Rise of a Star

[Old School Fan]

Thanks for the predictions so far. While I finish working on the next chapter and the match results, here's a YouTube video of one of the tag team participants on the upcoming card from their earlier years, in an interview followed by a match:

 

(from Chicago, 1961)

[Old School Fan]

In the Paul Sauvé Arena's locker room area hallway, Renée Martel was limbering up for her upcoming debut match when Julie Painchaud*, her opponent for the bout, came up beside Renée as she was doing deep knee bends. "What're you doing, getting ready for the match or trying out for the National Ballet?" Julie asked jokingly while watching Renée warm up.

 

"Nothing wrong with prepping yourself when you need it," Renée replied with a grin to the redhaired girl. "But if I were trying for the ballet, I wouldn't be here now, I'd be at a dance studio training at the barre."

 

Julie laughed a little about Renée's answer. "Well, you don't see too many ballet dancers who wrestle, do you?" she said.

 

"Does Ricki Starr count?" Renée said, making Julie laugh again while name-dropping the ballet dancer-turned-wrestler. "Anyway, you ready to head out there?" she added while pointing toward the ring.

 

"As ready as I'll ever be," Julie said. "And forget about butterflies, I feel like I have flying saucers in my stomach right now."

 

"That comes with having your debut match," Renée admitted, indicating that like herself, this was also the debut match for Julie, who had been trained by Johnny Rougeau. "But once you get in there, you just let your training take over and take it from there. When you do, the nerves just disappear."

 

"Yeah, I hope," Julie said.

 

"Hey, you know what?" Renée then said as a thought dawned on her. "We haven't even decided yet who's going to wrestle as the face and who's going to be the heel."

 

"Come on, we both know the answer to that," Julie replied with a chuckle. "We know you're Marcel Martel's daughter and he's one of the more popular guys on the circuit right now, so it's only natural you'll be the face in this match as well."

 

"I know, but we still need to decide..." Renée started to say before she spotted Johnny Rougeau coming the girls' way. "Hey Johnny, come here a minute!" she called to the All-Star Wrestling owner. "We need you to settle something."

 

"Okay, what's up?" Johnny said the moment he reached Renée and Julie.

 

"We haven't decided yet between me and Julie who's going to be the babyface in our match," Renée pointed out.

 

"No problem, I'll solve it," Johnny said as he reached into a pocket of his pants and pulled out a quarter. "We'll coin toss for it - whoever wins the toss gets to be the babyface. Okay, Renée, call it," he added as he tossed the coin in the air.

 

"Heads!" Renée said as Johnny caught the quarter in midair and slapped it onto his left forearm.

 

Johnny looked at the coin. "Heads it is," he said as he showed Renée and Julie the outcome.

 

"Okay, I guess I'm the heel then," Julie said with a smirk and a shrug.

 

"You know what to do when you get out there, right?" Johnny then said to Julie.

 

"Actually, I got a few ideas I can put to good use before and during the match to get the crowd on Renée's side," Julie said. As she listened and waited for the ring announcer in the ring to finish welcoming the fans in attendance to the event, she then added, "Alright, here goes," before going through the curtain to head out to the ring.

 

Renée and Johnny then watched from behind the curtain as Julie got into the ring and prepared to "heel it up" by getting into arguments with fans at ringside, using a quick wit to make verbal comebacks against the fans' insults. "Hey, it looks like she's got the knack already," Renée remarked.

 

"That makes all the difference," Johnny said in agreement. "You have your match strategy worked out?"

 

"Sure do," Renée said. Changing the subject, she then added, "Before you came by, Julie said she figured I'd be the babyface in the match anyway because of who my father is."

 

"Sounds like she was right about that," Johnny said. "But I decided to help that along a little," he added as he showed Renée his quarter again - which turned out to be a two-headed coin.

 

When Renée saw the coin, she started to laugh out of surprise. "You had it worked out from the beginning, didn't you?" she said between laughter.

 

"It worked, didn't it?" Johnny said with a wink, and Renée had one more laugh before she prepared to step through the curtain for the start of her journey as a professional wrestler.

 

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

 

* Julie Painchaud was created for this diary. To represent her, I'm using images of real-life 1960s British actress Jane Asher (who, besides her acting career, was best known for once dating Beatle Paul McCartney).

[Old School Fan]

All-Star Wrestling @ Paul Sauvé Arena

June 17, 1965 - Montreal, Quebec

 

 

Renée Martel and Julie Painchaud (debut match for both) wrestled to a time-limit draw.

