Hants County, N.S., pro wrestler returning to Canadian legend’s national competition

Nova Scotia and Hants County will once again be represented in a national pro wrestling competition with thousands of dollars and career opportunities on the line.

Canadian wrestling icon Jacques Rougeau is presenting his third annual Lutte Académie (Wrestling Academy) competition in 2024.

It will include 35 wrestlers (20 men and 15 women) from across Canada. In the end, two male and two female competitors will be chosen as finalists and will each receive $10,000, as well as an international training opportunity.

The wrestling takes place at Montreal’s Centre Leonardo da Vinci on Aug. 24, Sept. 28, Oct. 26, and Nov. 16.

Cody Brown, a Cogmagun, Hants County, native better known to fans as Lil’ Blay, has been chosen to return. He was eliminated in last year’s quarter-finals following a bout with Michael Richard Blais that Rougeau chose as the match of the night.

Brown said in a Jan. 9 interview from Mexico that he wanted to be part of the competition again because he has his sights set on the finals and the $10,000 prize.

“I just want to show everyone what I’ve got, go out there and show them what I’ve learned and what I’m capable of,” Brown said.

Willing to sacrifice

Brown said he feels the competition will be more intense this year, and it would be a little trickier for him to guess who the finalists might be this time around. Brown said he’s going to give it his all so that whether he’s standing among the finalists in the end or not, he’ll be satisfied with the effort he made.

Brown said he’s willing to sacrifice a lot in life for the sake of wrestling, and this level of commitment is necessary to become a success in the business.

“The more you’re willing to sacrifice, the farther you’re going to go, and some people have limits on what they’re willing to sacrifice,” he said.

Brown, 27, is now wrestling in Mexico for the Big Lucha promotion, and recently reached an agreement to train with Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), which was founded in 1933 and is the world’s longest running pro wrestling promotion.

He said this training would provide a “huge confidence boost” going into Lutte Académie, as would regular sessions with renowned Mexican trainer Skayde and others.

Brown plans to keep training and wrestling in Mexico until it’s time to start promoting Wrestling in Windsor shows again, likely in mid-May. Brown said he wants to share his passion by presenting pro wrestling in Windsor on an annual basis, and he hopes to “up the ante” with the level of talent he brings in this year.

Brown said he is very pleased with the “organic growth” in fan support the promotion has experienced since its inception in 2022. He said he wasn’t the greatest teenager and was known in Windsor for many things other than wrestling, so he never thought he’d be recognized by the mayor for his positive efforts.

“I’m surprised that so many people are just following what I’m doing,” Brown said. “I’m the same kid that was getting expelled from school, that’s still me, but the support is insane, really, and I appreciate it all.”

Brown will also be taking part in his eighth tour for the Canadian Wrestling Federation (CWF) later this winter, visiting many isolated communities in northern Quebec and Ontario.

Brown said the northern tours present challenging circumstances and aren’t for everyone. He said wrestlers must be willing and able to go with the flow or else “you’re going to have a very difficult time.”

Looking to ‘greener pastures’

Halifax’s Tyson Hamilton, better known to wrestling fans as Narcis Saint, said it means a lot to him to be chosen for Lutte Académie this year because of the quality of the competitors involved.

There are veterans like Vance Nevada and Bobby Sharpe; old friends from past tours he hasn’t seen in a while, including Maverick Wheeler and Danny Duggan; and some of his favourite rivals, including Jeremy Prophet, and Nova Scotia’s Charlie Hubley and Lil’ Blay.

“There would be no sweeter ending to this story than standing across from Cody (Lil’ Blay) in the finals,” said Hamilton, who is originally from Spryfield.

The 40-year-old was trained by (Wildman) Gary Williams and made his pro debut on Aug. 4, 2007, at a show at Fibber’s in New Glasgow promoted by Hants County native Ryan Mader (Lincoln Steen). Hamilton also credits P.E.I.’s (Kowboy) Mike Hughes for his training, since he spent a lot of time on the road learning from Hughes.

When asked why he applied for Lutte Académie, Hamilton said, “honestly, spite with a dash of hope.”

