Sylvain Grenier
Encyclopedia
Sylvain Grenier is a Canadian
professional wrestler
, who is best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment
in the La Résistance tag team. He is currently a French language
announcer for TNA Impact!
on RDS
.
, Quebec
near Montréal. He was well appreciated in the neighborhood and was already hooked on wrestling. He even made his own wrestling ring in his backyard. Grenier played baseball
, tennis
and hockey
at an amateur level, in addition to working as a model
. He eventually decided to become a professional wrestler, and on November 9, 2002 he debuted in the Montreal-based Northern Championship Wrestling
promotion
as "Sly".
, the reality
television program
produced by World Wrestling Entertainment
in 2001 and 2002, but was unable to attend the selection process due to visa
problems. While he was in Florida
training and taking part in a modeling shoot, Grenier met WWE producer Pat Patterson, with whom he became good friends. Patterson invited Grenier to attend WWE events for a few tryout matches under the ring name "Sly Grenier". Following a match, Grenier was offered a contract by WWE, and assigned to WWE developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling
. During this period, Grenier made three appearances for WWE. The first was on the March 18th, 2002 edition of Monday Night RAW as a backstage security guard that was assaulted by Chris Jericho
, the second as a referee
that helped The Rock to defeat Hulk Hogan
at No Way Out
in 2003 and third at WrestleMania XIX
.
brand alongside fellow French-speaking Canadian René Duprée
. The duo were collectively known as La Résistance, and were billed as Frenchmen
who were highly critical of American efforts in the War on Terror
. Grenier and Duprée made their first appearance on the April 28 edition of Raw as La Résistance by attacking Scott Steiner
who had recently made remarks comparing France to hell
which offended Grenier and Duprée. La Résistance went on to feud
with Scott Steiner and Test (who was being forced to be Steiner's tag team partner by Stacy Keibler
) until the 2003 Judgment Day
(the team's pay-per-view debut) where La Résistance defeated Steiner and Test.
Grenier and Duprée went on to win the World Tag Team Championship from Kane and Rob Van Dam
at the 2003 Bad Blood
event. After that the decision was made to add Rob Conway as a third member who began by posing as an American serviceman being abused by Grenier and Duprée until The Dudley Boyz
came out to save him. Once the Dudley Boyz had their backs turned to Conway, he attacked them with the American flag they had given him before tearing it off the pole and laying it on top of them. The trio began carrying the French flag
to ringside and singing the French national anthem
before their matches.
They held the titles until Unforgiven 2003
when they dropped them to The Dudley Boyz in a three-on-two handicap tables match.
During their time together the trio feuded with several tag teams; including the Dudley Boyz
, The Hurricane
and Rosey, and Garrison Cade
and Mark Jindrak
. Grenier suffered back and neck injuries in October 2003, however, forcing Dupree and Conway to hold the group together alone. The trio's eventual reunion was on March 15, 2004 when Grenier returned with a new fauxhawk type haircut. This reunion only lasted a week, as Dupree was drafted to SmackDown! on March 22, 2004 during the Draft Lottery
.
Without Dupree, Grenier and Conway continued to team
together as La Résistance on Raw. With American-Franco hostility
subsiding, WWE ceased billing the team as being from France and instead promoted them as being haughty French Canadian
s who carried the flag of Quebec
to the ring, with Grenier often singing the Canadian national anthem
.
The team held the World Tag Team Championship three times. Their first title reign was when they defeated Chris Benoit
and Edge
on the May 31, 2004 edition of Raw in Grenier's home town of Montreal, Quebec, receiving a huge pop as they beat fellow Canadians Edge and Benoit fair and square. They dropped the belts to them at Taboo Tuesday
when Benoit was able to defeat both Grenier and Conway after Edge left him alone in the ring. La Résistance re-captured the titles on the November 1 Raw when Edge walked out on Benoit again. Two weeks later, however, in a three-way tag team elimination match, William Regal
and Eugene
were the last men standing, beating both La Résistance and the team of Tajiri
and Rhyno
. Their final Tag Team Title win was at a Raw-brand house show
in their home town of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on January 16, 2005. La Résistance defeated William Regal and Jonathan Coachman (Regal's actual partner, Eugene, had been injured at New Year's Revolution. Coachman was forced to partner with Regal, though he was never once tagged in for the entire match). La Résistance dropped the belts a few weeks later on the February 7, 2005 edition of Raw in Tokyo, Japan to William Regal and his new tag team partner Tajiri.
La Résistance repeatedly attempted to regain the gold (mainly on Sunday Night Heat
) from Regal and Tajiri in a number of different matches but fell short during each one. During their "last shot" for the gold, the team thought they had won back the titles only to suffer a 'Dusty Finish' as the decision was reversed by referee Mike Chioda
due to La Résistance not pinning the legal man. When the match was restarted, the team of La Résistance was unable to gain the victory.
La Résistance were given another chance at Regal and Tajiri during a Tag Team Turmoil match involving five teams during Backlash
. In the match, La Résistance managed to eliminate the current champions but were defeated by the last remaining team, Hurricane and Rosey.