 

Marcel Martel defeated Joe Christie by pinfall following a knee drop.

 

The Sicilians (Lou Albano & Tony Altimore) defeated Larry Moquin & Louie Tillet when Altimore pinned Moquin.

 

Antonino Rocca defeated Bulldog Brower when Brower was disqualified for refusing to stop choking Rocca against the ropes. Post-match, Marcel Martel ran in for the save and chased Brower out.

 

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

 

Prediction results:

 

Herrbear - 3/4

Theheel - 3/4

Edited September 8, 2022 by Old School Fan
Manually reformatted to include pictures due to inexplicable improper auto-reformatting

[Old School Fan]

Big news comes up in the latest release of All-Star Wrestling's arena program/newsletter:

 

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

 

 

Meanwhile, on Page Two...

 

Edited August 28, 2022 by Old School Fan
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[Old School Fan]

July 1965

 

The poster from the July 15 card at the Montreal Forum is shown below:

 

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

 

 

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

 

Now, it's prediction time:

 

Renée Martel vs. Margot Bouchard

The Crusher vs. Bulldog Brower

 

Plus - who will win the All-Star Wrestling World Tag Team Championship Tournament?

 

The Sicilians • Jacques & Johnny Rougeau • Jack & Jim Dalton • Marcel Martel & Ti-Blanc Richard • Ron & Terry Garvin • Paul DeMarco & Gino Brito • Professor Hiro & Joe Christie • Larry Moquin & Louie Tillet

Edited September 8, 2022 by Old School Fan
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[Herrbear]

Renée Martel vs. Margot Bouchard

The Crusher vs. Bulldog Brower

 

Plus - who will win the All-Star Wrestling World Tag Team Championship Tournament?

 

The Sicilians • Jacques & Johnny Rougeau • Jack & Jim Dalton • Marcel Martel & Ti-Blanc Richard • Ron & Terry Garvin • Paul DeMarco & Gino Brito • Professor Hiro & Joe Christie • Larry Moquin & Louie Tillet

[Old School Fan]

While I'm working on the upcoming card, here's YouTube video featuring one of its main event participants:

 

(from Winnipeg, February 1984 - this predated Blackwell's face turn that June)

 

BONUS FOOTAGE - a brief clip of one of the tournament participants:

 

(from Montreal, 1976)

[Old School Fan]

All-Star Wrestling @ Montreal Forum

July 15, 1965 - Montreal, Quebec

Attendance - 15,000+

 

 

ASW World Tag Team Championship Tournament - quarterfinal match

Jacques & Johnny Rougeau defeated Ron & Terry Garvin when Jacques pinned Terry.

 

ASW World Tag Team Championship Tournament - quarterfinal match

The Dirty Daltons (Jack & Jim Dalton) defeated Larry Moquin & Louie Tillet when Jack Dalton pinned Tillet.

 

ASW World Tag Team Championship Tournament - quarterfinal match

The Sicilians (Lou Albano & Tony Altimore) defeated Paul DeMarco & Gino Brito when Altimore pinned DeMarco.

 

ASW World Tag Team Championship Tournament - quarterfinal match

Marcel Martel & Ti-Blanc Richard defeated Professor Hiro* & Joe Christie when Richard made Christie submit to a bearhug.

 

Margot Bouchard defeated Renée Martel by pinfall with a schoolgirl rollup with illegal aid by grabbing a handful of Martel's tights.

 

ASW World Tag Team Championship Tournament - semifinal match

The Sicilians defeated Marcel Martel & Ti-Blanc Richard by disqualification when Martel accidentally clotheslined the referee when Albano, Martel's intended target, got out of the way.

 

ASW World Tag Team Championship Tournament - semifinal match

Jacques & Johnny Rougeau defeated The Dirty Daltons when Johnny pinned Jack Dalton. Post-match, the Sicilians ran in and attacked the Rougeaus, leading immediately to the championship final.

 

ASW World Tag Team Championship Tournament - final

Jacques & Johnny Rougeau defeated The Sicilians to win the tournament and the title when Jacques pinned Albano. Post-match, the Sicilians ambushed and beat down the Rougeaus, then stole their newly-awarded title belts and ran back to the locker room with the Rougeaus pursuing.

