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Jos LeDuc

[Jos LeDuc GALLERY]

Title History

  • Stampede International Tag Team titles w/Paul LeDuc (January 3, 1969);
  • IWA (Montreal) International Heavyweight title defeating Johnny Rougeau (1971);
  • IWA (Montreal) International Tag Team titles w/Tony Baillargeon (1971);
  • NWA Florida Tag Team titles w/Paul LeDuc defeating Dusty Rhodes & Dick Slater (December 1973);
  • NWA (Florida) Southern Heavyweight title defeating Dusty Rhodes (Febuary 23, 1974);
  • NWA (Florida) Southern Heavyweight title defeating Pak Song (November 20, 1974);
  • NWA Southeastern Tag Team titles w/Bob Armstrong defeating Mr. Knoxville (aka Ron Garvin) & Bob Orton Jr. (September 1977);
  • AWA Southern Tag Team titles w/Jean Louie defeating Bill Dundee & Jerry Lawler (May 1978);
  • AWA Southern Tag Team titles w/Jean Louie defeating Jimmy Valiant & Jerry Lawler (June 24, 1978);
  • AWA Southern Heavyweight title defeating Jerry Lawler (August 7, 1978);
  • AWA Southern Heavyweight title defeating Jerry Lawler (August 28, 1978);
  • NWA Florida Heavyweight title defeating Mr. Uganda (December 19, 1978);
  • NWA (Florida) United States Tag Team titles w/Thor the Viking defeating Jack & Jerry Brisco (1979);
  • NWA (Florida) United States Tag Team titles w/Pak Song defeating Jimmy Garvin & Killer Karl Kox (1979);
  • NWA (Florida) United States Tag Team titles w/Don Muraco defeating Steve Keirn & Mike Graham (June 6, 1979);
  • NWA Southeastern Tag Team titles w/Bob Armstrong defeating Ron Bass & Super Pro (????, 1980);
  • NWA Southeastern Heavyweight title defeating Killer Karl Kox (March 1980);
  • NWA Southeastern Tag Team titles w/Robert Fuller defeating Dennis Condrey & Don Carson (October 7, 1980);
  • NWA Southeastern Heavyweight title defeating Mongolian Stomper (1981);
  • NWA (New Zealand) British Empire/Commonwealth Heavyweight title defeating Steve Rickard (April 23, 1981);
  • NWA (New Zealand) British Empire/Commonwealth Heavyweight title defeating Mark Lewin (July 9, 1981);
  • NWA Southeastern Tag Team titles w/Robert Fuller defeating Mongolian Stomper & Jimmy Golden (October 28, 1981);
  • NWA Southeastern Tag Team titles w/Robert Fuller defeating Randy Rose & Jimmy Golden (November 1981);
  • NWA Southeastern Heavyweight title defeating Terry Gordy (1982);
  • NWA Southeastern Heavyweight title defeating Jacques Rougeau Jr. (January 1982);
  • NWA (Southeastern) Alabama Heavyweight title defeating Terry Gordy (May 1982);
  • NWA (Mid Atlantic) Television title defeating Jimmy Valiant (September 19, 1982);
  • NWA (Mid Atlantic) Television title defeating Dick Slater (April 30, 1983);
  • NWA Florida Heavyweight title defeating Scott McGhee (August 1983);
  • NWA Florida Heavyweight title defeating Barry Windham (September 18, 1983);
  • NWA Southeastern Heavyweight title defeating Bob Armstrong (November 1983);
  • NWA Southeastern Heavyweight title defeating Robert Fuller (December 1983);
  • AWA Southern Tag Team titles w/Jerry Lawler defeating Zambouie Express (March 12, 1984);
  • WWC (World Wrestling Council) North American Heavyweight title defeating Hercules Ayala (January 6, 1986);

Career Highlights [parts courtesy of wikipedia.com]