The team split in mid-May 2005 after repeatedly quarreling over which of them was the superior wrestler. Grenier and Conway went into singles competition with announcers claiming that the members of La Résistance were trying to "one up" each other in singles matches without the other man in their corner. This saw Conway defeat a jobber
and Val Venis
, while Grenier was defeated by both Val Venis and Chris Jericho
before both men competed in a triple threat match (with Intercontinental Champion
Shelton Benjamin
for the title), Benjamin won the match after the La Résistance members began to argue and fight with each other. The altercation between the two led to a main event match for the June 12, 2005 edition of Sunday Night Heat (taped June 6). This match saw Conway portray the heel
, and defeat Grenier.
, forcing him to leave Raw and go to SmackDown ending his already shakey tag team partnership with Conway.
After being traded he was not seen on TV for a few months, eventually re-debuting on SmackDown on September 1, 2005. He was repackaged with a gimmick of a narcissistic
male supermodel
known simply as "Sylvain". A few weeks later he dropped the "I" and was simply known as "Sylvan". He spoke with a light French
accent
and had a new entrance with techno
music, sunglasses
, and either a sleeveless white trenchcoat or black pinstripe coat. For his entrance he would enter through the ropes and do a catwalk to the other side in which he would pull his sunglasses down and wink to the crowd on the side of the camera.
Sylvan had a small feud with Hardcore Holly
holding a victory over the veteran Holly. This feud was used mostly to advance other storylines and saw Sylvan determined to protect his "perfect face" at any cost. Sylvan gained a victory over Holly on the October 7 edition of SmackDown with help from Mr. Kennedy. At No Mercy 2005
after Kennedy defeated Holly, Sylvan came out and continued his feud with him by attacking the injured Holly, which led to Sylvan losing a singles match on an episode of Velocity and a Hardcore Street Fight
to the following week on SmackDown, ending an almost 2 month feud. Sylvan entered the 2006 Royal Rumble
at No. 10, quickly being eliminated by Bobby Lashley.
Sylvan, who had developed a gimmick of running away from a match to protect his face, slowly reverted back to his anti-American gimmick while still acting like a model
. Eventually he started stating that his hometown of Quebec was better than anywhere in the U.S. and began referring to himself as "Quebec's Ambassador." These gimmicks did not stick, however, and Sylvan soon disappeared off TV. During this time Sylvan would go on to perform in low card situations, often in dark matches before SmackDown tapings and in OVW
, while the ambassador gimmick was further developed.
On the June 16, 2006 edition of SmackDown vignettes designed to look like vacation promotion videos for Québec
and starring Sylvan ("the Ambassador at Large for the Beautiful Province of Québec", or "the Ambassador of Québec" for short) began airing. On July 7 he appeared in-ring to cut a promo attempting to "make peace" with the US
fans by welcoming them to visit his home province. The fans responded with a chorus of boos and a loud "USA" chant. In the coming weeks he continued to appear backstage, telling everyone within earshot how much better Québec was than where ever they were from. He made his ring return with this gimmick on the July 28 SmackDown with a win over Tatanka
. Sylvan would go on to job against the likes of Tatanka, Vito
, and Batista under this gimmick.
Sylvan's losing streak would end on the first ever CW Network
edition of SmackDown on September 22, 2006, when he defeated Tatanka again by using the ring ropes for illegal leverage. This match itself was most notable for the fact that it took place in Sylvan's hometown of Montreal
, Québec
, Canada
, and Sylvan, who is normally booed, received an overwhelmingly positive reaction from the crowd, including a roaring ovation at almost everything he said and did for the biggest pop of the night. Sylvan was cheered for during the whole match even though he won the match by using the ropes for leverage.
The following week on SmackDown, Sylvan defeated Jimmy Wang Yang
, who had insulted Canada the week before. The next week, Sylvan cheated again to take a lead in the feud. The following week, Sylvan finally lost to Yang in a six-man tag team match. After disappearing for a couple of weeks, Sylvan finally returned to cost Yang a match versus Gregory Helms
. After that match, Matt Hardy
came out to help Yang clean house of Helms and Sylvan leading to a tag match the next week. Hardy and Yang won and the feud was seemingly dropped.
Sylvan returned to OVW On November 15, making a surprise appearance as "Sylvain Grenier", teaming with Rob Conway to reform their old stable, La Résistance. The reformed team defeated Cody Runnels and Shawn Spears to earn a shot at the OVW Southern Tag Team Titles. However, the team lost the title match. Sylvan then returned to do jobs for Chris Benoit
and Vito
.
On the December 22 edition of SmackDown!, he disguised himself as Santa Claus and attacked World Heavyweight Champion Batista with a steel pipe. This resulted in a match with Batista that Sylvan quickly lost and would end the "Ambassador of Québec" gimmick as Sylvan disappeared from television after this.
On January 10, 2007, the Peoria Journal Star reported that Sylvan was pulled over by the police on Interstate 74 around 3pm in Peoria, IL. The report states that Grenier was speeding on his way to the SmackDown!/ECW TV tapings, going 96 mi/h in a 55 mi/h zone. Grenier was then arrested and booked at the Peoria County Jail. A WWE co-worker paid his $200 bond to get him out of jail at around 4:30pm, just two hours before WWE's TV tapings.
At the August 7, 2007 taping of SmackDown!, Sylvan returned sporting a new look which included freshly bleached blonde hair, his supermodel
sunglasses
and a gold
chain
around his neck
, in a match against Kane, which he lost. This would turn out to be Grenier's final match for WWE as he was released from his WWE contract six days later.
