{{Short description|Canadian professional wrestler (1937–2024)}} {{Use Canadian English|date=March 2024}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}} {{Infobox professional wrestler |name=Paul Vachon |names=Nikita Zolotoff<br />Paul "Butcher" Vachon |image=Paul Vachon (close crop).jpg |caption=Vachon in 2013 |height={{height|ft=6|in=2}} |weight={{convert|280|lb|kg st|abbr=on}} |birth_date={{birth date|1937|10|07}} |birth_place=Montreal, Quebec, Canada |death_date={{death date and age|2024|02|29|1937|10|07}} |death_place= Mansonville, Quebec |family = Vachon |billed=Montreal, Quebec, Canada |spouse={{marriage|Rebecca Pierce|1966}} |children=6 |trainer= |debut=1955 |retired=October 1987 }} '''Paul Vachon''' (October 7, 1937 – February 29, 2024) was a Canadian professional wrestler. He was a member of the Vachon wrestling family. He is perhaps best known by his ring name '''Butcher Vachon'''.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=1550&name=Butcher+Vachon| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131006133807/http://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=1550&name=Butcher+Vachon| archive-date = 2013-10-06| title = Butcher Vachon « Wrestlers Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database}} </ref>
==Professional wrestling career== Paul Vachon grew up as one of thirteen children of Ferdinand Vachon, a Montreal police officer. In 1955, he followed his brother Maurice into professional business, adopting his brother's, the "Mad Dog", vicious heel style and the moniker "Butcher Vachon". He wrestled in the American Wrestling Association, World Wrestling Federation (now WWE), National Wrestling Alliance and Georgia Championship Wrestling (later would become WCW).
Vachon often teamed with his brother "Mad Dog" Vachon, with whom he won the AWA World Tag Team Championship.
In the early 1970s he appeared alongside his sister Vivian Vachon in the motion picture ''Wrestling Queen''.
Vachon wrestled under a mask as "Spoiler #2" for Jim Crockett Promotions' "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling" in 1975. His angle involved getting revenge on Wahoo McDaniel, Paul Jones, and Rufus R. Jones for running Super Destroyer (Don Jardine) out of the territory. (In fact, Jardine left JCP on short notice and booker George Scott wanted a masked heel on the roster.) Vachon stayed in JCP for a few months and before leaving lost a series of matches against Paul Jones and Rufus Jones in which the mask was at stake (as was Paul Jones' U.S. title in their matches).
Vachon retired in 1985 after two years of being a jobber to the stars in the WWF. Proving his talents extend beyond the wrestling ring, one of his final appearances was singing "La Vie en Rose" on ''Tuesday Night Titans''.
In October 1987, he wrestled two final matches for International World Class Championship Wrestling in Maine losing to The Iron Sheik and teaming with the Mad Russian, losing to King Kaluha and Tom Brandi.
==Personal life== Paul Vachon was the adoptive father of wrestler Luna Vachon. He is the brother of wrestlers Maurice and Vivian Vachon and former father-in-law of wrestlers David "Gangrel" Heath and Tom Nash. In total, Vachon has six children and has been married four times.
After his wrestling career, Paul Vachon joined the NDP and ran as a federal candidate in 1988, 1993 and 1995.
In 1993, he was diagnosed with colon cancer and had half of his colon removed.<ref name=cancer/> Then, in 2003, he was diagnosed with throat cancer. Vachon underwent 40 treatments, one on each weekday for five straight weeks, to overcome the throat cancer.<ref name=cancer>{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2003/11/25/267579.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224031645/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2003/11/25/267579.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 24, 2016|title=Butcher Vachon beats down cancer|author=Oliver, Greg|publisher=SLAM! Wrestling|access-date=2009-07-20|date=November 25, 2003}}</ref> In addition, he had the disease burned out of his tonsils and his teeth were removed.<ref name=cancer/> As a result of the radiation treatments, he underwent reconstructive jaw surgery in early June 2009. Vachon also suffered from diabetes.<ref name=magnet/>
Vachon and his wife Rebecca traveled to flea markets and fairs to sell therapeutic magnets, a business they began in 1995.<ref name=magnet>{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2003/05/14/87185.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208161743/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2003/05/14/87185.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 8, 2015|title=Magnets pull on Butcher Vachon|author=Oliver, Greg|publisher=SLAM! Wrestling|access-date=2009-07-20|date=May 14, 2003}}</ref> He also self-published an autobiography titled ''When Wrestling Was Real''.<ref name=magnet/>
Vachon died at his home in Mansonville, Quebec, on February 29, 2024, at the age of 86.<ref>{{cite news |title=Legendary Tag Team Specialist Paul Vachon Has Passed Away |url=https://www.webisjericho.com/legendary-tag-team-specialist-paul-vachon-has-passed-away/ |access-date=1 March 2024 |publisher=Web is Jericho |date=1 March 2024}}</ref><ref>[https://montpelierbridge.org/2024/03/obituary-paul-butcher-vachon-oct-7-1937-mar-1-2024/ Obituary: Paul ‘Butcher’ Vachon, Oct. 7, 1937 – Mar. 1, 2024]</ref>
