Rise of a Star

[Old School Fan]

Behind the scenes on the night of the Montreal Forum supercard...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Having finished her confrontation angle in the ring with Renée Martel moments earlier, Michèle Richard stepped through the curtain separating the staging area from the aisle leading to the ring - and took only a few steps before she ran into Fabulous Moolah, fresh off her earlier attempt to stir things up at ringside following Renée's successful Canadian Women's title defence.  "Well, now, here comes the little interloper who just had to go spoil my fun," Moolah quipped snidely.

"I did it for a reason, Moolah," Michèle retorted.  "Did you really think you were gonna get by with trying to ruin Renée's match and steal her thunder to make up for getting pinned in your tag match earlier?"

"Likely story," Moolah scoffed, denying her intention of coming out to taunt Renée post-match for the sake of taking the attention away from her young rival and putting it back on herself.  "And anyway, what business is it of yours what I do - and why are y'all seein' fit to act as her bodyguard or whatever?"

"Renée doesn't need me to fight her battles for her, she can handle herself just fine," Michèle said.  "But I'll tell you why I went out there in the first place."

"Really?" Moolah snarked as she put her hands on her hips.  "And pray tell, what all is that reason?"

"It's simple - I don't trust you," Michèle stated point-blank to Moolah.  "Especially after what you did to Renée last year during your title match against her, and sending another spy to cause trouble for her while we were in Los Angeles last summer."

"Y'all don't know what you're talkin' about, little lady," Moolah, still in denial mode, said in irony to Michèle, who was actually several inches taller than the World Women's Champion.  "Why would I do something like that?"

"I'm not gonna argue about why you do what you do where Renée's concerned," said Michèle, who was not buying what Moolah told her.  "Now, you better make yourself scarce real quick because she'll be coming through that curtain any moment and I wouldn't want to be in your shoes right now."

"Is that so?" Moolah said tauntingly.  "And exactly why should I skedaddle anyway?"

"Uh, any problems here?" said a male voice, which caught Moolah's attention as she turned her head to look - and saw Ti-Blanc Richard, Michèle's father, who showed up beside his daughter as he was about to get ready for his match in a few moments.

"Uhh...nope, none here," Moolah said with a smirk as she slinked away, not willing to deal with Ti-Blanc or with Michèle.

"Thanks for showing up, Papa," Michèle then said with a smile as she turned to Ti-Blanc.

"No problem, dear, especially after what you told me about Moolah after all the problems she's caused for Renée," Ti-Blanc replied with his own grin.

A moment later, Renée came through the curtain into the staging area.  "Hey Michèle, thanks for the help out there by getting the attention off of Moolah," she said to her friend as she stopped in front of her.

"Not a problem," Michèle replied as she gave Renée a pat on her back.  "I don't think she was happy about Barbara pinning her earlier, so she probably wanted to do what she could after your match to spoil it for you so she could get all the attention and save face."

"Sounds like you both knew what you had to do out there," Ti-Blanc said regarding Renée and Michèle's angle.

"We did," Renée responded.  "Michèle and I planned out what we had to do in the event Moolah tried something out in the arena, and we had several scenarios to try depending on what Moolah did out there."

"My coming into the ring through the audience was gonna happen whether Moolah showed up or not," Michèle added, "but if Moolah went into the ring and tried anything foolish against Renée, like going in to start a brawl and using that to try to injure her again like she did last year, I was prepared on the fly to go in and attack Moolah myself in response.  I know doing that would've turned me babyface as a result, but we know how Moolah works by now and I wasn't about to let her do something stupid out there and cause trouble for Renée."

"Well, you did what you had to do for a friend and that's what counts," Ti-Blanc said.  "I'm proud of you for that, Michèle."

"Thanks, Papa," Michèle said in gratitude as she hugged Ti-Blanc.

"Glad to help," Ti-Blanc said. "Now, I gotta get out to the ring for my match - wish me luck, dear."

"Luck," Michèle replied as her father stepped through the curtain to head to the ring, followed by a surge of noise inside the arena as the fans started cheering Ti-Blanc's arrival for his retirement match against the LeDuc Brothers.

During the match introductions, Renée was peering out through the curtain to the ring, which Michèle noticed.  "Hey, what gives?" Michèle asked as she tapped Renée on her shoulder.

"Huh?" Renée said as she looked back to Michèle.

"That's like the fourth time tonight you've been looking out to the ring during the match introductions," Michèle commented.  "What's out there that's so interesting?"

"Oh, I think you'd understand if you saw what I'm seeing," Renée said wistfully before turning back to look through the curtain again.

Getting her curiosity piqued, Michèle also looked through the curtain toward the ring and took notice, then glanced over at Renée and noticed her moon-eyed expression before looking back at the ring again.  "Okay, what're you looking at out there?" Michèle then asked.

"Just checking out the new ring announcer out there," Renée replied with a blissful sigh.

"Ahh, now it all makes sense," Michèle remarked with a nod regarding the ring announcer, whom the girls and the rest of the wrestlers on that night's roster had met prior to the start of that night's card when Johnny Rougeau introduced him to them - and from the moment she first noticed the ring announcer, who was in the same age range as her and Michèle and was quite handsome, Renée had become smitten by him.

