Montreal (1939-1961)Montreal had become a key city for Paul Bowser in the 1930s, but it was his associate Eddie Quinn who truly took Montreal to the next level when he took over in 1939. Quinn found a shining star in Yvon Robert in the 1930s while working for Bowser. He headed into Montreal and eventually cut Bowser out. Then as pro-wrestling reached new heights, Quinn was the man at the helm in Quebec. By supplying the market with a steady flow of new and capable superstars, Montreal became a significant pro-wrestling city as television transformed the sport. As a member of the National Wrestling Alliance, Quinn kept his product within the French-speaking province, although he did buy into the profitable St. Louis market run by NWA president Sam Muschnick. Quinn brought in all the top stars of the 1940s and 1950s to wrestle and consistently drew big houses at the old Montreal Forum. In 1957, Muschnick met with outlaw promoter Jack Pfefer and Quinn sold off his interest in St. Louis, left the Alliance and began running competition in Chicago. His connections limited, his health declining and the the top stars leaving, Montreal began to decline quickly in the late 1950s. Johnny Rougeau, one of the former top stars, had largely left pro-wrestling to pursue other business interests. However, when Quinn wanted to get out, he joined up with Bob Langevin in 1961 to take over and rejuvenate Montreal. All-Star Wrestling (1964-1975)When Johnny Rougeau took over Eddie Quinn's former city of Montreal, he was the biggest pro-wrestling star in the city and perhaps no local star had more clout than he did. He partnered with Bob Langevin, moved to a less expensive venue, signed a TV deal that aired "Sur le Matelas" (Superstars of the Mat) every Saturday afternoon and secured some of the best talent in pro-wrestling world. While many of the stars from the Quinn years had left, many came back to enjoy more success in their native province. Eventually though, Johnny's personality and disputes over booking led to a exodus of key talent. Those stars opened a rival company, Grand Prix, and a four-year promotional war led to hot action. However, both sides burnt out. Rougeau was interested in getting out to focus on his other love - ice hockey. He closed his doors in 1975 and largely ended mainstream pro-wrestling in Quebec for the next few years.Abdullah the Butcher Lou Albano Spiros Arion The Beast (Yvon Cormier) Dino Bravo Gino Brito Bulldog Brower Edouard Carpentier Carlos Colon Bull Curry Dom Denucci Eric The Red Jean Ferre (Andre the Giant) Ronnie Garvin Hans Hermann Mighty Ursus (Jesse Ortega) Larry Moquin Dale Roberts (Buddy Roberts) Jacques Rougeau Sr. Tarzan Tyler Mitsu Yoshida (Riki Choshu) Grand Prix Wrestling (1972-1975)Pro-Wrestling in Quebec had come alive in the 1960s thanks in large part to Johnny Rougeau. However, he had a reputation of rubbing other wrestlers the wrong way and it is no surprise that a group left to start a new company in 1971. This group included Lucien Gregoire, Maurice Vachon, Paul Vachon, Gino Brito, Yvon Robert Jr. and others. This core of talent were able to easily give the established company and run for its money. Grand Prix's competition led to measures that caused hard times for pro-wresting in Quebec. From Vivianne Vachon being barred by the city commission, to bloody matches falling under harsh scrutiny and financial troubles, Grand Prix was not able to survive. In their final year, they ran joint shows with Johnny Rougeau, who fell on hard times as well. By the end of the year,both companies were closed and pro-wrestling in Quebec seemed dead yet again.
International Wrestling Association (1980-1987)After All-Star and Gran Prix Wrestling both closed in 1975, Quebec was without a major pro-wrestling company. Gino Brito tried to keep things going with summer tours, but a group effort had to be made to get something off the ground. An alliance was made to create "Promotions Varoussac," named for its three owners - Frank Valois, Andre Roussimoff and Gino "Brito" Accocella. Those three men were a potent combination. Valois had the vision and promotional talents, Andre was probably the most widely known pro-wrestling star in the world and Brito had numerous connections. International Wrestling became just that as they featured the best wrestlers from Quebec and brought in all the stars from the United States through their contacts with the WWWF and the AWA. Everything was going well, until the WWF began their push into Canada. After gobbling up Maple Leaf Wrestling in Toronto, International Wrestling was next. Unable to secure the same level of American stars, the company looked weak by comparison when the WWF came to town. In 1987, much of their talent signed up with the WWF and the company folded soon after. Brito still rounded up stars for summer tours,but the long legacy of Quebec wrestling came to an end. Montreal remains a very strong pro-wrestling market to this day, so independent shows run with some success.
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