Robert Bédard

Robert Bédard was a Canadian professional wrestler. better known by his ring name, the "Number One Frenchman" Rene Goulet. Robert Bedard was born on July 12, 1932 in Quebec City and played hockey as a defenseman, and nearly dying after an opponent’s skate cut into his throat. In addition to hockey, Bedard trained as a bodybuilder and a boxer, but decided to try out wrestling after another boxer warned him he’d be "punch-drunk" by the time he was 25. Goulet began his career in Quebec City, Quebec, in 1957, with his first match being against Gerard Dugas. Bedard adopted his ring name Rene Goulet when he began working in Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo’s Minneapolis territory. Gagne and Karbo changed Bedard’s name to capitalize on his good looks (and the popularity of singer Robert Goulet). Despite not knowing English, he succeeded, and he and his wife would both work hard to learn the language. He spent the early part of his career traveling the territories, spending a significant amount of time in the AWA. He achieved his greatest fame in the 1970s and 1980s with the World Wrestling Federation, winning the WWWF Tag Team Championship with Karl Gotch on December 6, 1971 by defeating “Crazy” Luke Graham and Tarzan Tyler. Karl and Goulet dropped the belts to Baron Mikel Scicluna and King Curtis Iaukea at the next television taping on February 1, 1972, staying on a few more months before looking for new opportunities. Goulet worked briefly in Germany in the early ’70s, with promoters d…