"Oh, yeah, it does," Renée said, looking at that point as though she was daydreaming.

"Wait, you're not gonna go all Judy Jetson about him, are you?" Michèle quipped with a smirk, amused at her friend seemingly having her head in the clouds over the ring announcer and swooning over him.  "What're you planning to do, ask him to marry you or something?"

Michèle's joking comment brought Renée back down to Earth.  "What?  No, are you kidding?" she said as Michèle tried to stifle a laugh.  "No, I was thinking more like maybe asking him out for coffee or something, for starters."

"Uh-huh," Michèle said, now clearly grinning and giggling.  "I thought so - you got it for him, don'tcha?"

"Well...nothing wrong with that, is there?" Renée admitted with her own grin before turning back for one more glimpse at the ring announcer through the curtain.

[Old School Fan]

Margot Bouchard gets interviewed in a recent episode of Superstars of the Mat, where she drops a bombshell prior to issuing her challenge to Renée Martel for the Canadian Women's title and telling what she really thinks of Renée's other rival, the Fabulous Moolah:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

INTERVIEWER:  Coming up on Monday night, February 16, All-Star Wrestling returns to the Paul Sauvé Arena in Montreal for a night of stellar action!  In the main event, the Rougeau Brothers, Jacques and Johnny, will challenge World Tag Team Champions the Mongols, Geeto and Bepo, for that title; World Women's Champion the Fabulous Moolah will be returning to Montreal as she defends her title against Barbara LaMarche; and Canadian Women's Champion Renée Martel will be defending her title against my guest at this time, Margot Bouchard.  Now, Margot...

MICHÈLE RICHARD:  Hold on, stop just a minute, ______ - before you go any further, I got an announcement I want to make.  As of right now, I'm not going by Margot Bouchard anymore.  From this point on, I'm gonna be using my own name, Michèle Richard - no more aliases for me.

INTERVIEWER:  So you're...  What does that mean?  You're using a familiar-sounding name - Richard, in other words - so are you implying by using your own name, you're related to a certain wrestler who...

RICHARD:  Before you finish that thought, ______ - yes, I'm coming right out and saying it.  I am related to Ti-Blanc Richard because he happens to be my father.

INTERVIEWER:  Well, that raises some complications there because Ti-Blanc Richard was one of the most popular wrestlers with fans in Quebec and in Canada before he retired from the ring last month, while you, when you wrestled as Margot Bouchard, stayed on the opposite side of the rulebook for as long as you've been competing and you've been despised by those same fans.

RICHARD:  And that rulebook and the fans still mean nothing to me, ______, because I'm still gonna be busting heads and smacking around the pretty girls that step in the ring against me.  Just because my father stood by the rulebook doesn't mean I have to, because I'm my own woman and that's what matters to me.  He did things his way, I'm doing things my way and that's that - and even though he's retired now, the Richard name will still be heard in wrestling rings and read in print, but now I'll be the one carrying on that legacy.

INTERVIEWER:  Okay then, getting to the subject at hand, you'll be stepping up against an old rival, Renée Martel, for her Canadian Women's Championship, coming up on the 16th.

RICHARD:  That's right, and let me tell you something - this year, 1970, is gonna be my year.  Before then when I was Margot Bouchard, I captured different championships and accolades - down in Los Angeles, I won a television championship and held it for eight months, and I also won the prestigious Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, while back here in Quebec, I won the Canadian Women's Tag Team Championship and held it with my partner Miss X for several months.  But now, under my own name, when I step in the ring against Renée Martel, it's gonna be my time and I'm gonna do to her what I've done in the past, slap her around and beat her senseless - only this time, I'm gonna take her Canadian Women's title and hold it for as long as I choose to.

INTERVIEWER:  Now that brings up another subject, since you're the first of two fronts Renée has been fighting on as of late, with your feud with her going back to shortly after she debuted in the sport - that other front being her more recent feud with the World Women's Champion, the Fabulous Moolah.

RICHARD:  So why should I care about what Moolah does or says anyway?  Don't get me wrong here, ______, I feel the same way about Moolah as Martel does - I don't like Moolah either and I think she's a disgrace to that belt she holds, and if I ever got in the ring against Moolah, it'd be my pleasure to make short work of her and show her for the overrated and overhyped joke that she is, beat her to within an inch of a hospital bed and take her title.  But our common dislike of Moolah is the only thing Martel and I got in common, and what Martel needs to get into her head is to concentrate less on Moolah and more on me, because I'm the more immediate threat to Martel right now, and once I get her Canadian title, then I'll be the one getting the shots against Moolah and I'll be the one who ends Moolah's reign and her time with the title for good and becomes the World Champion.  So, Martel, you better pay attention to the closer threat, because I'm coming for you and your belt!

INTERVIEWER:  So there you have it, fans, the former Margot Bouchard - now going by her real name of Michèle Richard - has a big goal in her sights and it starts with her challenge of Canadian Women's Champion Renée Martel for that title, this coming February 16 at the Paul Sauvé Arena in Montreal!

