Corey Peloquin (born October 3, 1968, in

Hartney, Manitoba Hartney is an unincorporated urban community in the Municipality of Grassland within the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba that held town status prior to January 1, 2015. It lies along the banks of the Souris Riv ...

) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

professional wrestler who is known for working the independent promotions such as

Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling (ECCW) (formerly known as NWA: Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling and Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling) was a Canada-based professional wrestling promotion and a former member of the National Wre ...

, Real Action Wrestling,

Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling Grand Prix Wrestling (GPW) was a professional wrestling Promotion (marketing), promotion run and owned by Emile Duprée. It toured parts of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. It has no connection with Paul Vachon's Grand Prix Wr ...

, IWA-Mid South,

All-Star Wrestling All Star Wrestling (ASW), also known as Super Slam Wrestling (SSW), is a British professional wrestling promotion founded by Brian Dixon in 1970 and based in Birkenhead, England. Founded as Wrestling Enterprises of Birkenhead in October 1970, i ...

, and

United States Wrestling Association The United States Wrestling Association (USWA) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. The company was founded when the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association merged with the Dallas-based World Class Champions ...

as Chi Chi Cruz. Cruz worked in such countries as Germany and South Africa in addition to Canada and United States. He is also the cousin of wrestler Fred "Puppy Dog" Peloquin.

Early life

Cruz was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. While growing up Cruz watched the

American Wrestling Association The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The promotion was born out of the Minneapolis ...

. He would also watch such wrestlers as

Nick Bockwinkel Nicholas Warren Francis Bockwinkel (December 6, 1934 – November 14, 2015) was an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in the 1970s and 1980s. Bockwinkel had ...

Rick Martel Richard Vigneault (born March 18, 1956) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler, trainer, and television presenter, better known by his ring name, "The Model" Rick Martel. He is best known for his appearances with the American Wrestling As ...

, The High Flyers,

The Road Warriors The Road Warriors, also known as the Legion of Doom, were a professional wrestling tag team originally composed of Road Warrior Hawk (Michael Hegstrand) and Road Warrior Animal (Joseph Laurinaitis).. They performed under the name "The Road W ...

Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...

, and Jesse "The Body" Ventura. Throughout high school Cruz was a part of the

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

teams.

Career

Early career (1986-1990)

Cruz was trained by Ernest Rheault, then went on to make his debut in 1986 for Central Canadian Pro Wrestling. In January 1989 when Cruz was 20, he would move onto All-Star Wrestling out of

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

ran by Al Tomko.

Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling (1990–1996)

In 1990, Cruz would make his way to

Eastern Canada Eastern Canada (, also the Eastern provinces, Canadian East or the East) is generally considered to be the region of Canada south of Hudson Bay/ Hudson Strait and east of Manitoba, consisting of the following provinces (from east to west): Newf ...

and would work for Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling where he would he mild success by teaming up with "Bulldog" Bob Brown and capturing the AGPW Tag Team Championships. In AGPW, he would capture the AGPW Continental Championship.

World Wrestling Federation (1991)

Cruz had a match in

Calgary, Alberta Calgary () is a major city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a Metropolitan area, metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the List of ...

at the

Olympic Saddledome Scotiabank Saddledome is a multi-use indoor arena in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Located in Stampede Park in the southeast end of downtown Calgary, the Saddledome was built in 1983 to replace the Stampede Corral as the home of the Calgary Flames ...

on July 8 taped for the July 22 episode of

WWF Prime Time Wrestling ''WWF Prime Time Wrestling'' was a professional wrestling television program that was produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It aired on the USA Network from January 1, 1985, to January 4, 1993. A precursor to ''Monday Night Raw'', ''P ...

. Cruz teamed with Bob Jones in a losing effort to the

Beverly Brothers The Beverly Brothers were a professional wrestling tag team comprising Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom in the World Wrestling Federation. They were also known as The Destruction Crew in the American Wrestling Association and the Minnesota Wrecking Cre ...

. On July 9, the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

had taped three weeks of

WWF Superstars of Wrestling ''WWF Superstars of Wrestling'' (later shortened to ''WWF Superstars'' and to ''Sunday Morning Superstars''), also referred to as ''Maple Leaf Wrestling'' in Canada, was an American professional wrestling television program that was produced b ...