  • 1968: Jos Leduc started teaming with Paul Leduc in Calgary since both were trained by Stu Hart.
  • 1969: Jos & Paul Leduc were introduced to the Montreal scene by attacking Johnny Rougeau.
  • Along with Paul, Pigeon began wrestling in Hart’s Stampede Wrestling in 1968 under the ring name Jos LeDuc.
  • Paul’s tag team partner and kayfabe brother.
  • The LeDucs’ gimmick was inspired by “Yukon” Eric Holmback, a professional wrestler who had died three years earlier.
  • They portrayed stereotypical Canadian lumberjacks and wore flannel shirts to the ring.
  • They received a push from the promoters and won the Stampede International Tag Team Championship in 1969, but they lost the belts later that year.
  • After moving to the Montreal area, the LeDucs debuted in the International Wrestling Association with a scripted attack on local wrestler Johnny Rougeau.
  • This led to a feud between the LeDucs and the Rougeaus (Johnny and his real-life brother Jacques).
  • Jos LeDuc was booked to win the Montreal version of the International Heavyweight Championship by defeating Johnny Rougeau in 1971.
  • The bookers also decided to give him a run with the International Tag Team Championship that year, which LeDuc won while teaming with Tony Baillargeon.[13] While in Montreal, the LeDucs also competed for Grand Prix Wrestling and were booked in a feud with the Vachon brothers (Mad Dog and Butcher) as well as Killer Kowalski.
  • The LeDucs had two reigns as the Grand Prix Wrestling Tag Team Championship in 1972 and 1973.
  • Jos LeDuc’s next stop was in Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF), where he resumed teaming with Paul LeDuc.
  • Wrestling under the name The Canadian Lumberjacks, they were soon pushed to win the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship in December 1973 by defeating Dusty Rhodes and Dick Slater.
  • They defended the belts for two months before dropping them to Slater and his new partner Stan Vachon, a kayfabe brother of the Vachons from Montreal.
  • This was the final time the LeDuc’s held a title together, as Paul LeDuc sustained a legitimate injury that forced Jos to wrestle without him.
  • Jos LeDuc also wrestled as a singles competitor in Florida. He was booked to win the NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight Championship by defeating Rhodes in late 1973.
  • Jos LeDuc dropped the title back to Rhodes in January 1974, however.
  • Jos LeDuc and Rhodes were placed in a heated feud at this time, and they frequently faced each other in Death matches.
  • Wrestling in Tennessee in 1977, LeDuc teamed with Bob Armstrong to win the NWA Southeast Tag Team Championship in September.
  • They were put over Bob Orton, Jr. and Mr. Knoxville for the belts but lost them in a rematch.
  • While in Tennessee, Jos LeDuc gained notoriety from a worked feud with Jerry Lawler. Wrestling as a heel, he faced Jerry Lawler, who was a favorite in the state, in many matches throughout the year.
  • Jos LeDuc was placed with a new partner, Jean Louie, to win the NWA Mid-America Southern Tag Team Championship in May.
  • They faced Lawler and Jimmy Valiant on May 22 to defend the belts, but the match was declared a no contest and the title was vacated.  Lawler and Valiant won the belts in a rematch the following week, but LeDuc and Louie regained them the following month.
  • In September, LeDuc and Louie dropped the belts once again, this time to Lawler and the Mongolian Stomper.
  • Jos LeDuc returned to Florida in 1978 and was given a title reign as the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship after defeating Mr. Uganda on December 18.  He held the belt for two weeks before dropping it to his old kayfabe rival Dick Slater.  He was soon a champion again, however, as he and Thor the Viking were booked to win the NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship in early 1979.  They dropped the belts to Killer Karl Kox and Jimmy Garvin, but LeDuc soon regained the title by teaming with Pak Song.  LeDuc and Song vacated the title shortly after winning it, but LeDuc teamed with yet another partner, Don Muraco, to win the belts back later that year.
  • During this stint in Florida, LeDuc made a scripted turn from face to heel. Garvin claimed that LeDuc was aligned with heel manager Sonny King, but LeDuc denied the claim. Garvin then showed video footage to prove that LeDuc had secret dealings with King. LeDuc responded by attacking Garvin in front of the crowd, solidifying a heel turn for LeDuc.
  • In a storyline several months later, Jos LeDuc and King Curtis Iaukea attacked Buddy Rogers, a veteran then working as a face.  The injuries Rogers received were said to be so severe that he was forced to retire, although, in reality, Rogers had simply moved to another wrestling promotion.
  • Later that year, Jos LeDuc wrestled in Japan during a brief tour. He was successful during several matches on the tour, but his wrestling style was noticeably different from the traditional Japanese style.
  • In the Japanese media, he was referred to as “maniacal” and “demented”.
  • Jos LeDuc had more success in Southeast Championship Wrestling after returning to the Tennessee area. He was pushed to win his first NWA Southeast Heavyweight Championship in a victory over Killer Karl Kox in March 1980 before losing the belt back to Kox in a rematch.
  • In October, Jos LeDuc regained the Southeastern Tag Team Championship while teaming with Robert Fuller.  They lost the belts to Super Proand Ron Bass, but LeDuc teamed with Armstrong again to regain the belts.
