View source for PCO (wrestler)

{{Infobox professional wrestler
|name               = Carl Ouellet
|birthname          = Carl Joseph Yvon Ouellet
|image              = PCO 2018.jpg
|caption            = Ouellet in October 2018
|names              = Carl Ouellet<ref name="SLAM! Profile"/><br>Jean-Pierre Lafitte<ref name="SLAM! Profile"/><br>Killer Karl Wallace<ref name="SLAM! Profile"/><ref name=oww>{{cite web|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/p/pierre-oulette.html|title=Carl Ouellet  profile|publisher=OWOW|accessdate=2009-08-18}}</ref><br>Kris Kannonball<ref name=oww/><br />'''PCO'''<br>'''Pierre Carl Ouellet'''<ref name="SLAM! Profile"/><ref name=oww/><br>Pierre Ouellet<ref name="SLAM! Profile"/><ref name=oww/><br>Pierre the Quebecer<br>Quebecer Pierre<br>Wal Wallace<ref name=oww/><br>Wild Carl Wallace<ref name=oww/><br>X<ref name=oww/>
|height             = 6 ft 1 in<ref name="SLAM! Profile"/>
|weight             = 300 lb<ref name="SLAM! Profile"/>
|birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1967|12|30}}<ref name="SLAM! Profile"/>
|birth_place        = [[Sainte-Catherine, Quebec]], Canada<ref name="SLAM! Profile"/>
|resides            = [[Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu]], [[Quebec]], Canada
|billed             = [[Montreal]], Quebec, Canada<br>[[New Orleans]], [[Louisiana]]
|trainer            = Gino Brito
|debut              = 1987
|retired            =
}}
'''Carl Joseph Yvon Ouellet''' (born December 30, 1967), better known by his [[ring name]], '''Pierre Carl Ouellet''', is a [[Canadians|Canadian]] [[Professional wrestling|professional wrestler]]. He achieved his most notable success as one half of [[The Quebecers]] with [[Jacques Rougeau]], with whom he is a three-time former [[World Tag Team Championship (WWE)|WWF Tag Team Champion]]. He is currently signed to [[Ring of Honor]] (ROH) under the ring name '''PCO''' and has also worked for, among other promotions, [[World Championship Wrestling]] (where he is a former [[WCW Hardcore Championship|WCW Hardcore Champion]]), [[Extreme Championship Wrestling]], and [[Impact Wrestling|Total Nonstop Action Wrestling]].<ref name="SLAM! Profile">{{cite web|title=Pierre Carl Ouellet Profile|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/Bios/ouellet.html|publisher=[[Canadian Online Explorer]]|work=Slam! Sports|accessdate=2008-08-06}}</ref> 

==Professional wrestling career==

===Early career (1987-1993)===
Carl Ouellet debuted in 1987. He worked on the [[independent circuit]] - at one point forming a [[tag team]] with "Evil" Eddie Watts known as the "Super Bees".

===World Wrestling Federation (1993–1996)===
====The Quebecers (1993–1994)====
{{Main|The Quebecers}}
In 1993, he met [[Jacques Rougeau]] in [[Puerto Rico]], who brought him to the [[WWE|World Wrestling Federation]] as his tag team partner. As one half of '''[[The Quebecers]]''', Ouellet adopted the name '''Pierre'''<ref name="SLAM! Profile"/> and dressed like [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police|Mounties]]. This was a reference to Jacques's previous [[List of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick|gimmick]], ''The Mountie'', which had been banned in Canada out of fear that the [[Heel (professional wrestling)|heelish]] character of The Mountie would lead to children mistrusting [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police|legitimate Mounties]]. The Quebecers sang their own entrance theme, in which they stated that, contrary to appearances, "We're not the Mounties". Later in the year they were joined by [[manager (professional wrestling)|manager]], [[Raven (wrestler)|Johnny Polo]].<ref name="SLAM! Profile"/>

