Paul Vachon | |
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Vachon at an NCW Femmes Fatales show in October 2013
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Birth name | Paul Vachon |
Born |
Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
May 14, 1938
Residence | Vermont |
Spouse(s) | Rebecca Pierce (m. 1966) |
Children | 1 |
Family | Vachon |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Nikita Zolotoff Paul Vachon |
Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
Billed weight | 280 lb (130 kg; 20 st) |
Billed from | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
Debut | 1957 |
Retired | 1984 |
Paul "Butcher" Vachon (born May 14, 1938) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He is a member of the Vachon wrestling family.
Paul Vachon grew up as one of thirteen children of Ferdinand Vachon, a Montreal police officer. In 1957, he followed his brother Maurice into professional business, adopting his brother's, the "Mad Dog", vicious heel style and the moniker "Butcher Vachon". He wrestled in the American Wrestling Association, World Wrestling Federation (now WWE), National Wrestling Alliance and Georgia Championship Wrestling (later would become WCW).
He often teamed with his brother "Mad Dog" Vachon, with whom he won the AWA World Tag Team Championship.
In the early 1970s he appeared alongside his sister Vivian Vachon in the motion picture Wrestling Queen.
Paul retired in 1984. Proving his talents extend beyond the wrestling ring, one of his final appearances was singing La Vie en Rose on Tuesday Night Titans.
He was the adoptive father of wrestler Luna Vachon. He is the brother of wrestlers Maurice and Vivian Vachon and former father-in-law of wrestlers David "Gangrel" Heath and Tom Nash. In total, Vachon has six children and has been married four times.
After his wrestling career, Paul Vachon joined the NDP and ran as a federal candidate in 1988, 1993 and 1995.
In 1993, he was diagnosed with colon cancer and had half of his colon removed. Then, in 2003, he was diagnosed with throat cancer. Vachon underwent 40 treatments, one on each week day for five straight weeks, to overcome the throat cancer. In addition, he had the disease burned out of his tonsils and his teeth removed. As a result of the radiation treatments, he underwent reconstructive jaw surgery in early June 2009. Vachon also suffers from diabetes.