A WWE legend has died "in his sleep" at the age of 86 after a long battle with cancer.
Paul “Butcher” Vachon was a staple in a WWE ring in the 1980s, battling the likes of the iconic Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson's dad Rocky, as well as Tito Santana and Chief Jay Strongbow. He also fought Andre The Giant on several occasions . . . but could never defeat the legendary big man.
Having retired from the ring in 1986 after 31 years, he had spent the last few years battling cancer and had a tumour removed from his skull in March 2023. The Canadian father of six spent his final few months barely able to speak, with friends claiming he was could only muster a whisper.
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His death was announced by wrestling historian Pat Laprade, who said: “Sad news. Paul 'The Butcher' Vachon died last night at the age of 86 years old. Former AWA tag team champ, Grand Prix Wrestling promoter and WWE wrestler, he had a great career and became a friend of mine over the years. My sympathies to his wife Dee and his family.”
And adding colour to the man's career, fellow historian and wrestling newshound Dave Meltzer explained: “The Vachons were one of the great tag teams in history. Paul was an amateur champion and had a long career as a pro. I know he and my friend Pat Laprade were very close.”
Past and present WWE stars were united in expressing their sorrow at the news, including WWE Raw on-screen General Manager and Ring of Honor legend Adam Pearce.
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He posted on Twitter/X: “Godspeed, Paul 'Butcher Vachon. Some of my earliest wrestling memories are of my Dad talking about you and the Mad Dog causing havoc everywhere you went. Hopefully you both are now off somewhere causing more. Rest well, sir.”
He is also related to Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon – the uncle of legendary female WWE star the-late Luna Vachon – with whom he held the AWA Tag Team Titles for more than 620 days in the early 1970s.
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