The Quebecers held the [[World Tag Team Championship (WWE)|WWF Tag Team Championship]] on three occasions.<ref name="SLAM! Profile"/> On September 13, 1993, they defeated the [[Steiner Brothers]] for the tag titles (under "Province of Quebec Rules", which provided for titles change hands on disqualifications). They were defeated by [[Sean Waltman|the 1-2-3 Kid]] and [[Marty Jannetty]] on January 10, 1994 and again by [[Men on a Mission]] on March 29 (during a tour of England) but each time regained the titles within days. They lost the belts a third and final time to [[The Headshrinkers]] on the April 26 episode of ''[[WWE Raw|Monday Night Raw]]'' in Burlington, Vermont. The Quebecers eventually disbanded when Jacques Rougeau retired. The partners wrestled one another in Rougeau's retirement match on October 21, 1994 in Montreal, main-eventing a sold-out house show.<ref name="SLAM! Interview 2008"/>

====Feud with Bret Hart (1995)====
[[File:CarlOuellet1995.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Ouellet in 1995]]
As a singles wrestler, Ouellet was repackaged in 1995 as '''Jean-Pierre LaFitte''', the descendant of real-life [[Piracy|pirate]] named [[Jean LaFitte]].<ref name="SLAM! Profile"/> As a pirate he wore an [[eyepatch]] over his right eye.

He engaged in a three-month [[Feud (professional wrestling)|feud]] with [[Bret Hart]],<ref name="SLAM! Profile"/> and stole the mirrored [[sunglasses]] that Hart handed to fans at ringside. After LaFitte stole Hart's trademark [[leather jacket]],<ref name=hbk-p206>{{cite book | title = Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story | first = Shawn | last = Michaels | authorlink = Shawn Michaels |author2=Feigenbaum, Aaron | isbn = 1-4165-2645-5 | publisher = [[Simon & Schuster]] | year = 2006 | page = 206}}</ref> the enemies faced one another at [[In Your House 3]] on September 24, 1995, where Hart forced Ouellet to submit by using the [[Sharpshooter (professional wrestling)|Sharpshooter]].

In his ''[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]'', [[Dave Meltzer]] described this [[pay-per-view]] match as the "show saver" and an "excellent match."<ref>Meltzer, Dave. ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'', October 02, 1995</ref> Hart later recalled, "In a lot of ways, I loved working with guys like him. He was a guy, that when he threw you in the ropes, he really threw you in the ropes…. everything he did was power, and at the same time he was a very safe guy.... He took a lot of pride in his work, he really wanted to have a great match with me…. And so we worked really hard, and it was a really good match."<ref>''[[Bret Hart|Bret "Hitman" Hart: The Dungeon Collection]]'', [[WWE Home Video]], 2013.</ref>

His WWF career came to an end after an alleged [[List of professional wrestling terms#L|legit]] conflict with [[The Kliq]], a backstage group including main-event wrestlers [[Shawn Michaels]] and [[Kevin Nash|Diesel]]. According to [[Shane Douglas]], who was working with the company at that time, a match pitting LaFitte against Nash, then the [[WWE Championship|WWF Champion]], in a [[house show]] in LaFitte's hometown Montreal was booked to end without a clean finish, with Lafitte winning by either DQ or countout, enabling the WWF to return to Montreal for a rematch at a later time. However, due to backstage politicking by Shawn Michaels the booking was reversed into a clean  [[Pin (professional wrestling)|pinfall]] for Diesel. In turn, LaFitte refused to be pinned by Diesel and the match ended in a [[Professional wrestling#Countout|double-countout]].<ref name="SLAM! Interview 2008">{{cite web | first = Jason | last = Clevett | title = Ouellet wants another run with WWE | url = http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2008/07/28/6288341.html | publisher = [[Canadian Online Explorer]] | work = Slam! Sports | date = 2008-08-06 | accessdate = 2008-08-06}}</ref>  Due to his refusal to [[List of professional wrestling terms#O|put Diesel over]], LaFitte was [[List of professional wrestling terms#B|buried]] due to the Kliq's influence and released soon after.<ref name=hbk-p206/>

