Stephen Petitpas
Encyclopedia
Stephen Petitpas is a Canadian
professional wrestler
, better known by his ring name
, "Big" Stephen Petitpas.
household in Shediac, New Brunswick
. Petitpas lived in a small Acadian
house with a professional wrestler, Emile Duprée
, living across the street. Petitpas would watch Duprée train in his backyard. By the time he was thirteen and fourteen, Petitpas was putting up the ring for Duprée. By the age of 15 he was 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 220 pounds. Petitpas refereed
some matches for Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling (AGPW), Duprée's wrestling promotion. When some wrestlers quit AGPW, Petitpas became involved as a wrestler at Duprée's invitation. While in the Maritimes
, Petitpas always wrestled as a face
(fan favorite).
Petitpas traveled around the world to compete during his career, including wrestling tours of Germany, Japan, and India. He had five matches against Ric Flair
for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
but was unable to win the title belt. In AGPW, Petitpas held several titles, including the AGPW International Heavyweight Championship, which he won in 1985 by defeating Super Destroyer. He also won the AGPW Maritimes Heavyweight Championship on two occasions, winning the inaugural title and later defeating Super Destroyer to regain the belt.
Wrestling in the Montreal
-based Lutte International, Petitpas competed under the ring name
Sheik Ali. He portrayed a heel
(villain) character and was managed by Eddie "The Brain" Creatchman
and "Pretty Boy" Floyd Creatchman. He competed against such wrestlers as Rick Martel
, Dino Bravo
, and Abdullah the Butcher
. He was given an opportunity to compete for the World Wrestling Federation
(WWF) but did not get to wrestle in any of the matches because Martel, who ran Lutte International, became concerned about how they would impact Petitpas's schedule and status in Lutte International. While competing for the company, Petitpas teamed with Richard Charland in 1986 to win the Canadian International Tag Team Championship
by defeating Dan Kroffat and Tom Zenk
.
When Duprée decided to stop promoting shows, he sold AGPW to Petitpas and Leo Burke
. In 1988 and 1989, he ran shows in addition to operating the Atlantic Wrestling School. His most famous trainee at the school was Robert Maillet
, who went on to wrestle in the WWF as Kurrgan. Petitpas found it difficult to compete with the WWF in the Maritimes and ultimately closed his promotion.
Canadian wrestler Buddy Lane has called Petitpas's career "the biggest waste of talent ever" in wrestling, as Petitpas was given opportunities to wrestle for larger companies but chose to remain in the Maritimes.He has three children, a daughter and two sons.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
, better known by his ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
, "Big" Stephen Petitpas.
Career
His father being in the Canadian military, Petitpas was born in Germany but he grew up in a FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
household in Shediac, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
. Petitpas lived in a small Acadian
Acadian
The Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia . Acadia was a colony of New France...
house with a professional wrestler, Emile Duprée
Emile Duprée
Emile Duprée is a former professional wrestler and promoter. He is also the father of former WWE professional wrestler, René Duprée and currently lives in Pointe-du-Chene, New Brunswick.-Professional wrestling career:...
, living across the street. Petitpas would watch Duprée train in his backyard. By the time he was thirteen and fourteen, Petitpas was putting up the ring for Duprée. By the age of 15 he was 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 220 pounds. Petitpas refereed
Referee (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling referee is the official figure that makes sure that wrestling matches move smoothly in an attempt to maintain kayfabe. The referee also has the ultimate power in the ring...
some matches for Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling (AGPW), Duprée's wrestling promotion. When some wrestlers quit AGPW, Petitpas became involved as a wrestler at Duprée's invitation. While in the Maritimes
Maritimes
The Maritime provinces, also called the Maritimes or the Canadian Maritimes, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. On the Atlantic coast, the Maritimes are a subregion of Atlantic Canada, which also includes the...
, Petitpas always wrestled as a face
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
(fan favorite).
Petitpas traveled around the world to compete during his career, including wrestling tours of Germany, Japan, and India. He had five matches against Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
but was unable to win the title belt. In AGPW, Petitpas held several titles, including the AGPW International Heavyweight Championship, which he won in 1985 by defeating Super Destroyer. He also won the AGPW Maritimes Heavyweight Championship on two occasions, winning the inaugural title and later defeating Super Destroyer to regain the belt.
