Lutte Internationale
Lutte Internationale 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. Lutte Internationale succeeded All-Star Wrestling and Grand Prix Wrestling as Quebec's top wrestling promotion for most of the 1980s.
It was the second of Canada's three major wrestling promotions, along with Maple Leaf Wrestling and Stampede Wrestling, to be put out of business by the World Wrestling Federation. Many French Canadian professional wrestlers of the 1980s wrestling boom came to the U.S. from Lutte Internationale including, most notably, Dino Bravo, Rick Martel, Ronnie Garvin and The Rougeaus. The promotion's close in 1987 marked the end of the fifty-year "Golden Age of Wrestling" in Quebec.
History
Early history (1980–84)
The promotion was founded by Frank Valois, André the Giant and Gino Brito as Promotions Varoussac, the latter made up of the first letters of their family names. Montreal had been regarded as a wrestling capital since the 1930s, however, the close of All-Star Wrestling and Grand Prix Wrestling in 1975 left the city without a major company. Brito was eager to bring pro wrestling back to Montreal and persuaded fellow Grand Prix alumni André the Giant and manager Frank Valois to join in the venture. Andre was one of the most recognizable stars in the world at the time. Montreal was a second home for the French-born wrestler who owned a restaurant and had other business interests in the city. Between the two of them, Brito and Andre could bring in major U.S. stars though their contacts with the American Wrestling Association and World Wide Wrestling Federation. Andre's manager Frank Valois had the necessary business experience to run a wrestling company. The group believed that by using the traditional model of bringing in international stars to challenge local Quebec wrestlers, as well as taking the best qualities of All-Star and Grand Prix Wrestling, they could revive Quebec's wrestling scene.Several different promoters had tried to start companies in Montreal with little success. One exception was Jack Britton who promoted shows under the "Olympia Pro Sports" banner from 1977 to 1980. Brito and his partners bought out his father's promotion during this period. Many Grand Prix mainstays joined the new promotion including Frenchy Martin, Gilles Poisson, Len Shelley, Ludger Proulx, Michel Dubois, Pierre "Mad Dog" Lefebvre, Serge Dumont, Zarinoff Leboeuf and the Rougeau Brothers. The influx of major star power helped Promotions Varoussac obtain a television contract with CFCF-DT shortly after its debut. The promotion's flagship show "Les Étoiles de la Lutte", hosted by Édouard Carpentier and Guy Hauray, became one of the highest-rated French-language television programs in the province.
Their first major show was held on August 25, 1980, at the sold-out Paul Sauve Centre where Andre the Giant battled Hulk Hogan in the main event. This was the first meeting between the two superstars in Canada, the initial U.S. bout taking place two weeks earlier at Showdown at Shea, preceding their more famous showdown at WrestleMania III by seven years. Brito later claimed "the match put Montreal wrestling back on the map". The promotion needed a "hometown hero", a role formerly held by Yvon Robert, Sr. during the 1940s and 50s. Edouard Carpentier was considered too old by this point in his career. Jacques Rougeau, Sr. was retired and his son Raymond was still considered a light heavyweight wrestler. Dino Bravo, who ran a local wrestling school with Brito, ultimately emerged as Varoussac's top "babyface" after winning the Canadian International Heavyweight Championship from Lefebvre that same year.
The Paul Sauvé Centre was the promotion's original home arena. They occasionally visited Verdun Auditorium, the arena for rival Grand Prix Wrestling, when the Paul Sauvé Centre was booked for an annual Occult Sciences show. Varoussac Promotions' most noted event there was headlined by Dino Bravo and Zarinoff Leboeuf in a Russian Chain match in 1981. On July 26, 1982, Lutte Internationale premiered at the Montreal Forum bringing pro wrestling back to the venue after a six-year absence. Nick Bockwinkel defended the AWA World Heavyweight Championship against Tony Parisi at the Paul Sauvé Arena a year later; At the height of its popularity, the promotion held events that sometimes drew over 10,000 fans in attendance. Although never holding a stadium show like its predecessors, many of Lutte's shows at the Montreal Forum drew higher attendance figures than any other local promotion.
