Michel Lamarche
Encyclopedia
Michel Lamarche is a retired Canadian professional wrestler, known by his ringnames Alexis Smirnoff and Michel "Le Justice" Dubois (Mike "The Judge" Dubois), who competed in North American regional promotions including the National Wrestling Alliance
, including the Mid-South, Central States, Georgia
and San Francisco territories, as well as brief stints in International Wrestling Enterprise, the American Wrestling Association
and the World Wrestling Federation
during the 1970s and 1980s.
for a career in professional wrestling. Making his debut as Michel "Le Justice" Dubois in 1970, he wrestled for Montreal promoter Bob Langevin during the early part of his career and, after spending six months in the Kansas City-area, he returned to Canada becoming a major villain or "heel" in Quebec and the Maritimes region.
Winning the International Tag Team titles with Fidel Castillo in 1970, the two were billed as the "European Tag Team Champions" while touring Georgia Championship Wrestling
in January 1971 defending the titles against Doug Somers
& Bobby Shane, Jack & Jim Dalton and The Assassins; it was during match against The Assassins that Castillo suffered a major cut by Assassin #1 during a match at the Atlanta Municipal Auditorium
in Atlanta, Georgia
on January 29. Lamarche also participated in a 14-man championship tournament for the vacant NWA Georgia Heavyweight title being eliminated by Assassin #2
in the opening rounds on February 5, 1971. He also appeared at an event for the World Wide Wrestling Federation defeating Frank Holtz at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
on March 24, 1972.
Between 1970 and 1974, Lamarche faced many of the top stars in the region including Johnny Rougeau, Eddie Auger, Abdullah the Butcher
, The Sheik
, Mad Dog Vachon as well as his former trainer Edouard Carpentier eventually winning the Montreal International Championship before leaving for the United States once again.
& Tim Woods
in the finals of a championship tournament for the vacant NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship
on April 10, 1977.
While touring with Ivan Koloff, he later began wrestling as Alexis Smirnoff in San Francisco during 1977. While in the area, he advanced to the finals of a 10-man championship tournament to fill the vacant NWA U.S. Heavyweight Championship being eliminated by Pat Patterson on March 12 although he later defeated Patterson for the title a month later on April 16, 1977.
Although losing the title to Dean Ho
on July 16, he later faced masked wrestler Texas Red
as well as wrestling against Pepper Gomez in a "taped fist" match on November 13, 1977. He also wrestled veterans such as Ray Stevens
, Harley Race
and The Sheik as well as younger wrestlers including Sgt. Slaughter
, Roddy Piper
and Jimmy Snuka
during his time in San Francisco.
The following year, he also wrestled in the St. Louis-area teaming with "Bulldog" Bob Brown
, Doug Somers
, Jack Krueger and Joe Palardy in early 1978. On April 28, he wrestled two matches in one night substituting for Buddy Wolff in a singles match losing to Pat O'Connor
and later teaming with Doug Somers and Bennie Ramirez in a 6-man tag team match to defeat Kevin Sullivan
, Terry Gibbs and "Sailor" Art Thomas
.
and began touring Japan three times a year. During his stay in Japan, he became extremely successful wrestling IWA World Heavyweight Champion Rusher Kimura in a steel cage match on July 26, 1978.
He also teamed with The Atomic
wrestling to a double count-out against IWA Tag Team Champions Great Kusatsu & Animal Hamiguchi on January 8 and defeating Kimura in a rematch on January 28 in a best of three falls match (as the third pinfall was via disqualification, Kimura retained the title). He did, however, defeating Ronnie Garvin for the NWA Southeastern title knocking him out at the Knoxville Night of Champions on May 18, before losing the title back to Garvin on June 1, 1979.
Returning to Japan, he defeated Kimura in their third encounter finally winning the IWA World Heavyweight Championship on July 21, 1979 before losing the title back to Kimura four days later.
He spent much of his later career in Japan, making over 30 tours to the country and later wrestled for All Japan Pro Wrestling
and New Japan Pro Wrestling
having memorable matches against Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki
as well as American wrestlers Bruno Sammartino
, Ric Flair
, Terry Funk
, Bruiser Brody and The Destroyer
.
