Paul LeDuc (wrestler)
 Paul LeDuc, c. 1972 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Joseph Léodard Mimeault November 10, 1936 Saint-Maxime-du-Mont-Louis, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | August 30, 2026 (aged 89) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Children | Carl Leduc |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Billed weight | 196 lb (89 kg) |
| Debut | 1957 |
| Retired | 1978 |
Paul LeDuc (born Joseph Léodard Mimeault; November 10, 1936 – August 30, 2026) was a Canadian professional wrestler. He was best known for teaming with his kayfabe (storyline) brother Jos LeDuc.
Professional wrestling career
[edit]
Leduc was born as Joseph Léodard Mimeault on November 10, 1936 Saint-Maxime-du-Mont-Louis on the Gaspé peninsula of Québec, one of 15 children born to Edmond and Hortense (née Lemieux) Mimeault.[1] Both of his parents died by the time he was 13, and he grew up in foster care before being raised by his siblings.[1] Also playing hockey in his youth, LeDuc started wrestling at age 18.[1][2] Despite his short stature, he decided to turn professional in 1957 and began his training in Montreal, and later moved to Mexico for further instruction.[1] Earlier in his career, he wrestled under the name Del Leo Mimolt.[1]
He talked a friend, Michel Pigeon, into becoming a wrestler as well. Pigeon agreed and took on the ring name Jos LeDuc, as the pair pretended to be brothers.[2] They first worked together in Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling promotion in Calgary, Alberta. The LeDucs used a lumberjack gimmick to honour deceased professional wrestler "Yukon" Eric Holmback.[3] While wrestling in Stampede Wrestling, the pair held the Stampede International Tag Team Championship.[4]
The LeDucs next moved back to Montreal. They feuded with the Rougeau wrestling family as well as the Vachon brothers (Maurice and Paul).[5] During a wrestling show in Montreal, Paul LeDuc was legitimately married in the wrestling ring. They also held the Grand Prix Wrestling Tag Team Championship twice in 1972 and 1973.[6]
The LeDucs also wrestled in Florida, where they were known as the Canadian Lumberjacks.[7] In December 1973, they defeated Dusty Rhodes and Dick Slater to win the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship.[8] He legally changed his name to Paul LeDuc in 1977.[1]
Retirement
[edit]LeDuc retired from wrestling in 1978 and began working for Quebecor, a communications company, the following year.[2][9] He later accepted a position writing about professional wrestling for Canadian Online Explorer.[9]
His long-time friend and tag team partner, Jos LeDuc, died in 1999. The pair had played the role of brothers so well that, when it was revealed that they were not related, the news was widely discussed on talk shows in Quebec.[5][10]
Personal life and death
[edit]LeDuc married Pierrette Brault in a public ceremony coinciding with a wrestling event at the Montreal Forum in December 1971.[1] They had two sons and a daughter; LeDuc's son, Carl, is also a professional wrestler.[11] His wife, Pierrette, died in 2011.[1]
LeDuc died in Montreal due to cardiorenal syndrome on August 30, 2026, at the age of 89.[1][12]
Championships and accomplishments
[edit]- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Jos LeDuc[8]
- Grand Prix Wrestling (Montreal)
- Grand Prix Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Jos LeDuc[6]
- Stampede Wrestling
- NWA International Tag Team Championship (Calgary version) (1 time) - with Jos LeDuc[4]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Hawthorn, Tom (September 23, 2026). "Pro wrestler Paul Leduc thrilled crowds as half of an axe-wielding tag team of faux lumberjacks". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved October 1, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "SLAM! Wrestling Canadian Hall of Fame: Paul LeDuc". SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2009.
- ↑ "Cauliflower Alley Club Posthumous Award: Yukon Eric". Cauliflower Alley Club. Archived from the original on November 19, 2008. Retrieved January 7, 2009.
- 1 2 "Stampede International Tag Team Title". Wrestling Titles. Archived from the original on May 5, 2008. Retrieved January 7, 2009.
- 1 2 "SLAM! Wrestling Canadian Hall of Fame: Jos LeDuc - SLAM! Wrestling". Archived from the original on September 1, 2000. Retrieved January 7, 2009.
- 1 2 "Jos Leduc and Paul Leduc". Canadian Pro Wrestling Page of Fame. Archived from the original on February 26, 2008. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ↑ "Championship Wrestling from Florida #5". Kayfabe Memories. Retrieved January 7, 2009.
- 1 2 "Florida Tag Team Title". Wrestling Titles. Retrieved January 7, 2009.
- 1 2 "Paul Leduc to write for Canoë". SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2009.
- ↑ Oliver, Greg; Steven Johnson (2007). The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame. ECW Press. p. 230. ISBN 978-1-55022-759-8.
...the LeDucs were such an institution in Quebec that when it was revealed, following Jos' death in 1999, that they were not brothers, a mini-scandal erupted.
- ↑ "SLAM! Wrestling Canadian Hall of Fame: Carl LeDuc". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved January 7, 2009.
- ↑ "Who was Paul LeDuc? Canadian wrestling star and LeDuc Brothers legend dies at 89". The Times of India. August 30, 2026. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
External links
[edit]
- Paul LeDuc's profile at Cagematch , Wrestlingdata
- Paul LeDuc at IMDb
