Francois Miquet. Photo Credit:
obsessedwithwrestling.com
Corsica Joe was one-in-a-million. Not only was he one of Nashville's true wrestling legends, he was a pioneer and passed away on Saturday, March 13, 2010, at the age of 90.
Joe, whose real name was Francois Miquet, was born in 1920 in south-eastern France and was very skilled as an amateur wrestler. For ten years he remained one of the best before turning pro in 1948.
He would travel all over North America from Washington to Calgary to Montreal. That is where he would meet his future tag team partner Corsica Jean (Jean-Louis Roy, Sr.) in 1948, but it wasn’t for a few more years they became a solid item in Tampa.
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While most announcers at the time had a hard time with his given name, they came up with the Corsica Brothers, Joe and Jean, and it stuck. From then on, the tag team would go on to hold gold in Tennessee and Alabama multiple times late in the 1950s. But it was here in Nashville where he would be the most loved/hated of his career.
Having perfected the pirate persona decades before Johnny Depp stepped foot across a movie screen, they were hated here in the heart of Nashville, even making history with one of the first tag-team cage matches. I know that when we think of cage matches now, we think of chain-link fence, but then it was chicken-wire and boards. These types of matches would solidify their names in history when they would be placed in the NWA Hall of Fame in 2008.
With Corsica Jean passing in 1992 and the loss of his beloved wife of forty-five and former wrestler Sara Lee, Joe would continue to come to shows and bring knowledge to the locker rooms that he would visit. The guys would soak in the history that he would give and love to talk about the past and the future of Nashville wrestling.
Now with the passing of this legend, a whole new generation will have stories to learn, to tell and to remember of this great man and the career that has passed onto eternity.
Funeral arrangements are set for Tuesday, March 16, 2010, at the Phillips-Robinson Funeral Home in Old Hickory, Tennessee, at 12:00 noon with visitation on Monday from 4-8 p.m.
Comments
Corsica Joe was my grandfather and he will be missed. He passed away on Saturday March 13, 2010 at approximately 2 pm. He was born January 17, 1920. He touched many lives and loved his family as well as his wrestling family. We appreciate you writing this post.
God Bless,
Josh W.
Josh,
I was saddened to hear of your grandfather's passing. I know that he touched many people both inside and outside the ring. He will be missed by all. My prayers go out to you and your family in this time of sadness.
Lekisha
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