[3] After years of trying to attract public interest, the win in Stockholm had finally catapulted him into the media spotlight.

[2] During his preparations for the 1954 British Empire Games in his hometown of Vancouver, the whole city got behind him, and he was given $150 a week while training in a gym by then-mayor Fred Hume.

(Done in the no-contact style) While training for the weightlifting championships, Hepburn performed as a strongman at two to three shows a week across Canada, ripping license plates, crushing cans of oil, and lifting weights with his baby finger, as well as more traditional lifting: shoulder presses, squats, bench presses, two-handed curls.

He was originally approached by San Francisco-based wrestling promoter Joe Malcewicz, but Hepburn turned down the offer.

After being trained by Watson and Pat Fraley, Hepburn defeated Frank Marconi in his debut match on March 27, 1955.

He later wrestled Yukon Eric and Fritz Von Erich and partnered with Antonino Rocca and Watson.

[8] In his later years, he custom built gym equipment and marketed protein powder and other sports supplements.