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Charles Berger (wrestler)
Encyclopedia
Gilles Poisson is a retired Canadian professional wrestler, known by his ring name Pierre or Gilles "The Fish" Poisson, who competed in North American regional promotions including the American Wrestling Association
, International Wrestling, Grand Prix Wrestling
, Maple Leaf Wrestling
, Pacific Northwest Wrestling
and Stampede Wrestling
during the 1970s and 80s.
With manager "Classie" Freddie Blassie, he also had a brief stint as Louis Cyr in the World Wide Wrestling Federation. During his time in the WWWF, he feuded with Dominic DeNucci
, "Irish" Pat Barrett
and WWWF World Tag Team Champions Tony Parisi
& Louis Cerdan throughout 1976.
Some websites refer to him as Charles Berger, but as he mentioned in an interview for SLAM! Wrestling, he doesn't know where that originated.
and the Maritimes
during his early career and also made an appearance in Stampede Wrestling
as Alex the Butcher losing to Billy Robinson
at the Exhibition Auditorium in Regina, Saskatchewan
on January 15, 1970.
A mainstay of Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling
, he held the Grand Prix Tag Team Championship with Killer Kowalski
before eventually losing the titles to Dino Bravo
and Gino Brito
in Verdun, Quebec on November 20, 1972.
One of the top "heels
" in the Montreal-area during the 1970s, an estimated 29,000 were in attendance when he and André the Giant
fought to a no contest at the 1973 Grand Prix Wrestling Stadium Show at Jarry Park
in July 1973.
Returning to Stampede Wrestling
during the mid-1970s, he defeated John Quinn
in a 2-of-3 falls match in Calgary, Alberta on January 9 to win a title shot against Stampede North American Heavyweight Champion Frankie Laine. He would also defeat Quinn in a rematch the following night in Edmonton, Alberta.
On January 16, he would defeat Frankie Laine in a 2-3 falls match for the Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship in Calgary. Although losing to Laine by disqualification twice during the next week, he would hold the title for eight days before finally losing back to Laine in Edmonton on January 24.
on January 30, 1976. The following month, defeating Francisco Flores
at Madison Square Garden
on February 2, he also scored victories over Kevin Sullivan
and Francisco Flores before fighting to a time limit draw against Dominic DeNucci
in Hamburg, Pennsylvania
on February 18.
On February 25, he and Crusher Blackwell lost a 2-of-3 falls match to Dominic DeNucci & Andre the Giant at the Westchester Civic Center in White Plains, New York
. He would also team with Crusher Blackwell and Baron Mikel Scicluna in a 6-man tag team match losing to Bobo Brazil
, Tony Parisi
and Louis Cerdan in a 3-of-5 falls match on February 27. Briefly feuding with "Irish" Pat Barrett
, he would later face Pat McGuinness, Dominic DeNucci and Louis Cerdan whom he later fought to a double disqualification at Seton Hall University
in South Orange, New Jersey
on March 8. Three days later, he would team with Tony Altimore against the WWWF World Tag Team Champions Tony Parisi and Louis Cerdan losing to them at the Sunnyside Gardens in Queens, New York.
While in Bangor, Maine
on March 17, Berger would defeat Pat McGuinness as well as Man Mountain Mike
later that night, defeating the heavyweight by countout. Making another attempt to capture the WWWF World Tag Team Championship with Jerry Blackwell
, the two lost to Tony Parisi and Louis Cerdan in Landover, Maryland
on March 22. Fighting to a time-limit draw against Pat Barrett on March 26, he lost to Bobo Brazil
several days later at Madison Square Garden. Continuing to feud with Dominic DeNucci, he also faced Louis Cerdan, Ivan Putski
and Bobo Brazil during the next several weeks.
