MONTREAL -- Mad Dog Vachon wrestled for 44 years, had about 13,000 matches and once said he did everything he could to make people hate him.

"I failed miserably," he admitted of his attempts to arouse dislike.

That's probably an understatement for the growling tough guy who achieved folk-hero status as he pioneered the now-familiar trash-talking of opponents straight into the TV camera.
Maurice Vachon died in his sleep early Thursday at his home in Nebraska, aged 84.


---------------------   excerpted from CtV News 


Maurice Vachon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Mad Dog Vachon)

Maurice Vachon
Ring name(s) Mad Dog Vachon
Billed weight 230 lb (100 kg)[1]
Born September 14, 1929
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Died November 21, 2013 (aged 84)
Omaha, Nebraska
Billed from Montreal, Quebec, Canada[1]
Debut 1950
Retired 1986[1]
Maurice Vachon
Medal record
Men's Freestyle wrestling
British Empire Games
Gold 1950 Auckland Middleweight

Maurice Vachon (September 14, 1929 - November 21, 2013) was a Canadian professional wrestler, best known by his ring name "Mad Dog" Vachon. He is the brother of wrestlers Paul and Vivian Vachon, and the uncle of wrestler Luna Vachon.
Vachon started his career as an amateur wrestler, participating in the 1948 Summer Olympics and winning a gold medal at the 1950 British Empire Games. He made the switch to professional wrestling and spent time in various promotions in the United States while occasionally teaming with his brother Paul. In Portland, he received the name "Mad Dog" Vachon. In the early 1960's, Vachon became a main eventer in the American Wrestling Association. He was one of the promotion's all-time great heels, known for his wild style and intense interviews. He was a five-time AWA World Heavyweight Champion. Starting in the '70s, Vachon became a fan favourite, particularly in his home province of Quebec.
After a stint in the World Wrestling Federation, Vachon retired from the business in 1986. The following year, he was struck by a hit-and-run driver, resulting in the amputation of one of his legs. Vachon was highly influential, especially in Canada, and was inducted into numerous professional wrestling Halls of Fame.


------------------ 


And


Wrestling (1961 film)

F
Wrestling (Original French title: La lutte) is a 1961 documentary film about professional wrestling in Montreal, co-directed by Michel Brault, Marcel Carrière, Claude Fournier and Claude Jutra.
Wrestling was shot in the Montreal Forum, where major bouts were staged, as well as wrestling parlors where would be wrestlers learned and practiced their craft.[1]

The filmmakers had intended to make a film exposing, in slow motion, the fakery of professional wrestling, until a chance encounter with French philosopher Roland Barthes changed their minds. Barthes was appalled by what they were planning to do, and spoke urgently about the beauty and social role of pro wrestling in the lives of ordinary people. Persuaded by Barthes, the filmmakers set out to make a film that captured the spectacle of the sport, without judging it.[2]

The film shows the wrestling arena to be a sort of modern day shrine, with wrestling and its rituals taking the place of religion in the then-recently secularized Quebec.[3]
Wrestling was produced by Jacques Bobet for the French program branch of the National Film Board of Canada.[1]

-------------------------