Rougeau called to Hall
Jacques Rougeau recently became the first inductee in the Project X Canadian Wrestling Hall of Fame.
A ceremony was held in Sudbury, Ont., in early August. Rougeau said he is very flattered by the honour and considers it a pat on the back or reward for the 45 years he gave to wrestling.
He said he always took the business to heart, worked hard at developing and presenting the characters he portrayed, and always did the best he could. Rougeau said he believes he kept the fans entertained all these years, and the hall of fame honour means a lot to him.
Some fans are now lobbying to see Jacques and brother Raymond, known as The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers, inducted into the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Hall of Fame.
Rougeau said this makes him want to place his hands in the shape of a heart and send his love to all those who are calling for the induction. He said Hulk Hogan made a video last year where he expressed his support.
“Just to have Hulk Hogan think that we should be in the Hall of Fame, for me that's winning on its own,” Rougeau said.
However, now that he's seeing signs from fans springing up “left and right” calling for the induction,
effort he knows his decades of are appreciated, and it “means the world” to him. It re-enforces what he has always believed: that his wrestling career was more than just a job.
“Hopefully in 2024, (longtime WWE CEO and current executive chairman) Vince McMahon will put his grudge against me, and I'll put my grudge against him, behind,” Rougeau said.
He hopes to be able to meet with McMahon, shake his hand, “look at all the good things we've done together, finally make some sense out of all of this, and put the Rougeau name in the hall of fame.”
Rougeau said his brother Raymond is very deserving of the honour. He started wrestling half a decade before Jacques, had a great in-ring career, and went on to work as part of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) broadcast team.
He said the Rougeau name has been a tradition in pro wrestling for more than 80 years, involving four generations of the family.
Now a promoter and trainer, Rougeau attained legendary status in the former WWF and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in the 1980s and ‘90s.
Rougeau, 63, is a former intercontinental champion who was part of the world tag-team champions multiple times. He is among only a handful of wrestlers to ever score a pinfall victory over Hogan and is perhaps best remembered as The Mountie.