[Captain Kremmen]

Moolah's the typical bully. Once someone enters the picture she can't screw with or intimidate she...well...skedaddles! 😀

The one positive for Moolah is it didn't take any effort. A heel in real life easily becomes a heel in the ring.

PREDICTION: Richard takes the title from Martel using heel tactics.

Really liking all the layers here in this diary.

[Old School Fan]

On 6/6/2023 at 3:11 AM, piperrulz said:

Moolah's the typical bully. Once someone enters the picture she can't screw with or intimidate she...well...skedaddles! 😀

As she did the moment she cleared out when Ti-Blanc Richard arrived to back Michèle up (not that Michèle needed it - ITTL, in a shoot fight between Moolah and Michèle, Moolah most likely would have lost).

On 6/6/2023 at 3:11 AM, piperrulz said:

The one positive for Moolah is it didn't take any effort. A heel in real life easily becomes a heel in the ring.

As my next couple of posts (one an event post, the other a behind-the-scenes chapter) will show...

[Old School Fan]

All-Star Wrestling @ Paul Sauvé Arena
February 16, 1970 - Montreal, Quebec

 

André Carpentier fought Chin Lee to a time-limit draw.

The Kelly Twins (Mike & Pat Kelly) defeated Cowboy Jones & Ferdinand Frechette when Mike Kelly pinned Jones.

Michel "Le Justice" Dubois & Fidel Castillo (with Eddie Creatchman) defeated Jos & Paul LeDuc when Jos LeDuc was counted out after not getting back in the ring in time to beat the referee's count while brawling with Dubois.

Canadian Women's Championship

Renée Martel (C) battled Michèle Richard (in the latter's first match after dropping her Margot Bouchard ring alias) to a double-countout when both wrestlers ignored the referee's count as they fought outside the ring in a bout dominated by Richard and her brawling tactics.  After the two girls were separated by several referees and security personnel, Richard, who was not satisfied with the match's outcome, demanded a rematch for the title.

NWA World Women's Championship

The match between The Fabulous Moolah (C) and Barbara LaMarche ended without a decision when the match was stopped after LaMarche suffered a serious injury when, as she attempted a sunset flip on Moolah, she landed awkwardly on her left arm during the attempt and dislocated her elbow upon landing.  When Moolah saw Renée Martel come running down the aisle to the ring moments later, the veteran heel briefly yelled something at LaMarche before she quickly bailed out of the ring to avoid Martel, then she went to the timekeeper's table and grabbed her World Women's title belt before going around and heading back up the aisle to the locker room area, holding her belt up and taunting Martel while the fans loudly booed Moolah.  Julie Painchaud, now working as ASW's first-aid technician backstage, came running out soon after to check on LaMarche, who clearly looked distressed and in intense pain as she tried to keep her mangled elbow steady while Martel tried comforting her ally before Painchaud, Martel and the referee helped LaMarche back to the locker room area for further examination and to await an ambulance to get LaMarche to the nearest hospital.

ASW World Tag Team Championship - Two Out of Three Falls

Jacques & Johnny Rougeau defeated The Mongols (C), two falls to one, when the champions were disqualified in the third fall due to Bepo Mongol throwing Johnny Rougeau over the top rope (The Mongols retain their title due to the DQ).

 

[Captain Kremmen]

Is this where you got the idea for the LaMarche elbow injury? 🙃

GLOW: SUZIE SPIRIT

 

[Old School Fan]

7 hours ago, piperrulz said:

Is this where you got the idea for the LaMarche elbow injury? 🙃

GLOW: SUZIE SPIRIT

 

It is, in fact - though I'll be going a little more in-depth with Barbara's injury in the behind the scenes post that'll be coming up. 

[smartman]

That was such a banner time as a wrestling fan. I got to see the MRI of Lawler's balls on Memphis TV in 1985 (after the famous posting incident with Idol; keep in mind this aired in the morning. Try that now on network TV, and you'd be accused of grooming and/or indecency), and then I got to watch that elbow bone go flying out of the ring on GLOW months later. 🤮 I can't wait for Moolah to have to fight her way out of the building as they're going to try and blame her for it.

[Captain Kremmen]

On 6/8/2023 at 1:32 PM, Old School Fan said:

It is, in fact - though I'll be going a little more in-depth with Barbara's injury in the behind the scenes post that'll be coming up. 

The only thing I remember from GLOW was that injury. 🙃

[smartman]

3 hours ago, piperrulz said:

The only thing I remember from GLOW was that injury. 🙃

It was barely more cartoony than WWF at the time so it wasn't as out-of-place as it would be if you tried it in 1996.

[Captain Kremmen]

20 hours ago, smartman said:

It was barely more cartoony than WWF at the time so it wasn't as out-of-place as it would be if you tried it in 1996.

I saw quite a bit of GLOW on TV back in the '80s. It was part of a Saturday night wrestling block (10pm-4am) on channel 11 up here in Seattle.

I did just think of another segement: The time the Heavy Metal Sisters made those two Southern belles jump through a hoop, which I think was flaming at the time.

At least in the WWF in the '80s, you still had some good stuff going on despite the campiness.

