The Can-Am Connection: A WWE Cautionary Tale of Greed

The Can-Am Connection, consisting of Tom Zenk and Rick Martel, was a WWE tag team destined for greatness in the 1980s. However, a rift was growing behind the scenes that would ultimately shatter their partnership. But who’s really to blame for their downfall? That depends on whose version of the story you believe…

The Rise and Fall of The Can-Am Connection

The Can-Am Connection, consisting of Canadian Rick Martel and American Tom Zenk, was a promising tag team that briefly took the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) by storm in 1986-1987.

Martel, already a seasoned veteran with multiple tag team championship reigns under his belt, saw potential in the younger Zenk, who bore a striking resemblance to him both in looks and wrestling style.

Rick Martel, born on March 18th, 1956, in Quebec City, Canada, had already made a name for himself in various promotions, including the AWA, where he held the AWA World Heavyweight Championship.

Tom Zenk, born on November 30th, 1958, in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, was a rising star who had gained experience in the AWA and Pacific Northwest Wrestling before joining the WWF.

The Can-Am Connection debuted in the WWF in late 1986 and quickly gained popularity with their high-energy performances and good looks.

They seemed destined for greatness, even securing a victory at WrestleMania III in March 1987. However, their partnership was short-lived, ending abruptly in July 1987 when Zenk left the WWF under controversial circumstances.

For years, both Martel and Zenk offered conflicting accounts of what led to the team’s demise, creating a fascinating “he said-he said” situation that has intrigued wrestling fans and historians alike.

Their contrasting perspectives on their time together provide insight into the behind-the-scenes workings of professional wrestling during a pivotal era in the sport’s history.

Rick Martel’s First Impressions of Tom Zenk: A Young Mirror Image

RICK MARTEL (source):

“I saw Tom Zenk wrestle when I was with the AWA. I saw a lot of similarities with me. My style, my looks. Of course, before I saw him, I remember Nick Bockwinkel was the first to tell me.

“‘Hey Rick, we just seen a guy who reminds me of a young Rick Martel.’ I said, ‘Who’s that?’

“‘Tom Zenk.’

“Then when I saw him in the ring, I said wow, because it was so strange. He really was so similar to me.

“Later on, I found out that Tom had been watching me a lot and kind of copied my style. Plus, with his look being the same as me, a lot of people kept comparing us.”

Tom Zenk’s View: Lessons Learned from Rick Martel in the Can-Am Connection

TOM ZENK (source):

“I knew Rick had been thinking about [putting Can-Am Connection together] for a long time. People told us that we looked like brothers.

It was common knowledge among the wrestling community that Rick couldn’t give an interview because he had a hard time with English.

“I was just starting out, and I wasn’t that good a worker back then. He gave me a lot of good insight. He critiqued my work. He gave constructive criticism. I played naive. I played dumb. All the old-timers like to believe they’re ‘working’ the young guys.”

Diverging Careers: Tom Zenk vs. Rick Martel’s Conflicting Views

MARTEL:

“I helped him a lot at the beginning of his career. I helped him get booked.”

ZENK:

“I think Rick thought I was a mark for the business, a young guy with ‘stars in his eyes’ who was just happy to be in the ring. But I always regarded wrestling as a business. I was in it for the money.”

MARTEL:

“Back in the mid-80s, WWF was starting to take over a lot of local promotions. They were really bringing television to a different level.

“Of course, the local promotions had a hard time competing with that. So I could sense that it was just a matter of time before International Wrestling – the Quebec promotion – was going to go right down.

“I could see it was time for me to move on to bigger, better things.”

ZENK:

“Rick Martel can be really charming, but he was really only cultivating me to get where he wanted to go.”

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Tom Zenk’s Accusations: Rick Martel’s Alleged Manipulation

ZENK:

“I learned early on that [Rick] can be really charming – on and off like a switch. He’s a good guy. He treated me like my brothers would treat me, and I trusted him, but knowing what I know now, he was really only cultivating me to get where he wanted to go.

“Some people think the whole world is a movie, and he had a part for me. He was going to work me – a young dumb guy – and I played along, for a while anyway.”

Rick Martel’s Ambitions for The Can-Am Connection According to Vince McMahon

MARTEL:

“[Vince] McMahon had called me about joining WWF. We had a meeting. He was really excited about me coming back to the WWF, and I was excited about going.

“I could see that [Zenk], and I had big potential as a tag team. So I asked McMahon. And of course, McMahon had never heard of Tom Zenk.”

