Rick Martel Richard Vigneault ( March 18 , 1956 ) is a retired Canadian professional wrestler , best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) between 1980 and 1995 under the ring name Rick Martel . He is also known for his two - year long reign as AWA World Heavyweight Champion . Career . Early years ( 1972 – 1980 ) . Martel is from a family of wrestlers , and made his professional debut at age sixteen when his brother Michel , a wrestler , asked him to replace an injured wrestler . Martel was already a skilled amateur wrestler , and quickly adapted to professional wrestling . Martel wrestled throughout the world , winning titles in Stu Hart ' s Stampede Wrestling promotion , New Zealand and Puerto Rico . His first real success in America came in the National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA ) ' s Portland affiliate Pacific Northwest Wrestling and in Vancouver - based NWA All Star Wrestling , where he became a top talent , holding the Canadian and PNW tag team titles simultaneously . He left PNW on August 16 , 1980 when he lost a Loser Leaves Town match to Buddy Rose . Martel also served a stint as booker in a wrestling territory in Hawaii . World Wrestling Federation ( 1980 – 1982 ) . Martel debuted in the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) in July 1980 . That fall , he formed a tag team with Tony Garea . On November 8 , they defeated The Wild Samoans to capture the WWF Tag Team Championship . They successfully defended the titles until they dropped them to The Moondogs on March 17 , 1981 . They would regain the titles by defeating The Moondogs on July 21 . Their second title reign came to an end on October 13 , when they dropped the titles to Mr . Fuji and Mr . Saito . Though they would challenge the champions numerous times , Martel and Garea were unable to recapture the titles , and Martel left the WWF in April 1982 . American Wrestling Association ( 1982 – 1986 ) . Martel signed with the AWA in 1982 and quickly ascended through the ranks , defeating Jumbo Tsuruta to win the AWA World Heavyweight Championship on May 13 , 1984 . His reign as champion lasted nearly nineteen months , during which time he wrestled several matches with NWA World Champion Ric Flair . He had memorable matches with Jimmy Garvin , Nick Bockwinkel and King Tonga during this time . His finishing moves alternated between the slingshot splash and the combination atomic drop / back suplex . Martel lost the title in December 1985 to Stan Hansen , who forced Martel to submit to the " Brazos Valley Backbreaker " , Hansen ' s version of the Boston crab . World Wrestling Federation ( 1986 – 1995 ) . The Can - Am Connection ( 1986 - 1987 ) . In 1986 , Martel returned to the WWF with his then tag team partner , Tom Zenk , as the Can - Am Connection . The Can - Am Connection had been formed by Martel in the Montreal International Wrestling Association in 1986 . Zenk was the boyfriend of Martel ' s sister - in - law , and had been introduced to Martel in the AWA by Curt Hennig . The Can - Am Connection quickly garnered the affections of fans , and they looked certain to win the WWF Tag Team Title in the near future . However , the team split shortly after WrestleMania III ; Zenk claimed Martel had secretly negotiated an individual contract worth three times more than his partner ' s contract ( traditionally , tag teams are paid roughly equal salaries ) . Martel claimed Zenk " " . . . was overwhelmed by it all . . . Wrestling is very hard on your body . Hard on you also mentally . It ' s hard physically . Tom wasn ' t mentally or physically hard as I thought he would be " . " Strike Force ( 1987 – 1989 ) . Upon the departure of Zenk , Martel formed a new tag team with Tito Santana known as Strike Force . The duo quickly captured the WWF World Tag Team Title from The Hart Foundation , holding them for five months before losing them to Demolition at WrestleMania IV . Shortly afterward , Martel ( kayfabe ) suffered an injury after Demolition ' s manager Mr . Fuji became involved in the match and Demolition Ax used Mr . Fuji ' s cane on Martel , splitting up the team for several months . In reality , Martel took an extended leave of absence to help take care of his wife , who was severely ill . Martel returned in January 1989 as a singles wrestler before reforming Strike Force with Santana at WrestleMania V . During a match with the Brain Busters ( Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard ) , Santana accidentally hit Martel with his signature flying forearm smash and knocked him out of the ring . A frustrated Martel refused the tag , leaving Santana to be beaten down and pinned . Later , in an interview with Gene Okerlund , Martel claimed ( kayfabe ) " " I ' m sick and tired . Sick and tired of him . I was doing great as a singles wrestler , but Mr . Tito wants to ride my coattails some more " . " Following his heel turn , Martel acquired Slick as his