Leo Burke

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For other uses, see: Leo Burke (disambiguation).

Leo Burke (June 29, 1948, Dorchester, New Brunswick, Canada) is a Canadian professional wrestler.

[edit] Biography

Leo Burke (real name Leonce Cormier, aka: Tommy Martin, Bobby Kay, the Bat) is a legend to wrestling fans in Atlantic Canada. He became a star there during the 1970s with Eastern Sports Association's International Wrestling, where he had matches against former world champions Pat O'Connor, Harley Race, Dory Funk Jr. & Lou Thesz. He also challenged reigning champions Jack Brisco(1975) & Terry Funk (1976). He was also a multitime North American Heavyweight Champion & International Tag Team Champion with his brothers, Yvon (The Beast), and Romeo (Bobby Kay). Third brother Jean-Louis (Rudy Kay) & Leo were the only combination of the Cormier brothers not to hold the Tag Team trophy.

In the off-season (Winter) Burke would sometimes wrestle in the Mid Atlantic promotion (Carolinas & Virginia), using the name Bobby Kay - the same name his brother Romeo used in Atlantic Canada.

In 1977 he returned to Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling in Calgary (where he had first broken into the business), and became a star there as well, holding their North American Championship eight times. He often returned to the Maritimes during the summer months to work for Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling (circa 1979-89, except 1984), and in the 1990s with Canadian Championship Wrestling, of which he was a partner (circa 90-93). During the 1990s he was also a trainer for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in Calgary. He was often tag teamed with Big Stephen Petitpas, Hubert Gallant and his brothers during the Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling days of the 1980s. In 1983-84 he appeared with Toronto's Maple Leaf Wrestling as their North American Champion, until the promotion was purchased by the WWF (circa June, 1984). He then took the North American title to the Maritimes, and defended it on Al Zinck's revived International Wrestling.

He has wrestled all over Canada, also in Puerto Rico, New Zealand and in the USA, (Mid-Atlantic, Texas & Central States). He has held numerous championships both as a single and as a tag team wrestler.

He borrowed the name Burke from a boxing friend because he didn't want to wrestle in the shadow of his older brothers Yvon and Jean-Louis. After retiring from full-time wrestling, he went to Calgary in the early 1990s. He has helped train Glenn Kulka and Andrew "Test" Martin.

[edit] Championships and accomplishments

Leo Burke's first title was the Central States Heavyweight Title. He was wrestling under the name Tommy Martin. He won the belt from Bob Brown on October 11, 1968, and lost it to Dusty Rhodes on December 13, 1968. During this time he also teamed with Terry Martin (brother Romeo) to win the Central States North American Team Title from Bob Brown and Bob Geigel on October 31, 1968, losing it to Dusty Rhodes and Dick Murdoch on November 7, 1968. Tommy Martin also won a battle royal in St Joe, December 20, 1968. Over the next 30 years, Leo Burke held an array of titles (they might not all be listed here):

Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling

• AGPW United States Heavyweight Champion (2 times)
• AGPW International Heavyweight Champion (at least 5 times)
• AGPW North American Tag Team Champion (6 times) - with Hubert Gallant (1), Stephen Petitpas (2), Cuban Assassin (2), Bobby Kay (Romeo Cormier) (1)

Eastern Sports Association

• IW North American Heavyweight Champion (at least 6 times)
• ESA International Tag Team Champion (2 times) - with Bobby Kay (Romeo Cormier) (1) and The Beast (Yvon Cormier) (1)
• ESA Taped Fist Champion (2 times)
• Maritime Heavyweight Champion (1 time)

Maple Leaf Wrestling

• North American Champion (2 times)

National Wrestling Alliance

• NWA Central States Heavyweight Champion (2 times)
• NWA North American Tag Team Champion (Central States version) (1 time) - with Terry Martin (Romeo Cormier)
• NWA Western States Tag Team Champion (2 times) - with The Beast

New Zealand

• British Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Stampede Wrestling

• Stampede North American Heavyweight Champion (at least 8 times)
• Stampede International Tag Team Champion (6 times) - with Keith Hart (2), Bobby Burke (Romeo Cormier) (2), Bret Hart (1), and Ron Ritchie (1)

Trans-Canada Wrestling

• TCW North American Champion (1 time)
• TCW Maritime Tag Team Champion (1 time) - with Hubert Gallant

World Wrestling Council

• WWC Universal Champion (1 time)
• WWC Caribbean Champion (1 time)
• WWC Caribbean Tag Team Champion (1 time) - with Chicky Starr
• WWC Television Champion (1 time)

Other titles

• Television Champion (Montreal Area)
• Maritime Tag Team Championship - with Stephen Petitpas
• Canadian Tag Team Championship - with Stephen Petitpas
• Canadian Heavyweight Championship

Leo Burke challenged at least five World Champions:

1. October 28, 1975, in the Halifax Forum, Halifax, Nova Scotia, versus Jack Brisco, NWA - Leo won the only fall off the best two out of three falls match.
2. July 7, 1976, in the Halifax Forum, versus Terry Funk, NWA (on a one-week tour of the Maritime circuit) - Funk gets disqualified. (I don't have the results from the other six matches, but Funk left with his belt!)
3. July 13, 1978, Regina, Saskatchewan, versus Harley Race, NWA

• July 14, 1978 Calgary, Alberta Harley Race, NWA
• July 15, 1978 Edmonton, Alberta Harley Race, NWA

1. April 22, 1983, Calgary, Alberta, versus Nick Bockwinkel, AWA - Leo Burke loses due to interference by David Schultz.
2. July 3, 1984, in the Halifax Forum, Halifax, Nova Scotia, versus Rick Martel, AWA - Leo won the only fall off the best two out of three falls match.

[edit] References

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