The Debate: Equal Partnership or Power Imbalance in The Can-Am Connection

ZENK:

“Rick conducted the negotiations with McMahon in the US while I was still working in Montreal. He told me, ‘a ship can only have one captain,’ and I agreed, given his long experience in the business, that he would be ‘the captain.’

“Rick had experience, but on the other hand, I had youth, and I’m convinced that I made up at least half of the appeal of the Can-Am Connection.

“From my point of view, it was a combination of equal partners.”

Contract Drama: The Can-Am Connection’s Promising Future and Internal Struggles

MARTEL:

“[Vince] had to go on my word. I said, ‘Look, I guarantee this is going to make a big impact as a tag team here. Major impact. I know it, I can feel it.'”

ZENK:

“We signed separate contracts. I signed in Montreal. Rick would never let me see his copy of the contract.”

MARTEL:

“To this day, Tom and I – had we stayed together – we would have been one of the biggest tag teams of all time. I can say that still.”

Explosive Start: The Can-Am Connection’s Debut and WWE Success

ZENK:

“Our first show as The Can-Am Connection was while I was still based in Montreal. It was a sell-out at the Montreal Forum against The British Bulldogs – what a show. We were over big time. The TV was so strong. People noticed us everywhere. Sophisticated people wanted autographs for their kids.

“It took [just] 6 months to get over in the WWF. We burned the Rougeaus; we burned Jannetty and Shawn Michaels – they got a tryout, but we got the gig. We had the look, everything.

“They would put us on after Hogan to pop the crowd. We were the main event, and they always had us go on last. They couldn’t follow us – only with Orndorff and Hogan.”

Conflicting Stories: The Split of Rick Martel and Tom Zenk

MARTEL:

“I guess Tom was overwhelmed by it all.

“I think Tom- when it comes right down to it, is not very physical. Wrestling is very hard on your body. Hard on you mentally also. Tom wasn’t mentally or physically as hard as I thought he would be.”

ZENK:

“Rick always lied about the money. He claimed we made the same amount.

“It was ultimately Rick, with his greed, who split the Can-Am Connection.”

MARTEL:

“When we got to the top, we went up a notch, turned up the volume, and went into that category where you really got to put out, day in and day out. Every day go to that gym.

“Every day – even if you’re injured – you’ve got to keep going. I think that was too much for him. And also the pressure of wrestling in front of big crowds and always performing to your top level. He couldn’t take that.”

Tom Zenk’s Reflection on Inequality Within the Can-Am Connection

ZENK:

“I was used to do all the selling while Rick made all the comebacks and did all the finishing moves. Compare Can-Am Connection to ‘Strike Force’ and see if Tito [Santana] had to sell every match like I did. It never evened out over six months. Even Hogan mentioned it.”

“It was ultimately Rick Martel, with his greed, who split the Can-Am Connection.”

Rick Martel’s Perspective: The Strained Dynamic with Tom Zenk

MARTEL:

“I remember in the last few weeks, I was the one that was kind of giving the pep talks. I would be excited. ‘Oh man, this is great. Look what’s going on.’ And I always had to kind of push [Zenk]. I thought it was going to be the other way around, where it was him that was going to be pushing me, saying, ‘Oh Rick, this is great. This is fantastic.’

“I could feel that something was wrong there.”

Tom Zenk’s Financial Struggles and Grueling WWE Schedule

ZENK:

“I was getting $2,500 a week as his tag partner in WWF. Vince paid for airfares, but he booked us onto 6 a.m. early morning flights to save himself money. That meant we arrived into cities too early in the morning to check into hotels to get some rest.

“At the other end of the day, we were often the last match.

“By the time we got out of the building around 11:30 p.m, back to the hotel, bleached the ring gear – there wasn’t much time to sleep before you had to be up again at 5 a.m to check out of the hotel, return the hire-car and book in for the next flight.

“We had to pay for all the hotels, rental cars, food, and incidentals. Deduct all that from $2,500 a week and then taxes – I was paying a single guy’s taxes – and there’s not much left.”

Unequal Pay Controversy: Rick Martel’s Role in the Can-Am Connection’s Breakup

ZENK:

“[For WrestleMania III] I got $10,000. Other guys in bad matches got $20,000. They even paid Mary Hart more. I asked Rick, ‘How much do you get paid?’

“‘Uh, the same as you.’

