Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon Has Passed Away

WWE Hall of Famer Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon has passed away at the age of 84-years-old. Vachon passed away peacefully Thursday morning at 4 a.m. in Omaha, Nebraska, as reported by SLAM! Wrestling‘s Greg Oliver and confirmed by “Mad Dog’s” brother and former tag team partner, Paul “The Butcher” Vachon.

“Mad Dog” Vachon was one of the greatest heels to ever step foot in a professional wrestling ring. However, before he became the “Mad Dog,” he represented his country competing as a Canadian Olympic wrestler. It was in the world of professional wrestling however that Vachon touched the lives of so many people. He was a decorated heel, and won the AWA Heavyweight Championship to prove he was one of the top guys in the country.

Vachon won many honors throughout his career, including being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2010. He also received the Iron Mike Mazurki Award from the Cauliflower Alley Club in 2003, the top award in professional wrestling. He is a member of the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in Amsterdam, NY, Class of 2004.  He is a member of the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in Waterloo, Iowa, as well as the Quebec Sports Hall of Fame.

He is a member of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame, class of 1996. In The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels, Greg Oliver and Steven Johnson ranked him the fourth greatest bad guy in the history of professional wrestling, as well as the fourth greatest Canadian pro wrestler ever. In The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams, also written by Oliver and Johnson, the Vachons are in the top 25.