Oklafan.com v5 Beta > Bios

Home
Bios

Bios

Red Berry

Nickname: Wild; The Mayor of Pittsburg; The Brain

Height: 5' 8"

Weight: 179 lbs.

From: Pittsburg, KS

Birthday: Nov 20th

Aliases: Ralph Berry

Feds Worked For: NWA, WWWF, Texas, Los Angeles, Central States (KS/MO), Arkansas

Finisher: Gilligan Twist

Signature Moves: Big Boot, Side Slam, Guillotine Leg Drop

Career Highlights: -California Light Heavyweight Champion (2x)
-New York State Junior Heavyweight Champion
-NWA Arkansas Junior Heavyweight Champion
-NWA Central States Champion (2x)
-NWA International Television Tag Team Champion (3x; 2 w/ Bob Orton, 1 w/ Tosh Togo)
-NWA (Los Angeles) World Junior Heavyweight Champion (3x)
-NWA (Los Angeles) World Tag Team Champion (w/ Tosh Togo)
-NWA Missouri Junior Heavyweight Champion
-NWA Texas Champion (2x)
-NWA Tri-State Champion
-NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion
-NWA World Light Heavyweight Champion (9x)
-Texas Junior Heavyweight Champion

Affiliates: Gorilla Monsoon, Hans Mortier, Toru Tanaka, Bull Ramos, Al Costello, Roy Heffernan, Tosh Togo, Bob Orton, Leroy McGuirk

Notable Feuds: Pedro Morales, Tor Yamoto, Bob Corby, White Owl, Ted Christy, Sammy Cohen, Mike London, Frank Hickey, Leo Newman, Bobby Lane, Dennis Clary, Danny McShain, Leroy McGuirk, Dick Trout, Gorgeous George, Jesse James, Rito Romero, Billy Varga, John Swenski, Gorilla Ramos, Leo Garibaldi, Billy Raborn, Jimmy Lott, Lee Grable, Angelo Savoldi, Black Guzmán, Al Galento, Sonny Myers, Al Lovelock, Ricky Romero, Sandor Szabo, Frank Murdoch, Danny Savich, Monte LaDue, Michele Leone, Paavo Ketonen, Paul Bozzell, Tony Morelli, George Dusette, Dizzy Davis, Cyclone Mackey, Karol Kalmikoff

Other Facts: -Real name was Ralph Lee Berry.
-Made his in-ring debut as a boxer in 1923. Made the change to wrestling after breaking both of his hands.
-Won the Kansas State Middleweight Boxing Title
-During World War II, Red Berry toured the Army camps giving Judo and hand-to-hand combat exhibitions.
-In the early 1960s, Berry was the top heel manager in the World Wide Wrestling Federation. His gimmick was a sawed-off cane which he often used as a weapon to interfere for his men.
-Got the name "Wild" Red Berry after climbing a tree in front of Memorial Hall in Kansas City, KS.
-Said to be one of the first wrestlers to wear a vest into the ring rather than a robe.
-Very active in politics in Pittsburg, KS. He was elected Parks Commissioner once and served as acting member twice. Was acting mayor while the actual mayor was traveling.This gained him the nickname "The Mayor of Pittsburg".
-A species of Echinopsis, a large genus of South American cacti developed by Bob Schick, is named after Berry.
-Barry Orton (aka Barry O) was named for Red Berry. His first name was actually spelled "Berry", but changed for wrestling purposes.
-Wrote the book "Anthology of Philosophy" in the 1960s. It contained poems and philosophy with a wrestling theme.
-Appeared in the 1953 movie "My Wife's Best Friend"
-Inducted into the Tulsa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1972.
-Passed away on July 28, 1973 at the age of 66 as a result of a heart attack. He was a nondrinker and died after having a glass of milk on his front porch following a game of golf.
-Posthumously inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 1996
-Posthumously inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in 2010