“Then I heard from the other guys what he really got paid. Between us, we should have received $100,000.

“I was shocked. I couldn’t believe it. He left like a thief in the middle of the night.”

Tom Zenk’s Sudden Departure: The End of The Can-Am Connection

MARTEL:

“One day in Boston, I got up one morning, and I went to the front desk, and they said there’s a message for you.

“There was a note from Tom saying, ‘Rick, thanks for the opportunity, but that’s it for me.’ And that was it. He just quit right on the spot. I was shocked. I couldn’t believe it. He left like a thief in the middle of the night.”

The Contract and Merchandising Battle Behind Tom Zenk’s WWE Exit

ZENK:

“I got out before getting legally caught up in merchandising agreements.

“Rick and I had agreed that if we weren’t earning $5,000 a week after 6 months in WWF, we’d take up an offer in Japan [for $10,000 a week].

“I was still at $2,500. The money sucked.

“I told Rick the money sucked. I’d tried to get our deal re-negotiated. But by then, I knew he had his own deal. Japan wanted us – so he must have had something better. You don’t want to go back to Japan and work for $5,000 a week; then, you MUST have a better deal.

“When I found out that Rick was taking a bigger share of the contract and that the merchandising was going to kick in, my buddy (who’s an attorney) told me to get out of there. Otherwise, I was really going to lose.

“I’d have been held liable for all the costs of lost merchandising if I’d left after that.”

Vince McMahon’s Reaction to Tom Zenk’s Abrupt Departure from WWE

MARTEL:

“[Vince]was shocked also. We couldn’t believe it because things were going great. The fans were taken by it, and everybody was excited about the whole thing. It had really taken off. And everybody could tell we’d be really doing well.

“So I asked McMahon, I said ‘Look, why don’t we give him three days? Maybe something went wrong.’”

Backstage Tension and Harassment: What Drove Zenk to Leave WWE

ZENK:

“A number of things were coming to the boil. There was the money and Rick’s refusal to meet with McMahon to renegotiate.

“Then [Terry] Garvin and [Pat] Patterson had been using their stroke in the office to harass me – clock-watching in the showers, crude remarks, and then petty harassments if you snubbed them – like Garvin had started warning me about supposed ‘dress code’ violations.

“I’d heard rumors about them and the way they’d tried to manipulate guys like Barry O. Trying to hit on them.

“We were in a Mac Big Boys on the road to Worcester, Massachusetts, and I said to Rick, ‘You’d better get your French Connection buddies squared away or you’re going to be working alone.’”

Tom Zenk’s Breaking Point: His WWE Exit Explained

ZENK:

“I used to tell Rick that his friends were his friends. I didn’t want to know them. After that, he gave me the cold shoulder in the car the whole way to Worcester. He acted real huffy – and when we arrived at the hotel, he threw the car keys at me. I went to my room to think things over.

[Later] I called the airlines from my motel room and booked the first flight to Minneapolis. Then I called my girlfriend and asked her to pick me up from the airport.

I left Rick a note with the car keys saying – ‘Thanks for the opportunity. I really appreciate it. Without you, it wouldn’t have been possible. But things didn’t work out the way you said. You’ll do better on your own.’”

“I could tell that he had cracked. He just couldn’t take it anymore.”

The Final Confrontation: Zenk and Martel’s Farewell

MARTEL:

“[WWF] flew me to Minneapolis, and I went to meet him at his house. I said, ‘Look, Tom, what went wrong?

“I could tell that he had cracked. He just couldn’t take it anymore. That was the end of it.”

ZENK:

“He came with ‘Blackjack’ Lanza. I was working in my garage, refinishing the kitchen cabinets. Rick was honest – he said I can understand what you’re doing. And he [finally] gave away how much he was earning.

“I didn’t discuss in detail the real reason for what I’d done. I was so mad. I told him, ‘I’m done.’ He told me we were going to win the belts and work a program with Demolition, but the hot heel team draws the money – that’s the tradition – so we wouldn’t have held the belts for long.

“Jack Lanza came in. Jack Lanza was one of the guys in AWA who had encouraged me to go to Portland (in 1985), and I owe Jack an apology. I hurt his feelings.

“Only he was in the line of fire, and I told him, ‘Get out of here. You’re just a stroke for the office.’ Rick had tears in his eyes. It was sad to see, but he’d been so unnecessarily greedy. He asked me to go back for one final match – they planned to ‘finish my career’ with a pile-driver from the Islanders.