On December 20, 2008 at Northern Championship Wrestling
's "Noël D'Enfer" event, Grenier defeated Samson to become the NCW Quebec champion.
On April 17, 2009, he appeared for Ring Of Honor
, competing in a six man tag match, in which he teamed with The American Wolves
(Davey Richards
and Eddie Edwards
) in a loss to Bryan Danielson
, Kevin Steen and El Generico
.
On May 16, 2009, he tore his right biceps in the Main Event of Northern Championship Wrestling
's ChallengeMania 17 against Quebec Champion Nova Cain and Don Paysan
.
(Réseau des sports) commentating on the TNA Impact!
show in French
. He also said there will be a Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
(TNA) house show coming to Montreal
on Thursday, December 27, at the Centre Pierre Charbonneau
Arena. Grenier is signed with TNA now commentating the show in French as well as RDS
too. He was on the road with TNA for their house shows in Canada
and is the French commentator for both TNA and RDS. During that time he embarked on a feud with former commentator, Pierre-Carl Ouellet with Grenier claiming that he was the best commentator and that ratings had hit the roof since Ouellet's departure. They settled their feud in a match in Hawkesbury
, Ontario on June 21, 2008 with Ouellet being victorious.
Although he still wrestles under the name of Sylvain Grenier, he had an opening match against Granby's indy wrestler Van Hawk under the name of Iceman (a masked wrestler) on March 5, 2010 at ToW 5's show. The masked gimmick was filmed and intended to be submitted to the WWE for consideration. He wrestled a second time that night, but as Sylvain Grenier, in the main event against Dru Onyx and Darkko, in a casket elimination match.
named Grenier as to have been given illegal steroids not in compliance with WWE's Talent Wellness Program during his tenure with the company. Grenier received somatropin, nandrolone
, genotropin and stanozolol
between February 2005 through July 2006. Chris Benoit
, Eddie Guerrero
and Brian Adams
were also discovered to have been given steroids during this investigation, as well as ten current WWE
superstars who have been suspended (however, WWE has not confirmed the identities of its suspended wrestlers).
Grenier refuted the accusations in a recent interview on the "Whole Effin Show" with Joey Numbers and Boom Boom, stating "All I was was a customer at a pharmacy and I did nothing wrong". He also states that contrary to other reports, he came to terms with WWE on his release and would consider working with them in the future. He is also a bouncer at Montreal's east end Supper Club, "L'Action". In addition he recently opened and now operates a wrestling school based Montreal, Quebec at the Progym Serge-Moreau.
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...
, who is best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment
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...
in the La Résistance tag team. He is currently a 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...
announcer for TNA Impact!
TNA iMPACT!
Impact Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling that currently airs in the United States and Canada on Spike...
on RDS
Réseau des sports
Réseau des sports , is a Canadian French language Category C specialty channel showing sports and sport-related shows. It is available in 2.5 million homes, and is owned by CTV Specialty Television Inc....
.
Early career
As a child, Grenier was living with his mother in VarennesVarennes, Quebec
Varennes is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada on the Saint Lawrence River in the Regional County Municipality of Lajemmerais. The city is approximately 15 miles from Downtown Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 20,950...
, 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....
near Montréal. He was well appreciated in the neighborhood and was already hooked on wrestling. He even made his own wrestling ring in his backyard. Grenier played baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
at an amateur level, in addition to working as a model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
. He eventually decided to become a professional wrestler, and on November 9, 2002 he debuted in the Montreal-based Northern Championship Wrestling
Northern Championship Wrestling
Northern Championship Wrestling is an independent professional wrestling promotion based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.It was founded in 1986 by François Poirier and Phil Bélanger in Joliette, Quebec...
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 "Sly".
World Wrestling Entertainment (2003–2007)
Grenier auditioned for series one and two of Tough EnoughWWE Tough Enough
WWE Tough Enough is a professional wrestling reality television program produced by WWE wherein participants undergo professional wrestling training and compete for a contract with WWE. There were two winners per season for the first three seasons, all of which aired on MTV...
, the reality
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
produced by World Wrestling Entertainment
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...
in 2001 and 2002, but was unable to attend the selection process due to visa
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
problems. While he was in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
training and taking part in a modeling shoot, Grenier met WWE producer Pat Patterson, with whom he became good friends. Patterson invited Grenier to attend WWE events for a few tryout matches under the ring name "Sly Grenier". Following a match, Grenier was offered a contract by WWE, and assigned to WWE developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
. During this period, Grenier made three appearances for WWE. The first was on the March 18th, 2002 edition of Monday Night RAW as a backstage security guard that was assaulted by Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
, the second as a referee
Referee (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling referee is the official figure that makes sure that wrestling matches move smoothly in an attempt to maintain kayfabe. The referee also has the ultimate power in the ring...
that helped The Rock to defeat Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
at No Way Out
No Way Out (2003)
No Way Out was the fourth annual No Way Out pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . The event took place on February 23, 2003 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec and starred the promotion's Raw and SmackDown! brands.The main event from the SmackDown! brand was a rematch...
in 2003 and third at WrestleMania XIX
WrestleMania XIX
WrestleMania XIX was the nineteenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on March 30, 2003 at Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington. The event was the first WrestleMania held in the state of Washington, and the first...
.
