Jos LeDuc

Michel Pigeon (August 31, 1944 – May 1, 1999)[1] was a Canadian professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Jos LeDuc.

Jos LeDuc
Birth nameMichel Pigeon
Born(1944-08-31)August 31, 1944[1]
Montreal, Quebec[2]
DiedMay 1, 1999(1999-05-01) (aged 54)[1]
Atlanta, Georgia[1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Jos LeDuc
Butcher LeDuc[3]
The Headbanger[3]
Billed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[4]
Billed weight280 lb (130 kg)[4]
Billed fromGodbout, Quebec[4]
Trained byJack Britton[2]
Stu Hart[5]
Debut1968[6]
Retired1995[7]

Wrestling with a lumberjack gimmick, he debuted in Stampede Wrestling with his kayfabe brother, Paul LeDuc. The pair later won several titles in Montreal, where they feuded with the Rougeau wrestling family, and Florida, where they held the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship. After an injury ended Paul's career, LeDuc competed as a singles wrestler and involved in a heated feud with Dusty Rhodes. LeDuc then moved to Tennessee, where he had a rivalry with Jerry Lawler over the NWA Mid-America Southern Tag Team Championship, notably legitimately breaking Lawler's leg when he threw him over the top rope onto the announcer's desk.

LeDuc spent many years traveling between Florida and Tennessee, and he won belts in both locations as a singles wrestler and as a tag team competitor. He also spent time on wrestling tours of Japan and New Zealand. One of LeDuc's biggest storylines was with manager Oliver Humperdink, whom LeDuc had accused of stealing his money. This led to a feud, during which LeDuc won the NWA Television Championship from one of Humperdink's wrestlers. LeDuc continued to split his time between singles and tag team wrestling, and he resumed his feud with Lawler in Tennessee. In his later career, LeDuc competed in Puerto Rico and had a brief stint in the World Wrestling Federation. Altogether, LeDuc held 32 championships—15 singles belts and 17 tag team titles. He died of a lung infection on May 1, 1999.

Career

Canada (1968–1973)

Prior to entering professional wrestling, Pigeon gained combat sport experience by studying judo.[2] He worked for the Quebec Provincial Police until the mid-1960s, when he decided to become a wrestler.[2] His friend Paul LeDuc had competed as a professional wrestler in Mexico and wanted a tag team partner. He convinced Pigeon to train as a wrestler,[6] and Pigeon trained under Stu Hart in Calgary, Alberta.[5]

Along with Paul, Pigeon began wrestling in Hart's Stampede Wrestling in 1968 under the ring name Jos LeDuc, Paul's tag team partner and kayfabe brother.[6] The LeDucs' gimmick was inspired by "Yukon" Eric Holmback, a professional wrestler who had died three years earlier.[8] They portrayed stereotypical Canadian lumberjacks and wore flannel shirts to the ring.[9] They received a push from the promoters and won the Stampede International Tag Team Championship in 1969, but they lost the belts later that year.[10]

After moving to the Montreal area, the LeDucs debuted in the International Wrestling Association with a scripted attack on local wrestler Johnny Rougeau.[11] This led to a feud between the LeDucs and the Rougeaus (Johnny and his real-life brother Jacques).[2] Jos LeDuc was booked to win the Montreal version of the International Heavyweight Championship by defeating Johnny Rougeau in 1971.[12] The bookers also decided to give him a run with the International Tag Team Championship that year, which LeDuc won while teaming with Tony Baillargeon.[13] While in Montreal, the LeDucs also competed for Grand Prix Wrestling and were booked in a feud with the Vachon brothers (Mad Dog and Butcher) as well as Killer Kowalski.[2][14] The LeDucs had two reigns as the Grand Prix Wrestling Tag Team Championship in 1972 and 1973.[5]

Southern United States (1973–1980)
The Leduc brothers in 1973

LeDuc's next stop was in Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF), where he resumed teaming with Paul LeDuc. Wrestling under the name The Canadian Lumberjacks,[15] they were soon pushed to win the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship in December 1973 by defeating Dusty Rhodes and Dick Slater.[16] They defended the belts for two months before dropping them to Slater and his new partner Stan Vachon,[16] a kayfabe brother of the Vachons from Montreal.[17] This was the final time the LeDuc's held a title together, as Paul LeDuc sustained a legitimate injury that forced Jos to wrestle without him.[18] Jos LeDuc also wrestled as a singles competitor in Florida. He was booked to win the NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight Championship by defeating Rhodes in late 1973.[19] He dropped the title to Rhodes in January 1974, however.[19] LeDuc and Rhodes were placed in a heated feud at this time, and they frequently faced each other in Death matches.[20]

LeDuc made his AWA television debut on August 2, 1975 defeating Angel Rivera. LeDuc was given wins over Buddy Wolff and Boris Breznikoff (Nicolai Volkoff) before forming the team with Larry Hennig. Leduc and Hennig first teamed on September 12, 1975 in Denver, Colorado losing to Jimmy and Johnny Valiant. Leduc and Hennig feuded with the Valiant Brothers for several months before entering a feud with Baron Von Raschke and Mad Dog Vachon. Jos and Larry also received a few title shots against AWA tag champs Blackjack Lanza and Bobby Duncum in August 1976. Probably his most memorable accomplishment while working for the promotion was a bus-pulling stunt filmed in Minneapolis that was also used in promo videos while appearing in the Memphis and Atlanta territories, among others. LeDuc departed the AWA in September 1976.

