We’re back in the Wrestling Salvage Yard and this time we’re looking at the Demolition gimmick. If you don’t remember, Demolition was a tag team in WWE between 1987 and 1991 with three tag titles to their name. Basically, Demolition was the WWE’s answer to the popular Road Warriors gimmick in NWA.
The original members were The Masked Superstar and Moondog Rex as Ax and Smash respectively while the classic line-up featured The Masked Superstar teaming with Barry Darsow as Smash. Towards the end of the gimmick’s run, Brian Adams was added as Crush.
The Demolition Gimmick In WWE
While they didn’t have the dangerous powerhouse presence of the Road Warriors, they had their own kind of presence that worked in WWE but wasn’t really comparable to the Warriors in the NWA and abroad.
What was comparable was both teams’ skills on the mic. The Road Warriors had Hawk to really rip on the mic if needed while Demolition had Smash. I will also go out on a limb and say that Demolition was the more consistent of the two teams while the Road Warriors were the more exciting and over.
Then again, that consistency could come as a result of WWE’s style compared to NWA’s during the late 80s and early 90s. While Demolition was a product of the Hulkamania period, the Road Warriors showed up on the territories at a time when there weren’t many power and paint tag teams.
Demolition’s end came with the signing of the Road Warriors in 1990. Billed as the Legion of Doom, they were pushed heavily in their first run to the point Demolition was deemed redundant. By this time Ax wasn’t in the ring as much in WWE and after losing at Survivor Series 1990, it was a done deal for the gimmick.
Salvaging Demolition
This is an easy salvage job as the wrestlers involved needed to wear face paint and bondage gear. Well, I don’t want to say bondage gear but I mean…look at it. Maybe Vince McMahon was on to something? At any rate, the gimmick of Demolition would be easy to revive simply by finding two or three powerhouses or hosses.
Of course, WWE isn’t the biggest on tag team wrestling but they’ve always had big heavyweights who could’ve filled the role and had charisma. Roughly anyone 6’2 or taller and muscular would’ve been good. Actually, they wouldn’t need to be that muscular or good in the ring.
It’s a gimmick where wrestlers can make it what they want. If they wanted to wear tights and trunks instead of this bondage harness singlet deal, they could do that. The tandem as a comedy team? Go for it. Cruiserweight Demolition? Why not.
The point is that Demolition’s legacy isn’t as sacred or concrete as the Road Warriors to where it should remain as it is. On that note, it makes me wonder why there hasn’t been a new Blade Runners team—besides the name.
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