Title History
- NWA Central States Heavyweight title (as Tommy Martin) defeating Bob Brown (October 11, 1968);
- NWA (Central States) North American Tag Team titles (as Tommy Martin) w/Terry Martin defeating Bob Brown & Bob Geigal (October 31, 1968);
- ESA (Maritimes) North American Heavyweight title defeating Eric Pomeroy (June 22, 1971);
- ESA (Maritimes) North American Heavyweight title defeating Gino Brito (September 27, 1971);
- ESA (Maritimes) International Tag Team titles w/Bobby Kay defeating Fred Sweetan & Michael Dubois (August 8, 1972);
- NWA Western States Tag Team titles w/The Beast defeating Hank James & Don Fargo (January ??, 1974);
- ESA (Maritimes) North American Heavyweight title defeating Harley Race (May ??, 1974);
- ESA (Maritimes) International Tag Team titles w/The Beast defeating Michael Dubois & Fred Sweetan (July ??, 1974);
- ESA (Maritimes) North American Heavyweight title defeating Bolo Mongol (June 3, 1975);
- ESA (Maritimes) North American Heavyweight title defeating Bob Brown (October 21, 1975);
- NWA Western States Tag Team titles w/The Beast defeating Silver Streak & Ricky Romero [Tournament] (February 20, 1976);
- ESA Maritimes Heavyweight title defeating The Brute (August 13, 1976);
- ESA (Maritimes) North American Heavyweight title defeating The Brute (September ??, 1976);
- ESA Maritimes Tag Team titles w/Hubert Gallant defeating Mad Dog Martel & Frenchy Martin (????, 1977);
- Stampede International Tag Team titles w/Keith Hart defeating Cuban Assassins (February 18, 1977);
- IWA (Maritimes) Heavyweight title defeating Frenchy Martin (July 14, 1977);
- Stampede International Tag Team titles w/Bobby Burke defeating Norman Frederick Charles & Jonathan Boyd (September 16, 1977);
- Stampede North American Heavyweight title defeating Don Gagne (aka Frenchy Martin) (January ??, 1978);
- Stampede North American Heavyweight title defeating Michael Martel (April 29, 1978);
- Stampede North American Heavyweight title defeating Larry Lane (????, 1979);
- NWA (New Zealand) British Empire/Commonwealth Heavyweight title defeating Mad Dog Martel (????, 1979);
- Stampede International Tag Team titles w/Keith Hart defeating Mr. Sakurada & Mr. Hito (April 6, 1979);
- Stampede North American Heavyweight title defeating Bret Hart (????, 1980);
- Stampede North American Heavyweight title defeating Mr. Sekigawa (January ??, 1980);
- AGPW (Grand Prix) North American Tag Team titles w/Steven Pettipas defeating Bobby Bass & Cuban Assassin (August ??, 1980);
- Stampede International Tag Team titles w/Bobby Burke defeating Bobby Bass & Duke Myers (December 2, 1980);
- Stampede North American Heavyweight title defeating David Schultz (February ??, 1981);
- NWA Central States Heavyweight title (as Tommy Martin) defeating Bob Sweetan (November 19, 1981);
- Stampede North American Heavyweight title defeating Duke Myers [Tournament] (March 21, 1982);
- AGPW (Grand Prix) United States Heavyweight title defeating Rick Valentine (July ??, 1982);
- Stampede International Tag Team titles w/Bret Hart defeating Duke Myers & Dynamite Kid (November 19, 1982);
- Stampede North American Heavyweight title defeating Bret Hart (January 14, 1983);
- AGPW (Grand Prix) United States Heavyweight title defeating Rick Valentine (July ??, 1983);
- AGPW (Grand Prix) International Heavyweight title defeating ???????? (August ??, 1983);
- AGPW (Grand Prix) United States Heavyweight title defeating Spoiler for vacant title (September 8, 1983);
- Stampede International Tag Team titles w/Ron Ritchie defeating Ron Starr & Wayne Ferris (February 7, 1986);
- AGPW (Grand Prix) North American Tag Team titles w/Hubert Gallant defeating ?????? (June ??, 1986);
- AGPW (Grand Prix) International Heavyweight title defeating ????????? (July ??, 1986);
- AGPW (Grand Prix) North American Tag Team titles w/Cuban Assassin defeating ??????? (August 30, 1986);
- AGPW (Grand Prix) International Heavyweight title defeating Rip Rogers (August 18, 1988);
