Canadian wrestling legend Leo Burke dead at 76: ‘He was like a rock star’

Leo Burke, 1 of nan awesome stars of wrestling successful Atlantic Canada and Alberta successful nan 1970s and 1980s, died connected Wednesday day astatine nan property of 76.

Burke, whose existent sanction was Léonce Cormier, was surrounded by family erstwhile he died astatine a nursing location successful Calgary, his boy Travis Cormier told Global News.

A autochthonal of Dorchester, N.B., Burke began wrestling successful 1966 alongside 3 of his brothers.

As was often nan lawsuit pinch French Canadians successful wrestling astatine nan time, nary of nan brothers wrestled nether nan Cormier name. Yvon Cormier wrestled arsenic The Beast while Jean-Louis and Romeo were Rudy Kay and Bobby Kay.

But nan youngest brother, Léonce, had nan longest and astir storied profession of nan 4 brothers who wrestled arsenic Leo Burke.

“The promoters really selected nan sanction and that sanction really stuck,” Travis Cormier said.

Burke travelled nan globe, pinch stints wrestling successful Puerto Rico and Japan arsenic good arsenic crossed nan U.S. and Canada, but his prima shone brightest while wrestling successful Atlantic Canada and Alberta.

Ron Hutchison, who wrestled pinch Burke backmost successful nan 1980s, said that they would execute to packed houses crossed nan Maritimes.

“We would spell to our large shows wherever each Thursday nighttime successful nan Halifax Forum and they usually mean around, it varied done nan years, but I would opportunity erstwhile I was location anyplace from five, 6,000 each week,” he said.

“When we were successful nan Maritimes, crowds were very good. So bully that nan promoter had tally 2 shows a night.”

Burke would wrestle retired eastbound for galore different companies, including Grand Prix Wrestling.

Hutchison said that it was a different era successful Atlantic Canada, arsenic location were very fewer channels connected connection truthful everyone watched wrestling and knew who Burke was.

“He was a leader to them. He was for illustration a stone star,” nan wrestler said.

Cormier echoed those sentiments arsenic he was incapable to locomotion done a shopping promenade pinch his father.

The hero’s boy said that alternatively they would walk clip successful nature.

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Travis Cormier said that successful nan summertime his dada would wrestle successful Atlantic Canada, whereas successful nan wintertime he would ply his waste and acquisition for Stampede Wrestling successful Calgary.

Over nan years and complete his travels, he would wrestle against immoderate of nan biggest names successful nan athletics including Bret Hart, nan British Bulldogs and Harley Race.

He besides wrestled a fewer times against Hutchison, though some were “good guys”, truthful it was not excessively often.

When it happened, Burke mostly came retired connected apical against his Ontario friend and competitor.

“Leo very, very, very seldom lost,” Hutchison explained. “Like I said, he was a leader successful Atlantic Canada. Every summer, you know, he was nan champion, let’s say, astatine nan opening of nan tour. He whitethorn person mislaid nan loop location successful there, but you could stake your bottommost dollar by that.

“By nan clip that circuit wrapped up successful September, Leo would erstwhile again beryllium nan champion.”

After Cormier hung up his tights, he went connected to train immoderate of nan biggest names successful pro wrestling including Mark Henry and Ken Shamrock, according to his son.

Hutchison said that he was truthful well-respected that nan WWE would nonstop wrestlers to Calgary to effort retired successful beforehand of Hutchison and Bret Hart.

WWE proprietor “Vince (McMahon) would nonstop guys to Calgary for Bret and Leo to person a look astatine and if they passed nan trial … past that would beryllium bully capable for Vince McMahon and he’d return them connected to nan WWE roster,” he explained.

Tributes person been pouring successful each complete nan net for Burke arsenic good arsenic to his family.

“For nan past 24 hours, group reaching retired from each complete nan world,” Cormier said. “So I cognize that he was really large … conscionable because of nan outpouring of support.”