Wrestling in the Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
-based Lutte International, Petitpas competed under the ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
Sheik Ali. He portrayed a heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
(villain) character and was managed by Eddie "The Brain" Creatchman
Eddie Creatchman
Eddie Creatchman was a Canadian wrestler-turned-manager who is perhaps most famous for his time in Gino Brito's Montreal based promotion, where he was known as Eddie "The Brain" Creatchman, hated manager of wrestlers such as The Sheik, The Great Samu and Steve Strong.-Professional wrestling...
and "Pretty Boy" Floyd Creatchman. He competed against such wrestlers as Rick Martel
Rick Martel
Richard Vigneault is a retired Canadian professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation between 1980 and 1995 under the ring name Rick Martel...
, Dino Bravo
Dino Bravo
Adolfo Bresciano was an Italian-born Canadian professional wrestler, best known for his work as Dino Bravo, self-proclaimed as "Canada's Strongest Man".-Territories:...
, and Abdullah the Butcher
Abdullah the Butcher
Lawrence Robert "Larry" Shreve best known as Abdullah the Butcher, and also at times The Madman from the Sudan, is a semi-retired Canadian professional wrestler known as one of the most brutal or "hardcore" professional wrestlers of all-time...
. He was given an opportunity to compete for the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWF) but did not get to wrestle in any of the matches because Martel, who ran Lutte International, became concerned about how they would impact Petitpas's schedule and status in Lutte International. While competing for the company, Petitpas teamed with Richard Charland in 1986 to win the Canadian International Tag Team Championship
Canadian International Tag Team Championship
The Canadian International Tag Team Championship was the tag team title in the Montreal-based wrestling promotion Lutte Internationale . The title lasted from 1976 until Lutte Internationale closed in 1987.-Title history:...
by defeating Dan Kroffat and Tom Zenk
Tom Zenk
Thomas Erwin "Tom" Zenk is a former Mr. Minnesota Bodybuilder, and most notably a American professional wrestler, also known by his nickname Z-Man.-Early career:...
.
When Duprée decided to stop promoting shows, he sold AGPW to Petitpas and Leo Burke
Leo Burke
Leonce Cormier is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. He was born in Dorchester, New Brunswick. He competed across Canada, in several American promotions, and wrestled internationally for both Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council and the National Wrestling Alliance in New Zealand...
. In 1988 and 1989, he ran shows in addition to operating the Atlantic Wrestling School. His most famous trainee at the school was Robert Maillet
Robert Maillet
Robert Maillet is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. He is known for his tenure in the World Wrestling Federation, as a member of the Truth Commission and the Oddities, wrestling under the name Kurrgan....
, who went on to wrestle in the WWF as Kurrgan. Petitpas found it difficult to compete with the WWF in the Maritimes and ultimately closed his promotion.
Canadian wrestler Buddy Lane has called Petitpas's career "the biggest waste of talent ever" in wrestling, as Petitpas was given opportunities to wrestle for larger companies but chose to remain in the Maritimes.He has three children, a daughter and two sons.
In wrestling
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Eddie CreatchmanEddie CreatchmanEddie Creatchman was a Canadian wrestler-turned-manager who is perhaps most famous for his time in Gino Brito's Montreal based promotion, where he was known as Eddie "The Brain" Creatchman, hated manager of wrestlers such as The Sheik, The Great Samu and Steve Strong.-Professional wrestling...
- Floyd Creatchman
Championships and accomplishments
- Atlantic Grand Prix WrestlingGrand prix wrestlingGrand Prix Wrestling is a wrestling promotion run and owned by Emile Duprée. Grand Prix Wrestling has currently stopped touring due to heavy traveling costs...
- AGPW International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- AGPW Maritimes Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- Lutte Internationale
- Canadian International Tag Team ChampionshipCanadian International Tag Team ChampionshipThe Canadian International Tag Team Championship was the tag team title in the Montreal-based wrestling promotion Lutte Internationale . The title lasted from 1976 until Lutte Internationale closed in 1987.-Title history:...
(1 time) - with Richard Charland