Butcher Paul Vachon

Hi Dave, thaks very much for your reply. I have double checked after hearing fromyou, like yourself you begin to query your own thoughts. I actually have the original programme in front ofme & the bill is definately Vachon V Campbell. Just to verify the point i have both their Autographs, so the plot thickens.

Hope this sorts things out for both of us. Stay save.All the best. Ian.

Ian, that is a very good question!

Before launching into the story I checked Ray's Newcastle results (which I believe you helped him to compile) in order to verify the year and sure enough the bout is Campbell v Vachon. As this challenged my memory I went to double check in, the seriously flawed, "Billy Riley the man and the legend" under Francis Sullivan's record but he is not down as being in action that night. A further check in my autograph book shows on the pages next to Vachon's ther are Ken Cadman, Terry Jowett and Ted Hannon all who were on the same bill. There is a missing page which would have been adorned with Ian Campbell's autograph but I cut that out to send to one of the Heritage members who seriously required it.

If you have it in the programme then I am seriously incorrect as I can hardly ever remember any no-shows or substitutions at Newcastle when I was there. However I have cherished the memory of a heavily strapped up Sullivan in action that night almost 56 years ago - he was on against Albert Wall a fortnight earlier; maybe that was when????

Hi Dave, please tell me iam wrong but ,as you say Vachon did wrestle once in Jan 1965 , but the date was Jan. 30 th. On my programme he fought Ian Campbell & Campbell won 2- 1.

Best regards ,Ian.

I did contribute a story about Paul Vachon and his only visit to St James Hall, Newcastle in January 1965 to the old web site and since that might have disappeared I’ll risk repeating it.

Vachon’s opponent that night was Francis Sullivan who he was supposed to meet on television a few weeks earlier but as Sullivan had been injured in a car accident his place was taken by Joe Cornelius. It proved to be a pretty feisty affair with Vachon emerging an unpopular 2-1 winner; however, for me all the action happened before the night commenced.

When Vachon arrived at the hall it was noticed that he had brought one of his sons with him as they made their way up the stairs to the dressing room which set some of the women around the Hall off clucking that the dressing room was no place for a 10/11 year old boy!!

Once the doors were open to the punters I took my tray of ice cream, peanuts etc. to the edge of the ring where I used to perch myself in the early stages so that any of the audience wishing to buy stuff as they entered had to pass me. Shortly after getting settled Vachon’s lad came down the main stairs, armed with a 2/- (10p) coin in order to purchase a tub of ice cream and an orange drink. The prices being 9d and 1/3d respectively came to exactly 2/- so I thanked him very much and expected him to go back to the dressing room with his confectionary; instead he stood silently and expressionless before me waiting, I presumed, for his change. Realising that he might not be au fait with English currency I tried explaining that he had given me the correct money and no change would be forthcoming; failing that I tried to break it down into pennies and halfpennies to try to make this clear to him; all to no avail. After what seemed to be an age he turned round and went back up the stairs to the dressing room and I thought that was the end of the matter.

Not a bit of it! Minutes later the boy re-emerged in the company of his father where the boy pointed me out to the towering figure of Paul Vachon who fixed me with a stare which, even from the top of the stairs, filled me with terror as I began rehearsing my story should he challenge me. Whether I looked trustworthy or he understood the situation but after a minute or so, which felt more like an hour, Vachon turned round and took his son back to the dressing room.

I hope that the kid enjoyed his ice cream and drink after that.

I forget the year but I remember seeing Curt Hennig wrestle at Wembley Stadium on the one and only occasion they staged Summerslam outside of the U.S.A. Of course, the show was built around the clash between Bret Hart and Davey "Boy" Smith (who appeared as a wee lad at one of my early promotions at The Parr Hall in Warrington to put up Ted Betley's ring for me).

The perfectplex was a very impressive finisher but the thing that always spoiled it for me was that the opponent's shoulders didn't actually touch the canvas.

I once saw Paul "Butcher" Vachon. I have mentioned it on here before but as I'm bored and penned in due to lockdown and as his name has come up, it is relevant and I'll mention it again. In the summer of 1970 I went over to America to stay with my cousins in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and my uncle agreed to drive me into Milwaukee to see an AWA show at The Milwaukee Auditorium topped by Billy Robinson.

Paul "Butcher" Vachon tagged with brother Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon against Lars Hennig (father of Curt) and Lars Heineimi whilst Billy Robinson topped against New Mexico's "Black" Jack Lanza managed by Bobby Heenan. Heenan wrestled earlier on the card against "Sailor" Art Thomas. It was a five bout card which also featured "Texan" Jack Bence versus Edouardo Carpentier and Billy Red Cloud versus John The Greek.

Thanks Hack.