Teaming with Koloff throughout the U.S. between 1979 and 1981, he and Koloff won the NWA Georgia Tag Team Titles from Ole Anderson
& Jack Briscoe in March 1980 before losing the titles to Tony Atlas
& Kevin Sullivan a month later. Although later regaining the titles on April 26, they lost the titles to the Minnesota Wrecking Crew
for a final time on June 8, 1980 before leaving Georgia.
He also lost to IWA World Heavyweight Champion Rusher Kimura on November 22, 1980 and to United Heavyweight Champion Jumbo Tsuruta
in a best of three falls match with Lamarche taking the first pinfall in 45 seconds, although Tsuruta took the other two falls to retain his title on October 27, 1981.
Settling with his family outside San Francisco the following year, Lamarche made occasional appearances in Hawaii and Australia in between touring Japan and later returned to Montreal to team with Mad Dog Lefebvre for a time winning the International Tag Team Championship from Gino Brito
& Tony Parisi
before losing the titles to Raymond Rougeau, Sr. & Pat Patterson.
A participant in the 10th annual Champion's Carnival Tournament
in early 1982, he also lost to United Heavyweight Champion Jumbo Tsuruta
on April 11, 1982 and also team with Stan Hansen
against then International Tag Team Champions Jumbo Tsuruta & Giant Baba on April 3 before again losing to Tsuruta in a rematch for the United National Heavyweight title on April 12, 1983. Teaming with Bruiser Brody, he again failed to win the International Tag Team Championship from Tsuruta & Baba losing to the tag team champions on February 28, 1984.
While on the west coast, he also wrestled matches for the World Wrestling Federation
during the early 1980s wrestling several matches against WWF Intercontinental Champion Tito Santana
in late 1984 as well as George Wells
and teamed with The Spoiler
against Bret Hart
and David Sammartino
in several tag team matches during early 1985. After a short lived feud with Ivan Putski
and Rocky Johnson
, he also faced André the Giant
, Ted Arcidi
, Pedro Morales
, Tony Garea, Dan Spivey
, Blackjack Mulligan
and substituted for Nikolai Volkoff
in several tag team matches with the Iron Sheik during early 1986 including a match against WWF World Tag Team Champions Greg "The Hammer" Valentine
& Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake
on January 23 before eventually leaving the WWF after declining a request to cancel his contract with the IWA.
During July 1986, he teamed with Bad News Allen
defeating Yoshiaki Fujiwara
& Kazuo Yamazaki
on July 20 and fought to a double count-out with Seiji Sakaguchi
& George Takano
on July 27 although, with Johnny Mantell, lost a 6-man tag team match to Antonio Inoki, Kengo Kimura
and Tastumi Fujinami on July 29.
After losing to Antonio Inoki & Kengo Kimura on August 1, he later appeared in a series of matches for New Japan Pro Wrestling in Tokyo's Sumo Hall teaming with Hacksaw Higgins against Seiji Sakaguchi
& George Takano on August 5, 1986 and with Scott Hall
against Takano & Umanosuke Ueda
on June 12, 1987.
in a 6-man tag team match with Doug Somers
and "Playboy" Buddy Rose
at the supercard Battle by the Bay in June 1986. He later pinned Leon "Bull Power" White during a 6-man tag team match with Boris Zhukov and Yuri Gordyenko against Greg Gagne
and Earthquake Ferris at the supercard Blood On The Sand in October 1986, although he soon left the promotion by the end of the year.
Following his retirement in 1988, he eventually opened a wrestling school and appeared in commercials for car dealerships in the San Francisco-area and the Golden State Warriors
. He also appeared in a several movies during the 1980s including Bad Guys, Body Slam
, Alcatraz 2000 and frequently appeared on the television series The Fall Guy
.
In 1999, Dubois made a one time appearance for promoter Jacques Rougeau, Jr.'s International Wrestling 2000 coming out of retirement to team with Ronnie and Jimmy Garvin
in a 6-man tag team match against Jacques and Raymond Rougeau
and their father 69-year-old Jacques Rougeau, Sr.
in Montreal on August 9, 2000.
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
, including the Mid-South, Central States, Georgia
Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions was a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. until the late 1980s. It was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance and was the forerunner to World Championship Wrestling .-Early history:...
and San Francisco territories, as well as brief stints in International Wrestling Enterprise, the American Wrestling Association
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
and the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
during the 1970s and 1980s.