Northlands Coliseum Northlands Coliseum is a defunct indoor arena in Edmonton, Alberta. It was used for sports events and concerts, and was home to the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association (WHA) and National Hockey League (NHL), and the Edmonton Oil Kin ...

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

. On the episode that aired on July 27, Cruz lost to The Bezerker. On the episode that aired on August 10, Irwin R. Schyster defeated Cruz in 1:45 after hitting the

Stock Market Crash A stock market crash is a sudden dramatic decline of stock prices across a major cross-section of a stock market, resulting in a significant loss of paper wealth. Crashes are driven by panic selling and underlying economic factors. They often fol ...

United States Wrestling Association (1996-1997)

In 1996, he went down to the

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, where he wrestled under the name Bobby Bolton. While in the USWA, he had a heated feud with Mike Samples

Independent Circuit in the United States (1995-1998)

Cruz worked in the independent circuit in the United States.

Return to Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling (1998-2000)

In 1998, he would return to AGPW and feud with fellow Canadian Joe E. Legend. through 98-99

Germany (1999)

In the fall 1999, Cruz would compete in a tournament

Hanover, Germany Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest in northern Germany after Berlin, Hamburg and Breme ...

Return to Independent Circuit (1999-2004)

Cruz would work in independent promotions in Nova Scotia, Mantobia, and Alberta. The major two promotions were No Holds Barred in Winnipeg and RAW (Real Action Wrestling in Halifax.

Premier Championship Wrestling (2002-2004)

On August 22, 2002, Cruz debuted with Winnipeg-based Premier Championship Wrestling where he routinely defended his Maritime-based ''Real Action Wrestling'' Heavyweight Championship. He soon joined "''The Dynasty"'', a group consisting of "Mecca" Shane Madison and manager (and PCW's then-booker) Michael Davidson. On November 21, 2002, Cruz injured his neck tumbling from the ring to the floor. Initially believed to be seriously hurt, Cruz was rushed to a local medical facility via ambulance. Despite the injury and ignoring doctor's orders to rest for several weeks, Cruz returned to action 4 days later and, as a result, was widely cheered though he was ostensibly a ''heel''. This caused issues between Cruz & his ''Dynasty'' partner Madison while Davidson attempted to keep the group together. Cruz ended 2002 being voted PCW's ''Wrestler of the Year'' by the fans. In 2003, Cruz faced Madison in a Best of Seven series to crown the first ever ''PCW Heavyweight Champion''. The series was competed at all three of PCW's weekly venues. Cruz won the first match on January 16, 2003 while Madison won the next three matches to take a commanding 3-1 lead. Cruz rallied and on January 30, 2003, defeated Madison in the deciding match seven to become the first ever PCW Heavyweight Champion. Mike Davidson, the manager of both men, hedged his bets by supporting both, Cruz fired him following his championship victory, cementing himself as a babyface. One week later, he was presented with the championship belt (a modified UFC replica). As champion, Cruz engaged in heated programs with Mad Man Williams, "Canadian Idol" Chris Stevens and others, before his most prominent feud with veteran Canadian wrestler "Outlaw" Adam Knight.

Feud with Adam Knight

On March 27, 2003, PCW held a Battle Royale to determine a new number one contender to Cruz's championship.

Kenny Omega Tyson Smith (born October 16, 1983), better known by the ring name , is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the current AEW International Champion in his first reign. He also works as an ...

eliminated Adam Knight to win. On April 3, 2003, Cruz faced

for the first time, the match ending in a No Contest when Knight interfered. Cruz & Omega would then team together to face Knight & Mad Man Williams. The feud also included tag team matches where Cruz teamed with

Sarah Stock Sarah Stock (born March 4, 1979) is a Canadian professional wrestler. She is known for her role in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and WWE as a trainer and producer for WWE. Previously began her career in Canada and moved back and forth across the cou ...

to face Knight & Williams. On April 24, 2003, Cruz defeated Knight in controversial fashion. Knight had pinned Cruz to seemingly win the PCW Heavyweight Championship but the official rescinded his decision when he saw Cruz's foot on the ropes. He re-started the match and Cruz was victorious. Enraged, Knight attacked Cruz and stole the PCW Championship belt. On May 22, Knight agreed to return the belt in exchange for a re-match with a stipulation of his choosing at PCW's next major event, ''Beat The Summer Heat''. On May 29, Knight attacked Cruz following his victory over Antonio Scorpio, breaking Cruz's arm in the process. On July 10, Cruz defeated Knight in a bloody 15 Foot Steel Chain match at PCW's ''Beat The Summer Heat''.

