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Demolition’s Ax and Smash Recall Masked Stint, Claim WWE Sabotage
The former WWE Tag Team Champions discuss their brief and unpopular masked gimmick.
In the fall of 1990, during their rivalry with the Legion of Doom, the tag team Demolition briefly adopted black masks, a departure from their signature face paint. On the “DEMOPOD” podcast, Ax and Smash reflected on this creative decision, suggesting it was a deliberate attempt by WWE management to diminish their popularity and elevate The Legion of Doom.
Bill Eadie (Ax) described the mask idea as a “horrible suggestion that was given to us by the office.” He and Barry Darsow (Smash) both felt it was a direct response to the arrival of the Legion of Doom (The Road Warriors), who had a similar look. Darsow claimed that Demolition was more popular with the WWE audience at the time, despite LOD’s established reputation.
“The Road Warriors are… the top team everywhere. And here’s the Demolition in the WWF, and we’re over big time up there,” Darsow said. “The office is thinking, ‘Oh, these Road Warriors are going to come up here and they’re going to be the biggest baby faces of all times.’ Well, they weren’t. We were. We were getting bigger pops than they were. So they had to do everything they could to try to destroy us.”
eadie concurred, stating, “They were trying to destroy Demolition. They had the Legion of Doom had come in, and for some reason, they just wanted to destroy us,” he said. “So rather of the paint, put the hoods on… it was a horrible, demeaning… they thought it was going to be a ruination of us, and all it did was piss us off.”
Darsow emphasized the personal impact of the change: “By putting those masks on, they were not just destroying the team, but they were destroying us personally. I mean, it was terrible,” he stated. “They didn’t fit. They were miserable. And, you know, it wasn’t good at all.”
“I went into Vince, and I said, ‘Vince, I am not working this freaking mask. This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen in my life’.”
The masked gimmick was short-lived, as the team protested and ultimately gave their notice to the company. “I think we only had one or two matches with it as we just refused to do it,” eadie said.Darsow recounted his direct confrontation with vince McMahon: “I went into Vince, and I said, ‘Vince, I am not working this freaking mask. This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen in my life’.” eadie added that their unhappiness with the creative direction led to both he and Darsow giving their notice to McMahon.
Frequently Asked Questions
- why did Demolition wear masks?
- Ax and Smash believe it was an attempt by WWE management to sabotage their act and elevate The Legion of Doom.
- How long did Demolition wear the masks?
- The masked gimmick was short-lived, lasting only one or two matches.
- What was Vince McMahon’s reaction to Demolition’s protest?
- Darsow confronted Vince McMahon directly, expressing his displeasure with the masks.