Early career
Born in St-Lim, Quebec, Lamarche was involved in amateur wrestling as a teenager before training under Edouard CarpentierÉdouard Carpentier
Édouard Ignacz Weiczorkiewicz was a Québécois professional wrestler better known by his ring name Édouard Carpentier. In a career that spanned from the 1950s into the 1970s, he garnered several world championships.-Early life:...
for a career in professional wrestling. Making his debut as Michel "Le Justice" Dubois in 1970, he wrestled for Montreal promoter Bob Langevin during the early part of his career and, after spending six months in the Kansas City-area, he returned to Canada becoming a major villain or "heel" in Quebec and the Maritimes region.
Winning the International Tag Team titles with Fidel Castillo in 1970, the two were billed as the "European Tag Team Champions" while touring Georgia Championship Wrestling
Georgia Championship Wrestling
Georgia Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion whose self-titled TV program aired in the 1970s and 1980s on Atlanta, U.S., superstation WTBS. Though based in Atlanta, the company also ran live wrestling shows throughout its geographic "territory" of Georgia Georgia...
in January 1971 defending the titles against Doug Somers
Doug Somers
Doug Somers is an American retired professional wrestler known by his ring name "Pretty Boy" Doug Somers...
& Bobby Shane, Jack & Jim Dalton and The Assassins; it was during match against The Assassins that Castillo suffered a major cut by Assassin #1 during a match at the Atlanta Municipal Auditorium
Municipal Auditorium (Atlanta, Georgia)
Atlanta Municipal Auditorium, originally known as the Auditorium and Armory, was an auditorium in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It was constructed with funds raised by a committee of Atlanta citizens and then sold to the city of Atlanta...
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
on January 29. Lamarche also participated in a 14-man championship tournament for the vacant NWA Georgia Heavyweight title being eliminated by Assassin #2
Jody Hamilton
Joseph "Jody" Hamilton is an American retired professional wrestler and current wrestling promoter and trainer. In his active days Hamiltion was best known as known as one half of the tag team The Assassins where he was called "Assassin #1"...
in the opening rounds on February 5, 1971. He also appeared at an event for the World Wide Wrestling Federation defeating Frank Holtz at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
on March 24, 1972.
Between 1970 and 1974, Lamarche faced many of the top stars in the region including Johnny Rougeau, Eddie Auger, Abdullah the Butcher
Abdullah the Butcher
Lawrence Robert "Larry" Shreve best known as Abdullah the Butcher, and also at times The Madman from the Sudan, is a semi-retired Canadian professional wrestler known as one of the most brutal or "hardcore" professional wrestlers of all-time...
, The Sheik
Ed Farhat
Edward George Farhat was an American professional wrestler best known as by his ring name The Sheik...
, Mad Dog Vachon as well as his former trainer Edouard Carpentier eventually winning the Montreal International Championship before leaving for the United States once again.
National Wrestling Alliance
After a two year stint in the Mid-Atlantic territory teaming with Freddie Sweetan, Lamarche began wrestling for the Funk brothers in their Texas based promotion as Mike "The Judge" Dubois in 1974 eventually winning the Texas Heavyweight Championship before moving on the Carolinas where he teamed with Jacques Goulet for two years, later losing to Dino BravoDino Bravo
Adolfo Bresciano was an Italian-born Canadian professional wrestler, best known for his work as Dino Bravo, self-proclaimed as "Canada's Strongest Man".-Territories:...
& Tim Woods
Tim Woods
George Burrell "Tim" Woodin was an American former professional wrestler. He was best known under his ring name Mr. Wrestling.-Professional wrestling career:...
in the finals of a championship tournament for the vacant NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship
NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship
The NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship is the tag team title currently defended in the National Wrestling Alliance's NWA Mid-Atlantic territory. The championship was originally created in the summer of 1968 and was originally named the NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Championship...
on April 10, 1977.
While touring with Ivan Koloff, he later began wrestling as Alexis Smirnoff in San Francisco during 1977. While in the area, he advanced to the finals of a 10-man championship tournament to fill the vacant NWA U.S. Heavyweight Championship being eliminated by Pat Patterson on March 12 although he later defeated Patterson for the title a month later on April 16, 1977.
