Neil Guay (born July 21, 1942) is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known by his ring name The Hangman (Le Bourreau) who spent his career in Calgary, Japan, New York, Montreal, Minnesota and Tennessee.[3]
| Neil Guay | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 21, 1942 Matane, Quebec, Canada |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Neil Guay The Hangman Le Bourreau Super Destroyer III J.P. Durelle The Towering Inferno Big John the Quebec Lumberjack Jean Louie Jean Pierre LaSalle[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Billed weight | 290 lb (130 kg; 21 st) |
| Trained by | Pat Gerard |
| Debut | 1964[2] |
| Retired | 1987 |
Career
editGuay worked as a policeman who was skilled in judo. He gave wrestling a shot and worked in Montreal and the Maritimes.[4]
In 1975, he made his debut in Japan for New Japan Pro Wrestling. He also worked in Los Angeles where he became The Hangman and in Calgary for Stampede Wrestling.[5]
In 1978, he made his debut in Memphis as Jean Louie winning the tag team titles with Jos Leduc. In 1979, he made his debut for the American Wrestling Association in Minnesota and became the Super Destroyer Mark III teaming with Super Destroyer Mark II and managed by Lord Alfred Hayes.[6]
In 1980, he made his debut in the World Wrestling Federation being managed by Freddie Blassie.[7] He defeated Rene Goulet at Showdown at Shea event.[8] Hangman feuded with WWF Champion Bob Backlund, Andre the Giant, Pedro Morales and Bruno Sammartino.[9] He left the WWF in 1981.[10]
After WWF, he worked in Montreal for Lutte Internationale where he was a major star until the promotions shut its doors down in 1987.[11] He retired from wrestling afterward.
Personal life
editIn 1991, he was in a car accident that left him with a broken neck.[12]
He appeared in the documentary Mad Dog and the Butcher released in 2019.
Championships and accomplishments
editReferences
edit- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Hangman « Wrestlers Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database".
- ^ "the top ranked pro wrestlers by rookie year 1964".
- ^ "Profile". Wrestlingdata. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
- ^ "Québec Wrestling History: 1960s".
- ^ Pat Laprade; Bertrand Hébert (2013). Mad Dogs, Midgets and Screw Jobs: The Untold Story of How Montreal Shaped the World of Wrestling. ECW Press. pp. 34, 42. ISBN 978-1-77090-296-1.
- ^ "American Wrestling Association".
- ^ Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2012). WWE Encyclopedia: Updated & Expanded. DK. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-7566-9159-2.
- ^ Cawthon, Graham (2013). The History of Professional Wrestling: The Results WWF 1963–1989. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 309. ISBN 978-1-4928-2597-5.
- ^ Cawthon, Graham (19 December 2023). "Yearly Results: 1980". TheHistoryOfWWE.com.
- ^ Cawthon, Graham (19 December 2023). "Yearly Results: 1981". TheHistoryOfWWE.com.
- ^ "Québec Wrestling History: 1980s".
- ^ Oliver, Greg (30 June 1999). "Neil Guay succeeded outside Quebec, from Japan to WWWF". SLAM! Wrestling. Canoe.com. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
- ^ Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2006) [2000.]. "(Memphis, Nashville) Tennessee: Southern Tag Team Title [Roy Welsch & Nick Gulas, Jerry Jarrett from 1977]". Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Waterloo, Ontario: Archeus Communications. pp. 185–189. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "Southern Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles. Archived from the original on March 19, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
- ^ "International Wrestling International Tag Team Title (Montreal)". Wrestling Titles. Retrieved 2009-01-16.
General
- Oliver, Greg (2003). "Roll Call: Hangman Neil Guay". The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians. ECW Press. p. 176. ISBN 1-55022-531-6.
- Nevada, Vance (2022). (Un)Controlled Chaos: Canada's Remarkable Professional Wrestling Legacy. FriesenPress. ISBN 9781039154797.