  • Jos LeDuc travelled to New Zealand to wrestle in 1981. While there, he was booked in two title reigns. On April 23, he won the NWA New Zealand British Commonwealth Championship by defeating Steve Rickard.  He dropped the belt to Mark Lewin one week later but regained it in a rematch on July 9. His second and final reign came to an end when he lost the belt to Rickard in mid-August.
  • Later that year, Jos LeDuc returned to Southeastern Championship Wrestling and was given two more tag team title reigns while teaming with Fuller.  Ultimately, however, the team split up and vacated the title.
  • Jos LeDuc was then booked in singles competition, winning the Southeastern Heavyweight Championship twice more with victories over Jacques Rougeau, Jr. and Terry Gordy.  He was also put over Terry Gordy to win the NWA Alabama Heavyweight Championship in May 1982, but LeDuc dropped the title that summer to Austin Idol.
  • In the early 1980s, Jos LeDuc wrestled in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, where the bookers had him join Oliver Humperdink’s “House of Humperdink” stable.
  • 1981: Jos Leduc’s first wife was killed in a car accident.
  • Under Humperdink’s management, Jos LeDuc was booked to win the NWA Television Championship by defeating Jimmy Valiant in 1982.  The title reign did not last long, however, as the belt was soon taken away because of an angle that saw LeDuc cheat in a title defense against Johnny Weaver.[32] Eventually, the storyline had LeDuc claim that Humperdink had stolen his money, and LeDuc left the stable.  This led to a worked feud between LeDuc and the members of Humperdink’s stable, although the main rivalry that was portrayed was between LeDuc and Dick Slater.
  • As part of the feud, Jos LeDuc and Slater faced each other on April 30, 1983 in a Lumberjack match. At this time, LeDuc received a push and won the match and Slater’s NWA Television Championship.
  • Jos LeDuc then returned to Florida, where he was kept mainly in the singles division.
  • In October 1983, he was put over Scott McGhee to win the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship for a second time.  He dropped the belt to Barry Windham the following month.  In a rematch with Windham the following night, LeDuc won the belt once again.
  • Jos LeDuc’s final reign as Florida Heavyweight Champion was short-lived, however, as the bookers had him drop the belt in a rematch with Windham the next night.
  • Another short stint in Southeastern Championship Wrestling followed, with Jos LeDuc being given two more reigns with the Southeastern Heavyweight title. He was put over his former partner Bob Armstrong for the belt in August 1983 and began a feud with Robert Fuller, another former partner.  During the course of this feud, the belt changed hands twice. Fuller was booked to win the belt from LeDuc, but LeDuc won a subsequent match to win the title for his sixth and final reign.  LeDuc held the belt until vacating the title when he left the promotion.
  • On March 12, 1984, Jos LeDuc teamed with former kayfabe rival Jerry Lawler to win the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship from Elijah Akeem and Kareem Muhammad.
  • In a six-man match the following week, Jos LeDuc teamed with Lawler and Jimmy Hart, who was their manager but wrestled on occasion. During the match, LeDuc revealed that his reconciliation with Lawler was a setup, as LeDuc and Hart turned on Lawler by walking away to leave Lawler by himself.  As a result, the tag team title was vacated and the feud was rekindled.
  • While wrestling in Puerto Rico, Jos LeDuc was booked in his final championship reign. He defeated Hercules Ayala on January 6, 1986 to win the World Wrestling Council’s North American Heavyweight Championship.  He held the belt for just over two months before dropping it to Al Perez on March 7.
  • Jos LeDuc wrestled for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1988.  He started off in the WWF wrestling as Butcher LeDuc before switching back to the name Jos LeDuc.
  • Later that year, Jos LeDuc wrestled under the ring name The Headbanger during an episode of WWF Prime Time Wrestling. He lost by disqualification to Brian Costello in an angle that saw him disregard the referee’s warnings about headbutting his opponent.
  • While in the WWF, he was occasionally managed by Frenchy Martin.  He disappeared from the WWF in mid-1988.
  • The following year, Jos LeDuc returned to Japan for another brief wrestling tour. He wrestled primarily in tag teams with Masanobu Kurisu.  They were booked to lose each of these matches, however.  LeDuc’s only victory in Japan came when he was put over Tarzan Goto in a singles match.
  • Following his stint in Japan, Jos LeDuc retired from wrestling.
  • On June 10, 1995, Jos LeDuc wrestled one final event, teaming with Phil Hickerson to face Lawler and Valiant at the United States Wrestling Association’s “Memphis Memories II” event.
  • The match built upon the storyline feud between LeDuc and Lawler, and Lawler won the match for his team by pinning LeDuc.
  • May 1, 1999: Jos Leduc passed away from a lung infection in Atlanta, Georgia.
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Trained By

Jack Britton
Stu Hart

Debut

1965

Birthday

1944

Hometown

Godbou, Quebec

Gender

Height

6'1"

Weight

280 lbs

Finishing Move(s)

The Bear Hug (face)
One-armed Backbreaker (Heel)

Favorite Move(s)

Notable Feuds

The Vachon Family (Grand Prix)
The Rougeau Family
Killer Kowalski
Don Leo Jonathan
The Fuller Family
Jerry 'The King' Lawler
Superstar Bill Dundee

Status