He took part in football and swimming in high school and broke in on Midwest carnivals, fighting local toughs and learning wrestling the hard way.

Bastien was small for a wrestler at 185 pounds, but he was quick, vigorous, fast and employed a wide assortment of aerial moves.

[6] In 1964, Bastein appeared in the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) and teamed briefly with champion Bruno Sammartino.

[8] Bastien and professional wrestling manager Rick Bassman formed an alliance of wrestlers called Powerteam USA, of which Borden and Hellwig were a part.

[9] Bastien served as president of the Cauliflower Alley Club for six years from 2001 to 2007, but was reported in 2010 to be suffering from Alzheimer's disease, his health progressively getting worse.