Quebec versus The World
The concept of bringing in foreign wrestlers and pitting them against local favorites was an immediate hit with French Canadian audiences. André the Giant and Dino Bravo were the initial headliners during the Promotions Varoussac era. Billy Robinson, a one-time British Heavyweight Champion, was one of the first successful foreign wrestlers to "invade" Quebec. He was accompanied by manager "Lord" Alfred Hayes. Hayes, who spoke French fluently, angered crowds with his upper class British accent in interviews. This helped establish Robinson as one of Lutte's most hated wrestlers. During his two years in Quebec, Robinson won the Canadian International Heavyweight Championship from both Rick Martel and The Destroyer. He was finally deposed as champion by Dino Bravo on September 21, 1983. Bravo also feuded with Masked Superstar, also managed by Alfred Hayes, for much of the year.During the territory-era of pro wrestling, managers were an integral part of a successful promotion. The Quebec territory was a unique area given that it was a bilingual province. As the promotion was watched by English and French-speaking fans, it was necessary for managers to be fluent in both languages. Eddie "The Brain" Creatchman was the most notable of these heel managers. He was the longtime nemesis of Dino Bravo and managed many of the foreign wrestlers who challenged the heavyweight champion. Much like Bobby Heenan and The Heenan Family who harassed WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan in the U.S., Creatchman made it his mission to run Bravo and other fan favorites out of the territory.
Association with the World Wrestling Council
In addition to its co-promotional agreements with the AWA and WWF, Lutte Internationale strongest and most lasting relationship was with the World Wrestling Council. Abdullah the Butcher, who was one of Lutte's top "heel performers" during the mid-1980s, was the earliest WWC mainstay. As part of its talent exchange agreement, Joe Lightfoot and Pierre "Mad Dog" Lefebvre traveled to Puerto Rico where they won the WWC World Junior Heavyweight Championship and WWC North American Heavyweight Championship respectively. Bob Della Serra, who initially competed in Promotions Varoussac as masked wrestler The UFO, joined Don Kent as the new version of The Fabulous Kangaroos as Johnny Heffernan, the kayfabe son of original Kangaroo Roy Heffernan, winning the WWC World Tag Team Championship in 1982. Longtime Quebec stars Frenchy Martin and Jos LeDuc also returned to Canada after the formation of Lutte Internationale in 1984. Arguably the best known import from the WWC was King Tonga who feuded with Dino Bravo over the Canadian International Heavyweight Championship between 1984 and 1985. A Bravo-Tonga title bout at the Montreal Forum on December 23, 1984 attracted over 19,500 fans. After the WWF's talent raids in the mid-1980s, Lutte Internationale relied heavily on the WWC to supply wrestlers until its eventual close.Lutte Internationale / International Wrestling (1984–85)
In early 1984, André the Giant sold his shares in Promotions Varoussac and left for the World Wrestling Federation. Rick Martel and Tony Mule purchased André's shares. By this time, Dino Bravo had also become a co-owner. With the change of ownership, it was decided to rename the promotion to Lutte Internationale. Brito and Valois also produced a new television series, "Lutte Internationale", when Carpentier and Hauray signed with WWF at the end of the year. An English-language version was produced by George Cannon and Milt Avruskin in Windsor, Ontario. It aired locally in Montreal and was syndicated in other parts of the country. The Canadian International Television Championship was also introduced on "Les Étoiles de la Lutte" as a secondary title that undercard wrestlers could compete for. Leo Burke defeated Richard Charland in a tournament final to become the first champion. After the match, Charland attacked Burke and destroyed his trophy turning heel in the process.Lutte Internationale soon began promoting outside the Montreal area. It regularly visited Hull, Quebec City, Sherbrooke, Verdun and other cities in southern Quebec. The promotion typically focused on summer tours as most arenas were used for hockey during the winter season. It also visited Ottawa, Edmundston New Brunswick and parts of the Northeastern United States. Many of these house shows later aired on Lutte's television show.