Posted on by bdamage1
Brian Damage
Grappling with Tragedy is a series of articles that deal with unfortunate, tragic incidents that have occurred throughout the history of professional wrestling. It is unlike the ‘Wrestling with Sin’ series that deals more with the seedier side of wrestling like arrests, murders and suicides. Grappling looks more at particular tragic incidents that have in some instances altered pro wrestling in some way.
Larry Chene
Arthur Lawrence Beauchene was born in Detroit, Michigan and wrestled as an amateur in high school and college. After college, Beauchene fought in World War II…after the war ended….Beauchene started a small trucking business in Detroit. He would often make deliveries to his uncle’s butcher shop, where wrestling promoter Bert Ruby was a frequent customer. Ruby and Beauchene would often talk during his deliveries to the butcher shop. In 1951, Ruby was short a wrestler due to an injury and asked Beauchene to fill in, knowing of his amateur wrestling background. Bert Ruby offered Beauchene $27.50 for wrestling a thirty minute match.
Beauchene agreed to the offer and shortened his wrestling name to ‘Larry Chene.’ Beauchene would later say that was the easiest money he ever made in his life. It inspired Beauchene to close his unprofitable trucking business and give professional wrestling full time attention. Early in his career, Chene was sent to the Texas territories to perfect his craft. What was supposed to be a six week learning tour…turned out to last for several years. It was in Texas, where Larry Chene learned to become a high flyer perfecting moves like the dropkick and flying head scissors. He eventually earned the name of ‘Cyclone’ Larry Chene and ultimately settled on the nickname of ‘Leaping’ Larry Chene.
It was those dynamic moves and his friendly personality that made ‘Leaping’ Larry into a huge box office star in the Midwest in places like Ohio, Illinois and Michigan and in Canada as well. ‘Leaping’ Larry feuded with the likes of the Sheik Ed Farhat and Dick the Bruiser. Some have compared his popularity in the Detroit area to that of Hulk Hogan in the WWF. Chene went on to win several regional tag team and Junior heavyweight titles in his 13 plus years as a pro.
On October 1st, 1964, ‘Leaping’ Larry was defeated by Larry ‘The Ax’ Hennig in Moline, Illinois. The very next day on October 2nd, Chene got into his car and was headed home to Detroit. He was involved in a single car accident, where his vehicle flipped over in Atkinson, Illinois. Larry Chene was killed in the crash. Illinois State Police said they found a speeding ticket in his vehicle, which he received earlier that same day.
Larry Chene was survived by his wife and six children. ‘The Sheik’ Ed Farhat paid for Chene’s funeral expenses. ‘Leaping’ Larry Chene was just 40 years old at the time of his death.