Grand Prix Wrestling

Pwcompanybox
name=Grand Prix Wrestling


acronym=GPW
established=1977; 2001
style=
location=Moncton, New Brunswick
founder=Emile Dupree
owner=Emile Dupree (1977-1986?; 2001-present)
Paul Peller (1986-1992?)
Mike Zinck (2001)
parent=
sister=
formerly=Altantic Grand Prix Wrestling (1977-1991)
Canadian Championship Wrestling (1992)
website=|

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. When the promotion was active, it would tour parts of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia.

History

Originally known as Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling, the promotion has been around since the early 60's. During the 60's and the 70's AGPW was so popular it became a hit in the Maritimes. AGPW was mostly in Moncton, New Brunswick during Monday nights, Halifax, Nova Scotia during Thursday's, Berwick, Nova Scotia on Saturday evenings and along other small towns in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

Every summer, there were two big titles in challenge, those being: The United States Heavyweight Title and the North American Tag Team Title. Other titles being the European Heavyweight Title and the Maritime Heavyweight Title. The European Heavyweight Title was held more by Killer Karl Krupp than any other superstar and The Maritime Heavyweight Title was held more by Stephen Petitpas. During the Late 80's, The United States Heavyweight Title was changed to the International Heavyweight Title.

AGPW was held during May and September with wrestlers such as: Hubert Gallant, Bobby Kay, Willie Davis, Leo Burke, Stephen Petitpas, Antonio Rico, The Great Malumba, Rocky Stone, The Beast and the promoter Emile Duprée as the faces ("good guys"), and the Cuban Assassin, Goldie Rogers, the "Alaskan Bear" Jay York, Chin Lee, David Von Shultz, "No Class" Bobby Bass, Paul Peller, the Sheik of Arabia, Sweet Daddy Siki, and Red Shadow as the heels ("Bad guys").

Since making it's big return in 2005, Grand Prix has teamed with World Wrestling Entertainment to provide as a training ground for new talent in the Maritimes and to also allow WWE talent to take place in the shows. The 2008 tour of Grand Prix also has included Total Nonstop Action Wrestling talent, most recently former TNA wrestler, A1 made an appearance in the first show in the main event of Grand Prix's 2008 tour fighting against Rene Dupree. Robert Maillet (also known as Kurrgan in the world of professional wrestling) who acted in the box-office hit, 300, recently made an appearance for current promoter and founder of Grand Prix, Emile Dupree. This is not the first time Kurrgan would wrestle in the Grand Prix ring as Kurrgan is Maritime born and actually became well known in the professional wrestling world because of Grand Prix when Grand Prix was in it's prime, in which the WWE became interested in Kurrgan and was signed to a contract with them.

After a July 2008 tour that had both large and small crowds, Grand Prix elected not to run a second tour in August of 2008. Emile Dupre has NOT yet ruled out a tour in 2009.

In early 2008, a FaceBook group for Grand Prix Wrestling was started by Jeff Docherty of Prince Edward Island. The group has grown to house a large and growing number of Grand Prix Wrestling fans and has become the most informative source for tour information as Docherty has direct contact with Dupre and has assisted in running some Grand Prix shows on Prince Edward Island.

Future tours are up in the air and will be announced on the "Grand Prix Wrestling" FaceBook group if, and when, Dupre decides to run a 2009 tour.

External links

* [http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingGrandPrix/may01_grandprix-can.html SLAM! Wrestling: Grand Prix does down] by Greg Oliver
* [http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingGrandPrix/apr01_battle-can.html SLAM! Wrestling: Grand Prix stares down newcomer Real Action - The pending fight over The Maritimes] by Greg Oliver
* [http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingGrandPrix/jul29_grandprix.html SLAM! Wrestling: Grand Prix a learning environment] by Greg Oliver
* [http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2005/05/24/1054242.html SLAM! Wrestling: Grand Prix restarts June 7 in Maritimes] by Greg Oliver
* [http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingGrandPrix/caseygallery.html SLAM! Wrestling: Pat Casey's Grand Prix Photo Gallery]
* [http://www.kayfabememories.com/Regions/agpw/agpwintro.htm Regional Territories: Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling] by Serge Niles
* [http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/promotions/grandprix.html Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling at Online World of Wrestling]