Former WWE star Paul Vachon dead at 86
The WWE Universe is mourning tonight as veteran pro wrestler "Butcher" Paul Vachon has passed away. He was 86-years-old.
Butcher was a member of the legendary Vachon Family of pro wrestling, and the seventh-born of thirteen children. Paul was the adoptive father to the legendary former WWE star Luna Vachon, and brother to Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon and Vivian Vachon. He was active from 1957 until around 1985.
Vachon died on the evening of February 29, 2024, according to a report from Slam! Wrestling. The passing was unexpected as Paul and his wife Dee had plans to travel to Montreal this weekend to visit Canadian wrestling legend Paul LeDuc.
Butcher's cause of death has not been released as of this writing. However, the aforementioned report noted that the 2023 Nebraska Pro Wrestling Hall of Famer used a walker to get around due to different forms of cancer and heart issues, along with aches and pains from his pro-wrestling career. Following a bout with throat cancer, Vachon's voice had also faded and he was left with just more than a whisper.
It was also noted that Butcher and his wife settled in a retirement home on the border between Quebec and Vermont. He enjoyed playing shuffleboard and going on trips, and would dress up as Santa Claus every year, even when he had to perform virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Butcher always looked ahead to the future, according to Greg Oliver of Slam! Wrestling. Following his career, he traveled to wrestling shows and fairs to peddle his memorabilia and therapeutic magnets. Vachon also self-published his memoirs - first as three separate books, and later as a single volume that had been edited. The brawler had also flirted with politics and ran for office in 1988, 1993, and 1995.
A look at Paul Vachon's wrestling career and WWE run
Paul "Butcher" Vachon was a member of pro wrestling's legendary Vachon Family. The brother to Vivian Vachon and "Mad Dog" Maurice Vachon, Paul later became the adopted father to WWE Legend Luna Vachon after her biological father died by suicide.
Butcher had runs with the AWA, Mid-South, Stampede Wrestling, and various NWA territories, among others. While he worked around 20 matches for WWE (formerly WWF) in the mid-to-late 1970s, Vachon did not return to WWE until the end of his career to work as an enhancement talent.
Vachon's run as a WWE "job guy" began June 17, 1983 at Madison Square Garden as he was defeated by Swede Hanson. He was then defeated by guys like Chief Jay Strongbow, Bob Backlund, and The Invaders.
Butcher's final WWE match was a 2 of 3 Falls six-man tag team bout on August 25, 1984, at Madison Square Garden. He teamed with Ron Shaw and Pete Dougherty for a loss to The Fabulous Freebirds.
What are your memories of Butcher Vachon and the rest of the family? Where do you see Luna Vachon today if she was in her prime? Sound off in the comments below!