Phil Lafleur
Encyclopedia
Philip Lafond is a former Canadian
professional wrestler
also known as Dan Kroffat (taking this name from the original Dan Kroffat) in Japan, Montreal and Extreme Championship Wrestling
, Phil Lafleur in Stampede Wrestling
, Phil Lafon in the World Wrestling Federation
(WWF) and Rocky Venturo in Pacific Northwest Wrestling
.
and The Dynamite Kid, and was subsequently trained in the Hart Dungeon. In the Dungeon, he was trained by Mr. Hito. He spent two years in Stu Hart
's Stampede Wrestling
before leaving to work as Rene Rougeau in the Maritimes. During this time, he met The Cuban Assassin
, who helped him get booked in Japan.
with tag team partner Doug Furnas
as the Can-Am Express. The two men were paired together by Giant Baba. It was there, that they had some of the most memorable tag team matches of the 1990s, including one match on May 25, 1992 with Kenta Kobashi
and Tsuyoshi Kikuchi
which received five stars from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The match is memorable for having one of the loudest crowds in pro wrestling history. With Furnas, Kroffat would win the AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship
a record 5 times defeating the likes of Footloose
, The British Bruisers
, The Patriot
and The Eagle
, Joel Deaton and Billy Black. As a singles wrestler, Kroffat also won the AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship
on 2 occasions.
The duo joined Extreme Championship Wrestling
(ECW) in late 1996, having a series of matches against Sabu and Rob Van Dam
. A few months later, both men made their World Wrestling Federation (WWF) debuts on November 17 at the Survivor Series
pay-per-view
. A few months into his WWF run, he was in a car crash. He returned in the fall of 1997 most notably as a part of Team Canada at Survivor Series 1997 before he and Furnas were sent back to ECW.
They returned to ECW in late 1997, and won the ECW World Tag Team Championship from the Full Blooded Italians
on December 5. Their reign would not last long, however, as they went on to lose the belts to Chris Candido
and Lance Storm
the next day. Prior to the team's tag team title success LaFon had made an unsuccessful attempt to dethrone ECW Champion Shane Douglas in singles competition.
Lafond had effectively retired from professional wrestling, in 2005, due to nagging knee and shoulder injuries.
, but left home at age 19 in pursuit of a girl.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
also known as Dan Kroffat (taking this name from the original Dan Kroffat) in Japan, Montreal and Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
, Phil Lafleur in Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
, Phil Lafon in 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...
(WWF) and Rocky Venturo in Pacific Northwest Wrestling
Pacific Northwest Wrestling
Pacific Northwest Wrestling is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The first such company was founded by Herb Owen in 1925...
.
Early career
Lafond was discovered at a local gym in Canada by Davey Boy SmithDavey Boy Smith
Davey Boy Smith was a British professional wrestler, better known as "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith, who was born in Golborne in North West England, United Kingdom. Smith is known for his appearances with Stampede Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling...
and The Dynamite Kid, and was subsequently trained in the Hart Dungeon. In the Dungeon, he was trained by Mr. Hito. He spent two years in Stu Hart
Stu Hart
Stewart Edward "Stu" Hart, CM was a Canadian amateur wrestler, professional wrestler, promoter and trainer. Hart founded Stampede Wrestling, a promotion based in Calgary, Alberta, and was the father of famous wrestlers Bret and Owen Hart...
's Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
before leaving to work as Rene Rougeau in the Maritimes. During this time, he met The Cuban Assassin
Angel Acevedo
Angel Acevedo is an American filmmaker.-Biography:Acevedo attended Hofstra University where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Film Studies and Production and won Best Screenplay for his thesis film Cheesecake...
, who helped him get booked in Japan.
Team with Doug Furnas
Kroffat was a longtime mainstay of All Japan Pro WrestlingAll 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 :...
with tag team partner Doug Furnas
Doug Furnas
Doug Furnas is a former American professional wrestler and powerlifter. Furnas briefly worked for World Championship Wrestling in the early 1990s...
as the Can-Am Express. The two men were paired together by Giant Baba. It was there, that they had some of the most memorable tag team matches of the 1990s, including one match on May 25, 1992 with Kenta Kobashi
Kenta Kobashi
Not to be confused with his protégé Kenta Kobayashi is a Japanese professional wrestler currently under contract to Pro Wrestling Noah. He worked for All Japan Pro Wrestling from 1988–2000, where he became one of the promotion's top stars....
and Tsuyoshi Kikuchi
Tsuyoshi Kikuchi
is a professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer. He has previously worked for All Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH. Kikuchi idolized and patterned his style after the Dynamite Kid....
which received five stars from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The match is memorable for having one of the loudest crowds in pro wrestling history. With Furnas, Kroffat would win the AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship
AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship
The All Japan Pro Wrestling All Asia Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team title in Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling . It was created on November 16, 1955 in the Japan Wrestling Association when King Kong Czaya & Tiger Jokinder defeated JWA founder Rikidōzan &...
a record 5 times defeating the likes of Footloose
Footloose (professional wrestling)
Footloose was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Toshiaki Kawada and Samson Fuyuki.-Career:Toshiaki Kawada and Samson Fuyuki started teaming up in 1985. In 1987, they joined Genichiro Tenryu's Revolution....
, The British Bruisers
The British Bruisers
The British Bruisers were a professional wrestling tag team that competed in All Japan Pro Wrestling. The team consisted of The Dynamite Kid and Johnny Smith...
, The Patriot
Del Wilkes
Del Wilkes is a former American professional wrestler. Over the span of 14 years, he performed in various promotions such as American Wrestling Association, All Japan Pro Wrestling...
and The Eagle
George Hines
George Hines is a semi-retired American professional wrestler, best known by his ringname Jackie Fulton, who competed in regional and independent promotions including the American Wrestling Association, East Coast Championship Wrestling, the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling...