Edited June 10, 2023 by piperrulz

[Old School Fan]

While I'm continuing to work on the upcoming chapter in this diary, here's some YouTube footage from an early pre-UFC match of Ken Shamrock (then wrestling as Vince Torelli):

Tommy Seabolt vs. Vince Torelli (from South Atlantic Pro Wrestling, probably from 1991)

[Old School Fan]

Finally, what happened in the wake of the event at the Paul Sauvé Arena that night...

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Johnny Rougeau was in the staging area at the Paul Sauvé Arena, getting ready for his and his brother Jacques' main event match against the Mongols, when he saw Fabulous Moolah run through the curtain and right past him.  Puzzled as to what what was happening, he called to her, "Moolah, what's going on?"

After getting no reply from Moolah as she dashed into her personal locker room, Johnny then had a look through the curtain and saw Renée Martel in the ring as she and one of the referees were tending to Barbara LaMarche, who was down in the ring and appeared in distress.  After seeing what he saw in the ring, Johnny turned and ran over to the junction to the hallway where the other locker rooms were.  Upon seeing Julie Painchaud, who was now working for All-Star Wrestling as a first-aid technician for its events since retiring from active competition the previous August, in the hallway, he called to her, "Julie?  Julie, come quick - I need your help!"

"Johnny, what is it?" Julie asked as she and the ASW owner went back through the staging area.

"I think Barbara's in trouble," Johnny reported.  "I saw Fabulous Moolah run right past me like a bat out of hell moments ago, then I went to look out at the ring and saw Barbara down on the mat.  Renée and the referee are with her now."  When Julie looked through the curtain and saw what Johnny described, she acted quickly and went through, running to the ring to check on Barbara.

A few minutes later, Renée, Julie and the referee returned as they brought Barbara, who was holding on to her injured left arm, back through the curtain and toward a chair in the hallway for the locker rooms; the moment she made it into the hallway, Barbara, who had been trying to tough out the pain she was enduring while out in the arena, was finally able to let it go as she let out a scream, then started crying in pain.  "AAAAAHH, IT HURTS!  It hurts, it hurts!" she wailed in her distress about her injured elbow.

Johnny had a look at Barbara's elbow and cringed as he saw its mangled condition.  "Hang on, I'll go call for an ambulance," he said before going off to look for the nearest phone in the hallway.

After hearing Barbara's scream from the girls' locker room, Michèle Richard came running down the hallway to see what the commotion was.  "Barbara, what happened?" she asked as she made it to where Renée, Julie and Barbara were.  After Renée explained about Barbara's injury and how it happened, Michèle then added, "Okay, where's Moolah?  She's got some explaining to do about this..."

"Don't bother looking for Moolah, she's gone," Jacques Rougeau, who had been nearby observing the scene, then reported.  "She grabbed her stuff and took off while Renée and Julie were in the ring with Barbara."

"Figures," a displeased Michèle said with a nod upon hearing what Jacques told her. "One of her opponents gets injured and Moolah cuts and runs rather than own up to screwing up."

"Especially when it's an opponent who's not part of Moolah's camp," Renée agreed.  "She probably knew we'd be looking for her if she stuck around, that's why she bailed."

"Guys, I'm still hurting here," Barbara complained, getting the others' attention.  "I need something for the pain!"

"I know you do, Barbara, but it's not a good idea to do that until you get to the hospital so they can see the extent of the injury," Julie explained.

Just then, Johnny returned from his phone call with the ambulance dispatcher.  "There's an ambulance on its way, Barbara," he reported.  "It'll be here in a few minutes."

"There you go, Barbara, soon you'll get the help you need," Renée then said to her friend as she continued comforting her and doing what she could to keep her mind off the pain of her elbow injury.

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Over an hour later at Montreal General Hospital (where Barbara had been taken), not long after the night's wrestling card ended, Renée was in the emergency department's waiting room, saying a silent prayer as she awaited word on Barbara's condition, when she felt a tap on her left shoulder.  Turning in her seat to look, she saw Claire Lepage, who was at home due to not being booked to wrestle that night when Renée called her from a hospital pay phone and told her about Barbara.

"Hey," Claire said with a wave and a grin to her friend.  "Had to wait for a cab to come pick me up, but I'm here."

"Ah, good," a relieved Renée said as Claire sat down beside her.  "Glad to have the extra support for Barbara when she needs it."

"Any word on her yet?" Claire asked.

"I haven't heard much," Renée replied with a shake of her head.  "All I know right now is that Barbara was going in to get her elbow X-rayed to see the extent of the damage."

"Well, hopefully she's not hurt too badly," a sympathetic Claire said.

"I hope not too," Renée agreed as she patted Claire's right forearm.

A moment later, Julie arrived in the waiting room after coming from the arena, carrying a gym bag with her as she met Renée and Claire.  "Hey, I got Barbara's stuff from the locker room to bring over for her," she noted about the bag's contents.

"Thanks, Julie, she'll need them," Renée said with a grin as she took the bag while Julie also took a seat.  "There's nothing on her yet - she was still in X-ray last I heard."

After another few minutes, a doctor came from the emergency room and walked over to where the girls were sitting.  "Excuse me, Miss Martel?" the doctor asked as he came up to Renée.

