Rene Goulet
- This page is on the former pro wrestler, Rene Goulet. For the former Canadian champion tennis player see Robert Bédard (tennis).
| Rene Goulet | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Robert Bédard |
| Born |
July 12, 1932 Quebec City, Quebec, Canada |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) |
Worzel Buddy Rogers Jr. Sgt. Jacques Goulet Rene Goulet |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 236 lb (107 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | Nice, France[1] |
| Debut | 1957 |
| Retired | 1987 |
Robert Bédard (born July 12, 1932) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. better known by his ring name, "The Number One Frenchman" Rene Goulet.
Professional wrestling career
Goulet began his career in Quebec City, QC in 1957 with his first match being against Gerard Dugas.
He spent the earlier part of his career traveling the territories, spending a significant amount of time in the AWA. His greatest fame was when he competed in the 1970s and 1980s with the World Wrestling Federation where he won the WWWF Tag Team Championship with Karl Gotch in December 1971. Later on Goulet became a jobber in the WWF.
Robert Bédard was well known as a very dependable wrestler who could always be trusted to have a good match. As a result, he was often selected to have matches with rookie wrestlers so he could carry the match. The list of wrestlers who had either had their first match or nearly their first match against Bédard includes Ric Flair, Chris Taylor, The Iron Sheik, Jim Brunzell, Greg Gagne, and Ken Patera. In Japan in 1981 he teamed with Andre The Giant. While in the AWA in the early 1980`s he was known as Sgt. Jacques Goulet and used a claw hold he called Le Scorpion.
Rene has a number of claims to fame:
- He was the first person to defeat Ric Flair. It was Flair's second match. (Flair's first match, against George Gadaski [who later became a referee] ended in a draw.)
- He was the subject of a full-page photo in the third issue ever of People Magazine (March 11, 1974). The photo was taken of Robert Bédard in a bear hug from Chris Taylor in Taylor's first professional match.
- He was in the first WWF match ever televised on the USA Network. His opponent was Tito Santana.
- He had a recurring role in the classic wrestling show, TNT, as the host of Cafe Rene.
He wrestled regularly until 1986, and he competed in a Legends Battle Royal in the Meadowlands in 1987. He worked as a road agent for the WWF until 1997 and could frequently be seen coming to the ring to maintain control when wrestlers got into fights. He is an avid golfer and regularly competes in celebrity/charity tournaments.[2]
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
Championships and accomplishments
- NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Pepper Martin and Shag Thomas [6]
- WWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Don Fargo and Zarinoff Lebeouf [7]
- WWWF World Tag Team Champion (1 time) - with Karl Gotch[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE Encyclopedia. Dorling Kindersley. p. 245. ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0.
- ↑ Rene Goulet Interview, retrieved 2010-05-23
- ↑ http://www.obsessedwithwrestling.com/profiles/r/rene-goulet.php Obsessed with Wrestling
- ↑ "N.W.A. Southern Heavyweight Title (Florida)". Puroresu Dojo. 2003.
- ↑ "N.W.A. Georgia Tag Team Title". Puroresu Dojo. 2003.
- ↑ "N.W.A. Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title". Puroresu Dojo. 2003.
- ↑ "W.W.A. World Tag Team Title (Indianapolis)". Puroresu Dojo. 2003.