 

The Crusher defeated Bulldog Brower via pinfall following a Bolo Punch. Post-match, the Sicilians ran in and attacked Crusher, with Brower joining in for a three-on-one ambush until the Rougeau Brothers ran in for the save and helped Crusher clear Brower and the Sicilians out.

 

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

Prediction results:

Herrbear - 2/3

 

All-time prediction results:

Herrbear - 5/7

Theheel - 3/4

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

 

* I couldn't find a decent or usable picture of the real Professor Hiro, so I grabbed a generic pic from one of the other mod packs.

Edited December 17, 2022 by Old School Fan
Manually reformatted to include pictures due to inexplicable improper auto-reformatting

[Old School Fan]

The latest issue of the All-Star Wrestling arena program covers the aftermath of the World Tag Team title tournament (included in that story, as he would in his later incarnation as the "Manager of Champions" as Captain Lou in the WW(W)F, Lou Albano goes politically incorrect on his opponents using a phrase ITTL that would become famous much later IRL on The Simpsons, though he manages to confuse francophone Quebecers with the French with his comments):

 

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

 

 

Meanwhile on Page Two, the fallout from the first in-ring meeting between Renée Martel and Margot Bouchard (with Bouchard acting as any heel would when confronted about their dirty deeds), along with Renée's immediate future plans:

 

Edited August 28, 2022 by Old School Fan
Manually reformatted to include pictures due to inexplicable improper auto-reformatting

[Old School Fan]

A few days after the Montreal Forum card, Marcel and Renée Martel, accompanied by Julie Painchaud, were at Johnny Rougeau's office to meet with him concerning Marcel's upcoming tour of the Maritimes. "So, Len's made all the arrangements then?" Johnny said to Marcel, referring to Len Hughes, the Halifax promoter and owner of the Provincial Sports Association.

 

"Yep, everything's all set up," Marcel confirmed. "I start in Halifax on Friday."

 

"Good," Johnny said. Turning to Renée and Julie, he added, "Okay, girls, you're both wondering why you're here, right?"

 

"Well, if I'm here with Papa, then I have to be involved in some way," Renée said.

 

"Right," Johnny said. "Len Hughes knows about you starting in the business recently after talking with your dad, and as part of him going to the Maritimes on tour, Len wanted you to come along with another girl as well, that's why I asked Julie to this meeting too."

 

"So I get to go on tour too? Great!" a pleased Julie said. "That includes New Brunswick too, right?"

 

"It does," Johnny said.

 

"Good, it'll give me a chance to visit some relatives over in Edmunston," Julie said.

 

"Just as long as you keep the tour schedule in mind," Johnny advised Julie. "The wrestling season in the Maritimes is a short one, from about May to October, so they make up for that by holding events every day of the week there throughout the territory. There's no days off there while you're on tour."

 

"Oh, boy," Renée remarked with a hint of hesitation.

 

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it once you get into the swing of it," Johnny reassured Renée. "Also, you and Julie will be working singles matches during the first week until Joyce Grable* and Cora Combs come up to join you for tag team matches the following week."

 

"That sounds alright," Renée said while Julie nodded in agreement.

 

"Great," Johnny said. "Pack your bags because you're off to Halifax. I'll call Len and let him know you're on your way."

 

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

 

* This Joyce Grable was not the more well-known Joyce Grable (real name Betty Wade) who teamed with Wendi Richter to hold the NWA World Women's Tag Team Championship in the 1980s, but was born Joyce Fowler and later became Joyce Becker after she married Mid-Atlantic wrestler George Becker in 1968; she wrestled using the ring names Joyce Grable and Barbara Nichols between 1963 and 1974.

[Old School Fan]

Provincial Sports Association @ Halifax Forum

July 23, 1965 - Halifax, Nova Scotia

 

 

Julie Painchaud defeated Renée Martel by pinfall following a suplex slam.

 

Rudy Kay defeated Maxim Zarnoff* by submission with a sleeperhold.

 

Rocky Johnson fought John Heideman to a time-limit draw.

 

PSA Maritimes Heavyweight Championship

Marcel Martel © defeated Bulldog Brower when Brower was disqualified for slugging the referee as he tried to stop Brower from choking Martel. Post-match, Rocky Johnson ran in for the save and dropkicked Brower out of the ring.

 

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

* Maxim Zarnoff was the ring name used in the PSA by Canadian wrestler Dave Ruhl, who was a multiple-time NWA Canadian Heavyweight Champion in Stampede Wrestling.