"Yes, that's me," Renée said as she stood up from her chair, as did Claire.

"We did some X-rays on your friend Barbara's elbow and they confirmed what you reported - she suffered a posterior dislocation of the elbow," the doctor said.  "The X-rays also showed she did also suffer some strained ligaments around the elbow, but fortunately for her, no ligaments, muscles or cartilage were torn, so she won't be needing any surgery for that.  She had to be sedated to have her elbow reset, though, and the elbow's been taped up heavily and she'll have to keep her arm in a sling for the next few weeks, and she'll also need to do physiotherapy to help rehabilitate the elbow, to strengthen the muscles and ligaments and restore flexibility to the joint to reduce the chance of a recurrence of injury."

"Well, that's a good sign," a relieved Renée said with a nod of her head.

"In any case, she won't be doing any wrestling for at least the next two or three months because of her elbow and the rehab," the doctor pointed out.  "She's coming out of her sedation now, so she'll be able to go home as soon as she's fully alert and able."

"I've got her clothes here, if I could bring them in to her," Julie then said to the doctor as she stood up and obtained Barbara's gym bag.

"Sure, follow me," the doctor said as he led Julie back to the emergency room.

A few minutes later, Julie came back out from the emergency room, pushing a wheelchair in which Barbara was sitting, now sporting a sling on her left arm with her taped-up elbow while her gym bag rested on her lap.  "Hey Barbara, how're you feeling right now?" Renée asked as she went to meet her friend.

"My elbow's still feeling pretty sore and my mind was in a bit of a fog from the sedative until a few minutes ago, but otherwise I'm okay," Barbara said with a small sigh, followed by a half-smile.

"Any plans on where Barbara's going to stay tonight?" Julie asked as the girls started down the hallway toward the hospital's main entrance, where Renée and Julie had parked their cars close by.

"No problem, Barbara can stay at my place tonight," Renée offered.  "I got a sofa bed in my living room, so she can sleep on that."  Turning to Claire, she then asked, "Claire, you said you got here by taxi, right?  I'll take you back at the same time."

"And the fun part of that is you won't have to go far to take Claire home because you both live in the same apartment building, just in different apartments," Julie quipped to Renée to lighten the mood.

"True," Claire remarked with a smile while the other girls laughed.

"Hey Barbara, I just remembered something," Renée then spoke up.  "As I came running down the aisle to the ring while Fabulous Moolah was still in there, I saw Moolah yelling something at you for a moment just before she bailed out as I came in.  You remember what it was she said to you?"

Barbara thought about it for a moment.  "Now that you mention it," she said, "she said something about the sunset flip I tried attempting on her..."

TO BE CONTINUED...
 

Edited June 16, 2023 by Old School Fan
Splitting off last part of chapter into separate chapter

[Old School Fan]

Continuing where the previous chapter left off (after splitting this off from the previous post), in which Moolah ends up confirming something Barbara told Renée while in the hospital...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A few days after the Montreal event, at a WWWF card in Washington, D.C. at that city's National Arena, Moolah was in the staging area doing some cool-down stretches after coming from the ring following a tag team match with Toni Rose when that team's opponents, Donna Christanello and Kathy O'Day, came through the curtain.  "Alright, nice work, darlin'," Moolah addressed Donna about their match.  "Nice work keepin' me on my toes like always."

"Thanks, Lillian," Donna replied while doing her own stretches.  "Sure helps to keep in practice."

"Good," Moolah said with a nod.  "You wanna do the same routine we did tonight for tomorrow's show over in Pittsburgh?"

"Sure, maybe with a little variety thrown in to mix things up," Donna said as she and Moolah started down to the hallway toward the locker rooms.  'You know, I was just thinking - how'd you do with your match up in Montreal a few days ago?"

"I'm still the champ, ain't I?" Moolah said with a shrug.  "I still get a chuckle outta who they put me in against up there that night."

"How so?" Donna asked.

"I don't remember her last name, I think it was Barbara somethin' or other," Moolah recalled.  "She pinned me last month when Toni and I faced her and her partner in Montreal at a big event Johnny Rougeau was puttin' on.  I was plannin' to get the pinfall win over one of them, but she went and ruined it for me by getting the pin on me instead.  Let's just say I wasn't happy 'bout that at all."

"Okay, so things didn't go as you planned," Donna said.  "What then?"

"After I found out she has ties to Renée Martel, I decided to teach that little girl a lesson and send a message to Martel at the same time," Moolah pointed out.  "So during our match, when Barbara What's-er-name tried to do a sunset flip on me, I acted fast and I botched the move on purpose by refusin' to go along and go down when she made her move.  Next thing I knew, she'd landed hard on one of her arms and apparently tore up her elbow."

"Wait - so you're saying you messed up the move on purpose by refusing to co-operate and that's what led to her getting injured?" an astonished Donna said when she heard what happened to Barbara.

