The Golden Age of Quebec Wrestling Volume 1
This DVD was put together by my friends Pat Laprade and Bertrand Hebert, authors of Montreal wrestling history book “Mad Dogs, Midgets and Screw Jobs”. Apparently, putting out a stellar wrestling book isn’t good enough for some people and they feel the need to follow up with an awesome wrestling video. I’ve watched a lot of Montreal wrestling and it is one of the golden gems of wrestling territories. This provides a great sampling of this, showing Martel and Bravo as nationalistic heroes for Quebec and showing why the Garvins vs the Rougeaus is one of the best feuds you’ll ever see. I can’t wait to watch the next two volumes (and review them here).
The disc starts out with the opening for Grand Prix Wrestling which is very much like an old-time sports show with epic music.
Mad Dog Vachon vs Édouard Carpentier
This definitely feels like a tv match used to sell the arena shows, certainly as far as length goes although I don’t know how long the breaks between falls were. Vachon starts off hitting Carpentier with forearms and finishes him quickly with a piledriver for the first fall. It is cool to see the move sold like that. It makes my week to hear Eric Pomeroy’s Newfoundland accent on commentary. Carpentier starts the second fall with punches and kicks and a big backdrop. He hits a superkick and three somersault splashes for a quick second fall as well, with less than one minute of action in total so far. This feels like 2006 Arena Mexico. In the third fall, Eddy throws some kicks again and the Doggie begs off. Vachon ties up Carpentier’s legs but gets caught in a headscissors and is twisted to the mat. Vachon bites Carpentier’s face and pokes him in the eye as well. Carpentier gives it right back to him and then unloads with punches, showing why Edouard Carpentier was the best pure striker in Grand Prix Wrestling. They battle it out and Vachon goes timber after a headbutt from Carpentier who misses with a follow-up somersault splash. Vachon goes for a piledriver but Carpentier backdrops him into a pinning position and gets the pin with Vachon’s feet on the ropes. This was pretty fun, with the first two falls being very quick and Vachon really accentuating his bumps for the tv audience.
Hommage Yvon Robert
An award of being voted into the wrestling hall of fame by a wrestling writers association is presented to the family of Yvon Robert. It is amazing what a big deal Robert was in Montreal.
Interview Dino Bravo and Gino Brito
We get an English language interview. Bravo is incredibly young here, and Brito says he is 24. Brito is incredibly Italian here.
Interview Don Leo Jonathan and Killer Kowalski
Kowalski is very bragadocious and is very descriptive in insisting that he and Jonathan will crush Carpentier like a tomato.
Interview Édouard Carpentier and Jean Ferré
Jean Ferre is huge and Edouard Carpentier is short. Andre’s blue suit-jacket is great.
Interview Tarzan Tyler and Gilles Poisson
Wrestling needs to bring back these large green screen shots of the opponents emoting and reacting to the interviews in the background. It defies description. I am not sure if the interview was pre-recorded and the sit-down opponents are filmed reacting to it, or if they just sit there mugging for the camera making assumptions about what terrible things their opponents are saying about them. Either option is fun. Bravo and Brito’s facials are hilarious in the background here. I actually propose that we do a podcast have Pat and Bertrand in the foreground with Dylan and I blown up in the background snarling and chuckling.
Gilles Poisson vs Dino Bravo
Bravo looks like a young French hunk. Emile Dupre is on commentary and talks about the Grand Prix crew touring his home area of the Maritimes with him during the summer months. Poisson is a classic stocky thug in the tradition of Montreal heels. He works over Bravo who comes back with punches and an airplane spin. The referee gets knocked down and Tyler hands a foreign object to Poisson who knocks out Bravo for the win.
Interview with Don Leo Jonathan for his match against Jacques Rougeau
Jonathan just oozes champion here, confident without screaming and looking cool in his suit-jacket. I would have assumed he was the heel but the interviewer talks about his ability and I even wonder if Rougeu was somehow a heel.
Interview Eddy Creatchman
Apparently Rougeau was a heel, with Creatchman being his mouthpiece. That is actually pretty cool and I wish I could travel back to see the title match. Suddenly, Carpentier is super-imposed and unimpressed as Creatchman talks about all his minions who will be going after Carpentier including the Sheik, Tor Kamata and Killer Brooks.
