Canada is mourning the legendary icon Leo Burke who passed away at the age of 76 on July 24, in Calgary.
Born Leonce Cormier in Dorchester, New Brunswick, it was likely inevitable that Burke would lace up the boots, to follow in the footsteps of his older brothers Yvon “the Beast” Cormier and Rudy Kay. After turned pro in 1966, Leo quickly became one of the most-revered wrestlers in the country.
In addition to being a mainstay down east, competing in the Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling and International Wrestling promotions, Burke found success on the other side of the nation as well, winning the North American Championship multiple times in Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling promotion in Calgary, Alberta.
During his career, Burke wrestled all across the world against opponents that are a veritable Mount Rushmore of fellow icons, including Bret “Hitman” Hart – who, Burke said in a 2001 interview with SlamWrestling.net in 2001, he’d wrestled about a hundred times – and four NWA Champions: Harley Race, Jack Brisco, Dory Funk Jr., and Terry Funk.
In 1992, his friendship with Hart led to Burke taking on a trainer job with WWE (then, WWF), where, in his three years there, he helped train modern-day legends Mark Henry and Ken Shamrock among others.
“They were looking for a wrestling coach,” Burke said, “and (Bret) said ‘I’ve got one that you’ll really like.’ That’s how I got in touch with Vince McMahon. That’s how I started.”
In 2009, Burke and his brothers, The Beast, Bobby and Rudy Kay — collectively the Cormier Brothers — were honored by the Cauliflower Alley Club for their contributions to the reunion.
In a post announcing Burke’s passing, the CAC called Burke “a force in the ring… (whose) influence extended to the next generation, with numerous wrestlers crediting him for their success.”
In a Facebook post, Joe E. Legend (Joe Hitchen) paid tribute to Burke, calling him a “wonderful ambassador to the business and representative of the business to the fans.”
“Always classy. Always dignified in an industry that all too often isn’t. One of the VERY few in the job who I’ve legitimately never heard a bad word about.”
In his own words, Burke “lived, ate, drank wrestling since (he) was six years old.”
With his passing seventy years later, the mark he made on the industry is indelible, and will never be forgotten by his legions of fans, friends, and family.
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