Demonstrating how the famed Canadian city influenced a hugely celebrated sport, this chronicle digs deep into Montreal’s past, depicting how the metropolis helped form pro wrestling from every angle. Journeying from the late 1800s to the present, this book provides the lowdown on all the major wrestlers who emerged from Montreal and the province of Quebec, including Yvon Robert, the Rougeau and Vachon families, Jos Leduc, Gino Brito, and Pierre-Carl Ouellet. Big names born outside the province are also explored, from Andre the Giant and Abdullah the Butcher to Edouard Carpentier. Going beyond pro wrestling, the study shows how Montreal also held what is known as the very first midget match worldwide, covering personalities such as Little Beaver, Sky Low Low, and Tiger “Doink” Jackson in an overall look at this unique scene. Additional topics include the history of women’s wrestling in Montreal, the war between the Rougeau’s All Star Wrestling and the Vachon’s Grand Prix, the complete Title history of the heavyweight championship, and some of the unfortunate tragedies that befell the region’s competitors. From the renowned McMahon promotions to the indie scene that exists today, this is the Montreal wrestling scene from top to bottom.
Authors
- Bibliography, etc. Note
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 421-423)
- Control Number Identifier
- CaOOCEL
- Date published
- 2013.
- Description conventions
- rda
- Dewey Decimal Classification Number
- 796.81209714/27
- Dewey Decimal Edition Number
- 23
- Distributor
- Canadian Electronic Library (Firm),
- General Note
- Issued as part of the desLibris books collection
- Geographic Area Code
- n-cn-qu
- ISBN
- 9781770410947 9781770902954
- LCCN
- GV1198.15.M66
- LCCN Item number
- L37 2013eb
- Modifying agency
- CaBNVSL
- Original cataloging agency
- CaOONL
- Physical Description | Extent
- 1 electronic text (423 pages, 16 pages of plates)
- Published in
- Ottawa, Ontario
- Publisher or Distributor Number
- CaOOCEL
- Rights
- Access restricted to authorized users and institutions
- System Control Number
- (CaBNVSL)slc00233784 (OCoLC)793485717 (CaOOCEL)446793
- System Details Note
- Mode of access: World Wide Web
- Transcribing agency
- CaOONL
Table of Contents
- Front Cover 1
- Copyright 5
- Table of Contents 8
- Notes and Acknowledgements 10
- Foreword by Gino Brito 14
- Introduction 16
- The Origins of Wrestling in the Territory 18
- Thomas A. Copeland and John McMahon, Two Pioneers 19
- Gus Lambert 20
- Louis Cyr and Wrestling 21
- 1900-1920 | The First True Golden Age of Wrestling in Montreal 23
- George Kennedy, From Wrestler to Owner of the Montreal Canadiens 23
- Eugène Tremblay, Kennedy’s Heir Apparent 27
- Frank Gotch, Montreal’s First Drawing Card 28
- Émile Maupas 29
- Henri Deglane 31
- Paul Bowser 32
- Victor Delamarre 33
- The First Montreal Screw Job 33
- 1939-1964 | The First Golden Age of Wrestling in Montreal 38
- Yvon Robert 38
- Jean Pusie 43
- Jack Ganson, the Promoter Who Almost Killed the Territory 44
- Eddie Quinn 46
- Bob Langevin 49
- Harry Madison, the Forgotten Olympian 53
- Frank Valois, Wrestler, Promoter, Actor and Family Man 54
- Corsica Jean 56
- Larry Moquin 58
- Bobby Managoff 62
- Lou Thesz 64
- Buddy Rogers 65
- Pat O’Connor 66
- Gene Kiniski 67
- Gorgeous George 67
- Hans Schmidt, from Germany by Way of Quebec 68
- Chief War Eagle 72
- Don Eagle 73
- Billy Two Rivers 75
- Maurice Vachon 77
- Paul Vachon 85
- Rene Goulet 90
- Brute Bernard 92
- Paul Leduc, from Gladiator to Lumberjack 93
- Édouard Carpentier, When a Few Weeks Become a Lifetime 99
- The Controversy Behind the NWA Title: The Truth at Last 102
- Wladek Kowalski, the Heel Version of Carpentier 108
- Tarzan Tyler 112
- Stan Stasiak 116
- “Whipper” Billy Watson 122
- Gino Brito 123
- Pat Girard 127
- Pat Patterson 129
- Ronnie Garvin 137
- Terry Garvin 141
- Ben and Joe Weider,when bodybuilding meets with wrestling 143
