Arthur Lawrence Beauchene (June 22, 1924 – October 2, 1964) was an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

who mainly worked in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

during most of his career.

Professional wrestling career

Born in Detroit to French and Italian parents. Chene took up amateur wrestling in high school and continued the sport in college. He joined the air force in 1945. In 1950, Chene made his professional wrestling debut when he was trained and recruited by Detroit promoter

Bert Ruby Bert Ruby (born Bertalan Rubinstein, November 29, 1910 - March 9, 1968) was a Hungarian/American professional wrestler, professional wrestling trainer, and wrestling promoter. Early life Rubinstein was born in the village of Valea lui Mihai i ...

. Chene started his career out in the Michigan-Indiana-Ohio territory, western and southern Ontario. In 1954, Chene left Detroit and went to Texas winning the Texas Junior Heavyweight Championship where he defeated Billy Raborn. He also spent time in many territories including Hawaii, Pacific Northwest and Chicago. He was also called, "Leaping Larry Chene." In 1960, Chene returned to his hometown

where he became a fan favorite feuding with The Sheik Farhat and

Dick the Bruiser William Fritz Afflis (June 27, 1929 – November 10, 1991) was an American professional wrestler, promoter, and former NFL player, better known by his ring name, Dick the Bruiser. During his NFL days he played four seasons with the Green Bay Pac ...

. One night in September 1960 against Dick the Bruiser 15,00 fans showed up at the

Olympia The name Olympia may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games * ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...

and lots of bloods between both wrestlers. Chene won the IWA United States Heavyweight Championship from Pat O'Connor on January 8, 1963. He dropped the title to the Great Mephisto on May 16 and regained the title back from Mephisto on November 11, 1963. Eventually Chene dropped the title to Pat O'Connor on August 26, 1964. After losing title, Chene made his debut in Minneapolis, Minnesota for

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 owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The territory was originally part o ...

(AWA). His last match was on October 1, 1964, against

Larry Hennig Larry Hennig (June 18, 1936 – December 6, 2018) was an American professional wrestler. He was the father of "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, and the grandfather of Curtis Axel and Amy "Ms. Perfect" Hennig. He worked in the American Wrestling Associa ...

in a losing effort.

Death

On October 2, 1964, Chene was killed in a single vehicle accident in Ottawa, Illinois when his car flipped over by hitting a telephone pole. Police said that it was speeding as they found a speeding ticket in his car which Chene got earlier that day. He was 40 years old. Chene was buried in Detroit's Mount Olivet Cemetery on October 6. Nearly 60 years after his death a book was released on February 4, 2022, by G.J. Rowell.

Championships and accomplishments

* Big Time Wrestling ''(Texas)'' **Texas Junior Heavyweight Championship (4 times) ****

NWA Texas Tag Team Championship The WCWA Texas Tag Team Championship was the secondary professional wrestling tag team championship promoted by the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex area-basedWorld Class Wrestling Association (WCWA). The championship was originally known as the NWA ...

(1 time) - with

Pepper Gomez José "Joseph" Serapio Palimino Gomez (April 21, 1927 – May 6, 2004) was an American professional wrestler and bodybuilder, better known by his ring name, Pepper Gomez. Known for his exceptional abdominal muscles, he would allow rivals to perf ...

Pacific Northwest Wrestling Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW) (also known as Big Time Wrestling and Portland Wrestling) is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. T ...

**NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (1 time) with Herb Freeman

References

External links

The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: Heroes and Icons
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chene, Larry 1924 births 1964 deaths American male professional wrestlers Professional wrestlers from Michigan Road incident deaths in Illinois

Professional wrestling career

Death

Championships and accomplishments

References

Further reading

External links