La Résistance on Raw
On April 28, Grenier returned to WWE, debuting on the RawWWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
brand alongside fellow French-speaking Canadian René Duprée
René Goguen
René Goguen better known by his ring name René Duprée, is a French Canadian professional wrestler. Goguen is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he is a one-time World Tag Team Champion with Sylvain Grenier as the tag team La Résistance and a one time WWE Tag Team...
. The duo were collectively known as La Résistance, and were billed as Frenchmen
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
who were highly critical of American efforts in the War on Terror
War on Terrorism
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
. Grenier and Duprée made their first appearance on the April 28 edition of Raw as La Résistance by attacking Scott Steiner
Scott Steiner
Scott Carl Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Scott Steiner. Steiner is perhaps best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling alongside his older brother Rick as the Steiner Brothers and as a member of the New World Order...
who had recently made remarks comparing France to hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
which offended Grenier and Duprée. La Résistance went on to feud
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with Scott Steiner and Test (who was being forced to be Steiner's tag team partner by Stacy Keibler
Stacy Keibler
Stacy Keibler is an American actress, model, and former professional wrestler and valet, best known for her work with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment ....
) until the 2003 Judgment Day
Judgment Day (2003)
Judgment Day was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment that took place on May 18, 2003, at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina...
(the team's pay-per-view debut) where La Résistance defeated Steiner and Test.
Grenier and Duprée went on to win the World Tag Team Championship from Kane and Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
at the 2003 Bad Blood
Bad Blood (2003)
Bad Blood was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on June 15, 2003 at the Compaq Center in Houston, Texas. It was the second event produced under the Bad Blood name and starred wrestlers from the Raw brand...
event. After that the decision was made to add Rob Conway as a third member who began by posing as an American serviceman being abused by Grenier and Duprée until The Dudley Boyz
Dudley Boyz
Team 3D was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brother Ray and Brother Devon, formerly sporadically joined into a stable by Brother Runt on several intervals...
came out to save him. Once the Dudley Boyz had their backs turned to Conway, he attacked them with the American flag they had given him before tearing it off the pole and laying it on top of them. The trio began carrying the French flag
Flag of France
The national flag of France is a tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured royal blue , white, and red...
to ringside and singing the French national anthem
La Marseillaise
"La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. The song, originally titled "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin" was written and composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in 1792. The French National Convention adopted it as the Republic's anthem in 1795...
before their matches.
They held the titles until Unforgiven 2003
Unforgiven (2003)
Unforgiven was the sixth annual Unforgiven professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on September 21, 2003 from the Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania....
when they dropped them to The Dudley Boyz in a three-on-two handicap tables match.
During their time together the trio feuded with several tag teams; including the Dudley Boyz
Dudley Boyz
Team 3D was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brother Ray and Brother Devon, formerly sporadically joined into a stable by Brother Runt on several intervals...
, The Hurricane
Gregory Helms
Gregory Shane Helms is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment where he wrestled as The Hurricane and Gregory Helms. He is also known for his time with World Championship Wrestling where he wrestled as "Sugar" Shane Helms...
and Rosey, and Garrison Cade
Lance Cade
Lance Kurtis McNaught was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment where he performed under the ring names Garrison Cade and Lance Cade....
and Mark Jindrak
Mark Jindrak
Mark Robert Jindrak is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
. Grenier suffered back and neck injuries in October 2003, however, forcing Dupree and Conway to hold the group together alone. The trio's eventual reunion was on March 15, 2004 when Grenier returned with a new fauxhawk type haircut. This reunion only lasted a week, as Dupree was drafted to SmackDown! on March 22, 2004 during the Draft Lottery
WWE Draft Lottery
The WWE Draft, is a process used by WWE to provide new brand competition and to refreshen its rosters. The Draft was first used during the brand extension of 2002, though it was officially incepted and used in 2004...
.
Without Dupree, Grenier and Conway continued to 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...
together as La Résistance on Raw. With American-Franco hostility
Anti-French sentiment in the United States
Anti-French sentiment in the United States is the manifestation of Francophobia by Americans. It signifies a consistent hostility toward the government, culture, and people of France that employs stereotypes.-Understanding anti-French sentiments:...
subsiding, WWE ceased billing the team as being from France and instead promoted them as being haughty 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 carried the flag of Quebec
Flag of Quebec
The flag of Quebec, called the Fleurdelisé, was adopted for the province by the government of Quebec, during the administration of Maurice Duplessis. It was the first provincial flag officially adopted in Canada, first shown on January 21, 1948, at the Parliament Building of the National Assembly...
to the ring, with Grenier often singing the Canadian national anthem
O Canada
It has been noted that the opening theme of "O Canada" bears a strong resemblance to the "Marsch der Priester" , from the opera Die Zauberflöte , composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and that Lavallée's melody was inspired by Mozart's tune...
.