"I didn't know right away until I saw what all happened to her elbow and the ref stopped the match," Moolah said.  "Then when I saw Martel comin' from the locker rooms, I had to act fast, so I got up close an' yelled at her, 'I did that on purpose!  You got what y'all had comin' to you' while I pointed at her before I got outta Dodge the moment Martel came in."  At that moment, Moolah, who had not been paying attention to anyone besides Donna while she was talking, got puzzled when Donna was silently signaling her to shut up, then pointed beyond her.  "What?  What're y'all tryin' to shush me for when I'm tryin' to tell what happened?" she said.

"Behind you," Donna said, sotto voce, through her teeth while continuing to point.  Moolah, getting her lieutenant's message, turned around - and saw Bruno Sammartino, who was booked to appear in that night's main event.  Bruno, who had been nearby tying the laces on his wrestling boots, overheard what Moolah had said due to her voice being just loud enough for him to hear and he had been standing behind her during the last few moments as she bragged about what she did in Montreal; after she caught sight of him, he glared at Moolah for a moment, then shook his head at her in disapproval.

"Pessimo pezzo di spazzatura," Bruno muttered at Moolah in Italian before walking past her to head down the hallway.

After watching Bruno walk away from Moolah in disgust, Donna turned back to Moolah and likewise shook her head.  "Smooth move, Lillian," she remarked sarcastically as she also walked off to head back to the women's locker room.

"What?!" a perplexed Moolah yelled after Donna as she remained standing in the middle of the hallway for a moment, seemingly not getting the point about the disapproval of her actions, before muttering under her breath and heading to her personal locker room.

 

Edited June 16, 2023 by Old School Fan

[Captain Kremmen]

Moolah does not seem to understand the term: No sense of self-awareness. 🙃

What did Bruno say translated into English?

[Lord Byron]

He said, "Terrible piece of trash." in Italian...

[sonny912]

8 hours ago, Lord Byron said:

He said, "Terrible piece of trash." in Italian...

Ohohohoho, burn!

[Old School Fan]

19 hours ago, Lord Byron said:

He said, "Terrible piece of trash." in Italian...

 

11 hours ago, sonny912 said:

Ohohohoho, burn!

And that was just Bruno being polite (as possible) toward Moolah after what he heard - just imagine what was going through Renée's mind after Barbara told her what Moolah said.

On 6/17/2023 at 3:38 AM, piperrulz said:

Moolah does not seem to understand the term: No sense of self-awareness. 🙃

Evidently Moolah didn't see anything wrong in what she said to Barbara after the latter's injury, nor in what she did that caused the injury to begin with - and even though she didn't intend for the accident to happen, it still happened due to her choice to intentionally botch the sunset flip attempt and Moolah thus bears responsibility for that.  How Bruno and Donna reacted to how Moolah saw her action and brushed off its result and blamed Barbara by telling her she "had it coming" for pinning her in that tag match at the January supercard in Montreal, and how she took those reactions, tells me that she, on account of her ego and her obsession with staying on top, refused to take responsibility for her actions in her later match with Barbara.

[Old School Fan]

Maple Leaf Wrestling @ Maple Leaf Gardens
March 8, 1970 - Toronto, Ontario
Attendance - 14,000

 

Luis Martinez fought Sputnik Monroe to a time-limit draw.

Two Out of Three Falls

The Texas Outlaws (Dusty Rhodes & Dick Murdoch) defeated The Mighty Igor & Ivan Kalmikoff, two falls to one, when Rhodes pinned Kalmikoff in the third fall.

Wild Bull Curry defeated Lou Klein by pinfall following a foreign object shot to the throat (not seen by the referee).

Fred Curry defeated Fred Atkins by pinfall in just 34 seconds following a flying dropkick.

Two Out of Three Falls

In a battle of heel teams, The Fabulous Kangaroos (Al Costello & Don Kent) battled Reginald & Hartford Love to a draw at one fall each when the 30-minute time limit expired during the third fall.

Canadian Women's Tag Team Championship - Two Out of Three Falls

Renée Martel (subbing for the injured Barbara LaMarche) & Claire Lepage (C) defeated Michèle Richard & Miss X, two falls to one, when Martel forced Miss X to submit to the Alligator Clutch in the third fall.

Bulldog Brower & Haystacks Calhoun defeated Chris Tolos & Hans Schmidt by disqualification when Schmidt was caught using a foreign object against Calhoun.

NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Toronto)*

The Sheik (C) (with Abdullah Farouk) defeated Whipper Billy Watson in a wild brawl when Watson was counted out when he could not get back in the ring in time after getting knocked loopy with a foreign object by Sheik during a battle on the elevated platform leading to the ring, enabling Sheik to race back to the ring to beat the referee's count.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* IRL, the Toronto version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship, which had been held by Tiger Jeet Singh since 1967, was inactive at this point; ITTL, the Sheik arrived in Toronto with his Detroit version of the title and was simply billed as champion in Toronto, claimed as having defeated Singh for the belt.

[Lord Byron]

If Renee survives long enough to be featured in the Dark Side of the Ring episode on the Fabulous Moolah (assuming that's still made), she is not going to hold back on her feelings about her, IMO... 

[Captain Kremmen]

Think it's a safe bet the Sheik's match would have only lasted 5-10 minutes.

