Michel Martel

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For the Royal Canadian Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, see Michel Vigneault (sailor).
Michel Martel
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
DiedJune 30, 1978(1978-06-30) (aged 33)
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Cause of deathHeart attack
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)The Lumberjack
Mad Dog Martel
Michel Martel
Mitchell Martel
Billed height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Billed weight242 lb (110 kg)
Billed fromParis, France
Trained byVic Tanney
Debut1968

Michel Vigneault (October 4, 1944 – June 30, 1978) was a Canadian

Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling, Stampede Wrestling, International Wrestling Enterprise and the World Wrestling Council in the late 1960s and 1970s. He was one-half of the tag team The Mercenaries with Frenchy Martin and the older brother of fellow wrestler Rick Martel
.

Professional wrestling career

Early career

The eldest of six children, Vigneault was born in Quebec City to Fernand Vigneault and Evelyne Harvey in October 1944. During high school, Vigneault became involved in powerlifting and began working nights as a bouncer and bartender in local clubs. It was during this time that he would meet his future tag team partner Pierre Martin.

During the late 1960s, he began training with his uncles Real Choinard and Aldrick Harvey who wrestled occasionally for promoter

Johnny Rougeau. In 1968, he began touring northern Ontario during the summer for Larry Kasaboski. During his time in the area, he was trained by Vic Tanney and later wrestled for Johnny Rougeau in Quebec for a time before traveling to Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling.[1]

Stampede Wrestling

During his time in Stampede Wrestling, he would gain early success as a singles competitor becoming involved in a high-profile feud

Calgary, Alberta on October 1, 1971. Their championship reign was brief, however, as they lost the titles to Chin Lee and Sugi Sito
less than two weeks later.

He and Babich would later defeat

Carlos Belafonte and Gino Caruso two months later. While in Calgary, Martel would also occasionally return to Quebec from time to time as well as travel to Mexico
where he wrestled as "The Lumberjack".

Soon after his brother's debut in June 1972, he and Rick Martel would team together in Quebec as well as occasionally in Georgia and Calgary during the next several years.[1]

The Mercenaries in Japan and Puerto Rico

By the mid-1970s, Martel had become an established star in Stampede Wrestling and persuaded Pierre Martin to enter professional wrestling as well. Martin eventually agreed and, after training with several veterans in Quebec, Martel brought him into Stampede Wrestling during his first year as "Don Gagne". They soon began teaming together as "the Mercenaries", their in-ring personas closely mirroring the Québécois nationalist movements active in Quebec during that time, and began wrestling in Montreal and the Maritimes for Eastern Sports Association as Michel and Frenchy Martin feuding with Leo Burke, The Beast, Rudy Kay and Eric Pomeroy.

It was in Puerto Rico, however, where The Mercenaries gained the greatest success, when his friends

“Cowboy” Bob Ellis and Dick Steinborn, the Martel brothers lost a hair vs. hair match to Jose Rivera and Carlos Colon on May 31, 1975. They would also be allied with Kurt Von Hess for a short time while he toured Puerto Rico during the summer.[2]

After losing the titles to Jose Rivera & Ciclon in August 1975, the Mercenaries also had a brief stay in the Cleveland-based

work visa among other issues.[4]

In November and December 1975, the Mercenaries (billed as "Combat") wrestled in Japan for the

cage match. Combat made a second tour with International Wrestling Enterprise in October to December 1976 as part of its Bravery Series.[5]

During the next two years, "The Mercenaries" would become one of the most popular tag teams in the promotion and feuded with many of the biggest stars of the era including Carlos Colon, Jose and

Medico II) for the WWC North American Tag Team titles in May 1977, he would feud over the tag team championship with Jose Rivera and Hercules Ayala and eventually won the tag team titles twice more with Babich before the end of the year. Returning to Stampede Wrestling in early 1978, he would also briefly feud with Leo Burke over the Stampede North American Championship defeating Burke for the title in March before losing it back to him the following month.[1]

Death

On the night of June 30, 1978, Martel was wrestling at a WWC event in

Invader II
). Although showing no signs during the match, he complained of suffering hot flashes during the match to his tag team partner while backstage preparing to leave for the night. Martel left the arena along with Pierre. While on his way to San Juan, Michel suffered a heart attack, and was rushed to a hospital in Ponce, where he was pronounced dead.

Rick Martel, then 22 years old, would eventually be flown into Puerto Rico to identify his brother and eventually charged with bringing his body back to Quebec. His death was not only announced by

heart punch" during their last match. This incident was later brought up when Jose Gonzalez stabbed American wrestler Bruiser Brody to death at a WWC show in 1988. This has since been revealed as "kayfabe" used to promote Gonzalez's feud with Frenchy Martin and Michel Martel's younger brother Rick Martel.[1]

Championships and accomplishments

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Oliver, Greg (2004-10-11). "Michel Martel: Forgotten great". SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012.
  2. ^ Gonzalez, Manuel (June 2002). "Regional Territories: WWC #9, Page #2". KayfabeMemories.com.
  3. ^ "IWA Wrestling Results - 1975". SteelBeltWrestling.com. 2006-05-01.
  4. ^ Will, Gary (July 2000). "Canadian Pro Wrestling Page of Fame: Frenchy Martin". GaryWill.com. Archived from the original on October 31, 2013.
  5. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Mad Dog Martel - matches - International Wrestling Enterprise". Cagematch.net. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  6. ^ Oliver, Greg (April 20, 2011). "Lifetime honoree Foley captivates at CAC Baloney Blowout". Slam Wrestling. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  7. ^ "I.W.A. World Tag Team Title (IWE)". Puroresu Dojo. 2003.
  8. ^ "Stampede International Tag Team Title". Puroresu Dojo. 2003. Archived from the original on 2008-05-05.
  9. ^ "North American Heavyweight Title (Calgary Stampede)". Puroresu Dojo. 2003.
  10. ^ "W.W.C. North American Tag Team Title". Puroresu Dojo. 2003.
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