, Joel Deaton and Billy Black. As a singles wrestler, Kroffat also won the AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship
AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship
The All Japan Pro Wrestling World Junior Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling, contested exclusively among junior heavyweight The All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) World Junior Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling...
on 2 occasions.
The duo joined Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
(ECW) in late 1996, having a series of matches against Sabu and Rob Van Dam
Sabu and Rob Van Dam
Sabu and Rob Van Dam are professional wrestlers who often competed as a tag team in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment's ECW brand. While teaming in the original ECW, the duo was managed by Bill Alfonso....
. A few months later, both men made their World Wrestling Federation (WWF) debuts on November 17 at the Survivor Series
Survivor Series (1996)
Survivor Series was the tenth annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on November 17, 1996 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York....
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
. A few months into his WWF run, he was in a car crash. He returned in the fall of 1997 most notably as a part of Team Canada at Survivor Series 1997 before he and Furnas were sent back to ECW.
They returned to ECW in late 1997, and won the ECW World Tag Team Championship from the Full Blooded Italians
Full Blooded Italians
The Full Blooded Italians is a professional wrestling stable and tag team that wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling in the late 1990s and for World Wrestling Entertainment during the mid-2000s.-Extreme Championship Wrestling:...
on December 5. Their reign would not last long, however, as they went on to lose the belts to Chris Candido
Chris Candido
Christopher Raul Candito was an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Chris Candido...
and Lance Storm
Lance Storm
Lance Timothy Evers known professionally by his ring name Lance Storm, is a semi-retired Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling...
the next day. Prior to the team's tag team title success LaFon had made an unsuccessful attempt to dethrone ECW Champion Shane Douglas in singles competition.
Monster Pro Wrestling
Lafond still is involved in wrestling today as the Head Trainer of Monster Pro Wrestling (MPW) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. On March 6, 2010 in Edmonton, he returned to the ring to compete with MPW after five years of being in retirement.Lafond had effectively retired from professional wrestling, in 2005, due to nagging knee and shoulder injuries.
Personal life
Lafond was raised in Montreal, Quebec, CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, but left home at age 19 in pursuit of a girl.
Championships and accomplishments
- All Japan Pro WrestlingAll Japan Pro Wrestlingis 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 :...
- AJPW All Asia Tag Team ChampionshipAJPW All Asia Tag Team ChampionshipThe All Japan Pro Wrestling All Asia Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team title in Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling . It was created on November 16, 1955 in the Japan Wrestling Association when King Kong Czaya & Tiger Jokinder defeated JWA founder Rikidōzan &...
(5 times) - with Doug FurnasDoug FurnasDoug Furnas is a former American professional wrestler and powerlifter. Furnas briefly worked for World Championship Wrestling in the early 1990s... - AJPW World Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipAJPW World Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipThe All Japan Pro Wrestling World Junior Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling, contested exclusively among junior heavyweight The All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) World Junior Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling...
(2 times)
- Extreme Championship WrestlingExtreme Championship WrestlingExtreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
- ECW World Tag Team ChampionshipECW Tag Team ChampionshipThe Extreme Championship Wrestling World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling...
(1 time) - with Doug Furnas
- Lutte Internationale (Montreal)
- Canadian 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:...
(2 times) - with Tom ZenkTom ZenkThomas Erwin "Tom" Zenk is a former Mr. Minnesota Bodybuilder, and most notably a American professional wrestler, also known by his nickname Z-Man.-Early career:...
(1) and Armand Rougeau (1)
- Universal Wrestling AssociationUniversal Wrestling AssociationThe Universal Wrestling Association was a Mexican Lucha Libre or professional wrestling promotion based in Naucalpan, Mexico State that operated from 1975 until 1995...
- UWA World Tag Team ChampionshipUWA World Tag Team ChampionshipThe UWA World Tag Team Championship is a tag team professional wrestling championship created by the Mexican Universal Wrestling Association and defended there until the UWA closed in 1995....
(2 times) - with Doug Furnas
- World Wrestling CouncilWorld Wrestling CouncilThe World Wrestling Council is one of Puerto Rico's two main professional wrestling promotions, the other one being the International Wrestling Association....
- WWC World Tag Team ChampionshipWWC World Tag Team ChampionshipThe WWC World Tag Team Championship is the tag team title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council.-Title history:-External links:***...
(1 time) - with Sam FatuSam FatuSamuel Larry Anoa'i Fatu is a professional wrestler best known under the name of The Tonga Kid, or Tama.-Professional wrestling career:... - WWC Caribbean Tag Team ChampionshipWWC Caribbean Tag Team ChampionshipWWC Caribbean Tag Team Championship was a third-string Tag Team title that was defended in the World Wrestling Council.-Title history:...
(1 time) - with Bobby JaggersBobby JaggersBobby Jaggers is a retired professional wrestler.-In wrestling:*Finishing moves**Elbow drop**Reversed neckbreaker-Championships and accomplishments:...
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- 5 Star Match (1992) with Doug Furnas vs. Kenta KobashiKenta KobashiNot to be confused with his protégé Kenta Kobayashi is a Japanese professional wrestler currently under contract to Pro Wrestling Noah. He worked for All Japan Pro Wrestling from 1988–2000, where he became one of the promotion's top stars....
and Tsuyoshi KikuchiTsuyoshi Kikuchiis a professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer. He has previously worked for All Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH. Kikuchi idolized and patterned his style after the Dynamite Kid....
, Sendai, May 25 - Match of the Year (1992) with Doug Furnas vs. Kenta Kobashi and Tsuyoshi Kikuchi, Sendai, May 25
- Most Underrated Wrestler (1989)