Jean Gagné (July 19, 1947 – October 21, 2016) was a French–Canadian
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
and manager, best known under the ring name Frenchy Martin. During his
World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...
heyday in the 1980s as the
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities ...
of Canadian wrestler
Dino Bravo
Adolfo Bresciano (; August 6, 1948 – March 10, 1993) was an Italian-Canadian professional wrestler and promoter, better known by the ring name Dino Bravo ().
After training under Gino Brito, he started his career in Montreal in the 1970s, w ...
, he was known for his trademark sign that read "USA is not OK". Gagné, however, began his career in Canada, primarily in
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta. For nearly 50 years, it was one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies. Originally established by Stu Hart in 1948, the pro ...
, and Puerto Rico's
World Wrestling Council
The World Wrestling Council (WWC) (Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha"), is a Puerto-Rican professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón Sr., Victor J ...
. In 1990, Gagné left the WWF and retired from professional wrestling.
Professional wrestling career
Canada and Puerto Rico
Jean Gagné began his career in 1971 in Quebec and in
Stu Hart
Stewart Edward Hart (May 3, 1915 – October 16, 2003) was a Canadian amateur and professional wrestler, wrestling booker, promoter, coach, trainer, football player and sailor. He is best known for founding and handling Stampede Wrestling, a ...
's
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta. For nearly 50 years, it was one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies. Originally established by Stu Hart in 1948, the pro ...
.
[ In June 1977, Gagné, under the name Frenchy Martin, won the ]IW North American Heavyweight Championship
This is a list of people who held the "North American Heavyweight Title" under the banner of ''International Wrestling'' (IW) from 1969 to 1984. The promotion was owned by the Eastern Sports Association from 1969 until 1976. The IW promotion ends w ...
in Trans-Canada Wrestling. In July, he lost the title to Leo Burke
Léonce Cormier (born June 29, 1948) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He was born in Dorchester, New Brunswick. He competed across Canada, in several American promotions, and wrestled internationally for both Puerto Rico's World Wr ...
. In Stampede Wrestling in February 1976, he held the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship
The Stampede International Tag Team Championship was the main tag team title in the Canadian professional wrestling promotion Stampede Wrestling. It was created in 1958 as the NWA International Tag Team Championship (Calgary version). When promote ...
under the name Don Gagné. In October 1977, Gagné, still wrestling under the name Don Gagné, won the Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship
The Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship was the major title in the Canadian professional wrestling promotion Stampede Wrestling. From its establishment in 1968 until 1972, it was Stampede's secondary singles championship, becoming th ...
in a tournament final after the former champion Dan Kroffat
Daniel Kroffat (born June 14, 1945) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Stampede Wrestling in the 1960s and 1970s, where he invented the ladder match.
Professional wrestling career
Stampede ...
retired and vacated the title. In January, however, he lost the title to old rival Leo Burke. Gagné defeated Burke for the Stampede Championship in November 1979 but lost it to Mr. Sekigawa in December.
Meanwhile, Jean Gagné also wrestled in Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council
The World Wrestling Council (WWC) (Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha"), is a Puerto-Rican professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón Sr., Victor J ...
under his own name, and in the first half of 1978, he and partner Huracán Castillo traded the WWC World Tag Team Championship
The WWC World Tag Team Championship is the tag team title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council.
History Abroad (2017)
On February 11, 2017, Thunder and Lightning defended the WWC World T ...
with the tag team
Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...
of Invader I
''InVader'' is the fourth album by Finnish glam metal band Reckless Love, released on 4 March 2016 through Spinefarm Records.
Track listing
All songs written by Olli Herman, Pepe Reckless, and Ikka Wirtanen, unless otherwise noted.
Reception
Wr ...
and José Rivera, holding the title once. He also held the WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship
The WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship is a secondary title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council (WWC).
The title has been in use since 1975. Prior to being defended in the WWC, it wa ...
and the WWC North American Tag Team Championship
The WWC North American Tag Team Championship was a major tag team championship that was used and defended in Capitol Sports Promotions. It is sometimes referred to as the WWC North American Tag Team Championship, though this isn't entirely accu ...