manager . He feuded with Santana on and off over the next couple of years , losing to him in the finals of the 1989 King of the Ring tournament , then defeating him at The Main Event IV on October 30 , 1990 ( aired November 23 ) . As 1989 came to a close , Martel ' s relationship with Slick was phased out . The Model ( 1989 – 1995 ) . In late 1989 , Martel adopted a narcissistic character , becoming " The Model . " Just before the 1989 Survivor Series , he introduced his own brand of cologne called " Arrogance " , which was kept in a large atomizer and would be sprayed in the eyes of his opponents to blind them . He also wore a turquoise sweater tied around his neck , later replaced by a turquoise sportcoat , complete with a large novelty button that read " Yes , I am a model " to the ring . One of Martel ' s most famous feuds during his stint as " The Model " was against Jake " The Snake " Roberts , which was sparked when he blinded Roberts with his perfume on an episode of " The Brother Love Show " in October 1990 . Martel and Roberts then captained opposing teams at the Survivor Series , with The Visionaries ( Martel , The Warlord and Power and Glory ) defeating The Vipers ( Roberts , Jimmy Snuka and The Rockers ) in a clean sweep . Martel continued to have the upper hand in the 1991 Royal Rumble match , as he eliminated Roberts from the match en route to lasting a then - record 53 minutes before being eliminated by The British Bulldog . Roberts would finally get his revenge when he defeated Martel in a blindfold match at WrestleMania VII . In early 1992 , Martel began a feud with Tatanka , leading to Tatanka defeating Martel at WrestleMania VIII . That summer , Martel had a brief feud with Shawn Michaels , as both men sought the affections of Sensational Sherri . The feud ended with a chain of events that concluded in a double countout at SummerSlam 1992 in a match that carried a " no punching in the face " stipulation ( mutually agreed upon by the two narcissistic heels ) . Martel then resumed his rivalry with Tatanka after Martel stole Tatanka ' s sacred eagle feathers in order to add them to his wardrobe . The feud was resolved at the 1992 Survivor Series when Tatanka once again defeated Martel and reclaimed the feathers . By 1993 , Martel had been transitioned into an undercard role and rarely appeared on television . However , at the September 27 " Monday Night Raw " taping , he was declared co - winner of a battle royal ( aired October 4 ) for the vacant Intercontinental Championship . He lost a match to Razor Ramon ( aired October 11 ) to fill the title vacancy . By the summer of 1994 , Martel dropped out of the WWF picture and would not be seen again until a sole appearance at the 1995 Royal Rumble ( contractual details are unknown , Martel was drafted in to replace Jim Neidhart ) . Martel ' s wrestling career began to slow as he pursued a career in real estate . In a shoot interview with RF video , Martel claimed that he and Don Callis were set to return to the WWF as ' The Supermodels ' in 1997 , where eventually Callis would turn on Martel , making him a babyface for the first time since 1989 . However , over a pay dispute with Vince McMahon , Martel opted to sign with WCW . World Championship Wrestling ( 1997 – 1998 ) . Martel reappeared in World Championship Wrestling in 1997 , feuding with Booker T for the WCW World Television Title , winning it on " Nitro " on February 16 , 1998 . Martel ' s comeback was cut short when , at SuperBrawl VIII on February 22 he landed badly during his rematch with Booker T , hitting his leg on one of the steel cables that WCW used as ring ropes . He tore an inside ligament of his right knee , fractured his leg and suffered cartilage damage , effectively ending his in - ring career . He was originally supposed to retain the Television Title in the match , which was designed to be a gauntlet match in which he would beat Booker and then Perry Saturn , but ended up suffering the knee injury . Martel and Booker worked out a finish in the ring ( through which Martel suffered a worse injury after a botched Harlem Sidekick ) , and then Booker and Saturn called the second leg of the match entirely in the ring . Martel was out injured for several months . After suffering another injury in his first match back on the July 13 episode of " Nitro " ( against Booker T ' s tag team partner , Stevie Ray ) , Martel decided to retire from the ring . He then worked for WCW as a trainer and as the host of the French versions of WCW programming . Guest appearances . At the end of a house show in Canada in 2003 , Brock Lesnar brought out Martel as a surprise . Martel shook hands with him . At WWE ' s Night of Champions pay - per - view in 2007 , Martel , along with Tony Garea , saved Jimmy Snuka and Sgt . Slaughter from a post - match attack at the hands of Deuce ' n Domino . Personal life . Vigneault and his wife Johanne have a daughter named Coralie .