Although losing the title to Dean Ho
Dean Higuchi
Dean Higuchi is a retired American professional wrestler, known by his ring name Dean Ho, who competed in North American regional promotions including Pacific Northwest Wrestling, the World Wide Wrestling Federation and the National Wrestling Alliance, specifically the Hawaii-based Big Time...
on July 16, he later faced masked wrestler Texas Red
Red Bastien
Rolland Bastein is a former professional wrestler, better known as Red Bastien.-Professional wrestling career:He took part in football and swimming in high school and broke in on Midwest carnivals, fighting local toughs and learning wrestling the hard way. Turning professional, he began in...
as well as wrestling against Pepper Gomez in a "taped fist" match on November 13, 1977. He also wrestled veterans such as Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens (wrestler)
Carl Ray Stevens , better known as Ray "The Crippler" Stevens or Ray "Blond Bomber" Stevens, was an American professional wrestler. Stevens was a wrestling superstar since the early years of the television era until he retired during the early 1990s...
, Harley Race
Harley Race
Harley Leland Race is a retired American professional wrestler and current promoter and trainer. During his career as a wrestler, he held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship 7 times...
and The Sheik as well as younger wrestlers including Sgt. Slaughter
Sgt. Slaughter
Robert Remus , better known by his ring name Sgt. Slaughter, is an American former WWE personality and semi-retired professional wrestler. From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, Slaughter had success in the National Wrestling Alliance, American Wrestling Association, and World Wrestling...
, Roddy Piper
Roddy Piper
Roderick George Toombs , better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler and film actor who is currently signed to WWE. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his work with WWE...
and Jimmy Snuka
Jimmy Snuka
James William "Jimmy" Reiher is a semi-retired Fijian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Originally from the Fiji Islands, Snuka wrestled for several promotions in the 1970s and 1980s. Snuka is a two-time world heavyweight champion, having been a...
during his time in San Francisco.
The following year, he also wrestled in the St. Louis-area teaming with "Bulldog" Bob Brown
Bob Brown (wrestler)
Robert Harold Brown was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Bulldog" Bob Brown.- Early life :...
, Doug Somers
Doug Somers
Doug Somers is an American retired professional wrestler known by his ring name "Pretty Boy" Doug Somers...
, Jack Krueger and Joe Palardy in early 1978. On April 28, he wrestled two matches in one night substituting for Buddy Wolff in a singles match losing to Pat O'Connor
Pat O'Connor (wrestler)
Patrick John "Pat" O'Connor , was a professional wrestler from New Zealand. O'Connor was regarded as one of the premier workers of his era...
and later teaming with Doug Somers and Bennie Ramirez in a 6-man tag team match to defeat Kevin Sullivan
Kevin Sullivan (wrestler)
Kevin Francis Sullivan is an American professional wrestler and booker, perhaps best known for his role in WCW as "The Taskmaster" and his leading of the "Dungeon of Doom".-Early career:...
, Terry Gibbs and "Sailor" Art Thomas
Sailor Art Thomas
Sailor Art Thomas was a bodybuilder working as a professional wrestler.Arthur "Sailor Art" Thomas was born in Gurdon, Arkansas, as the son of Alfred and Jessie Thomas. Early in his life he moved to Wisconsin...
.
Japan
In 1978, Lamarche signed with the International Wrestling AllianceInternational Wrestling Association of Japan
International Wrestling Association of Japan, more commonly known as IWA Japan, was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion operating from 1994 to 1996....
and began touring Japan three times a year. During his stay in Japan, he became extremely successful wrestling IWA World Heavyweight Champion Rusher Kimura in a steel cage match on July 26, 1978.
He also teamed with The Atomic
Leo Burke
Leonce Cormier is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. He was born in Dorchester, New Brunswick. He competed across Canada, in several American promotions, and wrestled internationally for both Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council and the National Wrestling Alliance in New Zealand...
wrestling to a double count-out against IWA Tag Team Champions Great Kusatsu & Animal Hamiguchi on January 8 and defeating Kimura in a rematch on January 28 in a best of three falls match (as the third pinfall was via disqualification, Kimura retained the title). He did, however, defeating Ronnie Garvin for the NWA Southeastern title knocking him out at the Knoxville Night of Champions on May 18, before losing the title back to Garvin on June 1, 1979.
Returning to Japan, he defeated Kimura in their third encounter finally winning the IWA World Heavyweight Championship on July 21, 1979 before losing the title back to Kimura four days later.
