The Can-Am Connection was a

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

composed of Rick Martel and

Tom Zenk Thomas Erwin Zenk (November 30, 1958 – December 9, 2017) was an American professional wrestler and bodybuilder. He was best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation from 1986 to 1987, American Wrestling Association (AWA) 198 ...

in the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

(WWF) through 1986 and 1987.

History

In 1986, Canadian wrestler Rick Martel returned to the WWF with his then

partner, American

, as the Can-Am Connection. The Can-Am Connection had been formed by Martel in the

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

International Wrestling Association in 1986. Tom Zenk was the boyfriend of Martel's sister-in-law, and had been introduced to Martel in the

AWA Awa (or variants) may refer to: People * Awa (given name), notable people named Awa or Hawa * Awá (Brazil), an indigenous people of Brazil * Awa-Kwaiker, an indigenous people of Colombia and Ecuador Languages * Awa language (China) or Wa (Va) ...

by Curt Hennig. The team made their televised debut in WWF on the November 15, 1986 episode of ''

Superstars A superstar is a widely acclaimed celebrity. Superstar or superstars may also refer to: People * Warhol superstars, the associates of Andy Warhol * WWE Superstar, a branding term referring to a WWE wrestler * Superstar Billy Graham (born 1943) ...

'' against the team of Steve Lombardi and

Moondog Spot Larry Wayne Booker (June 6, 1952 – November 29, 2003), better known by his ring names Moondog Spot and Larry Latham, was an American professional wrestler. Professional wrestling career Early career (1977–1981) Booker debuted in 1 ...

which they won. The Can Am Connection contested a series of matches with former tag-team champions The Dream Team ( Brutus Beefcake and

Greg Valentine Jonathan Anthony Wisniski (born September 20, 1951) is a retired American professional wrestler, better known as Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. He is the son of wrestler Johnny Valentine. Over five decades, Valentine held more than 40 championship ...

), the team of

Kamala Kamala refers to: People * Kamala (name), given name and surname, includes list of people and characters with the name ** Kamala Harris, the 49th and current Vice President of the United States * Kamala (wrestler) (1950–2020), American profess ...

and Sika, and the team of Don Muraco and "Ace" Cowboy Bob Orton, whom they would face and defeat in the opening match of WrestleMania III. And they faced and ended

Demolition Demolition (also known as razing, cartage, and wrecking) is the science and engineering in safely and efficiently tearing down of buildings and other artificial structures. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a ...

( Ax and Smash)'s undefeated streak on June 6, 1987 at the

Boston Garden The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928, as "Boston Madison Square Garden" (late ...

. The Can-Am Connection's last feud would be against The Islanders ( Haku and Tama), a feud that began on '' WWF Superstars of Wrestling'' in the summer of 1987. In this match, the Islanders turned

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower Human leg, leg. Structure To distribute the compressive for ...

by revealing their association with manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. Shortly after this match Tom Zenk left the WWF due to a pay dispute with the Can-Am wrestling their last match together on July 9, 1987, against the Islanders. Until Zenk's death of atherosclerosis and

cardiomegaly Cardiomegaly (sometimes megacardia or megalocardia) is a medical condition in which the heart is enlarged. As such, it is more commonly referred to simply as "having an enlarged heart". It is usually the result of underlying conditions that make t ...

, he and Rick Martel had differing opinions on the matter of why Tom Zenk left the WWF, all but eliminating the chance of a Can-Am Connection reunion. The two never reconciled before Zenk's passing in 2017. WWF ceased acknowledging Zenk by name after his departure, only referring to him as "Rick Martel's former partner" when mentioning the split. WWE still does not acknowledge Zenk to this day, however, archived footage of some of his matches with both WWF, and later

WCW World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nationa ...

as "The Z-Man," does appear on WWE Network.

The Spinoff

When Zenk left, Martel initially carried on the feud with the Islanders on his own, but was soon paired up with Tito Santana to tackle the Polynesian duo, spinning the ill-fated Can-Am Connection off to Strike Force who went on to win the

WWF World Tag Team Championship The World Tag Team Championship was the original professional wrestling world tag team championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion, and the promotion's third tag team championship overall. Originally established by the then- ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

Can-Am Connection at Online World of Wrestling
Can-Am Connection, The