- AGPW (Grand Prix) North American Tag Team titles w/Steven Pettipas defeating Tokyo Chono & Bob Brown (September ??, 1988);
- AGPW (Grand Prix) International Heavyweight title defeating ?????????? (July ??, 1989);
- WWC (World Wrestling Council) Universal Heavyweight title defeating Carlos Colon (December 17, 1989);
- AGPW (Grand Prix) North American Tag Team titles w/Bobby Kay defeating Bobby Bass & Timothy Flowers (????, 1990);
- WWC (World Wrestling Council) Television title defeating Carlos Colon for vacant title (March 24, 1990);
- WWC (World Wrestling Council) Caribbean Tag Team titles w/Chicky Starr defeating Invaders I & IV (March 28, 1990);
- WWC (World Wrestling Council) Caribbean Heavyweight title defeating Invader I (May 19, 1990);
- AGPW (Grand Prix) International Heavyweight title defeating Ron Starr (August 11, 1990);
Career Highlights
The Cormier Family:
- Leo Burke (Leonce Cormier) is the most prominent of the famous Cormier Wrestling Family from Atlantic Canada (New Brunswick)..
- ~~~Including brothers The Beast (Yvan Cormier), Terry & Bobby Kay (Robert Cormier) and, later, Rudy Kay (Jean-Louis Cormier)..Getting into the Business:
- 1966: Leonce Cormier turned pro..
- 1980: Leo Burke feuded extensively with a young Bret Hart in Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling promotion..
- 1982-83: Leo Burke had a prolonged feud against Johnny Weaver in Toronto..
- Leo Burke was very successful in Nova Scotia and Calgary, and held the top belt in Puerto Rico in 1989..
- 1990s: Leo Burke was training young wrestlers in Alberta — often with the Hart Brothers..Training the Young Lions:
- 1992: Leo Burke retired and got a job as a WWF trainer in Calgary..
- Leo Burke has trained such wrestlers as Ken Shamrock, Edge, Test, Christian & Mark Henry..
- 1995: Leo Burke switched over and started to train wrestlers for World Championship Wrestling.. Retirement:
- January 1, 2002: Leo Burke was stuck in Intensive Care at Foothills Hospital in Calgary..
- ~~~He was on life support most of the weekend with septicemia, or septic poisoning..
- ~~~He made a dramatic improvement to where he was taken off life support yesterday..
- ~~~But will be hospitalized for at least another week and remains in fairly serious condition ..
- Late November 2005: Leo Burke had surgery on both of his knees..
- July 25, 2024: Canadian icon Leo Burke passed away at the age of 76.
Former pro-wrestler Earl Black wrote: The hottest match I ever saw, was the bare knuckle tag boxing match between brothers Rudy Kay and Leo Burke, and the team of Freddie Sweetan and Justice Du Bois. It took place on a hot summer night at the end of the season in the Maritimes, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1972. Du Bois really was a judge, and Sweetan was a giant ex-paratrooper. The story was that Du Bois had beaten up Leo Burke in a bar, prompting ex-boxer Rudy Kay to challenge Du Bois to a bare knuckle boxing match. Du Bois said he would fight him, if he could choose a partner. The partner turned out to be the 6ft5 350lb Sweetan, and Leo Burke became Rudy’s partner. I wrestled Bobby Kay in an earlier match. Animosity had been building for months, Du Bois and Sweetan were hot, and Rudy and Leo were local heroes, as they were from near Moncton. Not only was the stadium sold out, but ten thousand people turned up outside and listened to the deafening noise from the fans inside. The ban on bare knuckle fighting was overcome by wearing tape on the hands. The match was furious, brutal and very dirty, Du Bois biting Rudy and stomping him with his jackboots. There did not seem to be any rules, except last man standing wins. Sweetan beat hell out of Leo and made him bleed profusely. Leo finally managed to tag Rudy in, who out-boxed Sweetan and Du Bois, soon it was a bloodbath. The fans were on their feet screaming through the whole match, which lasted about 25 minutes. When Rudy knocked out Du Bois, the whole town exploded. It was an experience I will never forget.