Edited December 17, 2022 by Old School Fan
Manually reformatted to include pictures due to inexplicable improper auto-reformatting

[Old School Fan]

Provincial Sports Association @ Halifax Forum

July 30, 1965 - Halifax, Nova Scotia

 

 

Cora Combs & Julie Painchaud defeated Joyce Grable & Renée Martel when Combs pinned Martel.

 

Rocky Johnson fought Ossie Timmins to a time-limit draw.

 

John Heideman & Maxim Zarnoff defeated Rudy Kay & Yvon Losier when Zarnoff pinned Losier.

 

NWA World Heavyweight Championship - Two Out of Three Falls

Lou Thesz © wrestled Marcel Martel to a time-limit draw after each wrestler had won one fall.

 

Edited December 17, 2022 by Old School Fan
Manually reformatted to include pictures due to inexplicable improper auto-reformatting

[Old School Fan]

While I'm preparing the next entry in this diary, here's a YouTube clip featuring one of the participants from the previous card's main event:

 

(from St. Petersburg, Florida, 1973)

[Herrbear]

Nice clip.

[Captain Kremmen]

You owe me a rights fee for showing classic clips!

[Old School Fan]

Nice clip.

 

Glad to do so, since that serves as a link for the next chapter I'll be posting shortly.

 

You owe me a rights fee for showing classic clips!

 

I figured you'd catch that - all in the name of public service to add color to our diaries.

[Old School Fan]

Following her tag team match at the Halifax Forum, Renée Martel was the last of its participants to go through the curtain to the backstage area when she was met by her father Marcel. "I saw how you did out there in your match, Renée," he said to his daughter. "You did alright out there, you're still improving slowly but surely."

 

"Thanks, Papa," Renée replied. "I'm always looking to improve out there."

 

"Oh, I should also introduce you to someone who watched the match with me," Marcel then said, indicating the man beside him, his scheduled opponent in the main event that night. "Lou Thesz, the NWA World Heavyweight Champion, this is my daughter Renée."

 

"Hi, Renée, pleasure to meet you," Lou said as he shook hands with her.

 

"Same here," Renée said with a grin, feeling a bit starstruck over her first meeting with the wrestling great her father had sometimes talked about.

 

"Your father's right too, you did good out there in the ring for someone who's just getting started," Lou said. "He was telling me you got some solid grounding in amateur wrestling when you were in school and you were also given training by some big names."

 

"They did - it was Mildred Burke and Stu Hart," Renée explained. "Stu taught me catch and submission wrestling and Mildred taught me all the basics."

 

"Great, there's few teachers out there better than those two, other than my own trainers and maybe Karl Gotch and Billy Riley*," Lou pointed out. "If you continue practicing what Stu and Mildred taught you, I have a hunch that you'll go very far as a wrestler."

 

"Merci beaucoup, that's what I plan to do," Renée said with a slight giggle, flattered with the praise of her developing skills that she got from the legendary grappler.

 

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

 

For the good fortune she had in meeting Lou Thesz and the encouragement and endorsement she got from him, however, things would soon take a dark turn for Renée on one night following a wrestling card in another town in Nova Scotia as July turned to August...

 

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

 

* Billy Riley was a British catch wrestler known for his famous Snake Pit gym in Wigan, England, best known as the trainer for such stars as Karl Gotch, future British Empire Champion Billy Robinson, future Stampede Wrestling manager John "J.R." Foley and the Dynamite Kid.

[Old School Fan]

Provincial Sports Association @ Colchester Legion Stadium

August 4, 1965 - Truro, Nova Scotia

 

 

Joyce Grable & Renée Martel battled Cora Combs & Julie Painchaud to a time-limit draw.

 

Rocky Johnson defeated Ossie Timmins by submission via the Boston Crab.

 

John Heideman defeated Rudy Kay by countout when Kay was unable to get back in the ring to beat the 10-count after Heideman knocked him out of the ring.

 

PSA Maritimes Heavyweight Championship

Marcel Martel © defeated Maxim Zarnoff by submission with a figure-four leglock.

 

Edited December 17, 2022 by Old School Fan
Manually reformatted to include pictures due to inexplicable improper auto-reformatting

[Old School Fan]

August 1965

 

After the end of the wrestling card that night in Truro, Renée Martel and Joyce Grable went out to a coffee shop near the arena on the town's main street, where they were snacking on a large plate of French fries in one of the diner's booths while music from the local radio station was playing over the coffee shop's radio. "So really, you got to meet Ann Calvello while you were training with Mildred Burke?" Joyce said as she helped herself to another ketchup-smothered fry from the plate.

