Mad Dog

The Maurice Vachon Story

By: Bertrand Hébert, Pat Laprade

Narrated by: Bob Reed

The true story of one of pro wrestling's most charismatic, feared, and beloved icons

Who was Maurice the man, and who was Mad Dog the character? Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon was a gold medalist, a pro-wrestling legend, and a pop culture icon - but he was also a son, husband, and father. Mad Dog explores Vachon's career and personal struggles with painstakingly detailed historical research and through both Maurice's own recollections and those of the people who knew him best.

As a young man, Maurice could have chosen a dark criminal path, but then wrestling and family changed him. Chronicling his slow but steady rise to prominence across America and internationally in some of pro wrestling's most important territories, this in-depth biography shows how Vachon's life came to be defined by the words of Mark Twain: "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog." Fiercely proud, motivated, and supremely talented, Vachon's story is also the amazing tale of how a lifelong make-believe heel became a real-life hero outside of the ring.

With a foreword by his brother, Paul Vachon, and an afterword by his widow, Kathie Vachon.

©2017 Bertrand Hébert and Patric Laprade (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Chronicling the life and times of Mad Dog Vachon

The authors did a tremendous job of chronicling the professional and amateur career of Canadian legend Mad Dog Vachon. The book details his successful outings at the 1948 Summer Olympics and 1950 British Empire Games. While he was proud to represent his country and win a gold medal, Vachon quickly realized he would have turn to the squared circle to make a living from wrestling.

"Mad Dog" traces his path to becoming a hall of fame professional wrestler, trading his gold metal for wrestling championships. He first adopted the nickname "Mad Man" before becoming the "Mad Dog." After leaving Canada, he was able to get over with crowds wherever he was booked, He convinced his amateur wrestling brother Paul to turn pro, and formed a successful tag team. Paul became "Butcher" Vachon.

This book contains intriguing road stories, as the Vachons crossed paths with the likes of The Funks, Verne Gagne, Pat Patterson, Nick Bockwinkel, Stu Hart, and Killer Kowalski. As the book details, Mad Dog took a young Baron von Raschke under his wing, and helped mold him into a star in the making. Mad Dog captured Gagne's AWA World Heavyweight championship, which he recognized as one of his greatest accomplishments.

Outside of the ring, Mad Dog struggled with alcoholism, and was divorced twice. After retiring from the ring, Vachon was struck by a hit-and-run driver, resulting in the amputation of one of his legs. He would end up in a wheelchair, and suffering with bouts of dementia. However, prior to his passing, he would receiving hall of fame honors. Hébert and Laprade have all the bases covered on Mad Dog's remarkable career, and the influences he has had on professional wrestling.

good story, questionable reading

As a lifelong fan of professsional wrestling, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My only issue is with the reader or narrator pronouncing some names wrong. Other than that, I really enjoyed reading the story of the man who just felt like flying that one day, lol.

Just OK

Mad Dog: The Maurice Vachon Story is an interesting audiobook but I didn't find it to be compelling. Rather than having me on the edge of my seat the entire time, it was merely something I listened to in the background while doing chores around the house. The sign of a great audiobook is the need to keep listening, regardless of what I'm doing. With this audiobook, I didn't mind stopping at any point because it never felt like I was going to miss out on anything important. This isn't a knock on Maurice. He sounds like he was an influential and important figure in professional wrestling. The way this book is written, it doesn't live up to his legend, which is unfortunate. The narrator does a fine job and has a pleasant voice, and this made for an easy listening experience. Overall, Mad Dog: The Maurice Vachon Story is only worth checking out if you're a diehard fan of this era of wrestling or Mad Dog specifically. For everyone else, this audiobook is just OK.