At age 13 he joined the Merchant Marines using the name Paul Davis and discovered bodybuilding, a sport he loved so much he would carry a pair of 50 pound dumbbells in his duffel bag for workouts. In 1950 Stern began wrestling at age 17 in New York City working for Rudy Dusek. Due to his penchant for aerial moves promoters nicknamed him "Thunder".
Stern opened the first co-ed gym in the United States in San Francisco, California, as well as the first with a nursery. He also worked with real estate and rental properties.
Stern was also an avid flier, and during his wrestling career this allowed him to travel great distances in short periods to conduct more business and matches in a quicker span. He founded Stern Air in Addison, Texas, with a fleet of Lear Jets and Falcon's. He even flew to Czechoslovakia to train with their national aerobatic champions, and was so successful that the team named him as an official backup member at the world level.
In 1994 Stern published his autobiography, Power and Thunder: The Rags to Riches Story of One Man's Adventure of Fame, Fortune, Romance & Fitness. He was also awarded the Iron Mike Mazurki Award in 2000 at that year's Cauliflower Alley Club reunion, an award that recognizes wrestlers for success outside the industry.
stern, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, 2007, learn, when, r. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Ray Stern news newspapers books scholar JSTOR May 2007 Learn how and when to remove this template message Ray Thunder Stern born Walter Bookbinder January 12 1933 March 6 2007 was an American professional wrestler bodybuilder and entrepreneur Ray SternBirth nameWalter BookbinderBorn 1933 01 12 January 12 1933Brooklyn New YorkDiedMarch 6 2007 2007 03 06 aged 74 Dallas TexasProfessional wrestling careerRing name s Ray SternTrained byThe Dusek FamilyDebut1950Retired1966 Contents 1 Biography 2 Championships and accomplishments 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksBiography editAt age 13 he joined the Merchant Marines using the name Paul Davis and discovered bodybuilding a sport he loved so much he would carry a pair of 50 pound dumbbells in his duffel bag for workouts In 1950 Stern began wrestling at age 17 in New York City working for Rudy Dusek Due to his penchant for aerial moves promoters nicknamed him Thunder Stern opened the first co ed gym in the United States in San Francisco California as well as the first with a nursery He also worked with real estate and rental properties Stern was also an avid flier and during his wrestling career this allowed him to travel great distances in short periods to conduct more business and matches in a quicker span He founded Stern Air in Addison Texas with a fleet of Lear Jets and Falcon s He even flew to Czechoslovakia to train with their national aerobatic champions and was so successful that the team named him as an official backup member at the world level In 1994 Stern published his autobiography Power and Thunder The Rags to Riches Story of One Man s Adventure of Fame Fortune Romance amp Fitness He was also awarded the Iron Mike Mazurki Award in 2000 at that year s Cauliflower Alley Club reunion an award that recognizes wrestlers for success outside the industry In 2005 he received the New York State Award since renamed the Senator Hugh Farley Award from the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in Amsterdam New York On March 6 2007 Stern died after complications from heart surgery at the age of 74 1 Championships and accomplishments editCauliflower Alley Club Iron Mike Mazurki Award 2000 Midwest Wrestling Association Ohio MWA American Tag Team Championship 1 time with Don Leo JonathanNWA San Francisco NWA World Tag Team Championship San Francisco version 1 time with Ron EtchisonProfessional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum Class of 2005 New York State Award Worldwide Wrestling Associates WWA International Television Tag Team Championship 1 time with Rito RomeroSee also editList of Jewish professional wrestlersReferences edit slam canoe ca Ray Thunder Stern dead at 74 By Greg Oliver March 6th 2007External links editRay Stern s profile at Cagematch net nbsp Internet Wrestling Database nbsp Ray Thunder Stern at the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ray Stern amp oldid 1166818807, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