===World Championship Wrestling (1996-1997)===
In 1996, Ouellet reunited with Jacques Rougeau and moved to [[World Championship Wrestling]] (WCW), where the duo was known as '''The Amazing French Canadians'''. They wore more traditional wrestling gear, but failed to duplicate the success they had found in the WWF.<ref name="SLAM! Profile"/> They had the distinction of losing to [[Arn Anderson]] and [[Steve McMichael|Steve "Mongo" McMichael]] in Anderson's last match.

The Amazing French-Canadians were managed by [[Robert Fuller|Col. Robert Parker]] (who began dressing in a [[French Foreign Legion]] [[Military uniform|uniform]]), and they began feuding with [[Harlem Heat]] as a result of tension between Parker and Harlem Heat's manager, [[Sherri Martel|Sister Sherri]]. After Harlem Heat defeated the Amazing French Canadians at [[World War 3 (1996)|World War 3]] on November 24, 1996, Sherri won the right to fight Parker for three minutes. Parker was beaten down by Sherri, but the rivals later reconciled and fell in love with one another.

Ouellet won a 'patch match' against [[Big Show|The Giant]] in a house show in Montreal<ref name="SLAM! 1999">{{cite web | title = Ouelett wants back in spotlight | first = Greg | last = Oliver | url = http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingArchive/aug31_ouelett.html | publisher = [[Canadian Online Explorer]] | work = Slam! Sports | date = 1999-04-30 | accessdate = 2008-08-07}}</ref> and was fired shortly after.

===Return to WWF (1998-2000)===
Along with Jacques, Ouellet was rehired by the WWF in 1998 yet again, but rarely utilized.<ref name="SLAM! Profile"/> Ouellet competed in the [[WWF Brawl For All|Brawl for All]] tournament, but lost in the first round to [["Dr. Death" Steve Williams]]. The Quebecers took part in the [[Professional wrestling tag team match types#Tag team battle royal|tag team battle royal]] at [[WrestleMania XIV]],<ref name="SLAM! 1998">{{cite web|title=Quebecers fiercely competitive, patroitic | first = Greg|last=Oliver|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingArchive/mar28_que.html|publisher=[[Canadian Online Explorer]]|work=Slam! Sports|date=1998-03-28|accessdate=2008-08-07}}</ref> but disbanded once again soon afterward. Along with other WWF employees such as [[Mike Plotcheck|Mike Barton]] and [[Big Van Vader]], he worked for [[All Japan Pro Wrestling]] as part of a talent loan, and spent time in the WWF's [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] based developmental territory, [[Power Pro Wrestling]], where he was known as '''Kris Kannonball'''.<ref name="SLAM! 1999"/> He left the WWF once more when his contract expired in January 2000, unhappy with the way he was being used.<ref name="SLAM! 2000">{{cite web|title=Ouellet still working on ECW deal|first=Greg|last=Oliver|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingBiosO/ouelett_19jul00.html|publisher=[[Canadian Online Explorer]]|work=Slam! Sports|date=2000-07-19|accessdate=2008-08-07}}</ref>

===Extreme Championship Wrestling (2000)===
Ouellet began working for [[Extreme Championship Wrestling]] in mid-2000, [[Squash (professional wrestling)|squashing]] [[Job (professional wrestling)|jobbers]] for several weeks before losing to [[Peter Polaco|Justin Credible]] in a match for Credible's [[ECW World Heavyweight Championship]].<ref name="SLAM! 2000"/>

===Return to WCW (2000)===
Ouellet and Rougeau had a second run in WCW in August 2000, briefly joining [[Team Canada (WCW)|Team Canada]] at the [[New Blood Rising]] [[pay-per-view]]. Rougeau—who had additionally served as a guest referee in [[Lance Storm]]'s win over [[Mike Awesome]]—left immediately afterwards, upset with the WCW creative team's plans for him, while Ouellet worked two more dates in Canada and was awarded the [[WCW Hardcore Championship]] by Storm on August 14 as Storm held three different titles at the same time. He lost the title that same night to [[Norman Smiley]].

