Wrestling Legend Paul ‘The Butcher’ Vachon Passes Away

Paul Vachon, who was known as The Butcher during his extensive wrestling career, has passed away. Pat LePrade announced on Friday that Vachon passed on Thursday night at the age of 81. No word as to the details of his passing.

Vachon was one of a number of members of the Vachon wrestling family that included his brother Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon, his sister Vivian, and his adopted daughter Luna Vachon. One of 13 children of Montreal police officer Ferdinand Vachon, he followed Maurice into the pro wrestling business. Vachon began his career at an AWA event in October of 1956, losing the opening card bout to Ramon Torres. He went on to work as Nikita Zolotoff in Texas where he won the NWA Texas Tag Team Championships with Ivan the Terrible in September of 1957.

Vachon held a number of Tag Team Championships with his brother Maurice, including the Stampede International Tag Team Championships and Calgary Canadian Tag Team Championships in Stampede Wrestling. He and Maurice also won the NWA World Tag Team Championships in 1967; Paul would later team with his storyline brother Stan Vachon to win the titles again in 1968.

Vachon’s lengthiest tag team title reign was in the AWA, where he and Maurice won the company’s World Tag Team Titles in August of 1969 and and held them for 623 days. He was also famously involved in a 1975 angle in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling where he worked under a mask as “Spoiler #2” in order to get revenge against Wahoo McDaniel, Paul Jones, and Rufus R. Jones for (in storyline) running Super Destroyer out of the territory. Vachon left the territory soon after losing a Title vs. Mask match against US Champion Paul Jones.

Vachon retired from the ring in 1985 after a stint in the WWF and unsuccessfully ran for federal office in Canada under the New Democratic Party three times.

On behalf of 411, our condolences to the family, friends and fans of Mr. Vachon.

Sad news. Paul “The Butcher” Vachon died last night at the age of 86 years old. Former AWA tag team champ, Grand Prix Wrestling promoter and WWE wrestler, he had a great career and became a friend of mine over the years. My sympathies to his wife Dee and his family. pic.twitter.com/r705Ou2Sws

— Pat Laprade (@PatLaprade) March 1, 2024