He would also take on the WWWF World Tag Team Champions Tony Parisi & Louis Cerdan with Baron Mikel Scicluna, although he and Scicluna lost to them in Florence, New Jersey on May 5. He would also participate in a 20-man battle royal at the Boston Garden
on May 8. Eliminated by Bobo Brazil, the battle royal also included Stan Hansen
, Jose Gonzalez
, Haystacks Calhoun, Ernie Ladd
, Superstar Billy Graham, Gorilla Monsoon
, Skandor Akbar, Man Mountain Mike, Bobo Brazil, Ivan Putski, Kevin Sullivan, Jerry Blackwell, Baron Mikel Scicluna, The Executioners
and WWWF Tag Team Champions Louis Cerdan & Tony Parisi. Berger would eventually be eliminated by Bobo Brazil.
Before leaving the promotion at the end of the month, he would substitute for Louis Cerdan in one of his last appearances aiding his longtime rival Tony Parisi in defending the WWWF World Tag Team titles against The Executioners in Landover, Maryland on May 24.
in Davenport, Iowa
on September 6. Disqualified during a match against Billy Francis in Green Bay, Wisconsin
on September 26, he regularly appeared at the Winnipeg Arena
defeating Billy Red Cloud and the Iron Shiek before losing to Jim Brunzell on November 18. Feuding with Jim Brunzell and Greg Gagne during the next several months, he and Moose Moroski would lose to Brunzell and Greg Gangne on December 9, 1976.
The following year, he would lose to Billy Francis, Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell in a 6-man tag team match with Mad Dog Vachon and Baron von Raschke on February 24. He would also lose to Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell in a tag team match with Moose Morowski on March 2, 1977. He and Morowski would later participate in the $10,000 battle royal later that night.
in a tournament final for the NWA International Tag Team Championship in Montreal on June 2, 1980. He also teamed with Mad Dog Lefebvre and Le Bourreau during the early 1980s and, in 1982, defeated Gino Brito and Rick McGraw for the NWA International Tag Team titles with Sailor White before losing the titles to Gino Brito and Tony Parisi later that year. Berger would continue wrestling for International Wrestling and remained one of its top stars during the last years of his career.
He had a try-out for the WWF in June 1985. In one of his last matches, he and Man Mountain Moore lost to Mad Dog Vachon & Jos Leduc
at the Paul Sauve Centre
on Montreal on October 13, 1986.
Finishing Move: The Bearhug
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
, International Wrestling, Grand Prix Wrestling
Grand prix wrestling
Grand Prix Wrestling is a wrestling promotion run and owned by Emile Duprée. Grand Prix Wrestling has currently stopped touring due to heavy traveling costs...
, Maple Leaf Wrestling
Maple Leaf Wrestling
Maple Leaf Wrestling was the unofficial name in the 1970s and 1980s of the professional wrestling promotion run by Frank Tunney in Toronto.-Queensbury Athletic Club:...
, Pacific Northwest Wrestling
Pacific Northwest Wrestling
Pacific Northwest Wrestling is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The first such company was founded by Herb Owen in 1925...
and Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
during the 1970s and 80s.
With manager "Classie" Freddie Blassie, he also had a brief stint as Louis Cyr in the World Wide Wrestling Federation. During his time in the WWWF, he feuded with Dominic DeNucci
Dominic DeNucci
Dominic DeNucci is an Italian-American professional wrestler. He is also an accomplished trainer, counting former World Heavyweight champions Mick Foley and Shane Douglas, as well as referee Brian Hildebrand, among his students.-Early career:...
, "Irish" Pat Barrett
Pat Barrett
Patrick "Pat" Barrett is a former Irish professional wrestler who is best known for his time with NWA and WWWF. He has wrestled in many areas which include Ireland, Pacific Islands, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and United States of America.-Career:The Irish wrestler Pat Barrett started wrestling...
and WWWF World Tag Team Champions Tony Parisi
Tony Parisi
Tony Parisi may refer to:*Antonio Pugliese , Italian wrestler*Tony Parisi , software developer...
& Louis Cerdan throughout 1976.
Some websites refer to him as Charles Berger, but as he mentioned in an interview for SLAM! Wrestling, he doesn't know where that originated.