, the latter he held four times; one of the times was with Michel Martel
Michel Vigneault (October 4, 1944 – June 30, 1978) was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Michel "Mad Dog" Martel. Martel is best known for his appearances with promotions such as Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling, ...
as part of a tag team called The Mercenaries.[ While in Puerto Rico, he wrestled Ric Flair in a match to a 60-minute time limit draw.][ Gagné also wrestled under the name Mad Dog Martin in Australasia and the South Pacific during the mid to-late 1970s. On September 28, 1978, he won the ]NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship
The New Zealand version of the NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship was a professional wrestling heavyweight championship defended in the National Wrestling Alliance-affiliated Dominion Wrestling Union from 1929 to 1953 and in All Star ...
from Steve Rickard
Sydney Mervin "Merv" Batt (3 September 1929 – 5 April 2015), best known by his ring name Steve Rickard, was a New Zealand professional wrestler, trainer and promoter. As a wrestler, he traveled throughout the world during the 1960s and 1970s, ...
and defended the title for several months before dropping it to Leo Burke
Léonce Cormier (born June 29, 1948) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He was born in Dorchester, New Brunswick. He competed across Canada, in several American promotions, and wrestled internationally for both Puerto Rico's World Wr ...
the following year.
World Wrestling Federation
Martin debuted in the WWF in October 1986. Initially a full-time wrestler, he would primarily be used as an enhancement talent
In professional wrestling slang, a job is a losing performance in a wrestling match. It is derived from the euphemism "doing one's job", which was employed to protect information related to kayfabe from being revealed. The term can be used a numbe ...
, losing the majority of his matches. In August 1987, he began to be the host of a WWF's skit "Le Studio" (presented only in Canada, during Superstars of Wrestling); during the segment, he would interview his guests and translate their answers in French, using the opportunity to mock the faces and praise the heels. Since he spoke fluent Spanish from his years in Puerto Rico, he hosted a similar segment for WWF's Spanish-language TV called "Frenchy's Easel." Throughout 1987, he would make regular appearances as color commentator
A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main ( play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and ...
on the French-language WWF programming alongside Edouard Carpentier and Guy Hauray. Martin began managing Dino Bravo in late 1987. During his alliance with Bravo, Martin regularly carried a sign down to ringside that read "USA is not OK". In March 1988, he managed Bravo at WrestleMania IV
WrestleMania IV was the fourth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on March 27, 1988, at the Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall in A ...
in a match against Don Muraco
Don Muraco (born September 10, 1949) is an American retired professional wrestler and podcaster. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation from 1981 to 1988, where he held the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Cha ...
. During a rematch at SummerSlam
SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
in August, Martin distracted Bravo's opponent Muraco to allow Bravo to get the victory. In October at the King of the Ring
King of the Ring was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Network event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The PPV event was held annually in June and was established in 1993 when the promotion ...
, Martin managed Bravo in a loss over Jim Duggan
James Edward Duggan Jr. (born January 14, 1954), better known by his ring name "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE on a Legends contract. His best-known character is that of an American patriot, which ...
in a flag match. He also appeared at Bravo's side at '' Saturday Night's Main Event XVII'' at the end of October for Bravo's match against Ken Patera. On Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...
night, he also appeared at Survivor Series
Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the se ...
.
Martin also managed Jos LeDuc
Michel Pigeon (August 31, 1944 – May 1, 1999) was a Canadian professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Jos LeDuc.
Wrestling with a lumberjack gimmick, he debuted in Stampede Wrestling with his kayfabe brother, Paul LeDuc. The pair l ...
in 1988, but LeDuc's run in the WWF was short and he made very few appearances on television. At the Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network events, event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named afte ...
in January 1989, Bravo, accompanied by Martin, teamed with The Fabulous Rougeaus
The Fabulous Rougeaus (also known as the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers) was the professional wrestling tag team of real-life brothers Jacques and Raymond Rougeau, best known from their time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), from 1986 to 1990.
...
(Jacques
Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over ...
and Raymond
Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...
), but lost a two out of three falls match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
against Jim Duggan and The Hart Foundation
The Hart Foundation is the name of several derivative tag teams and stables composed primarily of members and close friends of the Hart wrestling family. The name originated in the World Wrestling Federation in 1985 with the original Hart Foundat ...
(Bret Hart
Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling back ...
and Jim Neidhart
James Henry Neidhart (February 8, 1955 – August 13, 2018) was an American professional wrestler known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation as Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, where he was a two-time WWF Tag T ...
). At WrestleMania V
WrestleMania V was the fifth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on April 2, 1989, at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.The ven ...
in April 1989, after Bravo's match with Ron Garvin
Roger Barnes (born March 30, 1945) is a Canadian former professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Rugged" Ronnie Garvin. He is best known for his appearances with Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federatio ...
