Bertrand Hébert - Mad Dog: The Maurice Vachon Story

Bertrand Hbert and Pat Laprade

translated by George Tombs

When we last met Maurice Vachon in July 2013 we knew we might never see him again. He seemed a shadow of his former self: wracked by illness, physically weak, he had lost the keen wit that had once been his trademark.

It was heart-wrenching to see him like this, but for brief moments a radiant smile would suddenly light up his face, and he would speak to us as if he were still at the height of his powers. With a great sense of gratitude, we remember playing cribbage with him and hearing him speak French to us, the language of his youth.

When we took his photograph, his last words were De rien, mes amis, or Youre welcome, my friends. We still shudder when we remember that voice of his still slightly hoarse and always full of life.

With the publication of this book, we offer our thanks to Maurice Vachon one last time. This book celebrates his life, his career, and the legend he became. We heard news of his death the morning we were scheduled at the Montreal Book Fair, launching the French version of Mad Dogs, Midgets and Screw Jobs: The Untold Story of How Montreal Shaped the World of Wrestling. We were busy all that day, giving media interviews and promoting the book by the same token. While meeting a stream of readers at the Book Fair, we couldnt help thinking that before dying, Maurice had given one final helping hand to two fellow Quebecers ourselves. Like he had done so many times throughout his life. But then Maurice Vachon was an exceptional human being: throughout his life he had demonstrated unparalleled generosity towards others.

That very evening, as we turned over the events of an emotion-packed day in our minds, we realized we were in a position to take on a new book project, telling his personal story as completely as possible, focusing not just on the good sides of his character but also on the darker side.

We hope that in reading his story, you will find the courage and determination to find your way through the trials and tribulations of life. May you live to fulfill your dreams the way Mad Dog did.

We wish to thank our families, especially Monique, Zakary, Elayna, Jean-Krystophe, Franoise, Grald, and Josihanne for helping and supporting us throughout this project.

We also wish to thank the team at Libre Expression, which published the original French-language edition of this book. They believed in this project. We would particularly like to mention our publisher Milna Stojanac for the precious support she offered while we wrote the previous book, and also this one. We would also like to thank Michael Holmes and ECW Press for believing in this version and for giving us our first break.

A special thanks to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Steven Pantaleo for permission to use exclusive photos of Maurice.

Thanks also to Linda Boucher and lise Boucher for access to their fantastic collection of photos, as well as for the research they conducted on our behalf.

Thanks to the Vachon family (Kathie, Paul, Guy, the late Rgis, and Mike), as well as Nicole Chaput, for always being so available and ready to grant us many hours of their time.

Thanks, finally, to all those who helped us to complete this project, whether by granting us interviews or helping us in other ways too numerous to list here. Know that we are grateful. Thanks to Yves Thriault, Greg Oliver, Vern May, Christian Lavoie, Michel Longtin, Paul Leduc, George Schire, Jim Fanning, Bob Oldis, Roddy Piper, Rick Martel, Pat Patterson, Raymond Rougeau, Jacques Rougeau Sr., Armand Rougeau, Ivan Koloff, J.J. Dillon, Bill Apter, Fernand Ste-Marie, J Michael Kenyon, Tim Hornbaker, Al Friend, Nick Bockwinkel, Dick Beyer, Karl Lauer, Mike Lano, Dave Cameron, Scott Teal, Adam Simpson, Dave Meltzer, Luc Denoncourt, Michel Jasmin, Mike Rodgers, Dean Silverstone, Denis Gauthier Sr., Gilles Poisson, Neil Guay, Angelo Mosca, Merv Unger, Ren Goulet, Ross Hart, Stu Saks, Bob Leonard, Jim Cornette, Kevin Cerutti, Danny Hodge, Jeff Sharkey, Gerald Brisco, Anne Bland, Claude Tousignant, Jim Raschke, Guillaume Lefranois, Terry Funk, Dory Funk Jr., Jean-Pierre Coallier, Fumi Saito, Don Leo Jonathan, ric Salottolo, Michel Pich, Bob Kapur, Serge Savard, Rgis Lvesque, Anglique Richer, and Franois Poirier.

Pat Laprade and Bertrand Hbert

September 2017

My brother Maurice Mad Dog Vachon had two distinct personalities. For the public, he was a rabid dog: a detestable and fiendish wrestler who could stoop to do the most despicable things. He did such a good job and he was so talented that he became a legend in his lifetime. But over time, the public bought into this image of the villain so much that fans considered Mad Dog their very own villain an endearing member of the family. Thats the public image he has left behind.

But in his private life, Maurice was the opposite of the image he cultivated in public. He was a loving, generous man whose heart went out to his family first: his mother, his father, his brothers and sisters. He shared his love with us equally, but he also loved his children and their mothers. He loved life just as much as he loved his wife Kathie. I was fortunate to receive his unconditional love, and I have always said how grateful I am, how privileged to have had him as a brother.

But Maurice didnt just share his love and joy with his family. He was always willing to reach out and help people he knew, even when they hadnt asked for anything, just because it made him happy. First, I think of all his fellow wrestlers: he gave them advice, suggested they adopt a new name, supported them in making a new decision or in developing new tactics. He helped them advance their careers, without expecting anything in return. It would take too long to make a definitive list of all the people he supported over the years, and besides, a list like that would doubtless leave out many names. But I can certainly mention one person who benefited greatly from his help and advice. And that person is... me.

Maurice, my brother, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Maurice passed away and I miss him a lot, but I am not going to cry because something of him will always remain with me with me, and with all those people whose lives he touched.

He went through the greatest trials of life with the dignity and humanity of the great champion he had always been. Through thick and thin, he never felt life had betrayed him. He loved it too much. He died quietly and peacefully in his sleep, the way all of us want to end our days after reaching the end of a path that had been a fantastic adventure.

Dont spill tears over him. Instead, celebrate the life of this extraordinary and generous man. Tell people about the legend he became, the way this book is about to. Make sure my brother, our brother, Maurice Mad Dog Vachon, will be a source of inspiration for generations, helping people fulfill their dreams and face the trials of life, the same way he always did, without letting other people take advantage of him.

I hope you have as much fun reading this book about the life of my brother as I had in knowing him first-hand.

Paul Vachon

October 2014