Edouard Carpentier vs Destroyer
The commentator smoothly transitions from talking about the blood on the mat in the previous match (not shown here) to talking about the Grand Prix blood donor clinic coming up. The “Not Dick Beyer” Destroyer punches away at Carpentier before Eddie does a backflip off the top rope into a kick. Carpentier hits a somersault splash for the pin. Carpentier unmasks the Destroyer as Frenchy Martin and I had no idea during the match it was him. I am not sure if there was a prolonged storyline of him being gone from the promotion and being under the mask but I hope so.
Interview Gino Brito and Dino Bravo
Brito and Bravo talk about being Italian and giving Tarzan Tyler and Gilles Poisson a shot at their tag titles. Tyler is awesome cackling in the superimposed background and cleaning his glasses and yawning.
Interview Billy Two Rivers
Billy talks about his work in Britain and spreading international awareness about Indians, the term he uses that feels very dated now. But this was actually somewhat progressive as he talks about his culture and educating people about it. This is far better than WWWF using an Italian-American man and a man from Iraq as their Native Americans.
Mad Dog Vachon vs Jean Ferré
Ferre is introduced as “The Friendly French Giant”, which non-Canadian viewers might not catch as a reference to long-time Canadian children’s tv show “The Friendly Giant”. I once saw this match on youtube and the poster claimed it was Andre’s first match ever, but the polite commenters on youtube promptly corrected him. Vachon rips into Ferre right from the beginning but Andre fights back and paws him around the ring. Ferre twice grabs him in rear chinlocks while standing and clubs him with forearms. Ferre picks him up for a bodyslam but Vachon grabs a headscissors and Ferre impressively takes a flying headscissors. Ferre escapes and throws Vachon. Ferre gives Vachon a couple of Irish whips and then lifts him in a big choke and throws him in the corner. Vachon bites the giant in the belly. Vachon whips Ferre into the ropes and tries for a bodyslam but the iron giant gives him a bodypress. Ferre then presses him twice into backbreakers and declines the three-count both times. Ferre does a third backbreaker and the referee refuses to count a pin and declares Ferre the winner. This is the best early babyface work I have seen from Andre, with his going into a flying headscissors and delivering a cross body both being quite impressive.
Intro International Wrestling
Rick Martel vs Dino Bravo
This is really well paced and is quite fun. Martel is accompanied by Verne Gagne. Bravo is the champion and gets booed. He comes off as much more of a Magnificent Muraco-type heel than what we would see in his WWF days. Carpentier is the referee. They feel each other out with some chain-wrestling but are quite intense about it. Bravo gives Martel a couple of hard bodyslams, showing that he has become more of a power wrestler over time. Martel does some nice armdrags and a bodyslam of his own. Bravo puts on a headlock with Martel selling a lot. The match skips ahead and Martel is working underneath but grabs a hammerlock and drives Bravo into the mat. Martel works Bravo hard with an armlock and again gets a hammerlock. We are then shown Carpentier on commentary and we skip ahead to Martel and Bravo exchanging forearms and punches. Martel gets knocked to the mat. Bravo applies a bodyscissors and Martel keeps on showing fire and turns around into a mount!!! Martel starts doing ground-and-pound and is really intense. Martel does a knee-drop. Martel slams Bravo and does a slingshot splash but Bravo gets the knee up and Martel sells it like a champ. Bravo gets him in a bearhug but Martel escapes with a gutwrench suplex followed shortly by a vertical suplex. Martel gets Bravo in an abdominal stretch. Bravo grabs the ropes to escape and gives Martel a shot to the gut and then pins him with his feet on the ropes. A fiery Verne Gagne comes in to plead Martel’s case.
We get some brief commentary from Bravo and Carpentier. The match is shown a second time with commentary from Bravo and Carpentier. The footage is a little different both times, providing for what seems to be almost complete footage. In the second viewing a back suplex from Bravo near the end of the match is shown.
