Maurice Joseph Michaud (July 23, 1934 – June 26, 2024) was a French professional wrestler who under the ring name Louie Tillet. Worked mainly for Championship Wrestling from Florida, World Class Championship Wrestling and National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) territories.[4]
| Birth name | Maurice Joseph Michaud |
|---|---|
| Born | July 23, 1934 Bordeaux, France |
| Died | June 26, 2024 (aged 89)[1] Highlands, North Carolina, United States |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Louie Tillet Louie Tillett King Louis Tillet The Rock Gladiator Gladiator #1 Joe Flash Gordon Joe Fargo Karl Von Stroheim[2] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[3] |
| Billed from | France |
| Debut | 1956 |
| Retired | 1982 |
Professional wrestling career
editTillet made his pro wrestling debut in 1956 in Minnesota. In 1961, he teamed up with Jackie Fargo as the Fabulous Fargos in Alabama. Tillet was known as Joey Fargo. Sometimes he teamed with Sonny Fargo. Joey and Jackie won the NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Championship. In 1962, Tillet went to NWA Tri-State.
Tillet made his debut in Texas in 1963 where he became a two time NWA Texas Junior Heavyweight Champion and a three time WCWA Brass Knuckles Champion.
In 1965, Tillet debuted in Florida where he worked there for many years. In 1967 he was their Florida Heavyweight Champion when he defeated Lester Welch for the title. He dropped the title to Wahoo McDaniel. He left Florida in 1974 and went to Los Angeles.
In Los Angeles, Tillet both won the NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship and Beat the Champ Television Championship in 1975.
Tillet would debut for Continental Championship Wrestling in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1976 where spent the rest of his career there. In 1978, he would returned to Florida and left in 1979.
In 1982, he retired from wrestling.
Personal life
editTillet passed away on June 26, 2024, at 89 just a month shy from his 90th birthday.[5][6][7]
Championships and accomplishments
edit- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- Georgia Championship Wrestling
- Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling
- Mid-South Sports
- NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Georgia version) (2 times) - with Paul Vachon (2)
References
edit- ^ "Profile". Wrestlingdata. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ "Louie Tillet: Profile". CageMatch.
- ^ "Bios — Louie Tillet". oklafan.com. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
- ^ Oliver, Greg (August 22, 2011). "Size Never Mattered to Louie Tillet". SLAM! Wrestling. Canoe.com. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ Jeremy Thomas (June 28, 2024). "Championship Wrestling From Florida Louie Tillet Passes Away". 411Mania. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ Ron Hutchinson (June 28, 2024). "Louie Tillet Passe". Cauliflower Alley Club. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ Mike Johnson (June 28, 2024). "Louie Tillet Passes Away, Condolences to the Mulkeys, Luger Trademarks and More". PW Insider. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ "NWA Southern Tag Team Title (Florida)". Wrestling Titles. Archived from the original on July 22, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ NWA Georgia Heavyweight Title history Archived April 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ NWA Southern Heavyweight Title (Georgia) history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ "NWA Texas Junior Heavyweight Championship". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
- ^ NWA Americas Heavyweight Title history At wrestling-titles.com
- ^ "N.W.A. "Beat the Champ" International Television Title (Los Angeles)". Puroresu Dojo. 2003.
- ^ "NWA Americas Tag Team Title". Wrestling Titles. Retrieved February 25, 2008.
- ^ "NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Title". wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved December 18, 2008.