Wrestling legend honoured in special tribute show
Fellow wrestlers gather to raise much-needed funds for local wrestling icon.
Honour Wrestling Association held a special tribute show last Saturday evening for one of their own, a legend, Thierry Midoux.
Known as ‘The French Monster’, Midoux, along with several of his family members, had front row seats to an action-packed night of wrestling as fans and wrestlers alike shared their love and appreciation for him.
Some of the country’s most loved professional wrestlers like Janneman ‘Dirty Jackson’ Lubbe, George ‘Xterminator’ Wilhelm, Steve Eden (HWA world champion) and DPW wrestler Daryl ‘Nightmare’ Naidu, descended on the Dinwiddie Sports Club to honour Midoux and help raise much-needed funds.
Joining in the tribute to the wrestling phenomenon was Bheki ‘The Taxi Driver’ Bembe, Midoux’s first wrestling opponent.
All wrestlers participated in the charity event to help raise funds which will enable Midoux to undergo urgently required hip replacement surgery.
Midoux has a wrestling career spanning 25 years.
In most of those years, when he entered wrestling arenas, Simply the Best by Tina Turner would blast through the speakers.
With this in mind, and to make the tribute show even more heartfelt, Madelain Boshoff-Midoux emerged from backstage, in her best Tina outfit, sending the crowd into roars of excitement, and gave a live rendition of her husband’s favourite song, much to his delight.
Originally from France, Midoux and his family moved to SA in the 1980s when his father Claude was sought after by a South African glass manufacturing company.
ALSO READ: Wrestlers put through their paces at Tuks Wrestling Open
“I only spoke French, and quickly realised I had to learn English.
“I bought The Citizen newspaper every day, grabbed an English dictionary and read through the paper, then I got the confidence to practice by speaking to people,” he said.
Midoux joined a judo club, a sport in which he soon obtained Springbok colours, and found a place where he was able to converse with people in English.
He elevated his fighting techniques and took up Sumo wrestling, as a lightweight, weighing less than 116kg.
He also trained in Swiss wrestling, called Schwingen.
Midoux travelled to Switzerland where he represented SA in the Schwingen World Championships in 1989 and in 1992.
He brought home the title belts after fighting in front of 90 000 people in both instances.
He began professional wrestling in August 1993, after his late judo coach, Patrick Stevenson, suggested he give the sport a try.
ALSO READ: Young wrestlers bring home a collection of medals
“I was a babyface. It’s a term we use to describe the sweet-faced or innocent opponent, and then I turned into the villain,” Midoux recalled.
“I was scheduled to fight a wrestling duo once, called the Van der Westhuizen brothers, and during our altercation before our fight, I attacked their father and that’s when I became a villain.
“I loved being the bad guy, however, antagonising opponents has gotten me into more trouble than I care to admit.”
From the sport, Midoux was able to sustain his family and himself over the years.
Sadly, two years ago the reality of retirement was accelerated when he felt something was off with his left hip.
“I’ve had chest, knee and spine operations,” Midoux revealed.
“Even though every injury hurts I always bounced back, but the older you get, the healing process becomes different.”
Wrestling, (Midoux’s first love after his family), the tough contact sport, which required endurance, and a flamboyant personality, would soon be a part of his history.
“Always remember that wrestling is not a sport. It is entertainment more than anything.
“Yes the falling is real, some fights are an act but the training and perfecting are real.
“I continued fighting and intense training until I could not do it anymore, I bid farewell to the ring in August 2018, when I had my last fight,” he said.
In the next few months to come, Midoux will undergo surgery, and though he will no longer fight, he is both sad and elated to embark on a new journey possibly as a coach or an advisor in the sport.
ALSO READ: Young wrestlers start 2019 season on a high
Info box:
All the results from the tribute show:
• The first fight saw Gene the Rejected Clown take on Clive Rude in a grudge match.
Gene had the fans laughing as he pulled prank after prank on Clive Rude.
Clive Rude being the bigger wrestler in the ring did not find any of the tricks funny and showed his dismay by punishing Gene the Rejected Clown.
In the end, Gene managed to outsmart Clive Rude and won the match via pinfall much to the delight of the fans.
• The second match was a riveting clash between Quinn and the powerhouse X-Terminator.
X-Terminator, having wrestled against international stars like Bobby Lashley and Jack Swagger, showed his dominance early in the match.
Quinn knew he had to out-think his powerhouse opponent and tire him out.
Quinn proved that he is one of the best in the country when he pinned X-Terminator down by using the ropes to his advantage.
• High-flying sensation Azazel took on HWA’s own Rockstar Dirty Jackson in the third match.
The fast-paced wrestling style by both wrestlers forced them to use all moves in their arsenal.
Dirty Jackson took advantage of a dazed Azazel who suffered a concussion and had his hands risen in victory.
• The co-main event saw The Bandit defend his South African title against Hector Payne and Ultimate Nathan in a Triple Threat Elimination Match.
The Bandit was in control of the match flying off the ropes at his opponents.
Nightmare walked out into the arena and distracted The Bandit. That stunt helped Hector Payne eliminate The Bandit.
Ultimate Nathan and Hector Payne fought fervently for victory until, in the end, Ultimate Nathan won the South African Title.
Hector Payne used every move in the book but just could not finish Ultimate Nathan.
Ultimate Nathan grabbed the victory with an amazing 450 splash and is now the new South African champion.
• The main event saw the current HWA world champion and 12-time South African champion, Steve Eden, defend his world title against The Nightmare.
Nightmare entered the arena with flames blazing and escorted by his dream invaders.
Steve Eden entered the arena to cheering fans with Shosholoza playing in full blast.
Fans were on their feet showing their support for their world champion against the trio of dream invaders.
Punch for punch Nightmare and Steve Eden were standing fighting toe-to-toe.
Steve Eden was outsmarting the monster when he was suddenly surrounded by the dream invaders, as well as the new South African champion, Ultimate Nathan.
The defending champ was outmanned as Nightmare pinned him to win the HWA World Championship title.
Have a story?
Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za or Leigh Hodgson (News Editor) leighh@caxton.co.za or Kgotsofalang Mashilo (journalist) kgotsofalangm@caxton.co.za
Remember to visit the Germiston City News on the following social media platforms:
Or add the GCN on WhatsApp 079 406 1181 or BBM (BBM Pin: 7F102137) today, to get all the latest news.
Catch-up on more local news with our sister newspapers Bedfordview Edenvale News, Alberton Record and Kempton Express.