, Martin attacked Garvin, and as a result, Garvin performed his signature maneuver, the "Garvin Stomp" on him. Bravo replaced Martin in favor of Jimmy Hart in April 1989. Later, Martin appeared as an occasional enhancement talent on weekly WWF television broadcasts, reviving his initial role with the company when he joined the WWF in 1986. By mid-1990, Gagné retired and eventually became head booker for the IWA in Puerto Rico. Until his death he continued to make guest appearances for indie shows across Canada and the US.[
]
Outside the WWF
In Montreal's Lutte Internationale
Lutte Internationale (; "International Wrestling") was a professional wrestling promotion based in Montreal from 1980 until 1987. The promotion was founded by Frank Valois, André the Giant and Gino Brito as Promotions Varoussac (VAlois, ROUSSim ...
in January 1984, Gagné won the Canadian International Tag Team Championship with partner Pierre Lefebvre
Pierre Lefebvre (February 24, 1955 – December 24, 1985) was a French-Canadian professional wrestler better known by his ring name Mad Dog Pierre Lefebvre.
Professional Wrestling career
He started his career at the age of 17 in 1972 in Montreal ...
from the team of Gino Brito
Louis Gino Acocella (born May 18, 1941), better known by his ring name Gino Brito, is a retired Canadian professional wrestler and promoter. He was most popular in Montreal. As Louis Cerdan, he was a WWWF Tag Team Champion with fellow Italian-C ...
and Tony Parisi, but lost them in a rematch on February 20. In June, Gagné and Lefebvre won the title back, but lost it to Raymond Rougeau
Raymond Rougeau (born February 18, 1955) is a Canadian politician, former professional wrestler and French language commentator. He most notably worked for the World Wrestling Federation between 1986 and 2002, firstly as one of The Fabulous Rou ...
and Jacques Rougeau Jr. in the beginning of July. In 1980, under the name Masked Cyclops, Gagné won the NWA Pacific International Championship
The NWA Pacific International Heavyweight Championship was the primary singles championship of 50th State Big Time Wrestling, the NWA territory based in Hawaii. The title was originally the Hawaiian version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Ch ...
from Tor Kamata
McRonald Kamaka (March 9, 1937 – July 23, 2007) was an American-Canadian professional wrestler known by the ring name Tor Kamata. He won several heavyweight and tag team championships, most notably the PWF World Heavyweight Championship in A ...
, but he lost it later that year to Siva Afi
Papali'itele Max Amata Taogaga (born 28 April 1949) is a Samoan retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the late-1980s under the ring name Siva Afi.
Early life
Max Taog ...
. At the International Wrestling 2000 card at the Centre Pierre Charbonneau
Centre Pierre Charbonneau is a community center located in the Olympic Park in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was built in 1957 and its gymnasium holds 2,700 people. The arena also hosted wrestling events at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
It was origi ...
, Gagné as Frenchy Martin managed Richard Charland
Richard Charland (born September 26, 1956) is a Canadian professional wrestler.
Professional wrestling career Early career (1972-1980)
Richard Charland became a wrestler with the encouragement by Mad Dog Vachon. The mat legend had met Charlan ...
in the semi-main event against King Kong Bundy
Christopher Alan Pallies (November 7, 1955 – March 5, 2019) was an American professional wrestler, actor and stand-up comedian, better known by his wrestling gimmick and ring name, King Kong Bundy. Under this gimmick, he portrayed a pugnacious, ...
.
Personal life and death
He has a son and a nephew who have wrestled, Jean Gagne Jr. and George Martel. He also has a daughter. On September 8, 2016, Smith Hart
Smith Stewart Hart (November 28, 1948 – July 2, 2017) was an American-Canadian professional wrestler and a member of the Hart wrestling family. His parents were Stu and Helen Hart. Smith was the first of their twelve children, being one of thei ...
announced that Gagne was afflicted with bladder cancer
Bladder cancer is any of several types of cancer arising from the tissues of the urinary bladder. Symptoms include blood in the urine, pain with urination, and low back pain. It is caused when epithelial cells that line the bladder become ma ...
and had been moved to hospice care, and on October 21, 2016, Gagne died after nearly a year of bladder and bone cancer
A bone tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue in bone, traditionally classified as noncancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant). Cancerous bone tumors usually originate from a cancer in another part of the body such as from lung, breast, thy ...
; he was 69 years old.
Championships and accomplishments
*50th State Big Time Wrestling
50th State Big Time Wrestling (sometimes referred to as NWA Hawaii or Mid-Pacific Promotions) was a professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii in the United States that promoted professional wrestling matches throughout Ha ...
**NWA Pacific International Championship
The NWA Pacific International Heavyweight Championship was the primary singles championship of 50th State Big Time Wrestling, the NWA territory based in Hawaii. The title was originally the Hawaiian version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Ch ...
