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While Québec wrestling fans were in majority seeing WWF programs on French networks, new federations were about to be created.

Ludger Proulx © ICW 1999

Though Gino Brito's SPW had a certain success in regions, back in Montéal, in 1989,former INTERNATIONAL WRESTLING member, Ludger Proulx, along with Carl Ninja Langlois, created a small but strong promotion called INTER CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING. The Indy promotion does shows in a small parish hall in east Montéal. Many wrestling hopes were trained here, like the 2 Prisoners. It also stars many others wrestlers with names like Mobster, Screw, Mr. USA, Dark Purple, Dynasty, Spoiler, Serge Saumon, Mad Dog Cloutier and members of Ludger's family: brother Serge (the promoter, almost as hated as Vince McMahon today), Paul, nephew Francis and niece Francesca. Other superstars from the former federations, like Gino Brito, Jos Leduc and Georges Guimond passed by sometimes to challenge the ICW members. And they follow the flow of the clans: Boys in Black (faces) , SWAT (heels) and Nasty Freaks always feud to the satisfaction of more than 250 people each Saturday night...

NCW logo © NCW

In 1986, in a Joliette high school project, François Poirier and some friends take their amateur wrestling skills to work and put on a wrestling show between four badminton poles rounded by elastic poles and gymnasic mats. In 1991, Pelletier changed his name to Frank Blues and joined with his high school friends along with Phil Belanger to create the NORTHERN CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING. The promotion started small though; in a little Joliette reception hall and a ring purchased from ICW's Ludger Proulx, fights were held each week. The federation had a goal and a motto: UNFORGETTABLE. And unforgettable were each show... From traditional to hardcore, NCW grew out a legion of fans in the Joliette region with Bertrand Hebert as promoter ( Joliette is in the same region where the second generation Rougeau brothers and Pierre Lebfevre were raised...). Then they produce a monthly TV show in the Lanaudiere community channel, where they showed highlights of the Joliette shows as well as promoting the future galas. Even with a tight budget, NCW has a way to put on a show on the road. The shows were becoming more and more important, attendance-wise. At one point, they organised their major shows like CHALLENGEMANIA at the Marcel-Bonin Arena in Joliette. And other venues wanted the NCW to perform locally. Especially from the Montéal South Shore area of Beauharnois and Valleyfield. Recently, the NCW gave a succesful shot at the Québec City market.

Others promotions came and pass, however only the strong survived... To the late Royal Wrestling Ring of Verdun, came the W.I.T. of Pointe St-Charles district of Montéal, still alive and well (the promotion is in a middle of a poor neighborhood...).

Pierre Karl Ouellette

But still the American promotions present their occasionnal shows in Montéal. Though Dino Bravo has retired (to his unlucky fate in March 1993), the Rougeaus were still the talk of the town in wrestling. Jacques Rougeau Jr wrestled in solo and happened to win a WWF belt under the name of Mountie (yes the RCMP mountie !). However, he kept the Intercontinental belt for a week, until he was beat by one Bret Hart...Afterwards, Jacques took a young buck named Pierre-Karl Ouellet, a wrestler who wrestled with an eye-patch due to a childhood accident (he had a caracter of a pirate). Along with manager Johnny Polo (who later will become the Raven...), they won the WWF tag team belt in 1993 against the Steiners...

However, efforts were still made for bringing back a major local wrestling federation in Québec. Who will be the saviour ? With all the agressive marketing of the American promotions such as the WWF and WCW (headed by TV tycoon Ted Turner, which started his career producing wrestling shows...). Besides the Indy promotions, a major star would come and endorse a delicate but worthy initiative.

The Rougeaus: Raymond & Jacques Jr.

In the spirit of his legendary uncle in the 60's, a fed-up Jacques Rougeau, screwed by both American federations, tries the impossible...Rougeau and his then buddy Pierre-Karl Ouellet joined the WCW in 1996 in order to have a match against Hulk Hogan. In April 1997, his dream was fullfilled (he even beat him...) but Eric Bischoff, the president, feared that Rougeau would spoil Hogan's stardom and the structure of his NEW WORLD ORDER, fired Rougeau and Ouellet. A short stint in the WWF as mid-carders gave the answer to Rougeau to start thinking about the future of local wrestling. After parting ways with Ouellette, Jacques reconciled with his brother Raymond and announced that they were creating INTERNATIONAL WRESTLING 2000 in a press conference in January 1999. With young superstars like Carl Leduc, Nelson Veilleux, Ron Trottier, Iceman and veterans like Sunny War Cloud, Richard Charland, Michel Dubois (who wrestled in the US and Japan as Mad Russian Alexis Smirnoff), the Garvins (by the way, they are both from Québec origin...) and the Rougeaus itself. Women's wrestling has a young hope as well in the footsteps of the late Vivianne Vachon: Precious Lucy. They held shows in the Pierre-Charbonneau Center near the Olympic Stadium in Montéal three times in 1999, improving at each time.

If future legends are yet to be born, others have to leave as well. Vivianne Vachon was victim of a car accident with her daughter in 1992 (she retired from the mat in 1976). Dino Bravo got shot in a result of some payback by the Montéal Mob in March 1993.

Andre the Giant, who started his career in Montéal, despite that he was born in France, died almost one month before Bravo. But the biggest wrestling seller of all times in Québec, the original manager Eddie Creatchman, died in March 1994. So did Omer Marchessault, the Montéal Fireman cum Masked Marvel and timekeeper, midget greats Little Beaver and Sky Low Low, natives Johnny War Eagle and Billy Two Rivers, and last but not least, Frank Valois, in December 1998, the man who ressucitated and brought back wrestling in the 80's.

Final Chapter: A bright future for the Millenium?

Copyright © 1999, Productions Leduc 2000 ltd, Montrèal, QC.