Red Bastien Is North Dakota’s Most Famous Professional Wrestler [VIDEO]

As the WWE's stop in Bismarck quickly approaches, what better time than the present to take a look back at North Dakota's most famous professional wrestler: Red Bastien.

Born in Bottineau in 1931, Rolland 'Red' Bastien began his career at the age of 16, as a carnival wrestler, according to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, which inducted him in 2007.

Bastien continued wrestling after joining the Navy, even going so far as to wear a mask in his matches, so he wouldn't be discovered by Naval authorities.

Once Bastien began wrestling professionally, he trained with the best, including 2006 WWE Hall of Fame inductee Verne Gagne. You can see one of their matches below:

Bastien's best years as a professional wrestler were between 1959 and 1971, according to his Wikipedia page. During those years, Bastien won multiple championships, including the United States Tag Team Championship in 1960.

Over his years in professional wrestling, Bastien teamed up with some of the greats, including WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino in 1964.

After retiring from professional wrestling, Bastien became a trainer and even helped discover two of the biggest names in the sport, Steve 'Sting' Borden and Jim 'The Ultimate Warrior' Hellwig. Hellwig was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014, while Borden will be inducted later this year.

Towards the end of his life Bastien relocated to Minnesota. He reportedly suffered from Alzheimer's Disease, which led to his death in 2012, at the age of 81.

One of Bastien's best friends was the late 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper, who posted the following tweet on the day of his death:

To learn more about the life and times of North Dakota's greatest professional wrestler, Red Bastien, visit his Wikipedia page HERE.

[Wikipedia]