He spent much of his later career in Japan, making over 30 tours to the country and later wrestled for All Japan Pro Wrestling
All Japan Pro Wrestling
is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...
and New Japan Pro Wrestling
New Japan Pro Wrestling
is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
having memorable matches against Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki
Antonio Inoki
is a Japanese professional wrestling promoter and retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist who now resides between New York City and Tokyo. He was also the founder and former owner of New Japan Pro Wrestling before selling his controlling share in the promotion to Yukes...
as well as American wrestlers Bruno Sammartino
Bruno Sammartino
Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino is an Italian-American former professional wrestler, best known for being the longest-running champion of the World Wide Wrestling Federation , holding the title across two reigns for over 11 years in total, as well as the longest single WWE Championship reign...
, Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
, Terry Funk
Terry Funk
Terrence "Terry" Funk is an American professional wrestler and actor known chiefly for the hardcore wrestling style he adopted in the latter part of his career that inspired many younger wrestlers, including Mick Foley...
, Bruiser Brody and The Destroyer
Dick Beyer
Dick Beyer is a retired professional wrestler who is best known by his ring names, The Destroyer or Doctor X.-Early life:...
.
Return to North America
Returning from Japan, he made a last appearance in the Mid-South region in a handicap match with Tank Patton, substituting for Blackjack Lanza, against Dick the Bruiser in St. Louis on November 24, 1978.Teaming with Koloff throughout the U.S. between 1979 and 1981, he and Koloff won the NWA Georgia Tag Team Titles from Ole Anderson
Ole Anderson
Alan Robert Rogowski , better known by his ring name of Ole Anderson, is a retired professional wrestler and a promoter. He held numerous NWA World Tag Team Championships with Gene Anderson, who was portrayed as his brother...
& Jack Briscoe in March 1980 before losing the titles to Tony Atlas
Tony Atlas
Anthony White better known by his ring name "Tony Atlas" is an American bodybuilder, powerlifter, and professional wrestler who has held multiple titles and championships in each sport. He is also known by his bodybuilding title, "Mr...
& Kevin Sullivan a month later. Although later regaining the titles on April 26, they lost the titles to the Minnesota Wrecking Crew
Minnesota Wrecking Crew
The Minnesota Wrecking Crew was originally a professional wrestling tag team that was formed by Gene and Lars Anderson but since then has featured a number of wrestlers who wrestled under the Anderson family name despite not being blood related.-History:...
for a final time on June 8, 1980 before leaving Georgia.
He also lost to IWA World Heavyweight Champion Rusher Kimura on November 22, 1980 and to United Heavyweight Champion Jumbo Tsuruta
Jumbo Tsuruta
, better known by his ring name Jumbo Tsuruta, was a professional wrestler who wrestled for All Japan Pro Wrestling for most of his career, and is well-known for being the first ever AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, having won the PWF Heavyweight Championship, the NWA United National...
in a best of three falls match with Lamarche taking the first pinfall in 45 seconds, although Tsuruta took the other two falls to retain his title on October 27, 1981.
Settling with his family outside San Francisco the following year, Lamarche made occasional appearances in Hawaii and Australia in between touring Japan and later returned to Montreal to team with Mad Dog Lefebvre for a time winning the International Tag Team Championship from Gino Brito
Gino Brito
Louis Gino Acocella , better known by his ring name Gino Brito is a Canadian professional wrestler. He was a popular wrestler in Montreal, and was one of the promoters in the city in the 1980s...
& Tony Parisi
Antonio Pugliese
Antonio Pugliese , born in Cosenza, Italy, was a professional wrestler. He is better known by his ring name Tony Parisi. Pugliese was primarily a tag team wrestler, and he won tag team titles in several organizations, including the National Wrestling Alliance , World Wide Wrestling Federation , and...
before losing the titles to Raymond Rougeau, Sr. & Pat Patterson.
A participant in the 10th annual Champion's Carnival Tournament
Champion's Carnival
The Champion's Carnival is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by All Japan Pro Wrestling, established in 1973. Originally a single-elimination tournament, the Champion's Carnival is currently held as a round-robin, with a victory worth 2 points, a time limit draw worth 1 and a loss,...
in early 1982, he also lost to United Heavyweight Champion Jumbo Tsuruta
Jumbo Tsuruta
, better known by his ring name Jumbo Tsuruta, was a professional wrestler who wrestled for All Japan Pro Wrestling for most of his career, and is well-known for being the first ever AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, having won the PWF Heavyweight Championship, the NWA United National...
on April 11, 1982 and also team with Stan Hansen
Stan Hansen
John Stanley Hansen, Jr. is an American former professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Stan Hansen. As a wrestler, Hansen was well known for his stiff wrestling style, which he attributes to poor eyesight, as he is nearly blind without glasses...
against then International Tag Team Champions Jumbo Tsuruta & Giant Baba on April 3 before again losing to Tsuruta in a rematch for the United National Heavyweight title on April 12, 1983. Teaming with Bruiser Brody, he again failed to win the International Tag Team Championship from Tsuruta & Baba losing to the tag team champions on February 28, 1984.