Wrestling in Tennessee in 1977, LeDuc teamed with Bob Armstrong to win the NWA Southeast Tag Team Championship in September.[21] They were put over Bob Orton, Jr. and Mr. Knoxville for the belts but lost them in a rematch.[21] While in Tennessee, LeDuc gained notoriety from a worked feud with Jerry Lawler. Wrestling as a heel, he faced Jerry Lawler, who was a favorite in the state, in many matches throughout the year.[22] LeDuc was placed with a new partner, Jean Louie, to win the NWA Mid-America Southern Tag Team Championship in May.[23] They faced Lawler and Jimmy Valiant on May 22 to defend the belts, but the match was declared a no contest and the title was vacated.[23] Lawler and Valiant won the belts in a rematch the following week, but LeDuc and Louie regained them the following month.[23] In September, LeDuc and Louie dropped the belts once again, this time to Lawler and the Mongolian Stomper.[23]

LeDuc returned to Florida in 1978 and was given a title reign as the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship after defeating Mr. Uganda on December 18.[24] He held the belt for two weeks before dropping it to his old kayfabe rival Dick Slater.[24] He was soon a champion again, however, as he and Thor the Viking were booked to win the NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship in early 1979.[25] They dropped the belts to Killer Karl Kox and Jimmy Garvin, but LeDuc soon regained the title by teaming with Pak Song.[25] LeDuc and Song vacated the title shortly after winning it, but LeDuc teamed with yet another partner, Don Muraco, to win the belts back later that year.[25]

During this stint in Florida, LeDuc made a scripted turn from face to heel. Garvin claimed that LeDuc was aligned with heel manager Sonny King, but LeDuc denied the claim. Garvin then showed video footage to prove that LeDuc had secret dealings with King. LeDuc responded by attacking Garvin in front of the crowd, solidifying a heel turn for LeDuc.[26] In a storyline several months later, LeDuc and King Curtis Iaukea attacked Buddy Rogers, a veteran then working as a face.[27] The injuries Rogers received were said to be so severe that he was forced to retire, although, in reality, Rogers had simply moved to another wrestling promotion.[27]

Later that year, LeDuc wrestled in Japan during a brief tour. He was successful during several matches on the tour, but his wrestling style was noticeably different from the traditional Japanese style.[28] In the Japanese media, he was referred to as "maniacal" and "demented".[28]

LeDuc had more success in Southeast Championship Wrestling after returning to the Tennessee area. He was pushed to win his first NWA Southeast Heavyweight Championship in a victory over Killer Karl Kox in March 1980 before losing the belt back to Kox in a rematch.[29] In October, he regained the Southeastern Tag Team Championship while teaming with Robert Fuller.[21] They lost the belts to Super Pro and Ron Bass, but LeDuc teamed with Armstrong again to regain the belts.[21]

New Zealand (1981)

LeDuc travelled to New Zealand to wrestle in 1981. While there, he was booked in two title reigns. On April 23, he won the NWA New Zealand British Commonwealth Championship by defeating Steve Rickard.[30] He dropped the belt to Mark Lewin one week later but regained it in a rematch on July 9. His second and final reign came to an end when he lost the belt to Rickard in mid-August.[30]

Return to the Southern United States (1981–1984)

Later that year, LeDuc returned to Southeastern Championship Wrestling and was given two more tag team title reigns while teaming with Fuller.[21] Ultimately, however, the team split up and vacated the title.[21] LeDuc was then booked in singles competition, winning the Southeastern Heavyweight Championship twice more with victories over Jacques Rougeau, Jr. and Terry Gordy.[29] He was also put over Terry Gordy to win the NWA Alabama Heavyweight Championship in May 1982, but LeDuc dropped the title that summer to Austin Idol.[31]

In the early 1980s, LeDuc wrestled in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, where the bookers had him join Oliver Humperdink's "House of Humperdink" stable. Under Humperdink's management, LeDuc was booked to win the NWA Television Championship by defeating Jimmy Valiant in 1982.[32][33] The title reign did not last long, however, as the belt was soon taken away because of an angle that saw LeDuc cheat in a title defense against Johnny Weaver.[32] Eventually, the storyline had LeDuc claim that Humperdink had stolen his money, and LeDuc left the stable.[34] This led to a worked feud between LeDuc and the members of Humperdink's stable, although the main rivalry that was portrayed was between LeDuc and Dick Slater.[34] As part of the feud, LeDuc and Slater faced each other on April 30, 1983 in a Lumberjack match. At this time, LeDuc received a push and won the match and Slater's NWA Television Championship.[32][34]

