10 WWE Wrestlers Who Sabotaged Their Own CareersBeginning his career in the early seventies, Martel enjoyed a lengthy and successful wrestling career before he eventually retired in 1999. Throughout his career, he won countless championships with some of the most high-profile companies possible, two of those being WWE and WCW.
10 His Debut Was As A Replacement
Every wrestler is always waiting for their opportunity to perform, but it’s possible that Martel wasn’t even entirely ready when he had his first match. Rather than being booked on the average show, he simply filled in for an injured wrestler.
While he may not have had much in-depth knowledge of the wrestling industry at that point, he did have a background in amateur wrestling, something that many people figured was enough. His natural talent helped him adapt to working in the ring, and the rest is history.
9 He Was Successful Around The World
Back during Martel’s era of wrestling, territories were a big deal across North America. A lot of wrestlers spent much of their time traveling around the states, and in rare instances made their way to Japan or Mexico. Rather than staying in one place, Martel seems to have gotten around.
Related: 10 Best Rivalries Of WWE's Golden Era, Ranked
As a Canadian, he started out in Canada but quickly branched out to places like New Zealand, Hawaii, Japan, the US, and plenty of other places. It would be quite a while before he saw major success, but to some, traveling the world to do what you love is the best success one could ask for.
8 He Was One Of The Most Successful Champions Of The 80s
A lot of people might not think of Rick Martel as one of the greatest wrestlers of the eighties, but his accomplishments speak for themselves. He picked up a few tag team championships over the years, but his big success was with the AWA World Heavyweight Championship.
His reign as champion lasted well over a year and was actually one of the longest of the era. His success led him to matches against other legendary performers like Ric Flair. Anyone who can find some of his old matches will be able to enjoy some classic battles.
7 Money Troubles Let to The Split Of The Can-Am Connection
Fans of young tag teams in the late eighties probably enjoyed The Can-Am Connection, but many may not know about the tensions that seemed to have gone on behind the scenes. Despite a big win at the third WrestleMania, the team quickly fell apart.
It’s been said that the real reason for this was due to Tom Zenk’s jealousy of a deal that he believed Martel had signed behind his back. Supposedly the deal was for him to become a solo performer with far higher earnings, but Martel denies that fact.
6 He Once Retired From The WWE In A Storyline
Storyline retirements aren’t often viewed in a positive light by wrestling fans. Fans don’t like to be fooled and played around with, but wrestling was a very different industry just a few decades ago.
During his time in the team Strike Force, Martel took some time off in order to take care of his wife. His wife was incredibly sick at that time, so most people can give Martel a pass for faking a retirement from wrestling. After six months, Martel returned and made his way to WrestleMania 5.
5 His Team Was The First To Pull Off A Survivor Series Sweep
A lot of people may not remember just how successful Martel was when he became The Model, but he was so successful that he pulled off a Survivor Series sweep against iconic opponents. Martel lead his team, The Visionaries, to victory against the likes of Jimmy Snuka, The Rockers, and Jake Roberts.
Unfortunately, their later efforts against an even more star-studded team didn’t go so well. Still, being the first person to pull off a clean sweep of a Survivor Series team is something that forever remains in the WWE record books.
4 He Used To Hold The Record For Most Time In The Royal Rumble
Every performer wants to win the Royal Rumble, but that fate isn’t lined up for everyone. The next best thing is to stay in the match for as long as possible and pull off an incredible performance. While the performance is debatable, Martel’s accolade is not.
At the time of the 1991 Royal Rumble, Martel claimed the record for the longest time spent in the rumble at fifty-two minutes and seventeen seconds. He even managed to pick up a respectable four eliminations during the match as well.
3 He Has Serious Interest In Real Estate
It seems that Martel was prepared for his eventual departure from the world of wrestling as he had been making sure to invest his money elsewhere. After he retired from wrestling he dove into the world of real estate.
Related: 10 WWE Betrayals You Completely Forgot About
Outside of his move into real estate, Martel supposedly also manages various commercial properties. One can only imagine what happens when he works with a client that recognizes him from his time as a wrestler, but it probably makes his work much smoother.
2 He Once Feuded With Edge And Christian
Something that a lot of Martel’s biggest fans may not know is that he actually feuded with two other iconic Canadian performers at one point, those two being Edge and Christian. The feud took place at the beginning of the duo’s careers, but the matches were probably still a lot of fun.
At that time, Edge and Christian were Adam Impact and Christian Cage. It’s possible that Martel was able to help the pair out and give them guidance early in their careers. A performer could learn from a lot worse.
1 Horrific Injuries Ended His Career
Martel made his way to WCW for a brief stretch of time, something that would ultimately be the final days of his wrestling career. In a match against Booker T, Martel basically destroyed one of his legs.
While he tried to make a comeback after a lengthy recovery process, that didn’t go as planned. In his first match back, he ended up getting injured yet again, something that solidified the fact that Martel was truly done in the ring in his own mind. It’s an unfortunate end to an incredible career.
