5 Things You May Not Know About New WWE Hall of Famers Demolition

Ax and Smash are finally being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame!

The induction of Demolition, a tag team featuring Bill Eadie (Ax) and Barry Darsow (Smash), was recently announced by “The Undertaker” Mark Calaway, who also announced Stephanie McMahon and AJ Styles as 2026 Hall of Fame inductees. The ceremony will take place on April 17 in Las Vegas at Dolby Life at the Park MGM, the night before WrestleMania 42.

Here are five things you may not know about Demolition, arguably the best and most iconic tag team in WWE history:

1. Barry Darsow was not the original Smash. That honor belonged to Randy Colley, who, before becoming part of Demolition, donned white beach hair and looked like a muscle-bound surfing hippie as a member of the Moondogs. However, when Colley entered the ring as Smash in Demolition’s early days, the fans weren’t buying it, chanting “Moondog Rex” at every opportunity. As a result, Colley was quickly replaced by Smash.

2. Demolition had three reigns as WWE Tag Team champions from 1988-90, but it was their first title reign that stood out because of its length. After defeating Strike Force to win the tag titles at WrestleMania 4, Demolition would hold the belts for 478 consecutive days, a record that stood for 28 years until it was surpassed by The New Day’s 484-day tenure in 2015-16.

3. Shortly after Demolition regained the tag team titles for the third and final time at WrestleMania 6 against Andre the Giant and Haku, they headed to Japan for a tour. It was here that Eadie found out he was allergic to shellfish and had a heart attack as a result. So WWE decided to add a third member to Demolition (Brian Adams, better known as Crush), with Eadie taking on more of a managerial role. This also led to Demolition becoming heels for the first time in almost two years and eventually dropping the tag titles to the Hart Foundation at SummerSlam 1990.

4. While Eadie would leave the company in November 1990, Darsow and Adams continued as Demolition until early 1991. Both wrestlers would later return to WWE, with Darsow playing a character called “Repo Man” and Adams featuring a more colorful, babyface version of Crush.

5. Why did it take the WWE so long to induct Demolition into its Hall of Fame? Here are a couple of possibilities:

After leaving the WWF, Eadie began using the name Axis the Demolisher on the independent circuit and took in Colley as well as Richard “Le Magnifique" Charland under the name of Demolition Blast in an attempt to resurrect the Demolition name and gimmick. They were sent a cease-and-desist letter by the WWF once they found out. Also, in the mid-1990s, Eadie filed a lawsuit against the WWF for the rights to the Demolition name and gimmick. The court, however, ruled in favor of WWE.

What do YOU think? Are Ax and Smash the undisputed greatest tag team in WWE history? Drop a comment with your favorite Demolition memory or let us know who you think deserves the crown!

Nevin Barich is a Combat Sports Writer for The Sporting Tribune.