[Old School Fan]

March 1970

Renée Martel and Claire Lepage are interviewed on the March 14 edition of Superstars of the Mat, during which an announcement gets made:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

INTERVIEWER:  My next guests at this time are two of the top stars of the women's division in All-Star Wrestling as well as two very popular stars themselves, co-holder of the Canadian Women's Tag Team Championship, Claire Lepage and the Canadian Women's Champion, Renée Martel.  Claire, I understand you have an announcement to make.

CLAIRE LEPAGE:  That's right, _____.  As everyone watching knows by now, my tag team championship partner, Barbara LaMarche, suffered an elbow injury in a match against the Fabulous Moolah last month and she's been out of action since then.  After we talked with the All-Star Wrestling promoter Bob Langevin and he consulted with other promoters in Canada on what to do, they made the decision to allow me to choose a new partner to take Barbara's place.  I talked with Barbara about it as well and she said that since she'll be out of action for several months while she rehabilitates her elbow and allows it to heal, she said I should choose a new partner to defend our Canadian Tag Team belts with.  Out of all the girls in the women's division, the one I felt was the best choice to have as my championship partner was someone I've also teamed with before and held championships with, and that choice is Renée Martel.  (Claire then presents Renée with one of the Canadian Women's Tag Team title belts)

INTERVIEWER:  Well congratulations, Renée, you now have yourself another accolade to go with the Canadian Women's title you currently hold.

RENÉE MARTEL: Thanks, ______.  It wasn't an easy choice for me to make because rightfully, Barbara and Claire were the titleholders and they earned both of their title reigns through hard work, but with Barbara out of action for the time being, both she and Claire wanted someone to fill Barbara's shoes and Claire made her choice - but if I'm going to be a co-holder of this title, I need to earn the right to that spot by defending the title with the same honor and level of sportsmanship and skill that Barbara and Claire have shown for the fans, and that's exactly what I intend to do.

INTERVIEWER:  Meanwhile, you still have your Canadian Women's title to concentrate on as you'll be defending it this coming Monday night in a rematch against perhaps your toughest rival, Michèle Richard.

MARTEL:  That's true, we've been at each other's throats for close to five years now, and nothing got settled when we both got counted out last month at the same card where Barbara got injured, so she demanded a rematch for my title, and on Monday night, she'll get that rematch.  Now Claire and I have the tag team belts and we'll be defending them, but on Monday, Richard, you've got my attention.  As for Moolah, she bears the responsibility for Barbara getting injured last month in their match, and I guarantee that the next time we cross paths - and that's if she's not afraid to come back to Montreal - Moolah's going to answer for what she did and for her other sins.

INTERVIEWER:  And there you go, fans, the stage is set for the rematch for the Canadian Women's Championship as the champion Renée Martel faces off against Michèle Richard once again, and it all happens this Monday night, March 16 at the Paul Sauvé Arena in Montreal.  We'll be back with more action after a few words from our sponsors!

 

[Old School Fan]

All-Star Wrestling @ Paul Sauvé Arena
March 16, 1970 - Montreal, Quebec

 

Paul LeDuc defeated Chin Lee by pinfall.

Mike Kelly fought Steven Little Bear to a time-limit draw.

Geeto Mongol defeated Pat Kelly by pinfall following a powerslam.

Canadian Women's Championship

Michèle Richard battled Renée Martel (C) in a rematch for the title which Richard had demanded due to their double-countout finish in their previous clash on February 16; as with the previous match, Martel wrestled clean and scientifically while Richard fought dirty and resorted to roughhouse tactics.  Controversy ensued later in the match when Richard "accidentally" knocked the referee out of the ring.  While the ref recovered, Richard took what appeared to be a foreign object from one of her boots, then stuck it into her right elbowpad and let Renée have it with an elbowsmash using the loaded elbowpad, stunning her.  Richard then whipped Renée to the ropes and caught her in a spinebuster slam, then went for the pin as the referee returned to the ring to make the three-count.  Over the vociferous protests of the fans, Richard was declared the winner and the new Canadian Women's Champion.

Michel "Le Justice" Dubois & Fidel Castillo (with Eddie Creatchman) defeated Gino Brito & Luigi Macera when Dubois pinned Macera following a heart punch.

ASW Canadian Heavyweight Championship

Marcel Martel defeated Buddy Colt (C) (with Eddie Creatchman) to win the title when Martel overcame both Colt's brawling tactics and Creatchman's attempted interference and forced Colt to submit to a figure-four leglock.  Michel Dubois and Fidel Castillo ran into the ring post-match to attack Martel at Creatchman's direction, but Gino Brito and Luigi Macera ran in soon after for the save as they chased Creatchman and his men out.

 

[Old School Fan]

Stampede Wrestling @ Victoria Pavilion
March 20, 1970 - Calgary, Alberta

 

Wayne Coleman* & Angelo "King Kong" Mosca defeated Dan Kroffat & Bob Lueck** when Mosca pinned Kroffat.

Jerry Christy defeated Gil Hayes by pinfall following a powerslam.

Dave Ruhl defeated Gordon Ivey by submission with a full-Nelson.