While on the west coast, he also wrestled matches for the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
during the early 1980s wrestling several matches against WWF Intercontinental Champion Tito Santana
Tito Santana
Merced Solis better known by his ring name Tito Santana, is an American professional wrestler whose heyday spanned from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, though he continues to appear on the independent circuit. He is best known from his time in the World Wrestling Federation...
in late 1984 as well as George Wells
George Wells (wrestler)
George Wells or Welles is a retired American professional wrestler and Canadian Football League football player who competed in North American regional promotions during the early 1970s and 1980s including the Continental Wrestling Association, Pacific Northwest Wrestling, Stampede Wrestling, the...
and teamed with The Spoiler
Don Jardine
Don Jardine was a Canadian professional wrestler best known for his masked gimmick as "The Spoiler".-Career:Jardine began wrestling in the mid-1950s,making his wrestling debut in 1955 at the age of 15...
against Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
and David Sammartino
David Sammartino
David Lugogo Sammartino is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for being the son of former World Wide Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino.-Career:...
in several tag team matches during early 1985. After a short lived feud with Ivan Putski
Ivan Putski
Józef Bednarski , is a Polish former professional wrestler and bodybuilder. He is known by the ring name Ivan Putski and was given the nicknames "The Polish Hammer" and "Polish Power"....
and Rocky Johnson
Rocky Johnson
Rocky Johnson is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. Quite popular in his own right in the 1970s and 1980s, he is also known for being the father of actor and professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson...
, he also faced André the Giant
André the Giant
André René Roussimoff , best known as André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. His best remembered acting role was that of Fezzik, the giant in the film The Princess Bride...
, Ted Arcidi
Ted Arcidi
Theodore "Ted" Arcidi is an American former professional wrestler, actor and powerlifter.-Early life:The son of a nurse and doctor and one of seven children, Ted was born in Buffalo, New York, and took a different route from the family's academia tradition...
, Pedro Morales
Pedro Morales
Pedro Morales is a retired Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He began his wrestling career as a teenager in 1959 and continued through to the late 1980s...
, Tony Garea, Dan Spivey
Dan Spivey
Daniel Eugene "Dan" Spivey is a retired professional wrestler who worked for World Championship Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation, and All Japan Pro Wrestling between 1984 and 1995...
, Blackjack Mulligan
Blackjack Mulligan
Robert Jack Windham , better known by his ring name Blackjack Mulligan is a former professional wrestler and a former American football player...
and substituted for Nikolai Volkoff
Nikolai Volkoff
Josip Nikolai Peruzović , better known by his ring name of Nikolai Volkoff, is a professional wrestler who is best known for his performances for the World Wrestling Federation...
in several tag team matches with the Iron Sheik during early 1986 including a match against WWF World Tag Team Champions Greg "The Hammer" Valentine
Greg Valentine
John Wisniski, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, better known as Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. He is the son of wrestler Johnny Valentine.-Training:...
& Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake
Edward Leslie
Edward Harrison "Ed" Leslie is an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Brutus The Barber Beefcake. He later worked for World Championship Wrestling under a variety of names, mainly as "The Disciple" of real-life best friend...
on January 23 before eventually leaving the WWF after declining a request to cancel his contract with the IWA.
During July 1986, he teamed with Bad News Allen
Allen Coage
Allen James Coage was an American professional wrestler with the WWF and Stampede Wrestling among many other companies, better known by his ring names Bad News Brown and Bad News Allen. He was also the 1976 Olympic bronze medal winner in judo, in the heavyweight division...
defeating Yoshiaki Fujiwara
Yoshiaki Fujiwara
is a Japanese actor, and professional wrestler who has worked for New Japan Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE, and UWF.-New Japan Pro Wrestling and Universal Wrestling Federation :...
