Édouard Carpentier

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Édouard Carpentier
Carpentier in 1973.
Birth nameÉdouard Ignacz Weiczorkiewicz
Born(1926-07-17)17 July 1926
Roanne, Rhône-Alpes, France[1]
Died30 October 2010(2010-10-30) (aged 84)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada[2]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Édouard Ignacz Weiczorkiewicz
Édouard Carpentier
Édouard Weiczorkiewicz Carpentier
Flying Frenchman[1]
Eddy Wiechoski[3]
Billed height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[4]
Billed weight230 lb (100 kg)[1]
Billed fromMontreal, Quebec, Canada[4]

Édouard Ignacz Weiczorkiewicz

WWA World Heavyweight Championship. Nicknamed "The Flying Frenchman", Carpentier was known for his athletic manoeuvres including "back flips, cartwheels and somersaults".[3]

Early life

Weiczorkiewicz was born in 1926 in

Croix du combattant medals by the French government at the close of the war.[1] He moved to Montreal, Quebec in 1956 and became a Canadian citizen.[1] He also became an all around athlete with gymnastic skills.[1]

Professional wrestling career

Carpentier (left) with André the Giant and Yvon Robert Jr.

At the outset of his career, Carpentier wrestled in Europe as "Eddy Wiechoski".[3]

Carpentier was a crowd favourite, one of the first wrestlers to delight fans with acrobatic leaps from the turnbuckles and a variety of other aerial manoeuvres such as the rope-aided twisting headscissors.[1] He was always a fan favourite in his bouts and was matched against numerous villains, perhaps the most well known of whom was the legendary Killer Kowalski.

Carpentier in 1973.

The highpoint of his career was his

World Heavyweight Championship. He eventually dropped the belt to Verne Gagne. The Omaha title was unified with the AWA World Heavyweight Championship in 1963.[6]

Carpentier headlined

Vittorio Apollo. In solo matches at the Garden, he defeated Giant Baba, Skull Murphy, Magnificent Maurice, and Hans Mortier.[7]

After his retirement, Carpentier operated a school for teaching professional wrestling skills.

World Wrestling Federation, when the WWF bought the Montreal territory in 1985. They hosted the French edition of the WWF television show Superstars, sold to French-speaking countries.[1] He was replaced by former Québécois wrestler Raymond Rougeau
in 1992.

Death

On 30 October 2010, Carpentier died of a heart attack at his home in Montreal, aged 84. He had also suffered a heart attack in 2000. Carpentier had been in poor health for many years, battered from his acrobatic, high-flying style.[2]

Championships and accomplishments

Carpentier in 2010.
  1. ^ Carpentier was awarded the title by disqualification when Thesz could not continue the match due to a back injury. For 71 days, the NWA recognized the title as being in dispute between Carpentier and Thesz.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Canadian Hall of Fame: Edouard Carpentier". SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on December 8, 2012. Retrieved 2008-04-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ a b c Greg Oliver (2010-11-01). "Edouard Carpentier dead at 84". Slam! Sports. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved 2013-03-04.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-1-897113-59-2
    .
  4. ^
    ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0
    .
  5. ^ Mathieu Boulay, Agence QMI (2010-11-01). "Édouard Carpentier n'est plus" (in French). Canoë Sports. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved 2013-03-04.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ISBN 978-1-77090-269-5
    .
  7. ISBN 978-1492825975
    .
  8. ^ Whalen, Ed (host) (December 15, 1995). "Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame: 1948-1990". Showdown at the Corral: A Tribute to Stu Hart. Event occurs at 15:38. Shaw Cable. Calgary 7.
  9. ^ "Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (1948-1990)". Puroresu Dojo. 2003.

External links

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