Due to working visa issues, Ouellet could not work in the US, and had to be released back to Canada soon after.<ref name="SLAM! 2000"/>

===International Wrestling (2000–2003)===
Between 2000 and 2003, Ouellet appeared with Rougeau's International Wrestling 2000 [[Professional wrestling promotion|promotion]]. He headlined an event in the [[Verdun (borough)|Verdun]] Auditorium in Montreal on December 29, 2000, facing [[King Kong Bundy]] in front of an audience of 4,000.<ref name="SLAM! 2000"/> In the summer of 2003 Ouellet decided to begin wrestling in the Quebec area once more.

===International Wrestling Association (2003-2005)===
Ouellet joined the [[International Wrestling Association (Puerto Rico)|International Wrestling Association]] as Jean-Pierre Laffite. He was brought in by [[Savio Vega]] to join his stable, the Corporation. Immediately he feuded with then-IWA Intercontinental Champion [[Ricky Banderas]], a feud that lasted around 3 months. He was managed by José Chaparro, another member of Vega's Corporation. At Summer Attitude, after a losing effort to Ricky Banderas. In April 2005 defeated Banderas to win [[IWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship]] for first time in his career. Lafitte left IWA.

===Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2003–2007)===
In November 2003, Ouellet debuted in [[Impact Wrestling|Total Nonstop Action Wrestling]] as '''X''', a [[Lucha libre#Masks|masked]]<ref name="SLAM! Interview 2008"/> wrestler who competed primarily in the [[X Division]] as he had a feud with [[Christopher Daniels]] and [[Sonjay Dutt]]. He left after two months. In February 2005, Ouellet began hosting the [[French language|French]] version of ''[[TNA Impact!]]'' from the [[Le Réseau des sports|RDS]] studios with Marc Blondin, replacing Michel Letourneur. He even had a war of the words against comedian Jean-René Dufort (of ''Infoman'' fame), to which Dufort responded by adopting the wrestling gimmick "La Punaise Masquée" (The Masked Tick) and "challenging" Ouellet to a match. However, Dufort backed out before the match could take place. In October 2007 he quit, citing he was going to Britain to wrestle full-time in the hopes of realizing his dream to become WWE Champion. He was replaced by [[Sylvain Grenier]].

===Independents and retirement (2005-2011)===
Ouellet continues to wrestle in Canada, primarily for the Montreal-based [[International Wrestling Syndicate]] and the [[Hull, Quebec|Hull]]-based CPW International promotion, under the '''Pierre Carl Ouellet''' name once again. In October 2007, Ouellet wrestled a dark match for [[WWE|World Wrestling Entertainment]] under the name of '''Carl Ouellet''' at the ''[[ECW (WWE)|ECW]]'' / ''[[WWE SmackDown|SmackDown!]]'' tapings. He was defeated by [[Tommy Dreamer]].<ref name="SLAM! Interview 2008"/>

Ouellet also wrestled for All-Star promotions in Britain alongside his friends and tag team partners with [[Rene Goguen|Rene Dupree]]. Ouellet has mainly been working a lot of Tag Team matches with Rene Dupree, Robbie Dynamite, Hannibal and Mikey Whiplash. It has been announced that Ouellet will face [[Robbie Brookside]] for the ASW British Heavyweight Championship at a future event. He defeated Sylvain Grenier in an [[Réseau des sports|RDS]] battle on June 21, 2008 in Hawkesbury, Ontario Canada with [[Marc Blondin]] serving as the special referee.<ref>http://www.wrestlingsupershow.com/results.html</ref>

