Can-Am Express

Not to be confused withCan-Am Connection.

Can-Am Express
Tag team
Members	Doug Furnas Dan Kroffat/Phil LaFon
Name(s)	The Can-Am Express Doug Furnas and Dan Kroffat Doug Furnas and Phil LaFon
Billed heights	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) - Furnas 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) - Kroffat/LaFon
Combined billed weight	484 lb (220 kg; 34.6 st)
Debut	June 5, 1989
Disbanded	1998

TheCan-Am Expresswas aprofessional wrestlingtag teamcomprisingDoug FurnasandDan Kroffat/Phil LaFonwho wrestled inpromotionssuch asAll Japan Pro Wrestling(AJPW),Extreme Championship Wrestling(ECW),Universal Wrestling Association(UWA) andWorld Wrestling Federation(WWF). They teamed up together for nine years from 1989 to 1999 and held success as tag team competitors. In AJPW, they were a recordfive-timeAll Asia Tag Team Champions.In ECW, they wereone-timeWorld Tag Team Championsand in UWA, they weretwo-timeWorld Tag Team Champions.

Career

All Japan Pro Wrestling (First run, 1989–1992)

Doug Furnas and Dan Kroffat were long-time mainstays inAll Japan Pro Wrestling(AJPW). Both men stood 5'11 "tall. They teamed for the first time asheelson June 5, 1989 beatingFootloose(Samson FuyukiandToshiaki Kawada) for theAll Asia Tag Team Championship.They spent their early beginnings as a tag team and champions, feuding with Fuyuki and Kawada. After four months, they lost the titles back to Kawada and Fuyuki on October 20.Furnas and Kroffat regained the titles from Kawada and Fuyuki on March 2, 1990 winning the titles for a second time.They lost the titles a month later to the popular tag team ofKenta KobashiandTiger Mask II.They wrestled many makeshift tag teams and tried to regain their All Asia tag titles. They spent the rest of the year, feuding with tag team champions. On April 20, 1991, they defeatedDynamite Kid and Johnny Smithending their short reign of just two weeks.As a result of this victory, Furnas and Kroffat became 3-time All Asia Tag Team Champions, a record held by former champions Samson Fuyuki and Toshiaki Kawada. As a result, there were only two teams during that time to hold the All Asia tag titles three times.

On July 8, they would lose the titles toJohnny Aceand Kenta Kobashi.AJPW wanted Furnas and Kroffat to regain the All Asia tag titles, soJoel DeatonandBilly Blackwere used as champions and defeated Ace and Kobashi for the titles and eight days later, they were defeated by Furnas and Kroffat for the titles. As a result of this victory, this unlikelyCanadian-Americanduo became All Asia Tag Team Champions for a fourth time holding a record for most time as champions.They would hold the titles for304 days,becoming eleventh longest reigning champions before they eventually lost the titles toTsuyoshi Kikuchiand Kenta Kobashi on May 25, 1992 becoming a dominant team of their era.They left Japan and went to work inMexico.

Universal Wrestling Association (1992–1993)

After losing the All Asia Tag Team Championship to Kikuchi and Kobashi, Furnas and Kroffat left AJPW and debuted inUniversal Wrestling Association(UWA), where they worked asCan-Am Express(A common misconception is that they worked as the "Can-Am Connection"). Shortly after debut, they defeated Los Cowboys / Los Effectivos (Silver Kingand El Texano) for their firstUWA World Tag Team Championship.They started a historicfeudwith Los Cowboys and defended the titles twice against them in July. Furnas and Kroffat retained their titles until they lost to Los Villanos (Villano IVandVillano V) on November 28 of that year. Furnas and Kroffat began feuding with the Villanos but they did not get a title shot for the rest of the year.

They eventually won the titles for a second time on March 7, 1993 by defeating Los Villanos. In the next month of April, their lengthy feud with Los Villanos ended after Los Villanos defeated them for a second time to win the titles. Furnas and Kroffat left UWA shortly after and returned to AJPW.

