My Exclusive Interview with Claudio Castagnoli

The following is a brief, but meaningful, interview I conducted with independent superstar and former WWE employee Claudio Castagnoli.
Q: When you arrived in Chikara, you received some training from wrestling experts Mike Quackenbush and Skayde. How beneficiary was it for you and what did you learn?
A: It was very beneficiary since that style was new to me.
Q: I have also read that you received training from the legendary Honky Tonk Man. When exactly did this occur and how?
A: It occured in 2002 or 2003 in Switzerland. My memory is not that good on dates. He was wrestling for a promotion in Switzerland and had a trainings camp before the show.
Q: Last year you won a torneo cibernetico while competing in Chikara. How interesting was it competing in that epic match?
A: It was great! Just a great feeling and I'm proud to have pulled off the victory.
Q: Finally, Chikara is known for its clashing of three styles, Puroresu, Lucha Libre, and American pro wrestling. Do you consider yourself strictly one style or several?
A: I consider myself the best all around wrestler!

Who's Who: Demolition

Career:
In the mid-to-late eighties, the Road Warriors, or the Legion of Doom, were a widely successful tag team across the country. Before the Warriors' WWF run began in 1990, Vince McMahon sensed a void in the tag team division. He examined teams like The Killer Bees and The Strike Force and came to the conclusion that he was missing a brutal, dominating force in the division. In January of 1987, Bill Eadie, who had competed in the World Wrestling Federation as Super Machine earlier in the decade, returned to the company and was quickly placed in a tag team with Randy Colley, a.k.a Moondog Rex at the time. McMahon and his crew quickly developed a gimmick for them that directly resembled the Road Warriors. The two were put under face paint and clothed in entrance attire adorned with spikes, resembling the Warriors. Next, they were given a hard rock entrance theme and an intimidating name in Demolition. On January 17, 1987, Eadie and Colley, now known as Ax and Smash, respectively, defeated Salvatore Bellomo and Mario Mancini in their Federation and, moreover, wrestling debut. Within a few more matches, Colley became engaged in a contractual dispute (later on, Eadie claimed that he feared fans would recognize Colley) with the WWF and was soon released, leaving Ax the only member of Demolition. Barry Darsow, who was competing in the NWA as Krusher Kruschev, was hired and named the new Demolition Smash. Within the next year, they would overcome nearly every face tag team on the WWF roster. While beginning domination, the two enlisted the conniving Mr. Fuji as their manager. Another year later, Demolition would start their first WWF Tag Team Championship reign after defeating the Strike Force in their Wrestlemania debut. During the reign, a new team, displaying as much raw power as them, entered the business. The Powers of Pain, consisting of the Warlord and the Barbarian, immediately challenged Demolition, leading Fuji to turn on his charges in favor of the Powers. The feud entered a climax when the now babyface Champions Demolition defeated the Powers of Pain at Wrestlemania V to retain their gold. Two months later, they dropped their belts to the Brainbusters, Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson, on the July 18th edition of Saturday's Night Main Event, bringing an end to the longest title reign in WWF history (478 days, the record still stands.) Over half a year later in November, the team of Ax and Smash achieved revenge after defeating Anderson and Blanchard to regain their WWF Titles. Only a month later, the Colossal Connection, which featured two members of the Heenan Family in Andre the Giant and Haku, took the belts from Demolition. Then, for the third year in a row, Demolition won a Wrestlemania bout that had the Tag Titles at risk by defeating the Connection to become Champions for the third and final time. During the first half of 1990, Crush, a.k.a the late Brian Adams, became a member of the born again heel tag team after Bill Eadie was sidelined from a severe allergic reaction to shellfish. For the next 6 months, the newly formed trio defended the titles using the "Freebird rule" (three or more group members alternating for defense in separate matches.) At SummerSlam in 1990, the Hart Foundation unseated Demolition for the gold. Thereafter, the trio's success began declining. With WWF's acquisition of the Road Warriors, rechristened the Legion of Doom, Demolition began to dissolve. Demolition Ax (Eadie) left the company sometime after November 1990 to rejoin the independent scene. Then at Wrestlemania VII, Demolition, now comprised of only Crush and Smash, lost their final match to Koji Kitao and Genechiro Tenryu. Following the breakup of the group, Crush and Smash remained with the World Wrestling Federation. Smash was redirected as the Repo Man, literally a repo man, before leaving for WCW under his real name. Crush kept his name and transitioned back-and-forth from heel to face. Crush left the company sometime in the late 1990's before retiring in 2002. Sadly, Brian Adams passed away on August 13, 2007, at the young age of 44. Since the 1991 demise of Demolition, the duo has reunited multiple times beginning on April 17, 2007, including several appearances in Philadelphia's Chikara Pro Wrestling.
Perspective:
While Demolition may be remembered as a blatant rip-off, there was much more to the team. Demolition served as the elevation of both Barry Darsow and Brian Adams' careers and the successful ending of Bill Eadie's storied career. So, to close, Demolition can be fairly judged as a dominant, sometimes mechanical, but very talented group.