He then defeated long-time rival Kevin Nash on May 30, 2009 at the [[International Wrestling Syndicate]]'s 10th Anniversary show by turning the match into a worked-shoot and taking advantage of his legitimately injured arm by making him submit via an armbar.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wrestleview.com/news2009/1242249539.php |title=Kevin Nash vs. PCO on 5/30 for IWS|author=Adam Martin |website=WrestleView.com |date=May 13, 2009 |accessdate=March 10, 2018}}</ref>

In an interview with [[Canadian Online Explorer|''Slam! Sports'']] on August 6, 2008, Ouellet declared that he would like another stint with the WWE.<ref name="SLAM! Interview 2008"/>

Ouellet announced his retirement from professional wrestling on Tuesday February 8, 2011 during an interview with the largest radio station in Quebec, [[CKAC]]. He had not wrestled since the previous June, in a match against ROH Wrestler/Announcer  (TNA wrestler at the time) [[Desmond Wolfe]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2011/02/09/17216741.html|title=Pierre-Carl Ouellet retires|author=Patric LaPrade|website=[[Canoe.com]]|accessdate=March 10, 2018}}</ref>

===Return to independent wrestling (2016–present)===
On May 21, 2016, Ouellet made his return to professional wrestling at an MWF event, entitled "Collision," in [[Salaberry-de-Valleyfield|Valleyfield, Quebec]], Canada, defeating Jake Matthews, following a cannonball.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihOSxzbBk8o|title=pco vs jake matthew mwf 21 mai 2016|website=[[YouTube]]|date=May 21, 2016|accessdate=March 10, 2018}}</ref> Under a new gimmick as a "French Frankenstein" as Ouellet described it,<ref>https://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.php?id=120438</ref> he became a regular name in several independent promotions.<ref>https://www.solowrestling.com/new/72528-pco-rechazo-una-oferta-de-impact-wrestling-para-intentar-volver-a-wwe-quiero-enfrentarme-a-undertaker</ref> On April 2, 2018, Ouellet defeated [[Walter (wrestler)|Walter]] at Game Changer Wrestling's Joey Janela's Spring Break 2 in [[New Orleans]]. Ouellet's performance and online footage of his unconventional workout regimen impressed the independent wrestling audience, and led to many higher-profile indy bookings.
[[File:PCO dive.jpg|thumb|PCO doing a dive onto Rickey Shane Page in 2018]]
On June 18, 2018, Ouellet was announced as the first of twenty-four participants for [[Pro Wrestling Guerrilla]]'s (PWG) annual [[Battle of Los Angeles (professional wrestling)|Battle of Los Angeles]] tournament. At ''2018 Battle of Los Angeles - Stage One'' on September 15, he made his company debut, losing to Brody King in the Opening Round.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/OfficialPWG/status/1008892249814384641|title=PWGOfficial on Twitter |website=[[Twitter]]|date=June 18, 2018|accessdate=June 18, 2018}}</ref> Two nights later, at ''2018 Battle of Los Angeles - Final Stage'', he led a losers' ten-man tag team match, in which Team PCO (Ouellet, Darby Allin, [[Dan Barry (wrestler)|Dan Barry]], [[Jody Fleisch]] and [[Puma King]]) defeated Team [[DJZ|DJ Z]] (DJ Z, Adam Brooks, [[David Starr (wrestler)|David Starr]], [[Tomahawk T.T.|T-Hawk]] and [[Timothy Thatcher]]).

