Spectacular wrestler Raymond Rougeau was born in Montreal at Boyer Street and then moved to 50 Notre-Dame Street in Saint-Sulpice and finally the family moved to Rawdon.
Raymond spanned 18 years as a professional wrestler in the arena, served as a city councilor for 20 years, and then became Mayor of Rawdon on November 7, 2021, a position he still holds today.
Raymond had a dream childhood in Saint-Sulpice with his parents Jacques Rougeau and Virginia Mitchell, his sisters Joanne and Diane and his brothers Armand and Jacques Jr. They spent pleasant moments in the family pool and bathed in the St. Lawrence River and went horseback riding and Water-skiing.
His father was his friend, business partner and childhood idol.
Was it difficult being part of a family where your uncle Jean “Johnny” Rougeau and father Jacques were big Quebec stars?
You must know my father well because he never behaved like a star. So I never felt that pressure.
Did young people want to argue with you at school?
But on the contrary. The only fights I had were in the wrist shot and I was pretty good, especially against my teachers at Jean Baptiste Meilleur high school in Repentigny. However, I played hockey, broomball and lacrosse.
You gave a lecture on wrestling in the 5th grade.
The day after my dad’s fights, the students liked to meet me to discuss his fights and take the opportunity to meet the other wrestlers.
Do you know the basics and tradition of wrestling?
No way. I was like them, that is, cursed and angry at the wrestler who abused my father in a wrestling arena.
You hated Abdullah the Butcher.
If Abdullah would pull out an object that he had hidden to knock my father unconscious, I would yell at my father very loudly to warn him. I was so mad that I wanted to go after that mean wrestler. I was almost 10 years old.
Your father once perpetuated the myth of wrestling at home?
He was incredible. He respected his craft so much that whenever he allegedly injured his leg, he would limp home for a few days so as not to break the wrestling myth.
You brought your father’s wrestling belt to school.
At the end of my wrestling chat, I pulled out my father’s championship belt. My classmates got up spontaneously and approached me because they wanted to touch the belt, but above all they wanted to wear it around their waist.
You liked horseback riding with your father.
I have shared so many beautiful moments with him hiking in the woods or along the river bank, he on his horse and I on my pony that he gave me when I was 8 years old.
You barely made two dollars a day.
i was very young Before I became a hawker, I harvested vegetables on the neighbors’ farm, and for every fortune I filled, I received the amazing sum of two pennies, a little over two dollars in total at the end of the day.
you wanted to wrestle
No way. I had a passion for airplanes. Also, I got my pilot’s license today. I started struggling to please my father. Without a doubt the best decision I’ve made.
Your father directed your education.
I was 13 years old. He told me that if I followed his guidelines I would wrestle professionally by the age of 16. 365 days a year, except one, after school, I trained at home or at Lionel Roberts’ wrestling school with wrestlers, including Gino Brito, with whom I still communicate today.
Why except one day?
Every morning my father would ask me how my training was. I told him I had a fever so I didn’t train. Without hesitation, he told me that I should have found time to exercise. He always denied that incident, but I still remember it.
Did your father keep his word?
Three years later, at the age of 16 years and one month, I made my pro debut in Joliette to a full house because my uncle Johnny made sure he fought in the finals.
How did the political discussions at home go?
My uncle Johnny was very close to Mr René Lévesque and my father supported Mr Lévesque. However, to annoy my mother, who spoke English, he offered to give her $20 if she voted for the PQ. She replied that she didn’t need his money to know who to vote for.
“We spoke French and English at home. —Raymond Rougeau
You have never consumed alcohol.
My mother always told me that I was born old. Instead of going to bars, I was buying homes when I was 16, and my business partner was my father.
your first car
My Uncle Johnny’s used car, a 1970 Thunderbird. I didn’t speed for fear of damaging it.
Who would you like to meet?
He often visited the wrestlers in the locker room, but I didn’t get to meet him: Elvis Presley, an avid wrestling fan.
I still have so many questions, but I’m running out of space. Tell me about your spouse and your son Felix.
I know a dream life with my son just like the one I lived with my father. Today he lives the same life with his daughter. My 25-year-old wife, Louise Daoust, thought I wanted her to walk around with signs showing the rounds before I explained to her that it was boxing, the rounds. When we first met I invited her to go boating and the tour never ended because we are always together.