Dino Bravo vs Superstar
The tell-tale elbows of Bill Eadie are on display. He ambushes Bravo before the match starts and then attacks him with a chair. Superstar stomps Bravo in the corner and then runs his head into the turnbuckle repeatedly while also kicking him in the head. Superstar hits a back elbow and does a few elbow-drops. He applies a Cobra Clutch and keeps re-applying it after being interrupted by Bravo’s would-be rescuers.
We see back-to-back French language interviews with Dino Bravo and Rick Martel. They seem to be talking about each other but otherwise my seven years of French class is not helping.
Rick Martel vs Abdullah the Butcher
Abdullah gives Martel a throat-strike to start. Abby gives Martel a big hiptoss and a falling headbutt and Martel is bleeding early. Martel fires back with punches and he bodyslams the big man. Martel stomps the scarred head of Abby and then hits him with his version of fist-drops and a headbutt. Abby is on his feet and boots Martel in the face with his pointed boot. Abby comes of the bottom rope with an elbow-smash and then does a legdrop. Martel fights back and gives Abby a big vertical suplex. Martel does a splash off the second rope and goes for the pinfall but is attacked by Jerry “Crusher” Blackwell and the referee calls for a disqualification. Blackwell holds Martel while Abby does elbow-drops and Bravo makes the save.
Dino Bravo vs Sailor White
White looks rough, like he came directly from jail for this match. Bravo comes to the ring, I believe with “Let There Be Drums” as his theme music which is the legendary opening theme for Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling. White attacks Bravo at the bell and beats him down in the corner. Bravo ducks a clothesline, throws some haymakers and hits a big backdrop and a back suplex. Kerry Brown, known here as Rick Valentine, runs in and interferes, hitting Bravo with a hammer and the referee disqualifies White. Valentine and White then double-team Bravo and leave him bleeding. A lot. Martel and Leo Burke (!!!!) make the save. I assume this might have been during a time that Leo was booking Montreal which could explain Bravo’s theme music. Martel and Burke attempt to comfort and care for Bravo, but make sure to do so in a way that places his bloody face on display for the crowd and camera. Wrestling is so fun. They carry Bravo up the aisle. The show skips to the back where Martel and Burke continue to display a lack of knowledge of basic first aid skills. Bravo is then shown being placed on a stretcher, with lots of bandaging covering the top half of his head, but thankfully none of the blood was washed off first so as not to lose visceral effect.
Rick Martel vs Sailor White
Martel and Bravo are introduced as a team and Martel was still AWA Champion at the time. White and Valentine come out with Valentine on crutches. Heel manager Eddie Creatchman argues in French, and I presume he is arguing for a singles match for White. And the weasel gets his way, with the referee flipping a coin and Martel getting match duty. White jumps Martel and then chokes him on the ropes. White chokes him from behind and then chokes him on the ropes again. White mixes it up by dropping him throat-first on the top rope. And then he does it again before stepping on Martel’s throat. White bodyslams Martel and then misses a knee-drop from the second rope. Martel boots him in the face and comes back with punches and a bodyslam. Martel starts dropping elbows and then rams White’s head into the turnbuckle. It’s another bodyslam by Martel and then knees to the back. Martel backdrops White, bodyslams him and applies a single leg crab. An improbably healed Valentine then storms the ring and attacks Martel with his crutches before Bravo makes the save. Bravo and Martel then storm the back with a broken crutch.
The video cuts to White and Valentine choking Martel with a clotheshanger in an absolutely vicious angle that would give Terry Funk nightmares. Bravo makes the save.
Interview with Eddy Creatchman and Abdullah the Butcher
Creatchman talks about Bravo and Martel in French and spits intermittently. He also mentions Ken Patera.
Interview with Dino Bravo and Rick Martel
Bravo is interviewed at ringside. AWA Champion Martel comes down and hugs him and then talks about his belt and/or Bravo, I’m not sure.
