- Lionel Giroux
Lionel Giroux (
1935 -December 4 ,1995 ) was a Canadian midget wrestler who is best known by hisring name Little Beaver. His most famous appearance was in a six-man match atWrestleMania III for the World Wrestling Federation.Career
Lionel Giroux began his wrestling career in 1950, at the age of fifteen, and then began to wrestle for promoters in
Quebec . He, along with Sky Low Low, became two of the most famous midget wrestlers in wrestling who had enough drawing power to command a large portion of the live gate for wrestling events.cite news|title=Little Beaver|work=Canadian Pro Wrestling Page of Fame|url=http://www.garywill.com/wrestling/canada/lbeaver.htm|accessdate=2008-02-14] Giroux helped to create the comedy matches that have since become a trademark for midget wrestling in Canada and the United States. In 1973, Giroux won thePro Wrestling Illustrated Midget Wrestler of the Year award.His last in-ring appearance was at WrestleMania III in the
Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac,Michigan in 1987, at the age of 52. Giroux, wrestling as Little Beaver, teamed withHillbilly Jim and Haiti Kid defeatingKing Kong Bundy , Little Tokyo and Lord Littlebrook after Bundy was disqualified for attacking Little Beaver.cite news|title=WrestleMania III Results|work=WWE|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/history/wm3/results/|accessdate=2008-02-14] [cite book|title=Main Event: WWE in the Raging 80s|last=Shields|first=Brian|pages=81|publisher=Simon and Schuster|date=2006|isbn=1416532579] During the match, Giroux suffered a back injury at the hands of Bundy, which forced him to retire from professional wrestling. In a 1998 interview with King Kong Bundy, Bundy said he hoped that he wasn't responsible for Giroux's early death, saying he wouldn't want that on his conscience. [cite web|title=Bundy-mania runs wild|work=SLAM! Wrestling|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingArchive/bundy_interview.html|accessdate=2008-02-14]Death and legacy
Giroux died on December 4, 1995 of
emphysema . In 2003, Giroux was inducted into theProfessional Wrestling Hall of Fame .Championships and accomplishments
*
Stampede Wrestling :*Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame [cite web|url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/canada/ab/hof.html|title=Official Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (1948-1990)|accessdate=2008-02-14|publisher=Wrestling Titles ]*
Pro Wrestling Illustrated :*Midget Wrestler of the Year (1973)*
Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame :*Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee (2003)References
External links
* [http://www.canoe.ca/SlamWrestling/littlebeaver.html Slam Wrestling profile/biography]
* [http://www.garywill.com/wrestling/canada/lbeaver.htm Canadian Pro Wrestling Page of Fame]
* [http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/midgets/little-beaver.html Online World of Wrestling profile]
* [http://www.pwhf.org/halloffamers/bios/littlebeaver.asp Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee page]
* [http://www.wrestlingmuseum.com/pages/wrestlers/midgets.html Wrestling Museum Midget Wrestler page]
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