Sylvain Grenier

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Sylvain Grenier bigraphy, stories - professional wrestler and commentator

Sylvain Grenier : biography

March 26, 1977 –

Sylvain Grenier (born March 26, 1977) is a French Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment between 2003 and 2007.

Early life

As a child, Grenier lived with his mother in Varennes, Québec. Grenier played baseball, tennis and hockey at an amateur level. Grenier worked as a model.

In wrestling

  • Finishing moves
    • 3 Seconds of Fame (Vertical suplex dropped into an implant DDT)
    • Showoff (Running DDT to a kneeling opponent)
  • Signature moves
    • Flapjack
    • Reverse STO
    • Rib breaker
    • Rotating belly to back side slam
  • Managers
    • Maryse

Professional wrestling career

Grenier made his professional wrestling debut in 1998.

World Wrestling Entertainment

Early appearances (2001–2003)

Grenier auditioned for series one and two of Tough Enough, the reality television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment in 2001 and 2002, but was unable to attend the selection process due to visa problems. While he was in Florida training and taking part in a modeling shoot, Grenier met WWE producer Pat Patterson, with whom he became good friends. Patterson invited Grenier to attend WWE events for a few tryout matches under the ring name "Sly Grenier". Following a match, Grenier was offered a contract by WWE, and assigned to WWE developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling.

During this period, Grenier made two appearances for WWE, the first at No Way Out in 2003 as a referee during the match between The Rock and Hulk Hogan in which he helped The Rock to win that match; the other at WrestleMania XIX during the match between Hogan and Vince McMahon.

La Résistance (2003–2005)

On April 28, Grenier returned to WWE, debuting on the Raw brand alongside fellow French-speaking Canadian René Duprée. The duo were collectively known as La Résistance, and were billed as Frenchmen who were highly critical of American efforts in the War on Terror. Grenier and Duprée made their first appearance on the April 28 episode of Raw as La Résistance by attacking Scott Steiner who had recently made remarks comparing France to hell, offending Grenier and Duprée. La Résistance went on to feud with Scott Steiner and Test (who was being forced to be Steiner’s tag team partner by Stacy Keibler) until the Judgment Day pay-per-view where La Résistance defeated Steiner and Test.

Grenier and Duprée went on to win the World Tag Team Championship from Kane and Rob Van Dam at the 2003 Bad Blood event. After that the decision was made to add Rob Conway as a third member who began by posing as an American serviceman being abused by Grenier and Duprée until the Dudley Boyz came out to save him. Once the Dudley Boyz had their backs turned to Conway, he attacked them with the American flag they had given him before tearing it off the pole and laying it on top of them. The trio began carrying the French flag to ringside and singing the French national anthem before their matches. During their time together the trio feuded with several tag teams; including the Dudley Boyz, The Hurricane and Rosey, and Garrison Cade and Mark Jindrak.

They held the titles until Unforgiven 2003 when they dropped them to The Dudley Boyz in a three-on-two handicap tables match. During the match suffered neck and back injuries, and was diagnosed with a broken neck a month later. The trio’s eventual reunion was on March 15, 2004 when Grenier. This reunion only lasted a week, as Dupree was drafted to SmackDown! on March 22, 2004 during the Draft Lottery.

Without Dupree, Grenier and Conway continued to team together as La Résistance on Raw. With American-Franco hostility subsiding, WWE ceased billing the team as being from France and instead promoted them as being haughty French Canadians who carried the flag of Quebec to the ring, with Grenier often singing the Canadian national anthem.