Dino Bravo vs King Tonga (at the Montreal Forum)
This is joined in progress. Tonga applies a bearhug but Bravo knocks him out of the ring with a knee-lift. They lock up in the ring and Bravo blocks some strikes and throws punches and a sweet dropkick. Tonga is on the apron and Bravo brings him in with a back suplex. The video skips ahead and Tonga whips Bravo into the ropes but Bravo hits him with a nice Thesz press. We see a back suplex from Tonga for a two-count. Tonga gives Bravo a Samoan drop followed by a falling headbutt. Tonga drops knees on Bravo’s back and puts him in a Camel Clutch (or Polynesian Pullback?) Bravo fights back with punches, an atomic drop and a back suplex. Bravo starts to apply a Boston Cracb but manager Tarzan Tyler distracts the referee from the apron and Bravo dropkicks him to the floor. Bravo backdrops Tonga to the floor. In the ring, Tonga hits Bravo with a back elbow but Bravo catches him in an O’Connor Roll for the three-count. It would seem to be a title change but another referee is conferring and the decision is reversed due to Bravo throwing Tonga over the top rope. What is the French translation of Dusty Finish?
Interview with Tarzan Tyler and King Tonga
Tyler is interviewed in French. Tonga is yelling at times and I am not sure if it is in French or not but he is at least acting like he understands. Ric Flair’s name is mentioned a few times in the interview.
Interview with Pierre Lefebvre and Pat Patterson
Lefebvre and Patterson are interviewed at ringside and they have title belts, which according to my research places this interview in the fall of 1982 or 1983 as they had reigns in both those times. Patterson starts singing about Dino Bravo.
Interview with Sailor White, Rick Valentine and Tarzan Tyler
Valentine and White have the belts here, making it the fall of 1984. Tyler speaks French here and then Valentine says that White represents all of Newfoundland and that he represents most of the States. I think that is a more realistic claim about White than Valentine. White yells something that is hard to make out with his Newfoundland accent.
Rick Valentine and Sailor White vs Pierre Lefebvre and Frenchy Martin
Atypical babyfaces Lefebvre and Martin attack White and Valentine right away. They beat them all around the ring and then double-team White, biting his forehead and giving a big backdrop. Martin drops an elbow but White gets his foot on the ropes. The powerful Lefebvre gives the large White a vertical suplex and makes it look easy. Martin and Lefebvre both unload on White with punches. Valentine is in and takes some punishment before Martin and Lefebvre throw him to the floor. Lefebvre knees White in the head. The “babyfaces” continue to team up on White before White and Valentine just walk to the back.
Interview with Pierre Lefebvre and Frenchy Martin
Lefebvre is holding a boot and yelling about “Sailor” or “Tyler”. Martin then excitedly yells at Tyler.
Strongman showing by Jos Leduc
Leduc is interviewed and has a very scarred-up forehead. Leduc is then shown having a tug-of-war against people who I assume are fans. He actually has a rope tied to each hand with participants on each side of him pulling away from him. It only lasts briefly as Leduc is attacked by King Tonga, Masked Superstar and Tarzan Tyler. They tie his wrist to the rope and beat up his brother Paul Leduc. Jos is quite bloody and although there is a “censure” bar on the screen it is not covering his face.
Road Warriors vs Armand Rougeau and Jacques Rougeau Jr.
Hawk and Animal are AWA tag champs at this point. Armand is the brother of Jacques and Raymond and while he is smaller he is quite good. Animal shoves Jacques into the corner twice to start. Animal clubs Jacques on the chest but Jacques hits him with a dropkick. Hawk and Armand tag in and Hawk hits him with a big back elbow. Hawk hits him with knees in the corner and Armand fights back until Hawk rakes his eyes. Hawk beel throws Armand into the corner and Jacques tags in. Hawk press-slams him. Hawk bodyslams Jacques who quickly rebounds and dropkicks Hawk out of the ring. Hawk returns to the ring and Jacques works his arm. Armand tags in and does the same. Hawk takes over and runs Armand’s head into the ring. Animal tags in and press-slams Armand. Hawk tags in and comes off the second rope with a punch and then gives Armand a fistdrop. Animal tags in and gives Armand repeated cross-knee backbreakers. Hawk comes in and clubs away at Armand in the corner but Armand escapes and gets the hot tag to Jacque who unleashes a fury of punches on Hawk. They trade punches until Hawk bodyslams Jacques and tags in Animal who misses a splash. Armand tags in but Hawk and Animal give him a Hart Attack clothesline for the pinfall.
The Road Warriors are interviewed afterward and it is your typical Roadies interview.
