Wrestling: Québec in the Ring

From barns to Madison Square Garden, the exhibition travels through the defining eras of wrestling, its industry, its locations and its symbols.

From Louis Cyr and the other strong men and women who have captivated the audience with their superhuman demonstrations, we move from the countryside to the city and we revisit the advent of television, creating a phenomenon and raising the wrestlers to the rank of superstars.

The various wrestling moves, the main fighting styles practised around the world and across civilizations as well as other anthropological and cultural dimensions are showcased in this compelling exhibition.

The distinctive creative approach of Ex Machina and Robert can be felt throughout the exhibition.

Many devices play with perspectives and create impressive visual effects. The exhibition includes reconstructions of emblematic locations such as La Tour, the Colisée de Québec, the Montréal Forum and even Madison Square Garden. Other optical devices show archival images and present wrestling matches, giving us the impression of being there.

The perfect combination of old visual technology and innovative digital technology. Amazement guaranteed!

Many objects in this exhibition are true historical treasures of Québec’s wrestling scene.

Many significant objects from wrestling history and important artefacts from well-known local wrestlers have sadly disappeared overtime or are still collecting dust in attics.

In collaboration with Ex Machina, Pat Laprade, Bertrand Hébert, valuable collaborators and former wrestlers, the Musée’s team carried out a small investigation during which 493 treasures were found:

• 57 objects come from the Musée de la civilisation’s collections;
• 363 objects come from Jean-François Leduc’s collection, a Montréal collector;
• 70 objects have been loaned by different individuals, wrestlers, museums and organizations.

They mostly come from former professional wrestlers, including Raymond Rougeau, Jacques Rougeau, Richard Vigneault aka Rick Martel, Gino Brito, Lionel Provost, members of Yvon Robert’s family and famous Québec WWE wrestler, Kevin Owens.