Ray Stevens (wrestler)
| Ray Stevens | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Birth name | Carl Ray Stevens |
| Born |
September 5, 1935 Point Pleasant, West Virginia |
| Died | May 3, 1996 (aged 60) Fremont, California |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Ray Shire Ray Stevens |
| Billed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Billed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Billed from | New York City San Francisco, California |
| Trained by | Jim Henry Roy Shire Theresa Theis |
| Debut | 1950 |
| Retired | 1992 |
Carl Ray Stevens (September 5, 1935 – May 3, 1996), better known as Ray "The Crippler" Stevens or Ray "Blond Bomber" Stevens, was an American professional wrestler.
Stevens was a wrestling superstar since the early years of the television era until he retired during the early 1990s. His performances and hard bumping style inspired generations of villain wrestlers who have attempted to emulate his ability to provide high quality and heat generating matches that continuously bring in huge crowds of fans. He was well known for using two different finishing moves in his many victories: the "Bombs Away" knee drop (a diving knee drop from the top rope to the throat) and the piledriver. Stevens wrestled as both a singles performer and in tag team matches with a variety of partners.
In 2006, he was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Stevens began his four decade-long career in 1950 at the age of 15. One of Stevens's mentors was the "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers, a former NWA World Heavyweight Champion. When commenting on the ability of his longtime friend, Rogers consistently said "Ray was one of the most talented and graceful wrestlers I've ever watched and been a part of. He won titles at the youngest age of any wrestler I've ever known and was a credit to the game" (Page 3 of Whatever Happened To...?, Issue Number Twenty One, May 1996).
Throughout most of his working years, Stevens was a villain. He has occasionally turned into a face. His most famous finishing move was the "Bombs Away" knee drop which involved Ray "the Blond Bomber" jumping off the top turnbuckle and landing with his knee on the throat of his opponent. Stevens's initial foray into main event wrestling involved his matches with one of the 1950s most colorful heels, Gorgeous George. It was a result of his work with George, that Stevens became a main event star. At this stage of his career, Ray Stevens was 17 years old.
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