& Kazuo Yamazaki
Kazuo Yamazaki
Kazuo Yamazaki is a former Japanese professional wrestler, who is known for his work in New Japan Pro Wrestling and UWF International.-New Japan Pro Wrestling :...
on July 20 and fought to a double count-out with Seiji Sakaguchi
Seiji Sakaguchi
is a retired Japanese professional wrestler who was a mainstay of New Japan Pro Wrestling and also competed for the World Wide Wrestling Federation and the National Wrestling Alliance....
& George Takano
George Takano
George Takano is a professional wrestler who hailed from Uganda under the alias The Cobra, a masked wrestler persona...
on July 27 although, with Johnny Mantell, lost a 6-man tag team match to Antonio Inoki, Kengo Kimura
Kengo Kimura
Seiei Kimura is a retired Japanese professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Kengo Kimura and for his many years working for New Japan Pro Wrestling in Japan.-Japan Wrestling Association :...
and Tastumi Fujinami on July 29.
After losing to Antonio Inoki & Kengo Kimura on August 1, he later appeared in a series of matches for New Japan Pro Wrestling in Tokyo's Sumo Hall teaming with Hacksaw Higgins against Seiji Sakaguchi
Seiji Sakaguchi
is a retired Japanese professional wrestler who was a mainstay of New Japan Pro Wrestling and also competed for the World Wide Wrestling Federation and the National Wrestling Alliance....
& George Takano on August 5, 1986 and with Scott Hall
Scott Hall
Scott Hall is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation in the early and mid 1990s under the ring name Razor Ramon, as well as for his period in the mid 1990s and early 2000s with World Championship Wrestling under his real name...
against Takano & Umanosuke Ueda
Umanosuke Ueda
Hiroshi Ueda is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, known by his ring name Umanosuke Ueda, who mainly distinguished himself as the rare Japanese who wrestled with bleached blonde hair...
on June 12, 1987.
American Wrestling Association and later career
During the last years of his career, he worked for the American Wrestling Association as "La Machine" Cecil DuBois and teamed with Igor Gordienko feuding with the Midnight Rockers for several months eventually losing to the Midnight Rockers and Curt HennigCurt Hennig
Curtis Michael "Curt" Hennig , also known by the ring name Mr. Perfect, was an American professional wrestler, manager and color commentator who worked for, among other promotions, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World...
in a 6-man tag team match with Doug Somers
Doug Somers
Doug Somers is an American retired professional wrestler known by his ring name "Pretty Boy" Doug Somers...
and "Playboy" Buddy Rose
Buddy Rose
Paul Perschmann was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Playboy" Buddy Rose.-Career:Paul Perschmann was trained by Verne Gagne and Billy Robinson in the early 1970s...
at the supercard Battle by the Bay in June 1986. He later pinned Leon "Bull Power" White during a 6-man tag team match with Boris Zhukov and Yuri Gordyenko against Greg Gagne
Greg Gagne (wrestler)
Gregory Alan "Greg" Gagne is a former professional wrestler and the son of Verne Gagne. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he achieved his biggest success as one half of the tag team The High Flyers with Jim Brunzell...
and Earthquake Ferris at the supercard Blood On The Sand in October 1986, although he soon left the promotion by the end of the year.
Following his retirement in 1988, he eventually opened a wrestling school and appeared in commercials for car dealerships in the San Francisco-area and the Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. He also appeared in a several movies during the 1980s including Bad Guys, Body Slam
Body Slam (film)
Body Slam is a 1987 American comedy film directed by Hal Needham, starring Dirk Benedict, Roddy Piper, Tanya Roberts, Sam Fatu and Captain Lou Albano. The film revolves around a down-and-out music promoter who inadvertently becomes a successful professional wrestling manager...
, Alcatraz 2000 and frequently appeared on the television series The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy is an American action/adventure television program produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981 to May 2, 1986. It starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas. Majors and Barr are the only two actors to appear in all 112 episodes of the series...
.
In 1999, Dubois made a one time appearance for promoter Jacques Rougeau, Jr.'s International Wrestling 2000 coming out of retirement to team with Ronnie and Jimmy Garvin
Jimmy Garvin
James Williams is a retired American professional wrestler. He is best known by his ring name "Gorgeous" Jimmy "Jam" Garvin and as a member of the legendary Fabulous Freebirds....
in a 6-man tag team match against Jacques and Raymond Rougeau
The Fabulous Rougeaus
The Fabulous Rougeaus was the professional wrestling tag team of real-life brothers, Jacques Rougeau and Raymond Rougeau, best known from their time in the World Wrestling Federation , from 1986 to 1990....
and their father 69-year-old Jacques Rougeau, Sr.