The team held the World Tag Team Championship three times. Their first title reign was when they defeated Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
and Edge
Adam Copeland
Adam Joseph Copeland is a retired Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Edge. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract....
on the May 31, 2004 edition of Raw in Grenier's home town of Montreal, Quebec, receiving a huge pop as they beat fellow Canadians Edge and Benoit fair and square. They dropped the belts to them at Taboo Tuesday
Taboo Tuesday (2004)
Taboo Tuesday was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on October 19, 2004 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was the first annual Taboo Tuesday event, marking the first time in which the fans were given the chance...
when Benoit was able to defeat both Grenier and Conway after Edge left him alone in the ring. La Résistance re-captured the titles on the November 1 Raw when Edge walked out on Benoit again. Two weeks later, however, in a three-way tag team elimination match, William Regal
Darren Matthews
Darren Kenneth Matthews , is an English professional wrestler, author and color commentator currently signed to WWE and competing on the SmackDown brand under the ring name William Regal. He is also known for his time in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Steven Regal...
and Eugene
Nick Dinsmore
Nicholas "Nick" Dinsmore , better known by his ring names Eugene and U-Gene, is an American professional wrestler...
were the last men standing, beating both La Résistance and the team of Tajiri
Yoshihiro Tajiri
, is a Japanese professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. He is currently competing in SMASH as TAJIRI.-Early years :...
and Rhyno
Terry Gerin
Terrance "Terry" Gerin is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring name Rhino . He is best known for his career in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
. Their final Tag Team Title win was at a Raw-brand house show
House show
A house show is a professional wrestling show run by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive during televised events, as well as test reactions to matches, wrestlers, and...
in their home town of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on January 16, 2005. La Résistance defeated William Regal and Jonathan Coachman (Regal's actual partner, Eugene, had been injured at New Year's Revolution. Coachman was forced to partner with Regal, though he was never once tagged in for the entire match). La Résistance dropped the belts a few weeks later on the February 7, 2005 edition of Raw in Tokyo, Japan to William Regal and his new tag team partner Tajiri.
La Résistance repeatedly attempted to regain the gold (mainly on Sunday Night Heat
WWE HEAT
WWE Heat was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
) from Regal and Tajiri in a number of different matches but fell short during each one. During their "last shot" for the gold, the team thought they had won back the titles only to suffer a 'Dusty Finish' as the decision was reversed by referee Mike Chioda
Mike Chioda
Michael Joseph "Mike" Chioda, is a senior referee who is currently signed to WWE. While not refereeing, Chioda, as well as the other referees in WWE, help set up the arena before shows, constructing the ring and stage areas.-WWF:...
due to La Résistance not pinning the legal man. When the match was restarted, the team of La Résistance was unable to gain the victory.
La Résistance were given another chance at Regal and Tajiri during a Tag Team Turmoil match involving five teams during Backlash
Backlash (2005)
Backlash was the seventh annual Backlash professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on May 1, 2005 at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire. The show's six matches showcased prominent WWE wrestlers, who acted out...
. In the match, La Résistance managed to eliminate the current champions but were defeated by the last remaining team, Hurricane and Rosey.
The team split in mid-May 2005 after repeatedly quarreling over which of them was the superior wrestler. Grenier and Conway went into singles competition with announcers claiming that the members of La Résistance were trying to "one up" each other in singles matches without the other man in their corner. This saw Conway defeat a jobber
Job (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling slang, the term job describes a losing performance in a wrestling match. It is derived from the euphemism "doing one's job", which was employed to protect kayfabe. As professional wrestling is scripted, inevitably a wrestler will be required to lose to an opponent.The term...
and Val Venis
Sean Morley
Sean Allen Morley is a Canadian professional wrestler better known by his ring name Val Venis, during his time with World Wrestling Federation, later known as World Wrestling Entertainment...
, while Grenier was defeated by both Val Venis and Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
before both men competed in a triple threat match (with Intercontinental Champion
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
Shelton Benjamin
Shelton Benjamin
Shelton James Benjamin is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment. Benjamin has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling in high school and at the University of Minnesota. In addition, Benjamin has acted...
for the title), Benjamin won the match after the La Résistance members began to argue and fight with each other. The altercation between the two led to a main event match for the June 12, 2005 edition of Sunday Night Heat (taped June 6). This match saw Conway portray the 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 defeat Grenier.
SmackDown! brand
Grenier was a last minute trade in the 2005 WWE Draft2005 WWE Draft Lottery
The 2005 World Wrestling Entertainment Draft Lottery took place over a three week period in June. There were ten draft picks and an eleven-person trade conducted between the promotion's two brands: Raw and SmackDown!, where twenty-two superstars were drafted and traded overall...
, forcing him to leave Raw and go to SmackDown ending his already shakey tag team partnership with Conway.
After being traded he was not seen on TV for a few months, eventually re-debuting on SmackDown on September 1, 2005. He was repackaged with a gimmick of a narcissistic
Narcissism
Narcissism is a term with a wide range of meanings, depending on whether it is used to describe a central concept of psychoanalytic theory, a mental illness, a social or cultural problem, or simply a personality trait...
male supermodel
Supermodel
The term supermodel refers to a highly-paid fashion model who usually has a worldwide reputation and often a background in haute couture and commercial modeling. The term became prominent in the popular culture of the 1980s. Supermodels usually work for top fashion designers and labels...
known simply as "Sylvain". A few weeks later he dropped the "I" and was simply known as "Sylvan". He spoke with a light 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...
accent
Accent (linguistics)
In linguistics, an accent is a manner of pronunciation peculiar to a particular individual, location, or nation.An accent may identify the locality in which its speakers reside , the socio-economic status of its speakers, their ethnicity, their caste or social class, their first language In...
and had a new entrance with techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
music, sunglasses
Sunglasses
Sunglasses or sun glasses are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They can sometimes also function as a visual aid, as variously termed spectacles or glasses exist, featuring lenses that...