Early career
Making his professional debut in 1970, Berger wrestled in QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and 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...
during his early career and also made an appearance in Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
as Alex the Butcher losing to Billy Robinson
Billy Robinson
Billy Robinson is a British professional wrestler and catch wrestling instructor. Robinson was well known in Japan where he has trained mixed martial arts fighters in catch wrestling...
at the Exhibition Auditorium in Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
on January 15, 1970.
A mainstay of Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling
Grand prix wrestling
Grand Prix Wrestling is a wrestling promotion run and owned by Emile Duprée. Grand Prix Wrestling has currently stopped touring due to heavy traveling costs...
, he held the Grand Prix Tag Team Championship with Killer Kowalski
Killer Kowalski
Władek "Killer" Kowalski was a Canadian professional wrestler. Kowalski wrestled for numerous promotions during his career, including the NWA and WWF, and was a known heel wrestler...
before eventually losing the titles to 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 Gino Brito
Gino Brito
Louis Gino Acocella , better known by his ring name Gino Brito is a Canadian professional wrestler. He was a popular wrestler in Montreal, and was one of the promoters in the city in the 1980s...
in Verdun, Quebec on November 20, 1972.
One of the top "heels
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...
" in the Montreal-area during the 1970s, an estimated 29,000 were in attendance when he and André the Giant
André the Giant
André René Roussimoff , best known as André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. His best remembered acting role was that of Fezzik, the giant in the film The Princess Bride...
fought to a no contest at the 1973 Grand Prix Wrestling Stadium Show at Jarry Park
Jarry Park
Jarry Park is an urban park in the Villeray neighbourhood of Montreal. From 1969 to 1976, the former Jarry Park Stadium was the home of the Montreal Expos, Canada's first Major League Baseball team. It also hosted a mass by Pope John Paul II...
in July 1973.
Returning to Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
during the mid-1970s, he defeated John Quinn
John Quinn (wrestler)
John Quinn is a retired Canadian professional wrestler who competed in North American regional promotions including NWA All-Star Wrestling, Pacific Northwest Wrestling and Stampede Wrestling during the 1960s and early 1970s...
in a 2-of-3 falls match in Calgary, Alberta on January 9 to win a title shot against Stampede North American Heavyweight Champion Frankie Laine. He would also defeat Quinn in a rematch the following night in Edmonton, Alberta.
On January 16, he would defeat Frankie Laine in a 2-3 falls match for the Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship in Calgary. Although losing to Laine by disqualification twice during the next week, he would hold the title for eight days before finally losing back to Laine in Edmonton on January 24.
World Wide Wrestling Federation
Later that month, Berger would appear in the World Wide Wrestling Federation as Louis Cyr defeating Mike Paidousis at the Zembo Mosque in Harrisburg, PennsylvaniaHarrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
on January 30, 1976. The following month, defeating Francisco Flores
Francisco Flores
Francisco Flores may refer to:* Francisco Flores Pérez , former president of El Salvador* Francisco Flores , Mexican wrestling promoter* Francisco Flores...
at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
on February 2, he also scored victories over Kevin Sullivan
Kevin Sullivan (wrestler)
Kevin Francis Sullivan is an American professional wrestler and booker, perhaps best known for his role in WCW as "The Taskmaster" and his leading of the "Dungeon of Doom".-Early career:...
and Francisco Flores before fighting to a time limit draw against Dominic DeNucci
Dominic DeNucci
Dominic DeNucci is an Italian-American professional wrestler. He is also an accomplished trainer, counting former World Heavyweight champions Mick Foley and Shane Douglas, as well as referee Brian Hildebrand, among his students.-Early career:...
in Hamburg, Pennsylvania
Hamburg, Pennsylvania
Hamburg is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,114 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Hamburg, Germany.-Geography:Hamburg is located at ....
on February 18.
On February 25, he and Crusher Blackwell lost a 2-of-3 falls match to Dominic DeNucci & Andre the Giant at the Westchester Civic Center in White Plains, New York
White Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
. He would also team with Crusher Blackwell and Baron Mikel Scicluna in a 6-man tag team match losing to Bobo Brazil
Bobo Brazil
Houston Harris was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Bobo Brazil. He is credited with breaking down barriers of racial segregation in professional wrestling...
