Please listen to Episode 23 of the Wrestling Culture Podcast as Dylan and I are joined by a great man in Pat Laprade to talk the history of Montreal wrestling. It may be a long episode but I feel it is the best we've done. Pat's book "Mad-dogs, Midgets and Screw-Jobs" co-authored with Bertrand Hébert will be released by ECW Press in February 2013 and looks to be a must-read.

 

 

Wrestling Culture Episode 23

Can't wait to listen to this.

Ditto! I've been waiting for that book for some time...really looking forward to it.

Wow that show was an extraordinary treat. Like the very best 57Gold shows.

 

Pat seems to be a genuine Historian and a nice guy to boot.

 

Great show.

Wow that show was an extraordinary treat. Like the very best 57Gold shows.

 

Pat seems to be a genuine Historian and a nice guy to boot.

 

Great show.

Thanks so much Rovert!!! Pat is awesome

I haven't listened yet but oddly enough Court Bauer of all people tweeted a link as he really liked it.

I haven't listened yet but oddly enough Court Bauer of all people tweeted a link as he really liked it.

I sent it to Court, I've been in touch with him recently as I was looking up information on his ancestor Theobaud Bauer.

Trying to find the thread where Jerry asked some questions about Bravo. We covered him generally on the show and Pat noted that Bravo was one of the top handful of draws in the history of the Montreal territory. Tons of other interesting stuff covered. I thought it had a good 57Gold feel to it, I just hope I didn't sound as vapid as Cubeta.

I loved the last episode. Finding out Dino Bravo was a big draw was shocking to hear. I really want to read this book now.

 

It really does make me curious about the interesting information that could come out if smaller other territories were studied more.

Thanks for listening Grimmas.

 

Dino Bravo in the 80s as IW champion had feuds over the title with both King Tonga and Samu (later of the SST). I have seen some of the Samu matches and they were pretty good.

 

I know you said you're moving to Toronto, but what area of Canada are you moving from? I've done a lot of Maritimes research.

Samu was freakin' awesome in International Wrestling. He was like a cross between the Great Muta and Sabu. Dino Bravo, with dark hair, was the babyface champion the promotion seemed to be banking on for sure. When he turned up all blonde and roided in the WWF I was pretty disappointed.

Dino Bravo, with dark hair, was the babyface champion the promotion seemed to be banking on for sure. When he turned up all blonde and roided in the WWF I was pretty disappointed.

Ditto.

This is properly fascinating. Really interesting how the NWA champ wasn't a big deal or draw in Montreal.

 

Also Bravo as top 5 -- why?! What did they see in him?

 

Only an hour or so in but this is great.

 

Dylan - listen to the last Flairchop podcast if you can, thing and Blackwell related on there after the Hansen-Andre review. Very funny stuff.

Bravo in Montreal really is a pretty different deal from anything you would have seen of him in WWE. He was a better worker and also had the ethnic following, making him more charismatic in that setting. Before he bulked up as much as he did for WWE he was still big but could actually do some flying, including a dropkick given to Samu who was sitting on the top buckle.

Thanks for listening Grimmas.

 

Dino Bravo in the 80s as IW champion had feuds over the title with both King Tonga and Samu (later of the SST). I have seen some of the Samu matches and they were pretty good.

 

I know you said you're moving to Toronto, but what area of Canada are you moving from? I've done a lot of Maritimes research.

Born and raised in Brockville (hour south of Ottawa) but have been in Ottawa for last few years. The WWF one house show in Brockville in 1993.

Checking out all these shows...great stuff....really enjoying it...especially the AWA one..

 

Will be listening to the Montreal one tomorrow and the second half of the 1996 set..

 

Also in the middle of the Gimmicks show....funny as hell.

 

Keep up the good work!

I posted last in this thread about the Maritimes episode and I've enjoyed all the episodes in between but this episode was terrific. I had a friend in school who moved from Quebec and definitely loved IW, which I always thought was absurd because the guys he said were in it, that I knew (specifically Dino) were not guys I could imagine liking.

 

Stoked to get the book when it is released, and I hope we see more in depth territory discussion on future episodes.

As far as Canadian footage I am watching, I would say that the International Wrestling comes off similar to the Texas set as far the action in the ring and hot crowds. The Maritimes footage is more like Memphis-style stuido wrestling.

 

Thanks for the feedback on the shows guys.

Finally got to listen to this today while working on the 1990 yearbook and this was a great interview. I don't know if it is the French-Candian accent but that guy seems like the nicest guy in the world and he told so many great wrestling stories that I was completely ignorant on. This is a must-hear show, no doubt. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I learned something from listening to a podcast.

Thanks so much for listening Will and Pat is my hero and yes, and incredibly nice guy