, and either a sleeveless white trenchcoat or black pinstripe coat. For his entrance he would enter through the ropes and do a catwalk to the other side in which he would pull his sunglasses down and wink to the crowd on the side of the camera.
Sylvan had a small feud with Hardcore Holly
Bob Holly
Robert "Bob" Howard better known by his ring name Bob "Hardcore" Holly, is a American professional wrestler. He is best known for his 15-year stint with World Wrestling Entertainment ....
holding a victory over the veteran Holly. This feud was used mostly to advance other storylines and saw Sylvan determined to protect his "perfect face" at any cost. Sylvan gained a victory over Holly on the October 7 edition of SmackDown with help from Mr. Kennedy. At No Mercy 2005
No Mercy (2005)
No Mercy was the eighth annual No Mercy professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on October 9, 2005 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas and featured wrestlers and other talent from WWE's SmackDown! brand...
after Kennedy defeated Holly, Sylvan came out and continued his feud with him by attacking the injured Holly, which led to Sylvan losing a singles match on an episode of Velocity and a Hardcore Street Fight
Hardcore wrestling
Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling that eschews traditional concepts of match rules in favor of matches that take place in unusual environments, using foreign objects that are not normally permitted...
to the following week on SmackDown, ending an almost 2 month feud. Sylvan entered the 2006 Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (2006)
Royal Rumble was the nineteenth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 29, 2006 in the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida and featured talent from the Raw and SmackDown! brands...
at No. 10, quickly being eliminated by Bobby Lashley.
Sylvan, who had developed a gimmick of running away from a match to protect his face, slowly reverted back to his anti-American gimmick while still acting like a model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
. Eventually he started stating that his hometown of Quebec was better than anywhere in the U.S. and began referring to himself as "Quebec's Ambassador." These gimmicks did not stick, however, and Sylvan soon disappeared off TV. During this time Sylvan would go on to perform in low card situations, often in dark matches before SmackDown tapings and in OVW
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
, while the ambassador gimmick was further developed.
On the June 16, 2006 edition of SmackDown vignettes designed to look like vacation promotion videos for Québec
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....
and starring Sylvan ("the Ambassador at Large for the Beautiful Province of Québec", or "the Ambassador of Québec" for short) began airing. On July 7 he appeared in-ring to cut a promo attempting to "make peace" with the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fans by welcoming them to visit his home province. The fans responded with a chorus of boos and a loud "USA" chant. In the coming weeks he continued to appear backstage, telling everyone within earshot how much better Québec was than where ever they were from. He made his ring return with this gimmick on the July 28 SmackDown with a win over Tatanka
Chris Chavis
Christopher "Chris" Chavis , is a Native American professional wrestler best known for his work with World Wrestling Entertainment as Tatanka from 1991 to 1996 and from 2005 to 2007...
. Sylvan would go on to job against the likes of Tatanka, Vito
Vito LoGrasso
Vito Joseph LoGrasso is an American professional wrestler, of Italian origin, best known for his work in World Championship Wrestling as Big Vito and more recently World Wrestling Entertainment and working for their "developmental territories" Ohio Valley Wrestling and Deep South Wrestling as...
, and Batista under this gimmick.
Sylvan's losing streak would end on the first ever CW Network
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
edition of SmackDown on September 22, 2006, when he defeated Tatanka again by using the ring ropes for illegal leverage. This match itself was most notable for the fact that it took place in Sylvan's hometown of 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...
, Québec
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....
, Canada
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...
, and Sylvan, who is normally booed, received an overwhelmingly positive reaction from the crowd, including a roaring ovation at almost everything he said and did for the biggest pop of the night. Sylvan was cheered for during the whole match even though he won the match by using the ropes for leverage.
The following week on SmackDown, Sylvan defeated Jimmy Wang Yang
James Yun
James Carson Yun is an American professional wrestler and actor, best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Jimmy Wang Yang, in World Championship Wrestling as one-third of the Jung Dragons as Yang, and in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and the independent circuit...
, who had insulted Canada the week before. The next week, Sylvan cheated again to take a lead in the feud. The following week, Sylvan finally lost to Yang in a six-man tag team match. After disappearing for a couple of weeks, Sylvan finally returned to cost Yang a match versus Gregory Helms
Gregory Helms
Gregory Shane Helms is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment where he wrestled as The Hurricane and Gregory Helms. He is also known for his time with World Championship Wrestling where he wrestled as "Sugar" Shane Helms...
. After that match, Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
came out to help Yang clean house of Helms and Sylvan leading to a tag match the next week. Hardy and Yang won and the feud was seemingly dropped.
Sylvan returned to OVW On November 15, making a surprise appearance as "Sylvain Grenier", teaming with Rob Conway to reform their old stable, La Résistance. The reformed team defeated Cody Runnels and Shawn Spears to earn a shot at the OVW Southern Tag Team Titles. However, the team lost the title match. Sylvan then returned to do jobs for Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
and Vito
Vito
Vito is an Italian name of disputed origin, usually thought to originate from Latin "vita", meaning "life",, and also corresponding to the English and French Guy , or Italian and Spanish Guido...
.
On the December 22 edition of SmackDown!, he disguised himself as Santa Claus and attacked World Heavyweight Champion Batista with a steel pipe. This resulted in a match with Batista that Sylvan quickly lost and would end the "Ambassador of Québec" gimmick as Sylvan disappeared from television after this.