, Tony Parisi
Tony Parisi
Tony Parisi may refer to:*Antonio Pugliese , Italian wrestler*Tony Parisi , software developer...
and Louis Cerdan in a 3-of-5 falls match on February 27. Briefly feuding with "Irish" Pat Barrett
Pat Barrett
Patrick "Pat" Barrett is a former Irish professional wrestler who is best known for his time with NWA and WWWF. He has wrestled in many areas which include Ireland, Pacific Islands, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and United States of America.-Career:The Irish wrestler Pat Barrett started wrestling...
, he would later face Pat McGuinness, Dominic DeNucci and Louis Cerdan whom he later fought to a double disqualification at Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
in South Orange, New Jersey
South Orange, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,964 people, 5,522 households, and 3,766 families residing in the township. The population density was 5,945.3 people per square mile . There were 5,671 housing units at an average density of 1,987.5 per square mile...
on March 8. Three days later, he would team with Tony Altimore against the WWWF World Tag Team Champions Tony Parisi and Louis Cerdan losing to them at the Sunnyside Gardens in Queens, New York.
While in Bangor, Maine
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
on March 17, Berger would defeat Pat McGuinness as well as Man Mountain Mike
Man Mountain Mike
Gary Fletcher, best known by his ring name Man Mountain Mike, was an American professional wrestler who wrestled mostly on the west coast.-Career:Fletcher was discovered by Al Lovelock, who wrestled as The Great Bolo...
later that night, defeating the heavyweight by countout. Making another attempt to capture the WWWF World Tag Team Championship with Jerry Blackwell
Jerry Blackwell
Jerry Blackwell was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Crusher" Jerry Blackwell. Blackwell competed in the 1979 World's Strongest Man contest, but withdrew early in the competition due to an injury...
, the two lost to Tony Parisi and Louis Cerdan in Landover, Maryland
Landover, Maryland
Landover is an unincorporated community in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, within the census-designated place of Greater Landover. The Prince Georges County Sports and Learning Complex is in Landover...
on March 22. Fighting to a time-limit draw against Pat Barrett on March 26, he lost to Bobo Brazil
Bobo Brazil
Houston Harris was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Bobo Brazil. He is credited with breaking down barriers of racial segregation in professional wrestling...
several days later at Madison Square Garden. Continuing to feud with Dominic DeNucci, he also faced Louis Cerdan, Ivan Putski
Ivan Putski
Józef Bednarski , is a Polish former professional wrestler and bodybuilder. He is known by the ring name Ivan Putski and was given the nicknames "The Polish Hammer" and "Polish Power"....
and Bobo Brazil during the next several weeks.
He would also take on the WWWF World Tag Team Champions Tony Parisi & Louis Cerdan with Baron Mikel Scicluna, although he and Scicluna lost to them in Florence, New Jersey on May 5. He would also participate in a 20-man battle royal at the Boston Garden
Boston Garden
The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928 as "Boston Madison Square Garden" and outlived its original namesake by some 30 years...
on May 8. Eliminated by Bobo Brazil, the battle royal also included Stan Hansen
Stan Hansen
John Stanley Hansen, Jr. is an American former professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Stan Hansen. As a wrestler, Hansen was well known for his stiff wrestling style, which he attributes to poor eyesight, as he is nearly blind without glasses...
, Jose Gonzalez
José González
José González is a Swedish-Argentine indie folk singer-songwriter and guitarist from Gothenburg, Sweden.González is also a member of Swedish band Junip, along with Elias Araya and Tobias Winterkorn.- Biography :...
, Haystacks Calhoun, Ernie Ladd
Ernie Ladd
Ernest "Ernie" Ladd , nicknamed "The Big Cat" was an American collegiate and professional football player and a professional wrestler.-Pro Football career:...
, Superstar Billy Graham, Gorilla Monsoon
Gorilla Monsoon
Robert James "Gino" Marella , better known by his ring name of Gorilla Monsoon, was an American professional wrestler, play-by-play announcer, and booker...