Loss of Championship and Exit from PCW

In August, PCW's booker Mike Davidson abruptly quit the promotion to start a new group called ''Action Wrestling Entertainment''. PCW's co-founder Andrew Shallcross became booker and sought to elevate Omega to the championship. a decision with which Cruz disagreed. On September 18, 2003, Cruz failed to show up for his scheduled title defense against Omega, prompting Shallcross to strip him of the PCW Championship and award it to the winner of Omega vs Knight (which Omega won). One week later, Cruz returned to PCW citing the flu for the reason he missed his title defense. He faced Omega and lost via submission, leaving the promotion for over a year.

Return to PCW

Cruz briefly returned to Premier Championship Wrestling in November 2004, first facing Sarah Stock while wearing a mask and performing as Dr. X and then challenging Adam Knight for the PCW Heavyweight Championship. Knight was poised to break Cruz's PCW title longevity record of 231 days by taking the night off, when Cruz showed up unannounced to challenge him. Knight was victorious.

Hall of Fame

On March 31, 2017, Chi Chi Cruz was inducted into the PCW Hall of Fame by Marty Gold.

Action Wrestling Entertainment (2003-2006)

On November 19, 2003, Action Wrestling Entertainment (AWE), a new project headed in part by former Premier Championship Wrestling founder/booker Mike Davidson, debuted in Winnipeg with Chi Chi Cruz as a featured performer. On the debut event, Cruz teamed with his former rival "Outlaw" Adam Knight in a losing cause against "Mecca" Shane Madison &

Buff Bagwell Marcus Alexander Bagwell (born January 10, 1970) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Buff Bagwell. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1991 to 2001, where he was a f ...

. During his time in AWE, Cruz worked primarily in tag teams, first with Knight and later with Alberta-based Massive Damage.

Steeltown Pro Wrestling (2009-2010)

On June 13, 2009, SPW held Fan Appreciation Day in Transcona, Manitoba Cruz competed in a Battle Royal which included veterans and top SPW Stars to determine a new SPW Heavyweight Champion. Rob Stardom eliminated Bobby Jay to become the SPW Heavyweight Champion. Earlier in the show Cruz teamed up with Bobby Fox to defeat Big Sexy Beasts.

Feud with Rob Stardom

On August 8, 2009, at "Red River Rumble" in

Selkirk, Manitoba Selkirk is a city in the western Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba, located on the Red River of the North, Red River about northeast of Winnipeg, the provincial capital. It has a population of 10,504 as of the 20 ...

, Cruz beat TRCW Championship "Really Crazy" Rob Stardom in a non-title match. After Cruz's non-title victory, this started a feud with Stardom as he hit Cruz with the TRCW Championship at "Mountain Mania" on September 19 which Marius to pick up the win. Stardom and Cruz faced off against either in a match at "Hurt So Good 2009" which took place on November 21. Stardom was able to pick up the victory after Cruz was disqualified. At "Christmas Castrophe 2009" which held on December 29, Cruz and Stardom faced each other again in a

No Disqualification match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...

. Stardom once again picked up the victory after a masked man interfered in the match. At "Don't Back Down 2010" which took place on January 10, 2010, another match between Cruz and Stardom ended in a

no contest ''Nolo contendere'' () is a type of legal plea used in some jurisdictions in the United States. It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. It is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an ...

due to inference from Marius, Drezden, Gibby Guerrero and Chip "The Kid" Fletcher. This led to a six man tag team match later in the show. Chip "the Kid" Fletcher, Chi Chi Cruz, and Gibby Guerrero defeated Rob Stardom, Drezden, and Marius. Six days later at "Fight Night 2010", Cruz defeated Stardom in a "Christmas Catastrophe" rematch. They continued their feud by having a

dog collar match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...

at "Raising the Stakes 2010" on February 20. The match went to a no contest after Marius interfered in the match multiple times. Cruz than challenged Stardom and Marius to a tag team match at the "SPW 2nd Anniversary Show" on April 17 in which he announced his partner would be

Raven A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...

