AWA #45 Page #2

From Portland, it was on to the World Wrestling Federation for Rick Martel. Martel was quickly partnered with long time WWF tag team specialist Tony Garea. Garea had held the WWF tag team titles with a variety of different partners so Rick being paired with Tony wasn't a big surprise. Nor was it a shock when Rick Martel and Tony Garea defeated The Wild Samoans on November 8th, 1980 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to capture the WWF tag team titles. Martel and Garea worked very well together and were a very popular tag team. Rick and Tony traded the WWF tag team titles with The Moondogs before losing the straps for good to Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito on October 13th, 1981 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Martel and Garea continued to feud with Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito as well as the team of Jesse Ventura and Adrian Adonis for the next several months.  

By the time June of 1982 rolled around, Rick Martel had established himself as an outstanding tag team competitor. His teams with Tommy Rich, Roddy Piper and Tony Garea were proof of that statement. Even though Martel had some success as a singles competitor, he was in danger of being type cast as a tag team specialist ala Tony Garea. So when the AWA offered Martel a chance to be a top level babyface singles performer, Rick immediately jumped at at the oppurtunity leaving the WWF for the AWA. As it turned out, Bobby Heenan and Nick Bockwinkel both of whom had worked with Rick in Hawaii during 1978 had recommended Martel to Verne Gagne. Tito Santana was just finishing his AWA run as the up and coming good looking fan favorite foil for AWA champion Nick Bockwinkel. Martel and Santana briefly formed a tag team and they had several outstanding matches against AWA tag team champions Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell before Santana left the territory. O nce Tito departed, Rick took Santana's spot in the AWA pecking order. 

Here is a list of Rick Martel's earliest matches in the AWA. 

6/6/82 Milwaukee 
Rick Martel beat Tom Stone 

6/17/82 Winnipeg
Rick Martel beat AWA champion Nick Bockwinkel (non-title) 

6/18/82 Denver
Rick Martel beat AWA champion Nick Bockwinkel (non-title) 

6/20/82 Minneapolis TV
Rick Martel beat Nacho Berrera 

6/20/82 St. Paul
Tito Santana & Rick Martel beat Bobby Duncum & Ken Patera 

6/27/82 Milwaukee 
Rick Martel beat Ken Patera dq 

6/27/82 Minneapolis TV
Rick Martel beat Torpedo Guzman 

7/10/82 Sheboygan
Rick Martel beat Bobby Heenan  

7/11/82 Minneapolis TV
Rick Martel beat Al Snow  

7/15/82 Winnipeg
Rick Martel beat Sheik Adnan 

7/17/82 Rockford
Rick Martel drew Ray Stevens 

7/18/82 Minneapolis TV
Rick Martel beat Bobby Golden 

7/18/82 Minneapolis
AWA tag team champions Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell beat Tito Santana and Rick Martel 

7/24/82 Chicago
Rick Martel drew Ray Stevens 

7/25/82 Minneapolis TV
Rick Martel beat Herman Schafer 

7/31/82 Milwaukee 
Rick Martel beat Sgt. Jacques Goulet 

8/6/82 Salt Lake City
Rick Martel drew Ray Stevens 

8/8/82 St. Paul
Rick Martel beat Jim Brunzell 

8/12/82 Winnipeg
AWA tag team champions Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell beat Rick Martel and Dino Bravo COR 

8/14/82 Rockford
Rick Martel beat Sgt. Goulet 

8/21/82 Chicago
Tito Santana and Rick Martel beat Steve Regal and Spike Huber 

8/22/82 Minneapolis TV
Rick Martel beat Tom Stone 

8/22/82 Milwaukee
AWA tag team champions Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell beat Rick Martel and Tito Santana COR 

8/26/82 San Francisco
AWA tag team champions Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell beat Tito Santana and Rick Martel 

8/27/82 Denver
AWA tag team champions Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell beat Rick Martel and Tito Santana 

8/28/82 Salt Lake City
Rick Martel and Tito Santana beat Ray Stevens and Pat Patterson 

8/29/82 St. Paul
AWA tag team champions Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell beat Rick Martel and Tito Santana 

9/9/82 Evansville
Rick Martel beat Jesse Ventura dq 

9/11/82 Chicago
Rick Martel beat Sgt. Goulet 

9/16/82 Oakland
Rick Martel beat Ken Patera dq 

9/18/82 Milwaukee 
Rick Martel beat Jerry Blackwell dq 

9/18/82 Minneapolis TV
Rick Martel beat Nacho Berrera 

9/19/82 Minneapolis TV
Rick Martel beat Buddy Lane 

9/19/82 St. Paul
Rick Martel drew Sheik Adnan 

9/25/82 Rockford
Rick Martel beat Curt Hennig 

9/26/82 Minneapolis TV
Rick Martel beat Chris Curtis 

10/3/82 Minneapolis TV
Rick Martel beat Puppy Dog Peloquin 

That does it for this month. Special thanks to Greg Oliver, Vance Nevada and Jim Melby. 

Comments, questions and corrections can be sent to jcz64@yahoo.com.