Bert Ruby

Early life Rubinstein was born in the village of Valea lui Mihai in the Transylvania region of Austria-Hungary in 1910, one of 12 children. Following the dissolution of Austria-Hungary in 1919, Rubinstein lived in Hungary. As a young man, he became known for his greater strength and was reputed to be "the town's toughest Jew". During the Great Depression, he emigrated from Hungary to Toronto, Ontario, Canada on an agricultural worker's permit, working on farms. He broke into professional wrestling in the 1930s after a filling station owner hired him and several other local young men to put on a wrestling card and he was spotted by a promoter, eventually moving to Detroit, Michigan in the United States to pursue a career in professional wrestling.

Professional wrestling career Ruby wrestled his first recorded match in 1933.

Ruby wrestled barefoot for much of his career, earning him the nickname "The Man With the Educated Toes". He used the ring names "Bert Ruby", "Bert Rubi", and "Magyar Hercules" ("Hungarian Hercules").

Ruby both ran and wrestled for the Michigan-based promotion Wolverine Wrestling. He held the promotion's Michigan Junior Heavyweight Championship in 1950 and again in 1951.

Ruby retired in 1955 after suffering a heart attack during a bout. As a promoter, Ruby introduced wrestlers including Abdullah the Butcher, George Steele, Killer Kowalski, Leaping Larry Chene, and The Sheik.

Personal life Ruby and his wife, Irene, had two sons, Allen and Rob, both of whom became prominent lawyers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Irene was the bookkeeper for Ruby's promotion while his sons worked as announcers, with Allen himself wrestling for over two years.