Dino Bravo vs Superstar
Bravo is champion here. They trade holds early with Bravo coming out ahead with headscissors, headlocks and shoulderblocks. Bravo takes Superstar to the mat in a headlock and Superstar repeatedly rolls him up. Bravo escapes and stomps on Superstar’s head. Bravo works a wristlock and then legdrops Superstar’s shoulder. Bravo applies an armbar and a hammerlock for a pinning position. Superstar fights out with punches but takes a shoulderblock. They criss-cross and Superstar knocks Bravo out of the ring with a headbutt. Bravo is on the apron and Superstar knees him to the floor. Superstar cuts off another attempted return to the ring with knee-strikes. Bravo gets inside and throws punches but takes knees to the face in the corner. Superstar flies at Bravo with a headbutt and goes for a pin but Bravo’s foot is on the ropes. Superstar continues with knees to Bravo and then applies a chinlock. Bravo punches his way out and bodyslams Superstar but misses a legdrop. More punches from Bravo and he backdrops Superstar and tries to take his mask off. Tarzan Tyler and Eddie Creatchman enter the ring but Bravo fights them off and then continues with punches on Superstar. Jos Leduc comes out in a mask and attacks Bravo. The Great Samu is in and does a chop off the top rope on Bravo. Superstar and Samu hold Bravo while Leduc whips him with a belt. King Tonga makes the save.
Dino Bravo vs Jos Leduc
The footage starts with Leduc thumping on Bravo and bodyslamming him twice. Leduc puts his leg across Bravo’s throat for a choke. Leduc throws a dropkick that mostly misses but it is still impressive that he could do it. Bravo attempts a sunset flip but Leduc stops it with a strike to the head. Leduc hits Bravo with forearms in the corner. Bravo blocks a punch and starts chopping Leduc in the head. Bravo throws some punches and knocks Leduc off his feet. Bravo gives him a big backdrop and then hits two legdrops. Bravo gives Leduc an atomic drop and starts beating him on the ropes. Tarzan Tyler hands what I believe is a chain to Leduc but Bravo grabs it and gets disqualified after punching Leduc with it. Despite the disqualification he keeps doing so and Leduc is helpless on the ropes. Bravo chases Tyler away and then continues on Leduc who is busted open.
Raymond Rougeau and Jacques Rougeau Jr vs Ronnie Garvin and Jimmy Garvin with Precious (St-Jean-Baptiste Day Massacre)
This is the St. Jean Baptiste Massacre and is more of an angle than a match. Fortunately, it is one of the better angles you will ever see. The rougeaus are tag team champs here. Precious and Jacques are arguing and Precious sprays something in Jacques’ eyes. The Garvins are mega-heels and do a huge beat-down on both brothers, especially on Raymond while Jacques is selling the spray to the eyes. Jacques is also busted open. Jacques Rougeau Sr. comes into the ring and puts up a brief fight but he gets beat up as well, including a double bodyslam and a knee to the back. Raymond is attending to Jacques Sr. when the Garvins charge the ring again and stomp all over the brothers. Ronnie piledrives Raymond and drops an elbow on Jacques Sr. They start to leave the ring but Ronnie decides to throw elbows and knees again. It’s a Rougeau-Pocalypse in the ring with family members laying everywhere. Jacques Sr. is carried out on a stretcher. The angle lasts about five minutes and the heat is off the charts for this angle occurring on a major holiday in Quebec. This is an absolute must-watch.
