Berry started off as a boxer in 1923, eventually winning the Kansas State Middleweight Championship. After breaking both of his hands, he decided to change his sport to professional wrestling. His first recorded match was in 1926 but wrestled at carnivals prior to that date. By 1937, he had won his first title, the National Wrestling Association's World Light Heavyweight Championship. Berry held the World Light Heavyweight Championship nine times between 1937 and 1947, trading it often with Danny McShain. Berry and McShain feuded for years in Southern California.