“The Maritime wrestling scene has become full of discrimination and radical ideologies, so it was high-time I looked to greener, less-woke pastures,” Hamilton said.

“I’m better than this territory, so competing in Montreal for $10,000 at Jacques Rougeau’s Lutte Académie seemed like a better use of my talent and time at this stage of my career.”

Hamilton promotes Supernova Circuit Pro Wrestling, with his next show coming up at the YMCA Community Gym in Halifax on Feb. 17.

To prepare for the competition over the next eight months, Hamilton said he’d be hitting the weights “insanely.” He’ll be working hard to make Supernova shows possible in Halifax and throughout the South Shore so that there’s a homegrown place to train.

He’s also looking forward to his bookings outside of the Maritime provinces, where he’ll gain more experience working with new wrestlers and audiences.

‘Incredible’ talent

Rougeau said the level of talent in both the men’s and women’s divisions for the 2024 competition is “incredible..” Following the success of last year’s Lutte Académie, Rougeau said the doubters, non-believers, and haters have disappeared.

Other Nova Scotia competitors selected include Hubley and Mya Malek, the first female competitor from Nova Scotian to be selected.

Although he represents New Brunswick, Ryan Fortin (Giant Orion), who is part of the Wrestling in Windsor promotion, will also be returning to Lutte Académie.

Fortin is the King of the Cage Canadian Heavyweight MMA champion and holds a knockout victory over Dan (The Beast) Severn; is Brown’s tag-team partner in The Mutiny and is a trainer at the Maritime Wrestling Academy in Moncton.

Rougeau said Brown is among his favourites to win in 2024 and pointed out that Brown did him a big favour recently. Brown put Rougeau in contact with major Mexican wrestling promotion Big Lucha, which would provide a one-week training opportunity for the four Lutte Académie finalists.

“We will be taking care of the airfares, and they will take care of the lodging and the training down there,” Rougeau said.

He said he knows first-hand what an amazing opportunity this represents. Rougeau wrestled in Mexico City in 1978 and learned a lot from the experience, including high-flying manoeuvres. The new tools he brought home helped distinguish him and made him stand out.

Rougeau said he also looks forward to Fortin returning to the competition. He said it was somewhat unfortunate for Fortin to face Jessie V, who went on to become one of last year’s finalists, as his opening-round opponent.

“I think (Fortin) also could be one of the contenders to make it to the finals, for sure,” Rougeau said.

He said that when he watched Hamilton’s inscription video, “I just saw talent, I saw something special, so we’re very happy to have him on board.” He said other wrestlers have spoken highly of Hamilton, and Rougeau likes his look.

Rougeau said he doesn’t know Hubley yet but is impressed with his inscription video and likes his style. He said several people have told him Hubley is a very talented wrestler and put in a good word for him.

Rougeau said that when he and his partner Nathalie saw Malek’s video, they fell in love with her. He said they are impressed by her kindness, consideration, and professionalism. Rougeau said he likes Malek’s look, and her mask and her moves remind him of a Mexican luchador.

Legends coming to Montreal

Rougeau said he is in negotiations with a couple of video production companies, and this could lead to greater exposure and visibility for Lutte Académie this year, perhaps even TV coverage.

He also looks forward to the change of venue to the Centre Leonardo da Vinci, which has ample parking, is highly accessible, and features 530 comfortable theatre-style seats.

Now a promoter and trainer, Rougeau attained legendary status in the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in the 1980s and ’90s.

The 63-year-old is a former intercontinental champion and multiple-time co-holder of world tag-team championships. He is among only a handful of wrestlers to ever score a pinfall victory over Hulk Hogan and is perhaps best remembered as The Mountie.

Many fans will remember Jacques and brother Raymond wrestling as The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers, managed by WWE Hall of Fame inductee (The Mouth of the South) Jimmy Hart. The three will be reunited when Hart appears as a guest judge at one of the 2024 shows.

Rougeau said WWE Hall of Fame inductee and current All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star Jeff Jarrett would also be appearing as a guest judge.

For more information on the 2024 Lutte Académie, visit www.wrestling-academy.ca.