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Jacques Rougeau discussed his relationship with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon during his appearance on SK Wrestling’s Inside SKoop with Dr. Chris Featherstone.
The former WWE Intercontinental Champion also gave the full details behind his decision to quit the company after WWE WrestleMania 10. That event saw The Quebecers (Jacques Rougeau and Pierre Carl Ouellet) defend their WWE Tag Team titles against Men on a Mission (Mabel and Mo).
In the months leading up to the show, The Quebecers repeatedly lost matches at WWE events. Rougeau recalled that the tag team had been told they would regain their credibility with a victory over Men on a Mission at WrestleMania. However, as Rougeau explains in the video below, Vince McMahon changed the finish and the promise was never fulfilled.
Why did Jacques Rougeau leave WWE?
Pat Patterson died last week at the age of 79. Jacques Rougeau reflected on his experiences with the WWE Hall of Famer, including the time that he received some bad news before WrestleMania 10.
“Pat was there that night at WrestleMania 10 when six months in a row, Chris, six months in a row, me and Carl Ouellet, PCO, we were getting beat every night. [Our] tag team, The Quebecers, they kept telling us for six months, 'Don’t worry, Jacques, because at WrestleMania 10, you’re going to come back and you’re going to be wrestling the MOMs, Men on a Mission, two 600-pound guys, and you’re going to take the belts that night.' So we were doing jobs everywhere, everywhere, even in my hometown in front of my fans, we were getting beat by small teams, not overrated teams or nothing, just by everybody.”
Rougeau clarified that both he and his tag team partner had been told they would win their WrestleMania match. If that happened, it would have made up for the months of losing matches at WWE events.
“But we knew that we would get our merchandise value back, our worth in the eyes of the fans. Are you a winner or a loser? You know, so we knew that at WrestleMania 10 we would regain all of that credibility, is the word I’m looking for.”
Shortly before WrestleMania 10, Pat Patterson told The Quebecers that there had been a change of plan. Vince McMahon wanted Men on a Mission to win the match via countout. That meant The Quebecers kept their titles but Men on a Mission still looked strong.
“And so one hour before the show, one hour, we’ve been beat for six months every night, our morale is dead, and we can’t wait to regain a little bit of prestige or self esteem. And one hour before the show, Pat had the job to come and tell me. ‘Jacques, listen, Vince had a change. We’re gonna do something [different]…’ He had that job.”
Rougeau said the decision to change the finish at the last minute is ultimately what made him want to leave WWE. He also revealed that it changed his relationship with Vince McMahon.
“And when that happened, I quit that WWF [WWE] and my relationship with Vince then was done for the rest of my life. Pat was the one who had to come and say that to me. So being the right-hand man of Vince was a great position, and it was also a horrible position.”
The Quebecers split up shortly after WrestleMania 10. Rougeau left WWE later in 1994 before making a brief return in 1998.
Please credit SK Wrestling and embed the video interview with Jacques Rougeau if you use any quotes from this article.
