Rick "The Model" Martel and Arrogence...

[Nickybojelais]

Apr 25, 2014 11:35:11 GMT -5 jason1980s said:

Apr 25, 2014 9:30:10 GMT -5 auph10imitated said:

Anyone know when he went from Blue to Purple? I know he went from Purple to Pink in the hiatus between just after Wrestlemania 7 and January-ish 1992? In fact does anyone know the reason for his absence

Rick was on and off again even though it doesn't seem like it since there were so few PPVs back in the day and he made almost all of them.

1988 saw the absence between June and late 1988/early 1989
1990 saw a very short absence between summer and fall
1991, as you've noted
1993 between spring and fall (this would be the second summerslam PPV he was scheduled for and didn't do)
I wonder if he was still under contract between early 1994, when he left, and 1995 rumble when he replaced Jim Neidhart.

I've heard a few reasons for his absence: 1988 rumors was his wife was ill, 1991 rumor was because of the steroid scandal (why Martel would be off TV and not Bulldog or Warlord, for example, is strange), and other rumor is that he was running a real estate business and would take time off.

The real estate thing sound familiar. I'm sure I recall him mentioned during a shoot interview that his push was stopped because it was perceived he was spending more time with his out of the ring business ventures and that he wasn't fully focused on wrestling.