Leo Burke

Léonce Cormier (born June 29, 1948) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler.

He was born in Dorchester, New Brunswick.

He competed across Canada, in several American promotions, and wrestled internationally for both Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council (WWC) and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) in New Zealand.

In Canada, where he spent the majority of his career, Cormier used the ring name Leo Burke.

In the United States, however, he competed as Tommy Martin.

Over the course of his career, Cormier held 46 wrestling championships.

Several of his title victories came as part of a tag team with his brothers, three of whom were also professional wrestlers.

He had long-term storyline feuds with such wrestlers as Cuban Assassin and Bret Hart, both of whom he later reconciled with and joined forces with to hold tag team championships.

Cormier made his professional debut in 1966.

Competing in Central States Wrestling, an affiliate of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), he used the ring name Tommy Martin.

He won his first championship belt on October 11, 1968, by defeating Bob Brown for the NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship.

Later that month, he gained another title when he formed a tag team with his brother Romeo (who was competing under the ring name Terry Martin) to win the Central States version of the NWA North American Tag Team Championship from Brown and Bob Geigel.

The reign as tag team champions lasted for seven days before the Martins dropped the belts in a match against The Texas Outlaws (Dick Murdoch and Dusty Rhodes).

The following month, Martin also lost the heavyweight championship to Rhodes.

Cormier spent much of the early 1970s competing in the Maritimes for his brother Jean-Louis' Eastern Sports Association (ESA) (which owned International Wrestling, or IW) as both a singles and tag team wrestler.

He did not want to use their name recognition to further his own career, so he took the last name of his friend, boxer Jackie Burke.

The four Cormier brothers all competed in the territory and often joined forces in feuds with the promotion's top heel (villain) wrestlers.

Burke won the IW North American Heavyweight Championship on June 22, 1971, by defeating Eric Pomeroy.

The title reign lasted for three months; Gino Brito won the title from Burke during a match in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but Burke regained the championship five days later.

On August 8, 1972.

Burke teamed with his brother Romeo again (who was now wrestling as Bobby Kay) to win the ESA International Tag Team Championship.

They held the title until the following June, when they dropped it to Fred Sweetan and Kurt Von Steiger.

In August 1973, Burke became the first ESA Taped Fist Championship when the promotion awarded him the title.

Burke next competed in the NWA's Amarillo, Texas, territory.

He teamed with another brother, Yvon, who competed under the ring name The Beast.

In January 1974, they defeated Don Fargo and Hank James to win the NWA Western States Tag Team Championship, which they held for two months until a loss to Ricky Romero and Dory Funk, Jr. Returning to the ESA, Burke had a short reign as IW North American Heavyweight Champion in May 1974, which he followed in July with another reign with the ESA International Tag Team Championship.

Holding the title with his brother The Beast, Burke held the championship for less than one month before dropping it to Geto Mongol and Great Kuma.

That month, he also dropped the Taped Fist Championship to Mongol but regained it in a rematch within days.

The following year, he held the North American Heavyweight Championship twice more, defeating Bolo Mongol and Bob Brown.

For the second victory, Burke substituted for Killer Karl Krupp, who was unable to compete.

Although Burke won the match, the title was later returned to Brown after Brown appealed the decision, claiming that a substitute wrestler should not be eligible to win a championship.

Burke also had one final reign with the Taped Fist Championship before vacating the title.

Burke continued to compete for Central States Wrestling, and he teamed with The Beast in a tournament for the vacant NWA Western States Tag Team Championship.

The brothers defeated Silver Streak and Ricky Romero in the finals on February 20, 1976, to win the belts but lost them in a rematch one week later.

Returning from Texas to Nova Scotia, Burke became the only person ever to hold the ESA Maritimes Heavyweight Championship.

He defeated The Brute to win the title; when the ESA closed in 1977, the title became part of Romeo Cormier (Bobby Kay)'s Trans-Canada Wrestling (TCW).

Since his retirement in 1992, he has also trained many wrestlers for both World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

Cormier also competes in occasional wrestling matches and has been honored by both the Cauliflower Alley Club, a fraternal organization of professional wrestlers, and Stampede Wrestling, who inducted him into their hall of fame.

Growing up in a wrestling family, Léonce Cormier decided at age six that he wanted to become a professional wrestler.

He followed in the footsteps of his older brothers Yvon and Jean-Louis, who trained him to compete.