Jacques Rougeau, Sr.
Jacques Rougeau, Sr. is a former professional wrestler. He is the father of wrestlers Jacques Rougeau, Armand Rougeau and Raymond Rougeau.-Career:Jacques Rougeau, Sr. started wrestling in 1956 with his brother, Johnny Rougeau...
in Montreal on August 9, 2000.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
-
- Heart punch
Championships and accomplishments
- Central States WrestlingHeart of America Sports AttractionsHeart of America Sports Attractions, also known as the Midwest Wrestling Association, Central States Wrestling and the World Wrestling Alliance, was an American professional wrestling promotion that ran shows mainly in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa...
- NWA Central States Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Central States Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship a professional wrestling championship that currently serves as the main title for the National Wrestling Alliance promotion, NWA Midwest. For most of its existence, however, the title was defended in the NWA affiliate Central States Wrestling from...
(1 time) - NWA World Tag Team Championship (Central States version) (1 time) - with Bob BrownBob Brown (wrestler)Robert Harold Brown was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Bulldog" Bob Brown.- Early life :...
- NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship
- Eastern Sports AssociationEastern Sports AssociationThe Eastern Sports Association, often referred to in the business simply as "the Maritimes," was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Halifax, Nova Scotia...
- ESA International Tag Team ChampionshipESA International Tag Team ChampionshipEastern Sports Association's International Tag Team Title was represented by a Trophy, and was defended in the Maritimes from 1969-75.- International Tag Team Champions :...
(1 time) - with Fred Sweetan
- ESA International Tag Team Championship
- Georgia Championship WrestlingGeorgia Championship WrestlingGeorgia Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion whose self-titled TV program aired in the 1970s and 1980s on Atlanta, U.S., superstation WTBS. Though based in Atlanta, the company also ran live wrestling shows throughout its geographic "territory" of Georgia Georgia...
- NWA Georgia Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Georgia Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship was the top tag team championship in Georgia Championship Wrestling from 1968 to 1980, when it was replaced with the NWA National Tag Team Championship....
(1 time) - with Ivan Koloff
- NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship
- Lutte Internationale
- IW International Heavyweight ChampionshipCanadian International Heavyweight ChampionshipThe Canadian International Heavyweight Championship was the top singles title in the Montreal-based wrestling promotion Lutte Internationale . It was a continuation of the Montreal Athletic Commission's old International Heavyweight Championship, which became inactive after the Commission's...
(1 time) - IW International Tag Team ChampionshipCanadian International Tag Team ChampionshipThe Canadian International Tag Team Championship was the tag team title in the Montreal-based wrestling promotion Lutte Internationale . The title lasted from 1976 until Lutte Internationale closed in 1987.-Title history:...
(1 time) - with Pierre Lefebvre - IW North American Heavyweight ChampionshipIW North American Heavyweight ChampionshipThis is a list of people who held the "North American Heavyweight Title" under the banner of International Wrestling from 1969 to 1984. The promotion was owned by the Eastern Sports Association from 1969 until 1976...
(1 time) - Montreal International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Montreal International Tag Team Championship (1 time) with Fidel Castillo
- IW International Heavyweight Championship
- International Wrestling Enterprise
- IWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- National Wrestling AllianceNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (Northern Division) (1 time) 1
- NWA San FranciscoNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (San Francisco version) (1 time)
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version)NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version)The San Francisco, California version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship existed from 1950 until 1961, and then from 1968 until 1979.-Title history:...
(1 time) - with Bob RoopBob RoopBob Roop is a retired amateur and professional wrestler whose career has spanned high school, college, Army, amateur and professional wrestling. He was an American Heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestler at the 1968 Summer Olympics.-Amateur career:...
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked him # 319 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003.
Further reading
- Koloff, Ivan and Scott Teal. "Is That Wrestling Fake" The Bear Facts. Crowbar Press, 2007.
- Alexis Smirnoff: "The Mad Russian". Popular Wrestling. Feb 1978
- Mike "The Judge" Dubois. The Wrestler. Nov. 1971