On January 10, 2007, the Peoria Journal Star reported that Sylvan was pulled over by the police on Interstate 74 around 3pm in Peoria, IL. The report states that Grenier was speeding on his way to the SmackDown!/ECW TV tapings, going 96 mi/h in a 55 mi/h zone. Grenier was then arrested and booked at the Peoria County Jail. A WWE co-worker paid his $200 bond to get him out of jail at around 4:30pm, just two hours before WWE's TV tapings.
ECW brand
On the February 20, 2007 edition of ECW, Sylvan returned and reformed the original La Résistance with René Duprée, defeating a pair of local wrestlers. Due to Duprée getting suspended at the start of March, however, and being sent to rehab after violating the Health and Wellness policy, the team was quietly disbanded as Sylvan began teaming with Rob Conway again in OVW and in dark matches for the SmackDown! brand until Conway was released on May 11, 2007. In July 2007, Sylvan gave himself a new look and in dark matches and at house shows.At the August 7, 2007 taping of SmackDown!, Sylvan returned sporting a new look which included freshly bleached blonde hair, his supermodel
Supermodel
The term supermodel refers to a highly-paid fashion model who usually has a worldwide reputation and often a background in haute couture and commercial modeling. The term became prominent in the popular culture of the 1980s. Supermodels usually work for top fashion designers and labels...
sunglasses
Sunglasses
Sunglasses or sun glasses are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They can sometimes also function as a visual aid, as variously termed spectacles or glasses exist, featuring lenses that...
and a gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
chain
Chain
A chain is a sequence of connected links.Chain may also refer to:Chain may refer to:* Necklace - a jewelry which is worn around the neck* Mail , a type of armor made of interlocking chain links...
around his neck
Neck
The neck is the part of the body, on many terrestrial or secondarily aquatic vertebrates, that distinguishes the head from the torso or trunk. The adjective signifying "of the neck" is cervical .-Boner anatomy: The cervical spine:The cervical portion of the human spine comprises seven boney...
, in a match against Kane, which he lost. This would turn out to be Grenier's final match for WWE as he was released from his WWE contract six days later.
Independent circuit
On the September 5, 2007 edition of The Whole Effin Show, Grenier put to rest any rumors about his release, stating that it was in fact mutual and had nothing to do with WWE Wellness Policy violations, backstage antics or his link to Signature Pharmacy. On July 28, 2008, he made his debut in the newly formed promotion Rochdale Riot Wrestling, as he teamed up with former tag team partner Rene Dupree.On December 20, 2008 at Northern Championship Wrestling
Northern Championship Wrestling
Northern Championship Wrestling is an independent professional wrestling promotion based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.It was founded in 1986 by François Poirier and Phil Bélanger in Joliette, Quebec...
's "Noël D'Enfer" event, Grenier defeated Samson to become the NCW Quebec champion.
On April 17, 2009, he appeared for Ring Of Honor
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
, competing in a six man tag match, in which he teamed with The American Wolves
The American Wolves
The American Wolves are the professional wrestling tag team of Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards. They are currently wrestling for the American promotions Ring of Honor and Squared Circle Wrestling , where they have won the Tag Team Championships of both companies.The two started out as members of...
(Davey Richards
Davey Richards
Wesley David Richards is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Davey Richards.Richards is currently under contract with Ring of Honor, where he is the current ROH World Champion, but also wrestles for several companies on the independent circuit, including Pro Wrestling...
and Eddie Edwards
Eddie Edwards (wrestler)
Eddie Edwards is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for wrestling with Ring of Honor , where he is a former ROH World Champion. He also had previous reigns as a former ROH World Tag Team Champion with his partner Davey Richards as The American Wolves and as the inaugural ROH World...
) in a loss to Bryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he wrestles on its SmackDown brand as Daniel Bryan, and currently holds the SmackDown Money in the Bank briefcase, which enables him to have a World Heavyweight Championship match at any time of his choosing...
, Kevin Steen and El Generico
Kevin Steen and El Generico
Kevin Steen and El Generico are a professional wrestling tag team performing on the independent circuit.-Pro Wrestling Guerrilla:On July 29, 2007, at Giant Size Annual #4, Generico and Steen defeated PAC and Roderick Strong to become the PWG World Tag Team Champions for the first time...
.
On May 16, 2009, he tore his right biceps in the Main Event of Northern Championship Wrestling
Northern Championship Wrestling
Northern Championship Wrestling is an independent professional wrestling promotion based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.It was founded in 1986 by François Poirier and Phil Bélanger in Joliette, Quebec...
's ChallengeMania 17 against Quebec Champion Nova Cain and Don Paysan
Don Paysan
Luciano Luprano is an Italian-Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Don Paysan. He has competed in numerous North American independent promotions including the International Wrestling Syndicate, Combat Zone Wrestling, Alpha-1 Wrestling and Northern Championship...
.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2007–2009)
On Thursday, November 29, 2007 Grenier was on RDSRDS
RDS may refer to:*Amazon Relational Database Service, Amazon's cloud-based Relational Database Service*Radio Data System*Radio Dimensione Suono, an Italian radio station*Random dot stereogram, a form of 3-D image*SAP Rapid Deployment Solutions, from SAP AG...
(Réseau des sports) commentating on the TNA Impact!
TNA iMPACT!