- Tony Lanza 144
- George Cannon 145
- Omer Marchessault 147
- Dan Murrayand Sammy Mack 148
- Johnny Rougeau 149
- 1965-1976 | The Second Golden Age 153
- All Star Wrestling Versus Grand Prix 153
- Celebrity Wrestling, Grand Circuit Wrestling and the end of All Star Wrestling 162
- Jacques Rougeau Sr. 166
- Jos Leduc 170
- Jean Ferré 176
- Abdullah the Butcher 182
- Raymond Rougeau 188
- Michel Dubois, Soviet Justice 194
- “The Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff 198
- Frenchy Martin, the Mercenary Joker 199
- Don Leo Jonathan, More Than the Match of the Century 204
- Gilles “The Fish” Poisson, the Strong Man from Lac-Saint-Jean 206
- The Hollywood Blonds 207
- Jackie Wiecz 208
- Sailor White 210
- Yvon Robert Jr., Never Easy to Be the Son of God 211
- Zarinoff Leboeuf, Another Russian from Quebec 213
- Richard “LeMagnifique” Charland, Mad Dog’s Protégé 214
- Bob Della Serra, the Unknown UFO 216
- Dominic Denucci, a Hardcore Trainer 216
- Neil Guay, a Hangman Among Wrestlers 217
- Len “Kojak” Shelley 219
- Eddy Creatchman, the Most Hated Man in Quebec Wrestling History 221
- Tony Angelo, the Pioneer of Managers in Montreal 225
- The Great Antonio, a Natural Attraction 225
- Rick Martel, a Model in and Out the Ring 227
- Dino Bravo, the Babyface of All Babyfaces 235
- From Varoussac to WrestleMania III | The Rise and Fall of International Wrestling 242
- Jacques Rougeau Jr. 263
- The Altercation with Dynamite Kid— the Whole Story 266
- Pierre Lefebvre, the Other Mad Dog 275
- King Tonga 280
- Phil Lafon/DanKroffat 281
- The Great Samu 282
- Sunny War Cloud 283
- Luc Poirier 285
- Floyd Creatchman 286
- André Roy 288
- Adrien Desbois 288
- The St-Jean-Baptiste Massacre, Rougeaus Versus Garvins Draws the Media’s Attention 289
- 1986 to Today | The WWF/WWE Era 293
- Hulk Hogan 293
- Pierre-Carl Ouellet 309
- Sylvain Grenier 315
- Rougeau Versus Ouellet and Rougeau Versus Hogan: Just Like in the Days of Yvon Robert! 317
- Pierre-Carl Ouellet Versus Kevin Nash: 14 Years of War! 323
- The Montreal Screw Job: The Day Wrestling Changed Forever 328
- The Era of the Independents 337
- The Promotions 337
- The Wrestlers 341
- El Generico 341
- Kevin Steen 343
- The Future 345
- Jean-Jacques, Cédric and Émile Rougeau 345
- Alex Silva 347
- The History of Women’s Wrestling in Montreal 348
- Vivian Vachon 348
- Luna Vachon 350
- LuFisto 353
- Maryse Ouellet 355
- Montreal | The Birthplace of Midget Wrestling 358
- Sky Low Low 360
- Little Beaver 363
- Tiny Roe 367
- Pee Wee James 367
- Little Brutus 368
- Mighty Schultz 369
- Tiger Jackson 369
- Quebec Wrestling Families 372
- The Baillargeons 372
- The Acocellas 374
- The Vachons 376
- The Rougeaus 377
- The Leducs 379
- The Martels 380
- The Marshalls 381
- The Proulx 381
- The Biggest Tragedies in Quebec Wrestling History 383
- The murder of Dino Bravo 383
- December 24, 1985: The Montreal Territory Loses Three Major Players 387
- Chris Benoit 390
- The Death of Michel Martel 392
- Louie Tillet and the Pitre Affair 394
- The Great Venues ofthe Montreal Territory 397
- The Montreal Forum 397
- Sohmer Park 398
- The Verdun Auditorium 398
- Delorimier Stadium 398
- Jarry Park Stadium 399
- Paul-Sauvé Arena 400
- Molson Centre/Bell Centre 400
- Olympic Stadium 400
- The History of Montreal Wrestling on TV 403
- Michel Normandin 404
- Sur le Matelas 405
- Grand Prix Wrestling 405
- Jack Curran 406
- Guy Hauray 407
- Superstars of Wrestling (Les Étoiles de la Lutte) 408
- Conclusion 415
- Quebec, Professional Wrestling 1867–1987 415
- Ranking of the 25 Best Quebec Wrestlers of All Time 418
- The Best Quebec-Born Tag Teams of All Time 421
- The History of the Montreal Athletic Commission Title 423
- The History of the Montreal Women’s Title 431
- Quebec Wrestling Hall of Fame 432
- Statistics 434
- Quebec statistics 434
- North American and Worldwide Statistics 437
- Selected Sources 438
- Colour Insert 441
- Back Cover 457