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TAG TEAM SPOTLIGHT: DEMOLITION

"Here comes the Ax, here comes the Smasher, 
We're Demolition, walking disaster. 
Pain and destruction are our middle names. 
Search and destroy you, run and we'll find you, 
there's no place to hide, 
the demos will get you 
Were Demolition You better state your act of contrition"

- Rick Derringer

That's how it always began. A roar of a guitar, a thumping of a bass, A hammer like drum line and a finely tuned Rick Derringer doing his best heavy metal front-man impression. Then, as the crowd tore it up, Ax, Smash and sometimes Crush would walk out in black leather biker vests complete with spikes and face make-up. Behind them would stand a menacing Mr. Fuji and they'd climb into the ring like Roman gods fighting the lions in the Coliseum. Demolition then would proceed to tear into their opponents like that of a panther cutting into his prey.

But who was Demolition and what part of sports entertainment did they change? That is the question I am going to try and answer every few weeks in my new column "Tag Team Spotlight". Each time "Spotlight" will cover a tag team from the past. We'll learn who the major players were, what accomplishments they had and their general history. But this column is not about looking at a historical retrospective of one team's career. It is to see what mark or legacy they left on the wrestling business, and to show how influential they were or weren't on the tag teams of today. I chose to begin with Demolition because of two reasons. One, they are without a shadow of a doubt my all time favorite tag team and two, in light of Brian Adams' passing, I felt this week would be a great time to look back on this part of his wrestling career.

I guess we can only begin at the beginning, 1987. Originally Demolition was Randy Collie (Formerly known as Moondog Rex) and Bill Eadie (Ax). There have been varying discrepancies as to why Collie was quickly replaced but my feeling has always been that Collie was too easily recognizable as Moondog. It didn't take long for the WWE to lose Collie and replace him with Barry Darsow (Smash). And thus, Demolition was in place and ready to rock and roll.

Though the team originally began with manager Luscious Johnny V, they eventually were signed under the tutelage of the devious manager Mr. Fugi. It was with him that the team beat all the names in the business and captured three tag team titles. During their run they beat such teams as The rockers, The Brain Busters, The Heart Foundation, The Powers of Pain and The Colossal Connection (Andre the Giant and Haku). In looking at their in ring efforts Demolition did something that many teams today don't. Ax and Smash were very different wrestlers. Sure, they both liked to brawl, but in the end they did it in very different ways. Their characters were also different from one another. They had different speaking styles from one another. Today many of the tag acts members are interchangeable. Not the case with Ax and Smash. There were three pivotal moments in the team's career. At the 1988 Survivor Series Mr. Fuji turned on them and signed up with the Powers of Pain. At the 1989 Royal Rumble Demolition had the unfortunate task of beginning the actual rumble against one another, and they did just that. Though they could have waited until a third entrant came out and just double teamed that man (who happened to eventually be Andre) they went at it toe to toe, something a wrestling fan of that era hardly ever got to witness. It was also something that showed the true passion of the team. And thirdly, Crush became a member of demolition to make it a three man squad.

Brian Adams was a superb big-man style wrestler who at the time wasn't really doing much of anything. It wasn't well known but truth be told Ax had a heart condition and could no longer compete at the level he once had. Soon Ax became more of a manager for Smash and Crush, which worked out fine. One great thing that occurred is that Demolitions opponents never knew what combination they were going to get. On any given night it could be Crush and Ax, Smash and Crush, or Ax and Smash. On top of that because they all dressed and painted their faces relatively the same way, on a number of occasions to get the win, one man who wasn't even in the match would involve himself, the ref would get confused, and Demolition would have stolen another victory before anyone noticed. (This kind of cheating in wrestling can be easily linked back to the three man team of the Fabulous Freebirds.)

Between Demolition loosing their third and final titles to Bret Hart and The Anvil and the arrival of the much similar Road Warriors to the WWE, the popularity of Demolition began to wane. But in the hearts of many wrestling fans, Demolition's fame never took a step back. This was their history, their accomplishments and their legacy.but how did they change the wrestling world?

Demolition did a lot for tag team wrestling. First, they brought in an attitude of no fear. When they faced Andre and Haku they never thought twice about locking up with arguably one of the most devastating duos of all time. They made bigger men seem smaller. That is a trait that has been instilled today in teams like Cade and Murdoch. Sure when you look a the current WWE tag champs one immediately thinks of other teams like the Blackjacks, but Demolition definitely influenced a lot of today's young talent. How many times have we seen versions of Demolition's finishers used as a set-up move now?

Demolition, whether it was with a manager or when it contained three active wrestlers really put a light on how to use a three man team. Fuji was never better than when he was with Ax and Smash. His contributions alone make Demolition a must see team for younger talents to watch.

Whether it was the creative team or Demolition themselves, Demolition exceeded at pushing a storyline to their very limits. When Demolition got into their feuds with the Hart Foundation we were on the edge of our seats. Right now WWE for once is doing a slow burn with Cryme Tyme and Cade and Murdoch, this is directly linked to the angles used when Demolition were reigning supreme in the WWE tag team division. Also, maybe some see it as a side note, but I truly believe ring entrances would not be the way they are today if Demolition had never laced it up. When HHH, Shawn Michaels, Batista or Randy Orton comes out you know in the first notes who it is. Demolition had that about them as well. Also, they took to the ring in such a way that made the crowd into a frenzy. When they tagged up with Hacksaw Jim Duggan against Andre and the Twin Towers the crowd went nuts..it is a testament to their capabilities as performers. One thing that unfortunately has been lost in recent years is the Tag Team interview. We hardly ever see teams get talk time anymore and because of it we've lost our connection to the teams. Because of our loss of connection we don't care about the performers in the ring. But make no mistake about it, teams for years copied what Ax and Smash did to a tee and got over. Ax was the silent one, Smash talked like crazy and when a point needed to go over Ax would speak as little but as poignant as possible. In the end I think Demolition would be high on anyone's list of greatest tag teams of all time. On mine they are at the very top. They will be forever etched in the memories of wrestling fans.