All Japan Pro Wrestling (Second run, 1993–1996)

Furnas and Kroffat returned to AJPW in May 1993. On May 21, Dan Kroffat surprisingly won theWorld Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipfromMasanobu Fuchiwhich culminated in a feud between the twojunior heavyweights.Kroffat reigned as champion for the summer of 1993 before eventually losing the title back to Fuchi.However, the next month, on September 9, the duo became a record-breaking 5-time All Asia Tag Team Champions after beatingThe EagleandThe Patriotfor the titles.They continued their domination in the tag team division while Kroffat won the World Junior Heavyweight Championship for a second time on July 12, 1994 becoming a double champion.On December 5, Kroffat and Furnas vacated the All Asia Tag Team Championship to focus on theWorld Tag Team Championship,but became the fifth longest reigning champions in history with a reign of 451 days. Kroffat also reigned as champion for over a year eventually losing the title toYoshinari Ogawaon September 10, 1995.

Extreme Championship Wrestling (First run, 1996)

Kroffat and Furnas debuted inhardcore wrestlingpromotionExtreme Championship Wrestling(ECW) in 1996.

After losing to Rob Van Dam atNatural Born Killazin August 1996, Furnas refused to show respect and suplexed RVD across the ring. Deciding that he wanted to teach Furnas about respect, RVD challenged him to a tag team match atWhen Worlds Collide II.Furnas brought in Kroffat, while Van Dam chose Sabu as his partner. Sabu and Rob Van Dam had been feuding all year, but worked very well together. The two teams had a great series of matches, regarded as some of the best in the company's history. Not long after, Furnas and Kroffat left ECW.

World Wrestling Federation (1996–1997)

Dan Kroffat renamed himself "Phil LaFon".Furnas and LaFon signed contracts withWorld Wrestling Federation(WWF) and made theirpay-per-view(PPV) debut asfacesatSurvivor Series 1996,participating for the first time in a WWF ring in aSurvivor Series matchwhere they teamed withThe Godwinns(HenryandPhineas) againstWWF Tag Team ChampionsOwen Hart and British BulldogandNew Rockers(Marty JannettyandLeif Cassidy). Furnas and LaFon were the survivors, lastpinningtag champions.As 1997 began, they began afeudwith Hart and Bulldog over the tag titles, due to having pinned the champions. They got a title shot atFinal Fourand won the match bydisqualificationafter Owen hit LaFon with hisSlammyas Bulldog had LaFon in thepowerslam.Though Furnas and LaFon won the match they did not win the titles because a title cannot change hands by a DQ.After this feud, they began a rivalry with theLegion of Doom,turningheelin the process. In the summer of 1997, Furnas and LaFon were in a car accident which kept them out of action for several months.They returned in the fall of 1997 where they teamed withthe British BulldogandJim Neidhartas a part of Team Canada atSurvivor Series 1997against Team USA (Vader,Goldust,Marc Mero,&Steve Blackman). LaFon would be the second eliminated from Team Canada by Vader while Furnas was able to eliminate Mero before he was eliminated by Vader. Bulldog would be the sole survivor. After Survivor Series, Furnas and LaFon would make a few more appearances mostly onShotgun Saturday Nightwith one match being against the then-unknownHardy Boyzbefore being sent to ECW.

Extreme Championship Wrestling (Second run, 1997–1998)

In late 1997, Furnas and LaFon returned toExtreme Championship Wrestling(ECW). Upon their return, they were a part of the Team WWF/Team Titan stable.One of their first notable appearances was at ECW November To Remember 1997 where they assistedRob Van Damin a match againstTommy Dreamer.

On December 5, 1997, they defeated the FBI for theECW World Tag Team Championship.24 hours later atBetter Than Ever,they lost the titles toChris CandidoandLance Stormin a three-way also involvingBalls MahoneyandAxl Rotten.Following the title loss, the team broke up in early 1998 when LaFon left ECW. Furnas continued to wrestle as a singles wrestler throughout 1998 before he too eventually left and retired.

Lafon worked in Mexico, returned toAll Japan Pro Wrestlingand the independent circuit in Western Canada until retiring in 2014.

Furnas died in February 2012 and his body was found on March 2, 2012 at 52 from a heart attack.

Championships and accomplishments

• All Japan Pro Wrestling
  • All Asia Tag Team Championship(5 times)
  • World Junior Heavyweight Championship(2 times) - Dan Kroffat
  • World's Strongest Tag Determination League New Wave Award (1989)
  • World's Strongest Tag Determination League Power Award (1991)
• Extreme Championship Wrestling
  • ECW World Tag Team Championship(1 time)
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked them#38of the 100 best tag teams during the "PWI Years" in 2003
• Universal Wrestling Association
  • UWA World Tag Team Championship(2 times)
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

• Match of the Year(1992)with vs. Kenta Kobashi and Tsuyoshi Kikuchi, Sendai, May 25