LeDuc then returned to Florida, where he was kept mainly in the singles division. In October 1983, he was put over Scott McGhee to win the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship for a second time.[24] He dropped the belt to Barry Windham the following month.[24] In a rematch with Windham the following night, LeDuc won the belt once again.[24] His final reign as Florida Heavyweight Champion was short-lived, however, as the bookers had him drop the belt in a rematch with Windham the next night.[24]

Another short stint in Southeastern Championship Wrestling followed, with LeDuc being given two more reigns with the Southeastern Heavyweight title. He was put over his former partner Bob Armstrong for the belt in August 1983 and began a feud with Robert Fuller, another former partner.[29][35] During the course of this feud, the belt changed hands twice. Fuller was booked to win the belt from LeDuc, but LeDuc won a subsequent match to win the title for his sixth and final reign.[29] LeDuc held the belt until vacating the title when he left the promotion.[29]

On March 12, 1984, LeDuc teamed with former kayfabe rival Jerry Lawler to win the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship from Elijah Akeem and Kareem Muhammad.[23] In a six-man match the following week, LeDuc teamed with Lawler and Jimmy Hart, who was their manager but wrestled on occasion. During the match, LeDuc revealed that his reconciliation with Lawler was a setup, as LeDuc and Hart turned on Lawler by walking away to leave Lawler by himself.[23] As a result, the tag team title was vacated and the feud was rekindled.[23]

Puerto Rico (1986)

While wrestling in Puerto Rico, LeDuc was booked in his final championship reign. He defeated Hercules Ayala on January 6, 1986 to win the World Wrestling Council's North American Heavyweight Championship.[36] He held the belt for just over two months before dropping it to Al Perez on March 7.[36]

World Wrestling Federation (1988)

LeDuc made his first appearance for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) on March 19, 1988 when he defeated Brady Boone in a dark match at a WWF Superstars taping.[7][37] He made his first house show appearance on April 22, defeating Jose Luis Rivera in White Plains, NY. On May 9 at a show in Ontario, LeDuc added Frenchy Martin as his manager. On July 4 (in a match taped on June 21st in Glens Falls, NY, LeDuc made his first television appearance as "The Headbanger Butcher" on WWF Prime Time Wrestling. He lost to Brian Costello via disqualification after he refused to cease headbutting his preliminary opponent. On July 16 in Landover, MD he sustained his first pinfall loss when he was defeated by Sam Houston. His final WWF match came a day later when he again lost to Houston in Hershey, PA although he did have a match versus Tito Santana which was broadcast on July 25 on Prime Time Wrestling, but it was likely recorded much earlier. He suffered a pinfall loss in that encounter with Santana.

Later career (1989–1995)

The following year, LeDuc returned to Japan for another brief wrestling tour for Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling. He wrestled primarily in tag teams with Masanobu Kurisu.[38] They were booked to lose each of these matches, however.[38] LeDuc's only victory in Japan came when he was put over Tarzan Goto in a singles match.[38]

Following his stint in Japan, LeDuc retired from wrestling.[39] On June 10, 1995, he wrestled one final event, teaming with Phil Hickerson to face Lawler and Valiant at the United States Wrestling Association's "Memphis Memories II" event. The match built upon the storyline feud between LeDuc and Lawler, and Lawler won the match for his team by pinning LeDuc.[39][40]

In November 1995, he was scheduled to wrestle for Smoky Mountain Wrestling, teaming with Buddy Landel in a series of matches against The Punisher and Tommy Rich, but due to LeDuc retiring, The Bullet took his place teaming with Landel.

Personal life

LeDuc's first wife died in a car accident in 1981.[4] He remarried and was married at the time of his death in 1999.[4][41] He had three children: two daughters, Nadine and Michele, and a son, Robert.[1]

LeDuc appeared in the 1989 movie No Holds Barred, which starred fellow professional wrestler Hulk Hogan.[42]

LeDuc had many problems with diabetes toward the end of his life.[9] While visiting his son in Atlanta, Georgia, LeDuc slipped in the shower. As a result of the injuries, he developed an infection that ultimately led to his death.[9] He died of a lung infection on May 1, 1999 in Atlanta.[1] After his death, the revelation that he and Paul LeDuc were not related caused a minor scandal on talk shows in Quebec.[2]

Championships and accomplishments
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References
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  2. "SLAM! Wrestling Canadian Hall of Fame: Jos LeDuc". SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on 2013-01-01. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. "1988". The History of WWE. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
  4. "Wrestler Profiles: Jos Leduc". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  5. "Jos Leduc and Paul Leduc". Canadian Pro Wrestling Page of Fame. Archived from the original on 2008-02-26. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  6. "SLAM! Wrestling Canadian Hall of Fame: Paul LeDuc". SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
  7. Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE Encyclopedia. DK. p. 162. ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0.
  8. "Cauliflower Alley Club Posthumous Award: Yukon Eric". Cauliflower Alley Club. Archived from the original on 2007-12-07. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
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  37. http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/88.htm
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  42. "The Wrestler Actor Database". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  43. "Southern Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  44. "Memphis Hall of Fame". Wrestling-Titles.com. Puroresu Dojo. 2003. Retrieved April 15, 2012.

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