==Championships and accomplishments== *'''50th State Big Time Wrestling''' :*NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Hard Boiled Haggerty *'''American Wrestling Association''' :*AWA Midwest Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Maurice Vachon :*AWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Maurice Vachon * '''Canadian Pro-Wrestling Hall of Fame''' ** Class of 2025 - as a member of The Vachon‘s *'''Cauliflower Alley Club''' :*Men's Wrestling Award (2008)<ref name="Cauliflower2008">{{cite web|last=Johns|first=Fred|title=In awe at my first Cauliflower Alley Club reunion|url=http://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2008/06/10/in-awe-at-my-first-cauliflower-alley-club-reunion/|work=Slam Wrestling|date=June 10, 2008|access-date=September 27, 2020}}</ref> *'''Eastern Townships Wrestling Association''' :*ETWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *'''George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame''' **Class of 2010<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrestlingmuseum.org/component/content/article/193-mick-foley-terry-funk-headline-pro-hall-of-fame-class-at-gable-museum.html|title=Mick Foley, Terry Funk headline pro hall of fame class at Gable Museum|work=The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum|access-date=2010-07-12|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527132419/http://www.wrestlingmuseum.org/component/content/article/193-mick-foley-terry-funk-headline-pro-hall-of-fame-class-at-gable-museum.html|archive-date=2010-05-27}}</ref> *'''Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling''' :*NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (1 time) - with Maurice Vachon<ref name=F4WJan23>{{cite web | url=https://www.f4wonline.com/other-wrestling/daily-pro-wrestling-history-0123-hulk-hogan-defeats-iron-sheik-wwf-title-302441 | title=Pro wrestling history (01/23): Hulk Hogan defeats Iron Sheik for WWF title| date=January 23, 2020 | access-date=January 25, 2020 | first=Brian | last=Hoops | work=Wrestling Observer Newsletter}}</ref> *'''Mid-South Sports''' :*NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Stan Vachon :*NWA Southern Tag Team Championship ''(Georgia version)'' (5 times) - with Louie Tillet (2) and Stan Vachon (3) :*NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Georgia version)'' (1 time) - with Maurice Vachon<ref name=Jan13F4W>{{cite web | url=https://www.f4wonline.com/other-wrestling/daily-pro-wrestling-history-0113-tna-genesis-2013-301556 | title=Pro wrestling history (01/13): TNA Genesis 2013 | date=January 13, 2019 | access-date=January 18, 2019 | work=Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online | first=Brian | last=Hoops}}</ref> *'''Nebraska Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame''' **Class of 2023 *'''NWA Hollywood Wrestling''' :*NWA Americas Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Chavo Guerrero Sr. *'''Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum''' **(Class of 2004) - with Maurice Vachon *'''Southwest Sports, Inc.''' :*NWA Texas Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Maurice Vachon (1) and Ivan the Terrible (1)<ref name=ETexTagTitleBook>{{cite book| last1=Will | first1=Gary | first2=Royal | last2= Duncan | title=Wrestling Title Histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present | publisher=Archeus Communications | year=2000 | location=Pennsylvania | chapter=Texas: NWA Texas Tag Team Title [Von Erich] | isbn=0-9698161-5-4 | pages=275–276}}</ref><ref name=ETexTagTitle>{{cite web| url = http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/tx/tx-t.html | title = NWA Texas Tag Team Title [E. Texas]| access-date = December 27, 2019 | work= wrestling-titles.com}}</ref> *'''Stampede Wrestling''' :*NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship ''(Calgary version)'' (3 times) - with Maurice Vachon :*NWA International Tag Team Championship ''(Calgary version)'' (3 times) - with Maurice Vachon
==Electoral record (incomplete)== {{1995 Canadian federal by-elections/Brome—Missisquoi}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== *{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/ResultsArchive/Wrestlers/vachon-paul.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919155258/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/ResultsArchive/Wrestlers/vachon-paul.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 19, 2015|author=Nevada, Vance|title=Paul "Butcher" Vachon|publisher=SLAM! Wrestling|access-date=2009-07-20|date=May 12, 2008}}
==External links== {{Commons}} *{{IMDb name|0882925}} * {{professional wrestling profiles}}
{{AWA World Tag Team Championship}} {{NWA World Tag Team Champions (Georgia version)}} {{Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vachon, Paul}} Category:1937 births Category:2024 deaths Category:Canadian male professional wrestlers Category:Canadian sportsperson-politicians Category:New Democratic Party candidates for the Canadian House of Commons Category:Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum Category:Quebec candidates for Member of Parliament Category:Stampede Wrestling alumni Paul Category:20th-century male professional wrestlers Category:20th-century Canadian professional wrestlers Category:AWA World Tag Team Champions Category:Professional wrestlers from Montreal Category:NWA Canadian Tag Team Champions (Calgary version) Category:Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Champions Category:NWA Americas Tag Team Champions Category:NWA Georgia Tag Team Champions Category:NWA World Tag Team Champions (Georgia version)