( 1 time)
*Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling
**AGPW International Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
* International Wrestling Enterprise
International Wrestling Enterprise (国際プロレス興行;, ''Kokusai Puroresu Kogyō'') was a professional wrestling promotion in Japan from 1966 to 1981. Founded by Isao Yoshihara, it was affiliated with the American Wrestling Association ...
** IWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mad Dog Martel
*Lutte Internationale
** Canadian International Tag Team Championship (2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
) - with Pierre Lefebvre
Pierre Lefebvre (February 24, 1955 – December 24, 1985) was a French-Canadian professional wrestler better known by his ring name Mad Dog Pierre Lefebvre.
Professional Wrestling career
He started his career at the age of 17 in 1972 in Montreal ...
* NWA New Zealand
** NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship (New Zealand version) (1 time)
*Trans-Canada Wrestling
**IW North American Heavyweight Championship
This is a list of people who held the "North American Heavyweight Title" under the banner of ''International Wrestling'' (IW) from 1969 to 1984. The promotion was owned by the Eastern Sports Association from 1969 until 1976. The IW promotion ends w ...
(1 time)
*Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta. For nearly 50 years, it was one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies. Originally established by Stu Hart in 1948, the pro ...
** NWA International Tag Team Championship ''(Calgary version)'' ( 1 time) - with Ripper Collins
**Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship
The Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship was the major title in the Canadian professional wrestling promotion Stampede Wrestling. From its establishment in 1968 until 1972, it was Stampede's secondary singles championship, becoming th ...
(2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
)
*World Wrestling Council
The World Wrestling Council (WWC) (Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha"), is a Puerto-Rican professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón Sr., Victor J ...
**WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship
The WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship is a secondary title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council (WWC).
The title has been in use since 1975. Prior to being defended in the WWC, it wa ...
(2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
)
**WWC North American Heavyweight Championship
The WWC North American Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship defended in the Puerto Rican promotion, the World Wrestling Council. Created in 1974, it was the primary singles championship of the promotion until the crea ...
( 3 times)
**WWC North American Tag Team Championship
The WWC North American Tag Team Championship was a major tag team championship that was used and defended in Capitol Sports Promotions. It is sometimes referred to as the WWC North American Tag Team Championship, though this isn't entirely accu ...
(4 times
"4 Times" (stylized as "4 TIMES") is the 50th single by pop/ R&B singer Koda Kumi. It was released on August 17, 2011 and debuted at No. 6, remaining on the Oricon charts for nine consecutive weeks. In commemoration of it being the fiftieth singl ...
) - with Michel Martel
Michel Vigneault (October 4, 1944 – June 30, 1978) was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Michel "Mad Dog" Martel. Martel is best known for his appearances with promotions such as Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling, ...
(1), Rick Martel
Richard Vigneault (born March 18, 1956) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler, trainer, and television presenter, better known by his ring name, Rick Martel. He is best known for his appearances with the American Wrestling Association, the ...
(2) and Mr. Fuji
Harry Masayoshi Fujiwara (May 4, 1934 – August 28, 2016) was an American professional wrestler and manager, known professionally by his ring name Mr. Fuji (or Master Fuji to his protégés).
He was famous for often throwing salt in the ey ...
(1)
**WWC World Tag Team Championship
The WWC World Tag Team Championship is the tag team title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council.
History Abroad (2017)
On February 11, 2017, Thunder and Lightning defended the WWC World T ...
(4 times
"4 Times" (stylized as "4 TIMES") is the 50th single by pop/ R&B singer Koda Kumi. It was released on August 17, 2011 and debuted at No. 6, remaining on the Oricon charts for nine consecutive weeks. In commemoration of it being the fiftieth singl ...
) - with Huracán Castillo (1), Invader I
''InVader'' is the fourth album by Finnish glam metal band Reckless Love, released on 4 March 2016 through Spinefarm Records.
Track listing
All songs written by Olli Herman, Pepe Reckless, and Ikka Wirtanen, unless otherwise noted.
Reception
Wr ...
(1), Gino de la Serra (1) and Gran Apolo (1)
References
Sources
*
*
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Frenchy
1950 births
2016 deaths
Canadian male professional wrestlers
Deaths from bladder cancer
Deaths from bone cancer
Deaths from cancer in Quebec
French Quebecers
Professional wrestlers from Quebec
Professional wrestling managers and valets
Sportspeople from Quebec City
Stampede Wrestling alumni
20th-century professional wrestlers
Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Champions
Stampede Wrestling North American Heavyweight Champions