 

"Sure did," Renée said after sipping from a glass of water. "It was a pretty enlightening experience too. I got to learn quite a bit from her during my training."

 

"Me too, only I did that learning against her in the ring when I wrestled her a few times," Joyce admitted. "Calvello's built up quite a reputation in the ring over the years and I had to be on my toes every time I got in there against her. You haven't actually had to wrestle her yet, have you?"

 

"No, not yet," Renée said while helping herself to a pair of fries. "Up until I came to the Maritimes, I only wrestled mainly in Quebec and only against other girls from there. I've also only been wrestling since this past June."

 

"But now you're taking on your first American competition with Cora Combs," Joyce pointed out, "and you're getting experience from it."

 

"I am," Renée agreed, grinning. "And I'm looking forward to those challenges."

 

While Renée and Joyce continued talking, two girls of about junior high school age came into the coffee shop to grab a late bite to go. The girls had been to the wrestling event earlier that night to watch the women wrestlers and had just been hanging out along the main drag where the coffee shop was after the show ended when they decided to go in. While they waited for their order, the girls then spotted and recognized Renée and Joyce at their booth. Talking among themselves for a moment, the girls then got up and walked over to the booth. "Hi, Miss Martel, Miss Grable?" one of the starstruck girls, a ponytailed blonde, said as she and her friend, a brunette, came near.

 

"Oh, hi!" Renée replied, delighted at being recognized, as was Joyce.

 

"We saw you at the wrestling show at the arena tonight," the blonde girl said. "We had front row seats at ringside and we were rooting for you two."

 

"Great, thanks for the support," Joyce then said. "Did you want to get our autographs?"

 

"Could we?" the blonde girl said as she and her friend produced the wrestling programs they had bought at the show.

 

"Sure, we'd love to," Renée said with a smile as she and Joyce took the programs and the girls' pens. "What're your names?"

 

"Candy", the blonde girl answered.

 

"Lindsay," the brunette followed.

 

"Okay," Renée said as she started with Candy's program, signing it bilingually "To Candy, bonne chance and best wishes, Renée Martel", then trading programs with Joyce and signing it the same way for Lindsay's program.

 

"Oh, thank you both so much!" Candy said as she and Lindsay got their programs and pens back. "Will you both be back the next time wrestling comes to Truro?"

 

"I'm not sure about Joyce, but I might be," Renée said. "If you check for the wrestling ads in your newspaper here, you'll see."

 

"Awesome!" Candy then said with enthusiasm. "Thanks again for the autographs," she added before she and Lindsay picked up and paid for their orders and left the coffee shop.

 

Renée, who had a seat in the booth facing toward the coffee shop entrance, watched as the girls left. "Nice girls, those two, weren't they?" she then remarked to Joyce while she reached for another French fry from the plate.

 

"They're all right," Joyce replied. "Speaking from experience myself, the occasional kook might come along to deal with, but most fans are decent otherwise."

 

Not long after the two fans had left, a man then entered the coffee shop and, after looking around a moment and spotting Renée and Joyce at their booth, walked over to them. "Good, I'm glad I found you two," the man said.

 

Renée recognized the man as a member of Len Hughes' ring crew who assembled the wrestling ring before shows and took it down after the shows ended. "Hi, Declan, what's going on?" she asked.

 

"I just came from seeing Cora and Julie at the Chinese takeout place they went to on Arthur Street after the matches," Declan explained. "They were going to come pick you up after they were done, but Cora's having car trouble and a mechanic's looking at the car now, so she sent me to bring you back to the motel the wrestlers are staying at."

 

"Oh no, really?" Joyce said with a hint of disappointment. "Car trouble?"

 

"'fraid so, and she's gonna be a while," Declan said. "Of course, if you'd rather wait until the car gets fixed..."

 

Renée unsuccessfully tried to stifle a yawn. "Well, I do feel a little tired," she said.

 

"Uh, you sure you want to take that ride?" said Joyce, who seemed unsure about Declan's offer.

 

Renée thought about it a moment. "Well..."

 

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

 

A while later, Joyce was riding with Cora Combs and Julie Painchaud in the rental car Cora was driving, with the car's radio tuned in to the local station as they drove along a highway back to their motel. "So you just let Renée go with that guy after he convinced her to ride back with him?" a surprised Julie said from the back seat of the car when she heard about Renée getting a ride back with the ring crewman.