Raymond Rougeau and Jacques Rougeau Jr vs Ronnie Garvin and Jimmy Garvin with Precious (Return match and the last show by a Quebec promoter alone at the Forum)
This is 10:00 of crazy brawling and is the absolute definition of a grudge match. The crowd is really hot and with the exception of two very small stretches it is almost all worked at a frenetic pace of non-stop brawling. Ronnie and Jimmy stomp at Jacques and Raymond to keep them out of the ring at the start but the Rougeaus overcome and ram the Garvin heads together. The Rougeaus then throw some exceptional punches and Jacques and Jimmy go outside. Raymond works over Ronnie and gives him a piledriver. Raymond comes off as the hottest babyface in the world here. It’s punches galore and a bodyslam on Ronnie. Jacques tags in and stars with the firstdrops. He bodyslams Jimmy off the top rope. Jacques busts Ronnie open with punches and then the Rougeaus give him a spike piledriver. Jacques and Ronnie are trading punches. Jimmy tags in and has great hair. He tries to Irish whip Jacques but gets reversed and backdropped. Raymond tags in and stomps Jimmy in the corner and then bangs the Garvins’ heads together. Ronnie trips up Raymond and chokes him on the mat nad Jimmy is glad to assist. Jacques and Ronnie brawl in the corner. Ronnie is on the apron in zombie-mode. Raymond and Jimmy criss-cross and Jimmy knees him in the gut. Jimmy is choking out Raymond and Ronnie’s blood is spread over his face and chest. Ronnie tags in and throws some big kicks at Raymond. Ronnie gets a cruicifix on the messianic Raymond for a pin attempt but Jacques breaks it up. Jacques and Ronnie trade crazy punches while Jimmy runs Raymond’s head into the corner. Jimmy chokes out Raymond who fights back but takes a couple of shoulder-blocks. Raymond and Jimmy both tag out and Jacques hits a big dropkick on Ronnie. The Garvins try to give Jacques a double clothesline but he ducks and dropkicks the two of them. Jacques then crotches Jimmy on the ringpost twice. Raymond is punching away at Ronnie in the ring and the bell is being rung. The Garvins retreat, which is what I would do as well after facing the stonewall known as Raymond. Jacques Sr. comes in and proudly shakes his sons’s hands.
We are shown International Wrestling highlights and get an interview from The Road Warriors.
Road Warriors vs Rick Martel and Dino Bravo
The Warriors are AWA tag champs and Martel is AWA World Champion. Animal and Martel start and it’s fun watching Ellering taunt Martel from the floor. Animal slaps on a bearhug while Martel has him in a headlock. Animal throws him a couple times and then flex, which is what I would do as well. Martel manages to armdrag Animal. Hawk tags in and it’s easy to forget just how big Martel was. He gets Hawk in a full nelson but Hawk elbows out and tries to gorilla press Martel who counters into a roll-up. Hawk starts punching Martel in the back and then gives him a cross-knee backbreaker. Hawk whips him into the ropes and Martel hits a bodypress. Bravo tags in and has some spring in his step and gets into a test of strength with Hawk. Bravo monkey-flips him. Hawk throws Bravo to the corner and he gets double-teamed by the Roadies. Animal tags in and drops an elbow. Hawk tags in and continues the beat-down with a back elbow and fistdrop. Animal tags in and kicks away at Bravo while Hawk chokes him on the ropes from outside. Hawk tags in and drops more elbows. Animal is in and gets Bravo in a bearhug. Bravo headbutts out and Martel makes the hot tag. He backdrops Hawk and and throws punches at both Roadies. Martel gets cut down and Animal presses him and drops him throat-first on the top rope. The Roadies set up the Hart Attack clothesline but Martel and Bravo cut them off. A chair gets thrown in the ring and Martel attacks Animal with it. There’s three chairs in the ring and Martel and Bravo run off the Roadies with them.
We get some wonderful footage of King |Tonga working out, and I mean with weights and not eyeballs. He also has a female on his shoulders and does some squats.
Raymond Rougeau and Jacques Rougeau Jr vs Ron Garvin and Jimmy Garvin (match #3, losers leave town)
We start off in the thick of the action with Jacques and Ronnie trading punches and slaps. Jacques cuts it off with a dropkick but the Garvins double-team him. He throws Ronnie outside and Raymond comes in for a Rougeau united front. The Garvins kill time outside and tease leaving but Ronnie comes back for more of Jacques. Ronnie gets him in the corner and throws a slap that hits Jimmy after Jacques ducks out of the way. Raymond comes in and trades slaps with Ronnie. Jimmy enters the ring and actually tries to call a time-out, distracting the referee and allowing Ronnie to do a low-blow. The Garvins double-team Raymond with knees. Jimmy works over Raymond on the mat and Jacques charges Ronnie and brawls with him. All four men are in and although the referee tries to change this they all brawl on the mat. Jacques and Ronnie spill to the floor and square off while Jimmy front facelocks Raymond. They get to their feet and criss-cross with Jimmy hitting a clothesline. The Garvins double-team Raymond and Ronnie does a small package for a pin attempt. Ronnie continues to work him over and does an extended sequence trying for a schoolboy roll-up. Raymond avoids an elbow drop. Jimmy tags in and trades punches with Raymond who rolls him into a pin attempt. Jimmy applies a modified camel clutch. Raymond gets out and catches a running Jimmy in a powerslam. Ronnie tags him but Raymond applies a sleeper that is broken up by Jimmy. The Garvins cut off Raymond from making a tag. Ronnie has him in a crucifx but Jacques breaks it up. Ronnie and Raymond get the tag and Jacques unloads on Jimmy with lots of punches and has some for Ronnie as well. Jimmy and Jacques spill outside and Ronnie gets a pin on Raymond with his feet on the ropes. But there are two referees and the match is re-started. The Rougeaus do stereo O’Connor Rolls and pin the Garvins to send them packing.