Canadian Women's Tag Team Championship - Two Out of Three Falls

Renée Martel & Claire Lepage (C) defeated Shirley Hardman & Diane Syverson, two falls to one, when Martel got the submission from Syverson with the Alligator Clutch in the third fall.

NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Calgary)

Mighty Ursus defeated Abdullah the Butcher (C) by disqualification when Abdullah attacked the referee (Abdullah retained his title due to the DQ).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* Real name of Superstar Billy Graham.

** Bob Lueck, an American-born football player known for his tenures with the Calgary Stampeders (1966-70) and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1971-72) in the Canadian Football League, was also a wrestler during the CFL off-season, sticking mainly to Stampede Wrestling.

[Captain Kremmen]

On 6/20/2023 at 4:10 PM, Old School Fan said:

March 1970

Renée Martel and Claire Lepage are interviewed on the March 14 edition of Superstars of the Mat, during which an announcement gets made:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

INTERVIEWER:  My next guests at this time are two of the top stars of the women's division in All-Star Wrestling as well as two very popular stars themselves, co-holder of the Canadian Women's Tag Team Championship, Claire Lepage and the Canadian Women's Champion, Renée Martel.  Claire, I understand you have an announcement to make.

CLAIRE LEPAGE:  That's right, _____.  As everyone watching knows by now, my tag team championship partner, Barbara LaMarche, suffered an elbow injury in a match against the Fabulous Moolah last month and she's been out of action since then.  After we talked with the All-Star Wrestling promoter Bob Langevin and he consulted with other promoters in Canada on what to do, they made the decision to allow me to choose a new partner to take Barbara's place.  I talked with Barbara about it as well and she said that since she'll be out of action for several months while she rehabilitates her elbow and allows it to heal, she said I should choose a new partner to defend our Canadian Tag Team belts with.  Out of all the girls in the women's division, the one I felt was the best choice to have as my championship partner was someone I've also teamed with before and held championships with, and that choice is Renée Martel.  (Claire then presents Renée with one of the Canadian Women's Tag Team title belts)

INTERVIEWER:  Well congratulations, Renée, you now have yourself another accolade to go with the Canadian Women's title you currently hold.

RENÉE MARTEL: Thanks, ______.  It wasn't an easy choice for me to make because rightfully, Barbara and Claire were the titleholders and they earned both of their title reigns through hard work, but with Barbara out of action for the time being, both she and Claire wanted someone to fill Barbara's shoes and Claire made her choice - but if I'm going to be a co-holder of this title, I need to earn the right to that spot by defending the title with the same honor and level of sportsmanship and skill that Barbara and Claire have shown for the fans, and that's exactly what I intend to do.

INTERVIEWER:  Meanwhile, you still have your Canadian Women's title to concentrate on as you'll be defending it this coming Monday night in a rematch against perhaps your toughest rival, Michèle Richard.

MARTEL:  That's true, we've been at each other's throats for close to five years now, and nothing got settled when we both got counted out last month at the same card where Barbara got injured, so she demanded a rematch for my title, and on Monday night, she'll get that rematch.  Now Claire and I have the tag team belts and we'll be defending them, but on Monday, Richard, you've got my attention.  As for Moolah, she bears the responsibility for Barbara getting injured last month in their match, and I guarantee that the next time we cross paths - and that's if she's not afraid to come back to Montreal - Moolah's going to answer for what she did and for her other sins.

INTERVIEWER:  And there you go, fans, the stage is set for the rematch for the Canadian Women's Championship as the champion Renée Martel faces off against Michèle Richard once again, and it all happens this Monday night, March 16 at the Paul Sauvé Arena in Montreal.  We'll be back with more action after a few words from our sponsors!

 

Good, realistic promo. They say promos are more realistic today. What a load of crap! Promos were so much better then because they made you believe. It's not like that today. Feels sorry for modern-day younger fans. They can never know what they missed up through the end of Nitro and the Attitude Era.

3 hours ago, Old School Fan said:

Stampede Wrestling @ Victoria Pavilion
March 20, 1970 - Calgary, Alberta

 

Wayne Coleman* & Angelo "King Kong" Mosca defeated Dan Kroffat & Bob Lueck** when Mosca pinned Kroffat.

Jerry Christy defeated Gil Hayes by pinfall following a powerslam.

Dave Ruhl defeated Gordon Ivey by submission with a full-Nelson.

Canadian Women's Tag Team Championship - Two Out of Three Falls

Renée Martel & Claire Lepage (C) defeated Shirley Hardman & Diane Syverson, two falls to one, when Martel got the submission from Syverson with the Alligator Clutch in the third fall.

NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Calgary)

Mighty Ursus defeated Abdullah the Butcher (C) by disqualification when Abdullah attacked the referee (Abdullah retained his title due to the DQ).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* Real name of Superstar Billy Graham.

** Bob Lueck, an American-born football player known for his tenures with the Calgary Stampeders (1966-70) and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1971-72) in the Canadian Football League, was also a wrestler during the CFL off-season, sticking mainly to Stampede Wrestling.

Accidentally posted the wrong card. Michele won the Women's Title from Renee' thanks to foul tactics. Looking forward to Renee' winning it back in the re-match.