 

"He said Cora was having car trouble while you two were at that Chinese restaurant and that she sent him to get me and Renée to bring back to the motel," Joyce said.

 

"Hon, y'all got played," Cora said to Joyce in her Tennessee drawl. "There was no trouble with the car, there never was. I saw him at the restaurant, sure, but I never sent him to get you."

 

"Joyce, you should've either gone with Renée or got her to stay put at the coffee shop until we came to get you two," a displeased Julie chastized Joyce. "What do you think her dad's gonna say if he finds out about this?"

 

"I'm sorry," Joyce said, sounding slightly upset over the turn of events. "I didn't know Declan was gonna lie to us about the car."

 

As Joyce was talking, Julie then noticed as the car's headlights shone on someone walking along the side of the road in the near distance and she got a feeling of who it was when she recognized familiar clothing the person was wearing. "Cora, pull the car over!" she said, prompting the veteran wrestler to slow down after pulling ahead of the person and then pulling aside to the shoulder of the road to stop. "If that's who I think it is..."

 

After the car stopped, Julie got out through the back door on the passenger side to see who it was she and the others stopped for - and immediately recognized Renée and ran to her. "Renée, what happened to you?" she said upon meeting her friend and noticing her dishevelled appearance.

 

"Take me back to the motel," Renée said quietly, seeming in a daze as Julie got her back to the car. Once inside, Julie got Cora to start back for the motel.

 

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

 

A few minutes later, the car carrying Renée and the other ladies finally arrived at the wrestlers' motel and pulled into an empty parking space. Marcel Martel, who had just returned to the motel himself a few minutes earlier, had just finished buying a pack of cigarettes from a cigarette vending machine inside the motel's office and lobby and was on his way back to his room when he saw the car pull up and park and his daughter got out from the back seat.

 

Almost as soon as he saw Renée, Marcel realized something appeared to be wrong as he came up to her. "Renée, what...what happened to you?" he asked, becoming concerned as he noticed that the blouse she was wearing had been ripped. Right at that point, Renée broke down and began to cry, prompting Marcel to take his daughter in his arms to try and comfort her. Looking at Julie as she came around from the driver's side, he then asked, "Julie, what's going on?"

 

"We found her like this, Mr. Martel," Julie explained. "She was walking along the highway toward the motel when we spotted her and picked her up."

 

"Why was she doing that?" Marcel demanded to know as he took a still-sobbing Renée and followed Joyce to the room she and Renée were sharing, followed by Julie and Cora. Once everyone present was inside the room, Joyce explained about what happened at the coffee shop in town when Declan the ring crewman used the claim of Cora having car trouble to trick Renée into getting a ride from him in his truck back to the motel, which Cora and Julie backed up by confirming that Cora never had problems with her rental car and did not send Declan for Renée and Joyce.

 

"So what happened after you left the coffee shop with him?" Marcel then asked Renée.

 

Although she was still crying, Renée did her best to try to compose herself and keep herself together. "It was...like this," she explained, mentioning that she suspected something was fishy when, shortly after coming onto the highway, Declan pulled his truck off onto a side road and stopped, then began making unwanted advances toward Renée and, when she resisted, got rough with her and attempted to sexually assault her; she managed to stop him by scratching at his face and eyes with her fingernails before escaping from the truck and running back up the side road toward the highway, with Declan chasing after her. "The only reason he...he didn't get further was because I found a large rock on the side of the road, grabbed it and threatened to smash him over the head with it if he...if he tried...to touch me again," she explained, followed by Declan running back to his truck and speeding off in it, abandoning Renée at the side of the highway. Renée barely finished her explanation before she broke down sobbing again.

 

"I'm sorry, Mr. Martel," said a regretful Joyce. "I should've told Renée not to take the ride and to wait with me instead for Cora and Julie."

 

Although angry about what had happened to his daughter, Marcel understood about the situation. "It's okay, Joyce, you couldn't have known what was gonna happen and neither did Renée," he told Joyce. "But take it as a lesson learned so something like it doesn't happen again."

 

Just then, a knock came at the door to Renée and Joyce's room. "Who is it?" Joyce called to the door.