, Skandor Akbar, Man Mountain Mike, Bobo Brazil, Ivan Putski, Kevin Sullivan, Jerry Blackwell, Baron Mikel Scicluna, The Executioners
The Executioners (professional wrestling)
The Executioners is the name of several tag teams of masked wrestlers who wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation.- The Executioners :...
and WWWF Tag Team Champions Louis Cerdan & Tony Parisi. Berger would eventually be eliminated by Bobo Brazil.
Before leaving the promotion at the end of the month, he would substitute for Louis Cerdan in one of his last appearances aiding his longtime rival Tony Parisi in defending the WWWF World Tag Team titles against The Executioners in Landover, Maryland on May 24.
American Wrestling Association
Several months later, Poisson jumped to the American Wrestling Association defeating Buck "Rock n' Roll" ZumhofeBuck Zumhofe
Eugene Zumhofe is a professional wrestler better known as Buck "Rock n' Roll" Zumhofe, wrestling's self proclaimed original rock and roller.-Training:...
in Davenport, Iowa
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
on September 6. Disqualified during a match against Billy Francis in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
on September 26, he regularly appeared at the Winnipeg Arena
Winnipeg Arena
Winnipeg Arena was an indoor arena located at 1430 Maroons Road in Winnipeg, Manitoba, across the street from Canad Inns Stadium and just north of Polo Park.Built in 1955, it was owned by community-owned Winnipeg Enterprises Corporation...
defeating Billy Red Cloud and the Iron Shiek before losing to Jim Brunzell on November 18. Feuding with Jim Brunzell and Greg Gagne during the next several months, he and Moose Moroski would lose to Brunzell and Greg Gangne on December 9, 1976.
The following year, he would lose to Billy Francis, Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell in a 6-man tag team match with Mad Dog Vachon and Baron von Raschke on February 24. He would also lose to Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell in a tag team match with Moose Morowski on March 2, 1977. He and Morowski would later participate in the $10,000 battle royal later that night.
Later career
Returning to the Montreal area, he and Serge Dumont later lost to Pat Patterson and Raymond RougeauRaymond Rougeau
Raymond "Ray" Rougeau is a former Canadian professional wrestler and French language television presenter and commentator.-Career:...
in a tournament final for the NWA International Tag Team Championship in Montreal on June 2, 1980. He also teamed with Mad Dog Lefebvre and Le Bourreau during the early 1980s and, in 1982, defeated Gino Brito and Rick McGraw for the NWA International Tag Team titles with Sailor White before losing the titles to Gino Brito and Tony Parisi later that year. Berger would continue wrestling for International Wrestling and remained one of its top stars during the last years of his career.
He had a try-out for the WWF in June 1985. In one of his last matches, he and Man Mountain Moore lost to Mad Dog Vachon & Jos Leduc
Jos LeDuc
Michel Pigeon was a Canadian professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Jos LeDuc. Wrestling with a lumberjack gimmick, he debuted in Stampede Wrestling with his kayfabe brother, Paul LeDuc...
at the Paul Sauve Centre
Paul Sauvé Arena
The Paul Sauvé Arena was an indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, specifically in Rosemont. It had a capacity of 4,000. It was built in 1960 and demolished in 1996. The arena was named after Paul Sauvé , a Quebec Premier with the Union Nationale.The arena hosted some of the most important...
on Montreal on October 13, 1986.
Championships and accomplishments
- International Lutte
- 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 Sailor White
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked him # 326 of the 400 best singles wrestlers of the PWI's WWE Top 400 in 2003
- Stampede Wrestling
- Stampede North American Heavyweight ChampionshipStampede North American Heavyweight ChampionshipThe Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship is the major title in the Canadian professional wrestling promotion Stampede Wrestling. From its establishment in 1968 until 1972, it was Stampede's secondary singles championship, becoming the top title in 1972 after the previous top...
(2 times)
Finishing Move: The Bearhug