Bertrand Hebert, who serves as Rick Martel’s manager, said Martel has never been offered the WWE Hall of Fame despite online rumors that he turned it down, and that if the offer ever comes, he will personally make sure Martel accepts.
Speaking on the Wrestling Nostalgia podcast with Dave Dynasty, Hebert addressed the long-standing speculation about Martel’s Hall of Fame status directly and said the claims that Martel declined the honor are not true.
“No matter what Bruce Prichard said, he has never been offered the WWE Hall of Fame,” Hebert said. “And if he’s offered the WWE Hall of Fame, I will make sure personally that he accepts the offer.”
Hebert said Martel did turn down some WrestleMania Axxess signing appearances in the past, including one in San Francisco. He said the idea of traveling from Quebec City to San Francisco for a few hours of signing for limited compensation, with no official role or Hall of Fame invitation attached, was not appealing to Martel. Hebert suggested those declined appearances may have been conflated with a Hall of Fame refusal.
“The idea of traveling to sign autographs, maybe for a few hours, for not a lot of money, and do all that traveling from Quebec City to San Francisco, was the big no-no for him,” Hebert said. “And especially to return and to be asked to just sit around and have no official role or no invitation to the Hall of Fame. He didn’t think it was the right timing.”
“If He Doesn’t Deserve It, I Don’t Know Who Does”
Hebert made a strong case for Martel’s induction, pointing to his resume across multiple promotions whose tape libraries WWE now owns.
“He should be there,” Hebert said. “Three-time Tag Team Champion, The Model, one of the most memorable gimmicks in their history. And they own the AWA library. He was the AWA World Heavyweight Champion. Compared to some of the guys already in the Hall of Fame, if he doesn’t deserve it, I don’t know who does.”
Hebert noted that WWE owns the footage from every major chapter of Martel’s career, including his AWA World Championship reign, his WWE tag team runs with the Can-Am Connection and Strike Force, his run as The Model, and his WCW tenure.
“They own everything,” Hebert said. “For the AWA, WWE, and WCW. And they have Tony Garea and Tito Santana that can induct him. I think it’s a no brainer to send that invitation.”
Host Dave Dynasty pointed out that Demolition is being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year, and that if Demolition is going in, Martel’s case is equally strong given their intertwined history, particularly the Strike Force vs. Demolition feud.
“He Doesn’t Need to Do Those Appearances”
Hebert said part of the disconnect is that Martel has been almost entirely absent from the wrestling world for years and does not rely on the business for income. Unlike many of his peers, Martel invested wisely during his career and is financially secure in retirement. That independence has made it difficult for people in the industry to understand why he has not been more active.
“He doesn’t need to do those appearances. And that’s hard for people in the business to understand,” Hebert said. “But for the guys outside of the business, not doing shows every weekend, being recognized by WWE means something. He was there. He worked there. He helped build the company to where it was and is. For him, it’s a recognition that means something.”
Hebert said the induction should happen while Martel, who turned 70 on March 18, is still able to attend and enjoy the ceremony.
“I think it should be done in the next few years,” Hebert said. “Because obviously at 70 years old, he’s not getting any younger. Let’s do it while he can still attend and enjoy and appreciate everything.”
Martel’s Legacy
Hebert said that within the modern wrestling consciousness, Martel is underappreciated relative to his actual career accomplishments. He said many fans only remember Martel as a mid-card heel or a tag team wrestler in WWE, not as the AWA World Heavyweight Champion who was once featured alongside Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair as one of the three top champions in professional wrestling.
“There was that time, that quick time period in ’85-’86, there were three World Champions: Hogan, Ric Flair, and Rick Martel,” Hebert said. “There’s that famous poster from Pro Wrestling Illustrated, and they were the top three guys in the business.”
Hebert said WWE has never made a concerted effort to highlight that era of Martel’s career. “Even the AWA DVD by WWE is kind of a revisionist history,” Hebert said. “They barely mention it, because for WWE fans, Rick was just the middle of the card and a tag team wrestler. But he had been AWA World Champion.”
Martel is making his first major public appearance in years at the Big Event convention on Saturday, March 21, in Brentwood, New York, during WrestleMania week. He will be signing alongside Tito Santana and Tony Garea.
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