Canadian Wrestling’s Elite is returning to Prince Albert and Plaza 88 on Wednesday, July 26 with special guest WWE Legend “The Mountie” Jacques Rougeau as part of their Cruel Summer Tour.
Rougeau, who retired from professional wrestling in 2018 will be not appearing as a wrestler but as a special guest.
Rougeau explained that the tour of Saskatchewan takes him back to his roots as a young performer.
“I have actually never been to Prince Albert and then the wrestle through Canada. And I’m really, really looking forward to going and check this beautiful place out,” Rougeau said.
Rougeau is the third generation of the Rougeau family who are legends in Quebec.
“ I was raised and I was brought up in the business and my father and my uncle owned the Montreal Territory when I was young, so. So I was just the part of the guy who was going in the dressing room at five, six years old and then 10, 12 years old, just want to get the popcorn and the hot dogs for the wrestlers and just been around the business all my life,” Rougeau said.
In his final match Rougeau wrestled with his three sons as his father Jacques Rougeau Sr. wrestled with Jacques, Raymond and Armand in his final match.
Rougeau’s sons wrestled locally in Quebec in Rougeau’s federation that he operated from 1998 until 2018.
“ I had my own promotion and my three kids wrestle with me one after the other. And, and so, yes, on the 2018, I had my last match with my three sons, the same thing that my dad did when he wrestled and finished off with his three sons, So it was a pretty amazing,” Rougeau said.
The love of other sports extended to his Uncle Jean Rougeau being a figure in the QMJHL.
“My uncle Johnny was really a Jack of All trades. He was actually the right hand man of Rene Leveque, he was a bodyguard and the right hand man for Rene Leveque”
Jean Rougeau was President of the QMJHL and owner of the Rosemont National (what is now the Acadie-Bathhust Titan) The Jean Rougeau Trophy is awarded each year to the QMJHL who records the most points in a season.
Rougeau began his career in 1977 working for Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling and would do the tour of Regina, Saskatoon, Lethbridge, Red Deer, Edmonton and Calgary.
“And I was doing that loop for months and months in did that in 1977 or 1978 and, but I’ve never been to Prince Albert and it’s gonna be fun for me to go in there and visit Prince Albert and sign autographs and take pictures,” Rougeau said.
Rougeau is remembered as the Mountie but he was also part of the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers with his brother Raymond and the Quebecers with Ouellet.
“And but I’m going to be signing autographs, taking pictures and a lot of other people. There are so my three characters for 10 years in the WWF,” Rougeau said.
“And that character of the Mountie one really far was Intercontinental Champion and did some main event at Madison Square Garden has been around the world and a jailhouse match with Big Boss Man,”
The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers changed from heroes to villains.
“It was a fun time in my life. And we were we worked four years and years together and two years as babyfaces and then they switched us heels and we moved to Memphis, supposedly and woth the Jimmy Hart, and that became the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers with the little American flags there and and laughing at the Americans having so much fun. And so that was my one of my favourite characters, too, to be honest with you,” Rougeau said.
Rougeau is also the only Canadian to pin Hulk Hogan and did it in Montreal in 1997.
“It was in my hometown and without a without a gimmick and nothing was a clean and smooth, small package. And the and that just changed the way people looked at me in Quebec after that and in the States and a lot of people are so and so different they didn’t understand why Hulk did it and I still don’t. But he really liked me Hulk really liked me,”
Rougeau explained that he attributed the pin of Hogan to a number of things including Hogan’s respect for the family and what they accomplished and how respectful Jacque and Raymond were when they were on the same card during the 1980s wrestling boom.
“We were representing WWF at our best. And I think he appreciated that,” Rougeau said.
Rougeau also attributed it to a story he heard from someone that Hogan respected him for standing up to the Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith, who was a noted dressing room bullies. Rougeau famously punched Dynamite Kid after an escalating confrontation between the two teams.
“I think Hulk really took a liking to me and because then he didn’t have to go in the airports at five, six in the morning and see my guys come in drunk in the airport and swearing and cussing and looking like bums,” Rougeau said.
Roeugeau said that he is not by nature a fighter so this act was against his nature.
“ I didn’t want my father to be embarrassed of our name. Because my father was my hero my whole life, and. And I didn’t want my father to look down at me because I got beat up or one week before I did what I had to do, I got beat about in the dressing room for something I didn’t do, I didn’t deserve,”
Rougeau also remembers his great matches with Bret Hart when he was the Mountie including beating Hart for the Intercontinental Championship.
“I’ve always had the greatest respect for Bret Hart’s work. He was a hard worker and a great guy to work with,” Rougeau said.
Rougeau said that through all of it, he always enjoyed working with Hart.
“ I’m really looking forward to, to go back in Saskatchewan and go back to my debut of my career in 1977,” Rougeau said.
“ I’m really looking forward to that. And I hope that the a couple of fans there will come and see us. They used to know me as Jimmy Rougeau when I first started. I wasn’t Jacques Rougeau,”
Rougeau began his career as Jimmy Rougeau, which was what she called him at home so as to not confuse him with his father Jacques Rougeau Sr.
Along with a special appearance by Rougeau the card also includes CWE Jr. Champion “Chiseled” Chad Daniels against Lucha Libre Star Sol, Lucha Libre Star X-Devil againts 2023 Elite 8 Winner “The Real Deal” James Roth with “Hotshot” Danny Duggan, Fil Deadly against “The Headline” Shaun Martens, “Steel City Saint” Vinnie DaVinci against”Mr. Beefy Goodness” Vance Nevada and Josh “Cheeks” Holliday against The 400+lbs Monster The Big Chief
“ I hope to see some fans come up to me and say hi to me. And when they when they came to see me when I was 17 years old, either in Saskatoon or Regina. That really would be nice if that happens.
The Meet and Greet is at 6 p.m., doors open at 6:30 p.m. and bell time is 7 p.m.
Tickets prices are VIP First Priority Access & Meet & Greet $28, General Admission $23 in advance, $26 at the door Advance Tickets Available at: Colette Portamedic Services (#3-496 Marquis Rd.) Purchase tickets online at cwetickets.com
