Raymond Rougeau
Encyclopedia
Raymond "Ray" Rougeau is a former Canadian
professional wrestler
and French language
television presenter and commentator
.
and his great-uncle Eddie Auger at the age of fourteen. He debuted in 1971 at the age of sixteen in Joliette
for his father's Montreal promotion
as a babyface
. In 1976, Raymond relocated to Atlanta, Georgia
to work for Jim Barnette in the National Wrestling Alliance
along with his close friend Pierre Lefebvre.
In August 1985, Raymond and his brother Jacques Rougeau
joined the World Wrestling Federation
. Wrestling as a tag team
, they were initially booked as fan favorites; their highlight of this time was appearing at WrestleMania III
competing against Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine
. In 1988 they turned heel
and became The Fabulous Rougeaus
, a pair of French Canadian
s who (insincerely) claimed to love America
.
Raymond went into semi-retirement three months after SummerSlam
in 1989. His last match was in the WWF was at the Royal Rumble
in 1990, which the Rougeau Brothers lost to the Bushwackers. In late 1992, he replaced Edouard Carpentier
as the play-by-play announcer for the French
syndicated WWF programming distributed to Quebec
, Europe
and Africa
. He could also be seen as an interviewer and a presenter on WWF programming in 1993 and 1994. He came out of retirement in 1996 to face Owen Hart
in a Boxing match
at the Montreal
Molson Centre
during a WWF house show. He left the WWF in early 2002 when they stopped producing French editions of their programming.
Rougeau has a son born in 1990.
In September 2011, Rougeau was credited with saving the life of a 77 year-old hunting friend who was lost in the woods of Quebec for two days. Rougeau flew his own plane for the rescue mission after a police search did not lead to the man being found.
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...
and French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
television presenter and commentator
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
.
Career
Raymond Rougeau began training with his father 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...
and his great-uncle Eddie Auger at the age of fourteen. He debuted in 1971 at the age of sixteen in Joliette
Joliette Regional County Municipality, Quebec
300px|rightJoliette is a regional county municipality in southwest-central Quebec, Canada. The regional county seat is Joliette. The municipality has a land area of 416.285 km² and a 2006 census population of 58,354 inhabitants....
for his father's Montreal promotion
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
as a babyface
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
. In 1976, Raymond relocated to 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...
to work for Jim Barnette in the National Wrestling Alliance
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...
along with his close friend Pierre Lefebvre.
In August 1985, Raymond and his brother Jacques Rougeau
Jacques Rougeau
Jacques Rougeau Jr. is a retired French-Canadian professional wrestler from Saint-Sulpice, Quebec, best known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s with the World Wrestling Federation under his own name, and as The Mountie. Rougeau has held fifteen championships during his career...
joined 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...
. Wrestling as a tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
, they were initially booked as fan favorites; their highlight of this time was appearing at WrestleMania III
WrestleMania III
WrestleMania III was the third annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . The event was held on March 29, 1987 at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan....
competing against Brutus Beefcake and Greg 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:...
. In 1988 they turned heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
and became The Fabulous Rougeaus
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....
, a pair of French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
s who (insincerely) claimed to love America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Raymond went into semi-retirement three months after SummerSlam
SummerSlam (1989)
SummerSlam was the second annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 28, 1989 in the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey....
in 1989. His last match was in the WWF was at the Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (1990)
Royal Rumble was the third annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on January 21, 1990 at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida....
in 1990, which the Rougeau Brothers lost to the Bushwackers. In late 1992, he replaced Edouard Carpentier
Édouard 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:...
as the play-by-play announcer for the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
syndicated WWF programming distributed to Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. He could also be seen as an interviewer and a presenter on WWF programming in 1993 and 1994. He came out of retirement in 1996 to face Owen Hart
Owen Hart
Owen James Hart was a Canadian professional and amateur wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling , World Championship Wrestling , and most notably, the World Wrestling Federation , where he wrestled under both his own name, and ring name The...
in a Boxing match
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
at the Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
Molson Centre
Bell Centre
The Bell Centre , formerly known as the Molson Centre , is a sports and entertainment complex in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It opened on March 16, 1996 after nearly three years under construction...
during a WWF house show. He left the WWF in early 2002 when they stopped producing French editions of their programming.
Personal life
Rougeau now owns income management properties and has been active in city council politics since 2002; he was initially elected with 72% of the vote and was re-elected unopposed. He occasionally promotes wrestling shows in Montreal along with Jacques.Rougeau has a son born in 1990.
In September 2011, Rougeau was credited with saving the life of a 77 year-old hunting friend who was lost in the woods of Quebec for two days. Rougeau flew his own plane for the rescue mission after a police search did not lead to the man being found.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Cross armbar
- Sleeper hold
- Signature moves
- Boston crabBoston crabThe Boston crab is a professional wrestling hold that typically starts with the opponent lying supine on the mat, with the wrestler standing and facing them. It is a type of spinal lock where the wrestler hooks each of the opponent’s legs in one of his arms, and then turns the opponent face-down,...
- Boston crab
- With Jacques RougeauJacques RougeauJacques Rougeau Jr. is a retired French-Canadian professional wrestler from Saint-Sulpice, Quebec, best known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s with the World Wrestling Federation under his own name, and as The Mountie. Rougeau has held fifteen championships during his career...
- Bearhug (Raymond) / Seated senton (Jacques) combination
- Boston crabBoston crabThe Boston crab is a professional wrestling hold that typically starts with the opponent lying supine on the mat, with the wrestler standing and facing them. It is a type of spinal lock where the wrestler hooks each of the opponent’s legs in one of his arms, and then turns the opponent face-down,...
(Raymond) / Jumping knee drop (Jacques) combination
- ManagerManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
s- Jimmy HartJimmy HartJames "Jimmy" Ray Hart is a professional wrestling manager, executive, composer, and musician currently signed with WWE. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling under his nickname "The Mouth of the South." He has managed many professional...
- Jimmy Hart
Championships and accomplishments
- 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:...
(6 times) – with Jacques RougeauJacques RougeauJacques Rougeau Jr. is a retired French-Canadian professional wrestler from Saint-Sulpice, Quebec, best known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s with the World Wrestling Federation under his own name, and as The Mountie. Rougeau has held fifteen championships during his career...
(4), and Pat Patterson (2)
- 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 Montreal Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- 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 #291 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500Pro 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...
in 1994