 

"It's Dave," a male voice called from the other side. Recognizing the voice, Joyce opened the door and saw Dave Ruhl, the wrestler going by the ring name Maxim Zarnoff who had been Marcel's in-ring opponent just over an hour earlier. "Hey Marcel, I thought we were supposed to play Crazy Eights upstairs - what's going on?" he said. Marcel then explained what had happened to Renée earlier.

 

Dave, a father himself, thought about how he would have felt if his daughter, back at home in Alberta, was Renée's age and ended up in a similar situation. "Sorry to hear that, Marcel," he said apologetically.

 

"Shouldn't we call the police and tell them what happened?" Julie then said. "Then they can find that guy and get him."

 

"Actually, I just got an idea how we can deal with this Declan character..." Dave said, leaving it at that for the girls present at the moment, but letting Marcel in on the idea during their card game up in Dave's second-floor room afterward.

 

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

 

As it turned out, Declan the ring crewman was a no-show for the following event the next night in Bridgewater, as he decided to lay low following the incident and had called Len Hughes back in Halifax to claim being sick with a mild case of food poisoning as his reason for no-showing Bridgewater. Hughes, who already knew about what had happened to Renée after Marcel and Dave contacted him by phone earlier, went along with Dave's plan and gave Declan the night off, expecting him to be at the Halifax Forum show the next night.

 

Meanwhile, as she was not mentally up to wrestling on the Bridgewater show after what she had been through, Renée was given the night off as well. Due to this, Julie was also taken off the night's card and the scheduled tag team match pitting Renée and Joyce against Cora and Julie was turned into a singles bout between Joyce and Cora. The following night in Halifax, though, would be a different story...

[Old School Fan]

Provincial Sports Association @ Halifax Forum
August 6, 1965 - Halifax, Nova Scotia

Joyce Grable & Renée Martel defeated Cora Combs & Julie Painchaud when Martel pinned Painchaud.

 
Chief Young Eagle fought Black Spider to a time-limit draw.

 
Stamford Murphy defeated Al Zinck by pinfall following an overhead suplex.

John Heideman & Maxim Zarnoff defeated Rudy Kay & Rocky Johnson when Zarnoff pinned Kay.

PSA Maritimes Heavyweight Championship

Marcel Martel (C) and Hans Schmidt were both counted out while brawling outside the ring.

 

Edited September 8, 2022 by Old School Fan
Major reformatting done due to bad auto-formatting

[Bigelow Cartwheel]

Enjoyed that. Good story telling and I’m starting to recognise more names as you progress. Looking forward to Declan getting his comeuppance.

[Old School Fan]

Enjoyed that. Good story telling and I’m starting to recognise more names as you progress. Looking forward to Declan getting his comeuppance.

 

Thanks, and stay tuned for the next chapter and see.

[Old School Fan]

Renée Martel and Joyce Grable were the first ones to step through the curtain into the Halifax Forum's backstage area following their tag team match, slightly winded but happy about their performance. "Hey, you're really coming along out there, Renée," Joyce said in praise. "Your timing's getting better."

 

"Yeah, and I've noticed we're also gelling more as a team too," Renée said.

 

"We are," Joyce agreed with a nod, just as Cora Combs and Julie Painchaud came through the curtain next. "Hey Cora, I was just telling Renée how she did out there," she then said as she turned to Cora.

 

"You're comin' along alright, hon," Cora said to Renée. "It takes a while before you start to hit your stride, but you're gettin' there."

 

"I should know, I trained along with her when Johnny Rougeau put us through our paces just before we debuted," Julie joined in.

 

"But really, Renée," Cora continued, changing the subject. "How're you holdin' up after what you went through two nights ago with that creep?"

 

Renée let out a sigh as she thought about the unfortunate encounter she had with Declan the ring crewman after he tricked her into getting a ride with him back to the motel in Truro the wrestlers had stayed at that night. "I don't like to think about it, but I'm just glad things didn't turn out worse than they did," she admitted, mentally replaying the moment he tried to sexually assault her when she resisted his unwelcome advances. "I'm also glad I found that rock when I did after I escaped and he backed off and ran away after I threatened to crack his skull like a coconut with it."

 

"Cowards always run away when you confront 'em," Cora said with a smirk. "Course, it helps to have a weapon handy to fend 'em off just in case."

 

"I'd hate to imagine if that happened to me if I'd been in Renée's shoes at that moment," Joyce said. "I'd have been so freaked I wouldn't have known what to do then, but at least I know what to do now for future reference."

