Jacques Rougeau On The Mountie, Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan, Kevin Owens, Dave Meltzer
Jacques Rougeau has spent almost half a century making people react, eliciting cheers and jeers along his journey as a professional wrestler. Whether teaming with his brother Raymond, singing about being handsome, brave and strong as The Mountie or celebrating a rare victory over Hollywood Hulk Hogan in Montreal, he has never been someone who fades quietly into the background.
Returning to Wrestling Life with Ben Veal, the former WWF Intercontinental Champion, three-time WWF Tag Team Champion and Wrestling Life Hall of Famer reflected on his family’s wrestling legacy, his recent AEW Redemption appearance alongside Raymond to mark 80 years of the Rougeau family's wrestling legacy, and the moments that still follow him to conventions.
He also discussed disagreements with Dave Meltzer and Kevin Owens, why his next major project is about creating opportunities for the next generation of Canadian wrestlers, and retiring in 2027.
Jacques Rougeau's Surprise Wedding Day
Before revisiting his illustrious wrestling career, Jacques Rougeau shared a much more personal celebration: his marriage to Nathalie, his partner of almost fifteen years.
The couple had organised a gathering to celebrate their new riverside home. Nathalie helped prepare the food and welcome their friends, unaware that Jacques had secretly arranged a wedding dress, a ring and someone to conduct the ceremony. He proposed during the party. When she said yes, he revealed that the wedding would take place a mere 15 minutes later.
“She had no idea she was preparing her wedding,” Jacques said, laughing as he remembered the day.
Friends helped Nathalie get ready, and the gathering became a wedding surrounded by people they loved.
For a man whose career has involved countless carefully planned surprises, this was one with a particularly happy ending.
80 Years of The Rougeau Wrestling Family
Jacques and Raymond’s appearance for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in Montreal at AEW Redemption 2026 honoured eight decades of their family’s involvement in professional wrestling. Jacques spoke proudly about the generations before him, his brothers and the family members who followed.
The invitation came through QT Marshall, with whom Jacques had developed a relationship through his Wrestling Academy projects. He appreciated an American company taking the time to recognise the Rougeau name in its home city.
The evening also gave fans a reminder of Jacques’ instinct for working a crowd. When some spectators booed as he took the microphone, he responded with a blunt invitation to “kiss my ass”. Jacques said the response turned the atmosphere around. The segment then became physical, allowing him and Raymond to revisit some familiar teamwork.
Backstage, he briefly wondered whether he had gone too far. Messages from his sons and a warm reception from Tony Khan reassured him that the appearance had delivered what it needed to.
“I’m a heel at heart,” he admitted. “I always will be, in this business.”
Jacques Rougeau Responds to Dave Meltzer’s Reporting
The Montreal appearance by the Rougeau brothers would prompt a disagreement over what happened backstage. Jacques disputed reporting by The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer about his reaction when a planned family tribute video was not shown.
According to Jacques, the video that he had prepared had been submitted and approved weeks beforehand. Shortly before the segment, he was told by AEW that it could not be used because of AI concerns about its contents and music rights.
He said he was disappointed and questioned the decision, but denied having the confrontation described in Metlzer's reporting. In Jacques' account, he accepted that the video would not air and went out to take part in the tribute. “Meltzer never called me up and asked me, ‘Hey, Jacques, what happened?’” he said.
Jacques also challenged the suggestion that footage of his victory over Hulk Hogan belonged to World Championship Wrestling (WCW), saying that the Montreal show in question had been organised by him as the promoter in association with WCW, and that as such he held the footage rights, not WWE.
His frustration centred on wanting his account heard. It was a theme that returned throughout the conversation: Jacques feels strongly about how his actions and contribution to wrestling are represented.
Why The Mountie’s Short IC Title Reign Still Matters
For many World Wrestling Federation fans, Jacques Rougeau will always be The Mountie, the character he said Vince McMahon proposed when he moved into singles competition.
The role produced one of the shortest Intercontinental Championship reigns in WWF history. After defeating Bret Hitman Hart in January 1992, the Mountie lost the title to Roddy Piper just two days later at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event.
Asked why it happened that way, Jacques offered his understanding that he had been used to move the championship between Hart and Piper. He explicitly described the explanation as hearsay rather than something he could confirm. Despite its brevity, the reign remains one of the defining images of his career. Fans still bring photographs and figures showing the championship around his waist, something Jacques finds amusing given how little time he held the prestigious old for.
The Mountie's Jailhouse Match with the Big Boss Man at SummerSlam 1991 is another memory that has endured for generations. The scenes of The Mountie being taken to jail and protesting his treatment throughout the evening remain moments that wrestling fans regularly mention to Rougeau.
