Jacques Rougeau has spent his life in the world of wrestling and his career is finally being recognized.
On August 4, he was inducted into the Project X Wrestling Hall of Fame, an initiative of DC Knapman of Ontario.
In fact, the ex-Mountie is the first member of this brand new unit and Rougeau had doubts at first glance.
“I wanted to know if I was the first or if it was just a ploy to gain notoriety. They told me that the Lutte Académie and my contribution to wrestling made it worthwhile.”
It was time
Rougeau is not one to seek honors, but he knows his worth and that of his brilliant career in the ring.
The 63-year-old has never been inducted into a Hall of Fame, either in Canadian professional wrestling, which includes fighters Georges St-Pierre and Patrick Côté, or in WWE.
“It’s incomprehensible that the Rougeau family is not in the WWE Hall of Fame,” laments Rougeau over the phone. As the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers we fought guys who are all in Tempe today and not us, they weren’t alone in the ring those guys.
“With the three characters I’ve done, it’s okay that Vince McMahon doesn’t like me, but I deserve to be there.”
conflict
Rougeau is not wrong, as he and the founder of WWE have been at odds for more than twenty years.
It all goes back to the months before Wrestlemania X. Rougeau then wrestled as a team with Pierre-Carl Ouellet under the name The Quebecers. For several months, the Quebec couple suffered defeat after defeat, but McMahon promised her everything would be back to normal at the gala, where she would clearly beat Men on a Mission.
However, it didn’t turn out that way. A few hours before Wrestlemania It failed.
Rougeau visited Vince McMahon and informed him that he was leaving the organization, which he soon did.
Ungroup
In Rougeau’s view, this misunderstanding should not affect his legacy in the WWF at the time.
“A Hall of Fame shouldn’t consider your personal connection to the initiator, but your career and accomplishments. It’s not a way to promote someone, it’s something you have to earn.
We think Rougeau is still bitter towards McMahon and he’s hopeful that things will change, even though the chance of him reconciling with the organization’s founder is very slim.
“I’ve filled arenas, people have stopped fights standing up, but Vince McMahon doesn’t see that.”
And even the intervention of the biggest wrestling star of the past forty years wasn’t enough to turn the tide.
“Hulk Hogan even made a video to promote us last year and it didn’t work.”
The Lutte Académie semi-final evening will take place on Sunday 20 August at Club Soda.