Impact Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling that currently airs in the United States and Canada on Spike...
show in 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...
. He also said there will be a Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
(TNA) house show coming to 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...
on Thursday, December 27, at the Centre Pierre Charbonneau
Centre Pierre Charbonneau
Centre Pierre Charbonneau is a sports arena located in Montreal, Quebec. It was built in 1957 and holds 2,700 people. It was formerly host to the Montreal Royal of the American Basketball Association's current incarnation, and the Montreal Sasquatch of the Premier Basketball League.It was...
Arena. Grenier is signed with TNA now commentating the show in French as well as RDS
RDS
RDS may refer to:*Amazon Relational Database Service, Amazon's cloud-based Relational Database Service*Radio Data System*Radio Dimensione Suono, an Italian radio station*Random dot stereogram, a form of 3-D image*SAP Rapid Deployment Solutions, from SAP AG...
too. He was on the road with TNA for their house shows in Canada
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...
and is the French commentator for both TNA and RDS. During that time he embarked on a feud with former commentator, Pierre-Carl Ouellet with Grenier claiming that he was the best commentator and that ratings had hit the roof since Ouellet's departure. They settled their feud in a match in Hawkesbury
Hawkesbury
Hawkesbury or Hawksbury is the name of several places:*Hawkesbury, Ontario, a town in Ontario, Canada*City of Hawkesbury a local government area in New South Wales, Australia...
, Ontario on June 21, 2008 with Ouellet being victorious.
Although he still wrestles under the name of Sylvain Grenier, he had an opening match against Granby's indy wrestler Van Hawk under the name of Iceman (a masked wrestler) on March 5, 2010 at ToW 5's show. The masked gimmick was filmed and intended to be submitted to the WWE for consideration. He wrestled a second time that night, but as Sylvain Grenier, in the main event against Dru Onyx and Darkko, in a casket elimination match.
Body Building
Since leaving pro wrestling Greiner has become a professional Body Builder in France and Montreal. He has signed on to Re-unite with Rene Dupree For American Wrestling Rampages France 2010 Tour.Personal life
An August 30, 2007 article by Sports IllustratedSports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
named Grenier as to have been given illegal steroids not in compliance with WWE's Talent Wellness Program during his tenure with the company. Grenier received somatropin, nandrolone
Nandrolone
Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid that may be present naturally in the human body, albeit in minute quantities of less than 0.4 ng/ml. Nandrolone is most commonly sold commercially as its decanoate ester and less commonly as a phenylpropionate ester...
, genotropin and stanozolol
Stanozolol
Stanozolol, commonly sold under the name Winstrol , Tenabol and Winstrol Depot , was developed by Winthrop Laboratories in 1962...
between February 2005 through July 2006. Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
, Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions...
and Brian Adams
Brian Adams (wrestler)
Brian Keith Adams was an American professional wrestler. Adams gained fame in the 1990s while performing for the World Wrestling Federation , under the name Crush, and for World Championship Wrestling under his given name.Trained in Japan by Antonio Inoki, Adams was a two time WCW World Tag Team...
were also discovered to have been given steroids during this investigation, as well as ten current WWE
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...
superstars who have been suspended (however, WWE has not confirmed the identities of its suspended wrestlers).
Grenier refuted the accusations in a recent interview on the "Whole Effin Show" with Joey Numbers and Boom Boom, stating "All I was was a customer at a pharmacy and I did nothing wrong". He also states that contrary to other reports, he came to terms with WWE on his release and would consider working with them in the future. He is also a bouncer at Montreal's east end Supper Club, "L'Action". In addition he recently opened and now operates a wrestling school based Montreal, Quebec at the Progym Serge-Moreau.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- 3 Seconds of Fame (Vertical suplex dropped into an implant DDT)
- Showoff (Running DDT to a kneeling opponent)
- TKO
- Signature moves
- Flapjack
- Reverse STO
- Rib breaker
- Rotating belly to back side slam
- 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- Robért Conway
- René DupréeRené GoguenRené Goguen better known by his ring name René Duprée, is a French Canadian professional wrestler. Goguen is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he is a one-time World Tag Team Champion with Sylvain Grenier as the tag team La Résistance and a one time WWE Tag Team...
- MaryseMaryse OuelletMaryse Ouellet is a Professional Glamour Model and a former professional wrestler, better known simply as Maryse. She most recently worked for WWE...
- Entrance themes
- World Is Sylvan"
- Por Vous Quebec"
Championships and accomplishments
- Combat Revolution Wrestling
- Quebec Heavyweight Champion (2 times)
- Northern Championship WrestlingNorthern Championship WrestlingNorthern Championship Wrestling is an independent professional wrestling promotion based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.It was founded in 1986 by François Poirier and Phil Bélanger in Joliette, Quebec...
- NCW Quebec Championship (1 time)
- NCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rob Conway
- 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 Rookie of the Year Runner-up (2003)
- Top Of The World Wrestling
- TOW Tag Team Championship (1 time)– with Rob Conway
- World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld 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...
- World Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with René DupréeRené GoguenRené Goguen better known by his ring name René Duprée, is a French Canadian professional wrestler. Goguen is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he is a one-time World Tag Team Champion with Sylvain Grenier as the tag team La Résistance and a one time WWE Tag Team...
(1) and Rob Conway (3)
- World Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with René Duprée
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Worst Tag Team (2003) with René Duprée