Man Mountain Moore and Sheik Ali vs Jos Leduc and Mad Dog Vachon
This is Mad Dog Vachon’s retirement match. Killer Kowaslki is introduced as the referee. Ali was also known as Big Stephen Petitpas in the Maritimes. Moore was later seen as the Motor City Madman in WCW. This is a hoss match with Vachon being the smallest guy. Vachon and Leduc attack Eddy Creatchmann and the heels before the bell but it stops and we still get introductions. Ali and Moore both bump around for the faces early on. Moore and Ali double-team Vachon in their corner but Vachon fights back and bites Moore’s forehead. Leduc tags in, hits his dropkick and gets the monstrous Moore up for a high and heavy backdrop. Ali lays the uppercuts into Leduc and then sends him up for a backdrop as well. The match goes to the outside briefly and Moore runs Leduc in the ring apron and ringpost. Jos Leduc is your babyface in peril as Moore rolls him inside and the heels double-team him. Leduc’s comeback consists of a forearm and a tag and Mad Dog comes in clubbing the heels. LeDuc is back in throwing forearms and the announcer is saying “boi-oi-oing!!!” for sound effects, interlaced with French commentary. Vacon and Ali run around ringside and Ali is on the apron. Leduc runs Moore into Ali and then rolls him up the pin. This was about 11:00 and shown in full. It was a lot of fun.
Abdullah the Bucther vs Bruiser Brody
I have previously watched some of the Montreal babyface work of “Abdullah le Butcher” in which he came out to “Eye of the Tiger.” This time he comes out to “Ironman”. He had a falling-out with manager Floyd Creatchman (son of Eddy) who brought in Brody. Eddy is on commentary which is in English. Clips are shown from their last match. Abby starts this match by beating Brody with a stick carried in by Abby’s stereotypical manager. Abby chops at Brody and then bites him of course. Brody is busted open and escapes outside but Abby grabs him from inside the ring and runs his head into the post. Brody gets to the apron and Abby punches and headbutts him. Brody gets the stick and beats Abby with it and then lays the boots to him. Abby counters with headbutts and chops and gets Brody tied up in the ropes Andre-style. Hercules Ayala Cortez runs in and double-teams Abby with Brody until Gino Brito makes the save. Abby gets the stick and fights them off. Steve Strong is seen at ringside. Creatchman, Cortez and Brody do an interview with Floyd challenging Abby and Steve Strong to a tag match and promising to clean up Quebec.
Abdullah the Butcher vs Gino Brito
This is a cage match and is the last match International Wrestling ever had in the province of Quebec. I believe they finished with some shows in northern Ontario. Abby comes out to Kamala-style music rather than Black Sabbath. We get several minutes of heel Abby hitting old-time Montreal babyface Brito in the face with a fork and rubbing his face into the cage. The fan favourite starts his comeback with punches to the nether-regions. Brito is on offence for quite a while but when Abby takes back over he nails Brito with a splash off the bottom rope. Brito kicks out and Abby goes up (a little bit) again and goes for splash but Brito moves out of the way. There is some back-and-forth and both guys are bleeding. Abby hits the big elbow drop and walks out of the cage or the win. This is about 13 minutes. Brito gets on the mic afterward and it sounds like he challenges Abby to a rematch, so I doubt that it was planned that this was the last show. Fun match and an important history piece.