===Ring of Honor (2018–present)===
On December 1, 2018, Ouellet announced his exclusive signing with [[Ring of Honor]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Satin|first1=Ryan|title=PCO Signs Exclusive Contract With Ring Of Honor|url=http://www.prowrestlingsheet.com/pco-signs-roh/#.XALUNIFKjnE|publisher=Pro Wrestling Sheet|accessdate=December 1, 2018}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Ouellet lost about 90% sight in his right eye at the age of twelve when a friend accidentally shot him in the right eye with a [[Pellet (air gun)|pellet gun]]. Frequently, he has also included wearing an [[eyepatch]] in the ring.<ref name="SLAM! Profile"/>

==Championships and accomplishments==
*'''[[Catch Wrestling Association]]'''
**[[CWA World Tag Team Championship (Germany)|CWA World Tag Team Champion]] ([[CWA World Tag Team Championship (Germany)#Title history|1 time]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.titlehistories.com/Catch_Wrestling_Association.htm|title=Catch Wrestling Association Title Histories|accessdate=2008-07-11|publisher=titlehistories.com}}</ref> – with [[Terry Gerin|Rhino Richards]]
*'''CPW International'''
**CPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with "Wild" Dangerous Dan
*'''[[International Wrestling Association (Puerto Rico)|International Wrestling Association]]'''
**[[IWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship|IWA Intercontinental Championship]] ([[IWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship#Title history|1 time]])
*'''Game Changer Wrestling'''
**GCW Extreme Championship (1 time, current)<ref>https://twitter.com/PCOQuebecer/status/1038688490127540225</ref>
*'''	Great North Wrestling'''
**GNW Canadian Championship (1 time)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net//?id=5&nr=2752|title=GNW Canadian Championship|website=CageMatch.net}}</ref>
*'''[[International Wrestling Syndicate]]'''
**IWS World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
*'''''[[Pro Wrestling Illustrated]]'''''
**PWI ranked him #'''79''' of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the year in the [[Pro Wrestling Illustrated#PWI 500|PWI 500]] in 1995<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/temp/pwi500/1995.html|accessdate=2012-08-18|title=Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 - 1995|publisher=Online World of Wrestling}}</ref>
**PWI ranked him #'''393''' of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "[[Pro Wrestling Illustrated#All-Time Top Fives|PWI Years]]" in 2003<ref name="pwiyears">{{cite web|url=http://www.willywrestlefest.fr/Ressources/PWI/PWI500_PWI_Years_2003.htm|title=PWI 500 of the PWI Years|accessdate=2012-08-18|publisher=Willy Wrestlefest}}</ref>
**PWI ranked him #'''83''' of the 100 best tag teams of the PWI Years with [[Jacques Rougeau]] in 2003
*'''Top of the World Wrestling'''
**TOW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with [[Al Snow]]
*'''[[World Championship Wrestling]]'''
**[[WCW Hardcore Championship]] ([[WCW Hardcore Championship#Title history|1 time]])
*'''[[WWE|World Wrestling Federation]]'''
**[[World Tag Team Championship (WWE)|WWF Tag Team Championship]] ([[World Tag Team Championship (WWE)#Title history|3 times]]) - with [[Jacques Rougeau|Quebecer Jacques]]<ref name="SLAM! Profile"/>
*'''Xtreme Zone Wrestling'''
**XZW Ironman Championship (1 time)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net//?id=5&nr=3520|title=XZW Ironman Championship|date=October 21, 2017|accessdate=March 11, 2018}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|3}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Professional wrestling}}
*[http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/Bios/ouellet.html SLAM! Wrestling Hall of Fame bio]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070708160148/http://www.cpwinternational.net/images/bios/Ouellet_bio.jpg CPW International bio]
*[http://www.syndicatewrestling.com/images/wrestlers/new/pcobio.gif Syndicate Wrestling profile]{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
*{{IMDb name|id=0653570|name=Carl Ouellet}}

{{CWA World Tag Team Championship}}
{{Ring of Honor employees}}
{{WCW Hardcore Championship}}
{{World Tag Team Championship (WWE)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ouellet, Carl}}
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Blind people from Canada]]
[[Category:Canadian disabled sportspeople]]
[[Category:Canadian male professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:Fictional pirates]]
[[Category:French Quebecers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Montérégie]]
[[Category:Professional wrestlers from Quebec]]
[[Category:Professional wrestling announcers]]