. On February 27 at "This One's Gonna Hurt", Stardom defeated Cruz. Later in the evening Matt Fairlane defeated Marius via disqualification due to Stardom interfering in the match. This led to a six-man tag team match in the main event. The team of Lucky O'Shea, Matt Fairlane, and Chi Chi Cruz defeated the team of Marius, Rob Stardom, and DOOM. At "Pump Up the Volume 2010" on March 19, Cruz defeated Stardom in the

main event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

. The next day on March 20 at "Winnipeg Warfare 2010", the match between Cruz and Stardom went to a no content after interference by Marius, Matt Fairlane, and the rest of the SPW roster which led into battle royal. Matt Fairlane won the Main Event Battle Royal to earn a shot at the Cutting Edge Wrestling Intercities Championship. After winning the SPW Heavyweight Championship on March 27, Marius used his rematch clause to gain another opportunity at the title. The match would take place on April 3 at "War on the Shore" in

Gimli, Manitoba Gimli is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in the Rural Municipality of Gimli on the west side of Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. It is located 80 km north of the provincial capital Winnipeg. The community's first European settle ...

. Due to Stardom's interference, Marius was able to beat Cruz become the first multiple time SPW Heavyweight Champion. Gibby Guerrero and Cruz challenge Stardom and Marius to a match later in the evening. Guerrero and Cruz defeated Stardom and Marius. At the "SPW 2nd Anniversary Show", declared the main event tag team match was to be contested under Raven's Rules. Raven and Cruz defeated Stardom and Marius. At "Mayhem in Morden" on May 14, Jethro Hawg, Chi Chi Cruz, and Johnny Falcon beat Rob Stardom, Marius, and Jay Beaver in the main event. Their feud still wasn't over yet. In a match between Chip "The Kid" Fletcher and Rob Stardom at "Anarchy in Arborg", the match went to a no contest. This led to a tag team match in the main event which Cruz and Fletcher defeat Stardom and Marius. Their feud finally came to end. At "Hurt So Good 2010", Cruz defeated Stardom in a blood filled "I Quit" match. At Thanksgiving Thunder 2009 on October 10, Cruz had another opportunity at the SPW Heavyweight Championship in a Steeltown Showdown. Marius defeated Matt Fairlane, Rob Stardom, Chi Chi Cruz, Sgt. Tom Steele and Jerin Rose in the Steeltown Showdown to become the SPW Heavyweight Champion. It would be at "Slam-O-Rama" on March 27 in which Cruz would finally win the SPW Heavyweight Champion after defeating Marius. Later in the main event Cruz won the Ernie Rheault/Emil Grenier Invitational Battle Royal. At "Halloweenpalooza 2" on October 15, 2010, Cruz was a participant in the Kerry Brown Memorial Tournament. In the first round Cruz defeated "Beautiful" Bobby Jay. In the second round, Cruz defeated Ike Idol in a chop off. In the finals Cruz defeated SYKO to win the tournament. Cruz quietly retired following this event.

Final Match

Cruz returned for one final match, December 4, 2015, for Winnipeg-based Canadian Wrestling's Elite, where he appeared in their 50 man Rumble.

Championships and accomplishments

*Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling **AGPW Continental Championship (1 time) **AGPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) with – "Bulldog" Bob Brown *MainStream Wrestling Entertainment **MSWE Championship (1 time) *Premier Championship Wrestling **PCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Real Action Wrestling **RAW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Rough House Rasslin' **RHR Western Canadian Championship (1 time) *

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

**PWI ranked him #339 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the year in the

PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

in 1995 *Slam! Wrestling **Slam! Wrestling Canadian Hall of Fame *Steeltown Pro Wrestling **SPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **Ernie Rheault/Emil Grenier Invitational Battle Royal **Kerry Brown Memorial Tournament (2010) * West Four Wrestling Alliance **

WFWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship The WFWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship was the title contested for in the Manitoba-based professional wrestling promotion West Four Wrestling Alliance. Title history See also *Professional wrestling in Canada The history of Profession ...

( 3 times)

References

External links

* on

Myspace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Chi Chi 1968 births Living people 20th-century male professional wrestlers 20th-century Canadian professional wrestlers 21st-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century Canadian professional wrestlers Canadian male professional wrestlers Professional wrestlers from Manitoba People from Westman Region, Manitoba 20th-century Canadian sportsmen