 

"Yeah," Renée said with a nervous laugh, right as she noticed her father Marcel come around the corner from the locker rooms, accompanied by Dave Ruhl and Rocky Johnson. "Papa, what's the matter with your hand?" she asked as she noticed that Marcel had an ice bag on his right hand.

 

"Oh, it's nothing, dear," Marcel replied. "Just icing down my knuckles, that's all. By the way, remember that ring crewman who tried to hurt you two nights ago, what was his name again?"

 

"Declan," Renée answered.

 

"Well, the reason your dad's icing down his knuckles is because Declan's been dealt with," Dave pointed out.

 

Although she had heard Dave talk about a plan for dealing with Declan back at the motel in Truro, the news came as a surprise to Renée. "Really?" she said as Julie, Joyce and Cora listened in.

 

"Dave and your dad let me in on it because I'd overheard them talking," Rocky explained. "While you and the other girls were doing your match in the ring, we took Declan out behind the arena and confronted him about what he did to you in Truro."

 

"And you know what happened while we talked?" Dave continued. "He not only denied doing anything wrong, he accused you of trying to come on to him and seduce him."

 

"I never did anything like that," Renée said, stunned at Declan's attempt to turn things around on her to save his neck and make her look bad. "I was never raised that way and I wanted no part of him in that way in the first place. I even told him so and I told him I already have a boyfriend back at home, but he didn't want to listen and he tried to force the issue."

 

"We know, dear," Marcel said. "After that, we confronted him about him lying about the 'car trouble' he claimed Cora had to trick you into going with him and we told him that if he'd lie about that, then he'd lie about what he did to you too."

 

"Declan refused to hear any more after we mentioned that and he turned around to try and leave, so Marcel grabbed him to keep him from leaving," Rocky added. "Then Declan took a swing at him, but Marcel blocked the punch and countered with a right hook, then he, Dave and I put the boots to him before he got away and ducked back inside."

 

"We just finished talking with Len just before we saw you," Dave then said. "Declan went to him after we gave him his receipt and he tried complaining to Len about what happened, but Len told him that he already knew about what Declan did to you in Truro, then he told him to grab his gear and get out. So, not only will Declan not be walking straight for a while, he's also pink-slipped now."

 

Renée was greatly relieved to hear about the comeuppance Declan got for his attempted sexual assault against her. "Thank you, Papa, thank you so much," she said gratefully as she hugged Marcel. She then turned to Dave and Rocky and each shook their hands, saying to them, "Thank you both too, I'll never forget what you did for me."

 

"Not a prob, glad to do it," Rocky responded.

 

"Any father worth his salt with a daughter that got done wrong would've stepped up for her," Dave added. "And I oughta know 'cause I got a daughter myself back at home."

 

Renée then turned to Julie, Joyce and Cora. "When I get back home from this tour," Cora began, "the first thing I'm gonna do is give my daughter Debbie* a hug and never let go."

 

"If I get married and become a mother later on, that's what I'd do for my kids too," Renée agreed with a nod and a small smile.

 

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

 

* Debbie is, of course, Debbie Combs, who later became a wrestler in her own right and went on to win the NWA World Women's Championship later in her career.

[Old School Fan]

All-Star Wrestling @ Paul Sauvé Arena

August 12, 1965 - Montreal, Quebec

 

 

The Dirty Daltons (Jack & Jim Dalton) defeated Larry Moquin & Paul DeMarco when Jim Dalton pinned Moquin.

 

Marcel Martel defeated Alexander the Great by pinfall following a clothesline.

 

Joyce Grable & Renée Martel defeated Cora Combs & Julie Painchaud when Martel made Painchaud submit to the Alligator Clutch.

 

Tony Angelo and Apache Mingo fought to a time-limit draw.

 

ASW World Tag Team Championship

Jacques & Johnny Rougeau © defeated Hans Schmidt & Waldo Von Erich* when Jacques pinned Von Erich.

 

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

* Waldo Von Erich was the ring name used by Canadian wrestler Walter Sieber; as Von Erich, he was a kayfabe member of the famous Von Erich family (with Fritz Von Erich as his "brother" and Kerry, Kevin, David, Mike and Chris, Fritz's sons, as his "nephews").

Edited December 18, 2022 by Old School Fan
Manually reformatted to include pictures due to inexplicable improper auto-reformatting

[Dalton]

This is excellent!

 

Push Dirty Daltons!!