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A very powerful heavyweight who certainly looked the part. Ray St Bernard was a one time hammer thrower who took up professional wrestling and was known as the Jewish Heavyweight Champion. A giant of a man, both physically and in reputation. He was a big man, said to be around 17 stones in the mid 1930s, who grew into an even bigger giant who weighed around 23 stones and met big names that included Bulldog Bill Garnon, Douglas Clark and Mtchell Gill.
We have found reports that on November 11th, 1934, whilst wrestling in France, Ray wrestled the American World Heavyweight Champion, Strangler Lewis, in Paris. We have been unable to verify this.
His finest moment probably came when he was just twenty-five years old when he tackled former World Heavyweight Champion, Dick Shikat, in 1939 at the Tower Ballroom, Brighton. This was a titanic struggle which lasted over fifty minutes before Shikat gained the upper hand and took the bout.
St Bernard continued his wrestling career after the war and led the way as one of a few British wrestlers working in South Africa. Ray retired in 1950, the last match we could find was wrestling long term rival Francis St Clair Gregory at Derby on October 9th, 1950.
In that same year he went on to a bit part in the film “The Night and the City” (1950), in which he wrestled The Strangler (Mike Mazurki).
Ray campaigned for wrestlers rights and in 1949 was elected the first Chair of the Wrestling Federation of Great Britain. Avoiding earlier attempts at unity the Wrestlers Federation had no plans to promote their own tournaments. Their plan was to turn the tables on promoters such as Norman Morrell and Wryton who placed restrictions on those wrestlers working for them, by giving Federation recognition to reputable promoters and only work for those promoters. It was a strategy that worked for a few years, but probably led to the promoters’ revenge and formation of Joint Promotions.
Outside of the ring Ray was a used car salesman, working for Raymond Wray, one of Britain’s most successful used-car dealers.
Wrestling Heritage reader Brighton Belle recalls Ray as a big, smiling man who sported a bushy moustache and was always generous and full of fun.
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