Emile Duprée
Emile Duprée (born Emile Goguen; October 20, 1936 – September 17, 2023) was a Canadian professional wrestler and promoter. He was also the father of former WWE wrestler René Duprée, and lived in Pointe-du-Chêne, New Brunswick.
| Emile Duprée | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Emile Goguen |
| Born | October 20, 1936 Shediac, New Brunswick, Canada |
| Died | September 17, 2023 (aged 86) |
| Spouse(s) |
Paula (date missing) |
| Children | 3, including René Duprée |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Emile Duprée Emile Dupré Emile Goguen |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Billed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Trained by | Vic Butler Reggie Richard |
| Debut | October 10, 1955 |
| Retired | 1988 |
Early life
Goguen was born on October 20, 1936, in Shediac, New Brunswick, as the son of Edmond Goguen and Rosanna Goguen (née Cormier). He grew up with one brother and three sisters. He was introduced to Vic Butler and Reggie Richard who trained him to become a professional wrestler.
Professional wrestling career
Duprée began training in 1955 with Maritime professional wrestling legends Vic Butler and Reggie Richard. He had always been into weightlifting, but professional wrestling was something Duprée had never gotten into until Butler and Richard told Emile that they saw potential in Emile for a professional wrestling career.
Duprée started in Boston, Massachusetts, and began to travel all over the continent and even went on tours to Australia and New Zealand. He also wrestled for the legendary Canadian wrestling promotion Stampede Wrestling.
Throughout his career he wrestled many wrestling legends including Killer Kowalski, Dusty Rhodes, and Maritime legend the Cuban Assassin.
Duprée's last name was also spelled "Dupré". His son René wrestles as "Duprée".
Grand Prix Wrestling
In 1977, Duprée began his own small wrestling promotion. This promotion was run all across the Maritimes and as years went on and the promotion grew, he would take the tour to Quebec, Ontario, and other places around the Maritimes.
At one time, Grand Prix Wrestling was televised and had major success until World Wrestling Entertainment bought it from Emile. Notable wrestlers who wrestled there include Edge, Christian, Killer Kowalski, André the Giant, Randy Savage, Lanny Poffo, Harley Race, and Ric Flair.
During the summer of 2008, Emile ran Grand Prix Wrestling. Emile claimed that the promotion ended due to heavy travelling costs. The promotion was partnered up with the WWE to bring Maritime wrestling talent into the WWE spotlight. As of May 2013, Emile and his son René decided to bring Grand Prix Wrestling back to life. Their most recent show was in April 2017.[1]
Death
Duprée died on September 17, 2023, at the age of 86.[2]
References
External links
- Emile Duprée at IMDb