Classic Matches: Harley Race vs Rick Martel [Videos]

Harley Race Promo

NWA World Champion

NWA World Championship Two out of Three Falls Match

NWA Champion Harley Race vs Rick Martel

Portland Wrestling

January 12, 1980

Famous Dates in Pro Wrestling History: May 26, 1987 [Videos]

"Second Chances" are a huge benefit of living in the United States of America. In the case of "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan and The Iron Sheik, both were released by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) days after being pulled over in a traffic stop and arrested on drug charges in New Jersey and later found themselves in the WWE Hall of Fame years later. Arrested on Tuesday, May 26, 1987, both men were released that day and were able to wrestle against each other later that evening in the main event at the Asbury Convention Center in Asbury Park. While the arrest made headlines nationally as reported by the Associated Press (AP News), and impacted both men's professional wrestling careers, both men were given second chances by Vince McMahon and the WWF.

One lasting impact involving the events of May 26. 1987, was the accidental breaking of kayfabe (the attempt of presenting the storylines in professional wrestling as genuine or authentic) by the national press when the "American Patriot" Duggan and the "Anti-American" Sheik who were currently involved in a heated rivalry were arrested together while traveling in the same vehicle. The fact that professional wrestling was entertainment was pretty much known at the time, but many professional wrestlers still maintained kayfabe and avoided each other when involved in rivalries. The Iron Sheik later attempted to reestablish kayfabe with the press by blaming Duggan for his arrest and vowed revenge, but by that time he had already been "suspended indefinitely" by the WWF. Despite this, the two wrestlers would see a rare Canal+ televised return match in Europe on October 23, 1987, which would be the last meaningful WWF televised match for the Iron Sheik until his return to the company in 1991.

While Duggan ended up winning the inaugural Royal Rumble in January 1988, the Iron Sheik would not see his WWF career return to any kind of prominence until he reemerged in March 1991 as the repackaged Iraqi sympathizer Colonel Mustafa for a short-lived resurgence, during the Gulf War.

Animated video of The Iron Sheik explaining the events of May 26, 1987

Clip credit: The Sheik (2014)

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan explains the events and outcome of May 26, 1987

Clip credit: The HANNIBAL TV

Duggan's 1987 WWF TV Debut

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan vs Moondog Spot

WWF on NESN

March 7, 1987

Boston, MA

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan runs off The Iron Sheik

WWF Superstars of Wrestling

Aired March 21, 1987

Dayton, OH

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan vs The Iron Sheik

WWF Superstars of Wrestling

Aired April 4, 1987

Dayton, OH

Duggan's last WWF TV match until September 1987

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan vs "Iron" Mike Sharpe

WWF Superstars of Wrestling

Filmed May 12, 1987

Aired May 30, 1987

Anaheim, CA

WWF Royal Rumble

January 24, 1988

Hamilton, Ontatio

The debut of Colonel Mustafa with Sgt. Slaughter and General Adnan

Colonel Mustafa vs Billy Burke

WWF Superstars of Wrestling

Filmed March 11, 1991

Aired March 30, 1991

Pensacola, FL

Bret "Hitman" Hart vs Colonel Mustafa with General Adnan

WWF PRIME TIME WRESTLING

Filmed January 8, 1992

Aired January 27, 1992

Fort Myers, FL

Classic Tag Teams: Strike Force [Videos]

The formation of the professional wrestling tag team Strike Force came with the end of the tag team Can-Am Connection and the departure of Tom Zenk from the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in July 1987. The Can-Am Connection (which stood for the Canadian-American Connection) included former American Wrestling Association (AWA) Champion Rick Martel and Zenk debuted in the WWF on an episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling in November 1986. Several months later, due to a potential pay dispute, Zenk abruptly left the WWF, leaving Martel in the middle of a feud with The Islanders without a tag team partner.

After a singles match against Barry Horowitz on a WWF Superstars of Wrestling broadcast in August 1987, Martel was attacked by the Islanders and was rescued by Spanish announcer Tito Santana. Later in the Spanish broadcast of the program, Tito Santana was attacked by the Islanders while at the Spanish announce table. The common enemy of the Islanders later united Santana and Martel and helped to create the now classic tag team Strike Force, who would later capture the World Tag Team Championship Titles two months later against The Hart Foundation.

The Islanders (with Bobby Heenan) vs The Can-Am Connection

WWF Superstars of Wrestling

Aired on May 30, 1987

Rick Martel Interview with Craig DeGeorge (Minervini)

WWF Superstars of Wrestling

Aired on August 1, 1987

Rick Martel vs Barry Horowitz

WWF Superstars of Wrestling

Aired on August 15, 1987

The Islanders attack Tito Santana

WWF Superstars of Wrestling

In Spanish on Telemundo 47, New York, NY

Aired on August 15, 1987

Strike Force selects a name for their Tag Team

WWF Superstars of Wrestling

Aired August 15, 1987

Strike Force Television Debut Match

Strike Force vs Steve Lombardi and Tiger Chung Lee

WWF Superstars of Wrestling

Filmed on August 4, 1987

Aired on August 29, 1987

Strike Force vs The Shadows

WWF Superstars of Wrestling

Filmed on August 26, 1987

Aired on September 12, 1987

WWF Tag Team Championship Match

The Hart Foundation vs Strike Force

WWF Superstars of Wrestling

Filmed on October 27, 1987

Aired on November 7, 1987

Strike Force vs Los Conquistadores

with Hart Foundation Promo

WWF Superstars of Wrestling

Filmed on November 17, 1987

Aired on December 5, 1987

Strike Force with "Macho Man" Randy Savage

Interview with Gene Okerlund

about the Hart Foundation and The Honky Tonk Man

WWF Superstars of Wrestling

Aired on January 16, 1988

Bonus Cage Match