The Tag Team Title Opportunity That Slipped Away
Jacques also looked back on his partnership with Raymond and the work that The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers put into becoming an established WWF team.
He recalled a Montreal match in which The Rougeaus appeared to defeat The Hart Foundation for the WWF Tag Team Championship, only for the result to be overturned. The local celebration was enormous, but the belts did not become a lasting part of their run and were not officially recognised by the promotion.
Jacques believes the brothers deserved a sustained WWF championship reign. They worked lengthy matches against teams including The British Bulldogs and The Rockers, and developed a memorable heel presentation with 'The Mouth of the South' Jimmy Hart and their small American flags.
In his view, being reliable and agreeable did not always bring the rewards he expected. He said the disappointment contributed to Raymond’s decision to ultimately step away from in-ring competition. Jacques later won the WWF Tag Team Championship three times with Pierre as The Quebecers, but still sees his years alongside Raymond as a chapter that could have achieved much more.
What Beating Hulk Hogan Meant To Jacques Rougeau
One achievement that Jacques Rougeau has no doubts about is his victory over Hulk Hogan in Montreal.
He described defeating the then-NWO leader as one of the most important moments of his career, both because of Hollywood Hogan’s standing in wrestling and the recognition the result brought him at home.
“The honour that he gave me, that great moment in my career that he gave to me, will live forever,” Jacques said.
Rather than treating it simply as another result, he remembers it as an opportunity Hogan gave him to create something lasting. Decades later, the match remains a major part of how fans discuss his wrestling life.
Training Kevin Owens and Helping Young Wrestlers
Jacques’ work as a trainer and promoter became another substantial part of his career. He discussed running family-oriented shows in Quebec and developing performers through his own school.
He explained that wrestlers working for his promotion were expected to be exclusive, because he wanted audiences to associate them with a particular kind of show. That approach created disagreements with people who wanted to take bookings elsewhere.
Jacques spoke about current WWE superstar Kevin Owens (Kevin Steen), who attended his wrestling school as a teenager. He said he trained Owens regularly over several years and felt hurt by comments he had heard that he understood as diminishing what Owens had learned there.
Jacques’ frustration reflected how personally he takes the investment of teaching someone, helping them develop and then seeing them move on. He also discussed spending years visiting schools to speak about bullying. Drawing on his own difficult experiences, he encouraged children to stand up for themselves without using violence. Helping them, he said, helped rebuild his own confidence too.
The Family Cost of a Wrestling Career
Behind the championships and memorable characters was a demanding schedule. Jacques recalled spending around 25 days a month on the road and seeing his family for only a few days at a time.
He remembered trying to get through the airport as quickly as possible to gain another hour at home. Leaving again was painful.
Jacques said he eventually began keeping some emotional distance as a way of making those departures easier. Looking back, he recognises the damage that caused to his first marriage and family relationships.
It was a candid reminder that the life fans saw in the ring came with sacrifices they rarely witnessed.
Jacques Rougeau’s Plans for His 50th Anniversary
Jacques began wrestling professionally in 1977 under Stu Hart in Calgary and is planning a Wrestling Academy reunion for his 50th anniversary in 2027.
In the interview, he described bringing back 16 performers from previous projects and inviting wrestling promoters to scout them. His aim is to help talented Canadian wrestlers find the exposure he remembers wanting at the beginning of his own career.
He said the event was planned for 15 May at Montreal’s Leonardo da Vinci Centre. More than a personal celebration, he wants it to give younger wrestlers a chance to take their next step.
Asked about a possible WWE Hall of Fame induction, Jacques said it no longer determines how he feels about his achievements.
“I think the Rougeau name is in the Hall of Fame of the fans’ hearts,” he said. “And I think that’s all that counts.”
About Wrestling Life Online
Wrestling Life Online is a digital platform dedicated to celebrating the personalities, history and human stories behind professional wrestling. Through in-depth interviews, editorial features and the annual Wrestling Life Hall of Fame, it honours performers whose impact extends far beyond championship reigns.
Wrestling Life with Ben Veal shines the spotlight brightly and positively on those who shaped wrestling's past, drive its present and influence its future. The show features honest, open and inspiring conversations with many of the sport's biggest names and is presented by award-winning journalist and content creator Ben Veal, co-author of Marc Mero's bestselling autobiography, Badd To Good: The Inspiring Story of a Wrestling Wildman and author of Good Journeys: 25 Inspiring People & 75 Lessons Learned.
Subscribe : Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music