“He told me, ‘Haku will pile-drive you, break your neck, and then we’ll say you’re out of the business.’ I said, ‘No, Rick. It’s finished. OVER.'”

The Can-Am Connection’s Official End: A Fractured Partnership

MARTEL:

“That was the last day that I talked to him. I remember telling him, saying, ‘Look, Tom, I don’t disagree with what you’re doing, I just disagree with the way you’re doing it.’

“I said we have commitments here. We had some matches that were already booked. And I’m old-fashioned in that way. When I give my word I’m going to be somewhere if I’m not injured, I’m there.

“WWF had given us the opportunity to show that we’re good. I gave my word on his behalf. The least he could do is finish it right for me. So I said come back, Tom, and let’s finish those days, [then] if you want to go on with your life, that’s fine. He didn’t want to do that.”

ZENK:

“[They] didn’t mention more money. Jack Lanza didn’t mention money at all. After they left the garage and got to the Chevy Blazer that Lanza drove, Rick turned to me and said, ‘I hope you can’t sleep at night.'”

MARTEL:

“For him, that day, wrestling was finished. He was going to go on to other things – better things. And then he tried [to return to wrestling], but he didn’t succeed. He never really made it.”

WWE was like the mob – they were very big on loyalty, but when you wanted out, they went after you.

Legal Fallout: The WWE Lawsuit After The Can-Am Connection’s Breakup

ZENK:

“A few days after I left, I got a letter from Vince telling me that I was hurting Rick’s earning potential. They both tried to put the responsibility for the split on me. But it was Rick’s own greed that destroyed the Can-Am’s and his own future earning potential.

“Later on, they sued me for breach of contract. They sued me for an amount which would have finished me financially. I rang McMahon. I wanted to make the point that they hadn’t treated me with respect. He wasn’t there, so I spoke to Linda [McMahon].

“I told Linda – ‘You made the decision to pay Rick more money than me. I found out; I left. You say I was a quitter to enhance your product. You replaced me with a ‘better’ wrestler, Tito. Strike Force didn’t get over. You lost! The joke’s on you.’

“I asked them to leave me alone. ‘What do you want to do, wreck me?’

“It was like the mob – they were very big on loyalty, but when you wanted out, they went after you. I told Linda, ‘I’ve got the New York Times phone number in front of me.”

The Controversial Exchange Leading to Tom Zenk’s WWE Exit

ZENK:

“How would you like me to ring them and tell them that you’ve got Dr. Zahorian in your locker room with 2 tackle boxes full of steroids, painkillers, speed, and downers? And you’re making money out of selling your product to little children.’ And Linda said, ‘I wouldn’t do that if I were you.’

“I said, ‘Are you threatening me?’ And she replied, ‘You can take it any way you want.’

“I’ve never regretted to this day leaving the WWF. I laugh every time I think about it. I know Vince, Hulk, Jack Lanza all knew we were the best tag team ever. But it really wasn’t my decision to regret.”

 Tom Zenk’s Reflection: The Can-Am Connection and Wrestling’s Reality

ZENK:

“It was Rick and his greed that split the Can-Am Connection, not me. I gave him the benefit of the doubt. We agreed on a 6-month try-out in WWF. I gave him the 6 months. After that, I saw the exit and pulled the rip-cord on my parachute.

“At that time, wrestling was finished for me. A lot of people in the business get caught up and carried away and forget that they’re only just wrestlers. They forget that others lose to put you over.

“I yielded to get guys over. I never balked. That’s the business. People seem to forget that humility is part of the business. That’s when they start to lose touch with the real world."

The Legacy of The Can-Am Connection: A Cautionary Tale of Wrestling Ambition

Tragically, Tom Zenk’s story came to an end on December 9th, 2017, when he passed away in his hometown of Robbinsdale, Minnesota, at the age of 59. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner later revealed that Zenk’s death was caused by arteriosclerotic heart disease and cardiomegaly (an enlarged heart).

As the curtain closed on the Can-Am Connection, what could have been a legendary WWE tag team was reduced to a cautionary tale of ambition, ego, and betrayal.

Whether it was Zenk’s disillusionment with the business or Martel’s alleged manipulation, their partnership ended abruptly and dramatically.

What remains is a story of two men, destined for greatness but consumed by their own agendas, who never reached their full potential together.

Watch The Can-Am Connection vs. The Magnificent Don Muraco & Bob Orton at WrestleMania III:

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