Bobby Kay
Encyclopedia
Romeo Cormier is a retired Canadian
professional wrestler
best known by the ring name
Bobby Kay. He is a member of the Cormier wrestling family
, a group of four brothers who were all successful professional wrestlers. Romeo Cormier competed in Canada and the United States from 1967 to the mid-1980s. He also worked as a wrestling promoter
. After retiring from wrestling, Cormier began performing country music
professionally before taking a job with Loblaws
.
. He became interested in professional wrestling because of his older brothers Jean-Louis
, Yvon, and Leonce
, who competed under the ring names Rudy Kay, The Beast, and Leo Burke, respectively. At age 17, Yvon took Romeo to Calgary
, Alberta
to train under Stu Hart
.
Cormier made his professional debut in 1967 and wrestled in several countries. While touring the world as a competitor, he used several ring names. In Calgary's Stampede Wrestling
, he used the name Norton Jackson. He then took on the moniker Terry Martin while wrestling in Central States Wrestling
. He competed primarily as a tag team
wrestler, and he won his first title belt in Kansas City
on October 31, 1968. Teaming with his brother Leonce, who was using the name Tommy Martin, he won the Central States version of the NWA North American Tag Team Championship
. The reign lasted for one week before they dropped the title to The Texas Outlaws (Dick Murdoch
and Dusty Rhodes
).
Cormier also competed for the Eastern Sports Association
(ESA), which was affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance
(NWA). His brother Jean-Louis, competing as Rudy Kay, was both a booker and wrestler for ESA, and Cormier used his brother's ring name as the inspiration to become Bobby Kay. In the ESA, the four Cormier brothers often took turns facing the same wrestlers. A heel
(villain) wrestler would face one brother, then move on to face the rest in succession. Bobby Kay held the ESA International Tag Team Championship
several times in the ESA; his first came when he teamed with brother Leonce (who was then competing as Leo Burke) to win the title in mid-1973 by defeating Fred Sweetan
and Mike Dubois. They held the title for about one month before dropping it to Sweetan and Kurt Von Steiger
. Kay then teamed with brother Yvon (who was known as The Beast) to regain the title. The teams traded the championship back and forth once again over the course of the summer. They lost the title to Sweetan and Jim Dillon
in autumn 1973. After Dillon left the promotion, the championship was vacated; Kay and The Beast regained it the following year. The reign lasted less than one week before Sweetan and Dubois won the title. Teaming with Burke in June 1974, Kay had one final reign with the title; he sustained an injury, however, and Ron Thompson defended the championship in Kay's place.
Later that year, Cormier returned to Kansas, where he won the NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship
in December. Cormier later returned to Stampede Wrestling, this time adopting the ring name Bobby Burke to form a tag team with his brother Leo Burke. They defeated The Royal Kangaroos
in 1977 to win the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship
. After dropping the title to Mr. Hito and Michel Martel
later that year, they did not regain the belts until 1980, when they defeated Duke Myers and Bobby Bass.
Cormier competed in Toronto from 1982 to 1984 under the ring name Terry Kay, a name that he had also used while wrestling in Charlotte, North Carolina
. He won the NWA Canadian Television Championship
on December 26, 1982. He and his brother Leonce bought out Jean-Louis's stake in the Eastern Sports Association but ran into problems with their partner Al Zinck and television deals, which enabled Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling
(AGPW) to gain a stronger foothold in the Maritimes
. His final title victory came in AGPW, where he won the company's North American Tag Team Championship in 1990 while teaming with his brother Leo.
Hubert Gallant, to play the guitar. He also made another attempt at promoting
wrestling events in such locations as Moncton, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia in the mid-1980s. After arranging exclusive deals to promote shows in specific territories, Cormier had trouble attracting fans after the World Wrestling Federation
moved into the same areas. Because the WWF had a larger budget and was able to gain access to arenas with larger seating capacities, Cormier's promotion was unable to compete. In 2006, a celebration was held in Memramcook to honor the four wrestling Cormier brothers. Cormier now balances competing in occasional wrestling matches with his job in shipping and receiving for Loblaws
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
best known by the ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
Bobby Kay. He is a member of the Cormier wrestling family
Cormier wrestling family
The Cormier wrestling family is a group of Canadian brothers who competed in professional wrestling. They were born in New Brunswick and wrestled primarily in Canada. They also competed in the United States and had stints in several other countries. On many occasions, the Cormiers wrestled together...
, a group of four brothers who were all successful professional wrestlers. Romeo Cormier competed in Canada and the United States from 1967 to the mid-1980s. He also worked as a wrestling promoter
Promoter (entertainment)
An entertainment promoter i.e. music, wrestling, boxing etc is a person or company in the business of marketing and promoting live events such as concerts/gigs, boxing matches, sports entertainment , festivals, raves, and nightclubs.- Business model :Promoters are typically hired as independent...
. After retiring from wrestling, Cormier began performing country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
professionally before taking a job with Loblaws
Loblaw Companies
Loblaw Companies Limited is the largest food retailer in Canada, with over 1,400 supermarkets operating under a variety of regional banners, including the namesake Loblaws. LCL is headquartered in Brampton, Ontario...
.
Career
Romeo Cormier grew up with eight brothers and four sisters on the family's farm in what is now Memramcook, New BrunswickMemramcook, New Brunswick
Memramcook is a Canadian village in Westmorland County, New Brunswick. Located in south-eastern New Brunswick, the community is predominantly people of Acadian descent who speak the Chiac derivative of the French language....
. He became interested in professional wrestling because of his older brothers Jean-Louis
Rudy Kay
Jean-Louis Cormier was a Canadian professional wrestler best known by his ring name Rudy Kay. Cormier competed primarily in Canada and often formed a tag team with his brothers; together, they are known as the Cormier wrestling family...
, Yvon, and Leonce
Leo Burke
Leonce Cormier is a retired Canadian 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 and the National Wrestling Alliance in New Zealand...
, who competed under the ring names Rudy Kay, The Beast, and Leo Burke, respectively. At age 17, Yvon took Romeo to Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
to train under Stu Hart
Stu Hart
Stewart Edward "Stu" Hart, CM was a Canadian amateur wrestler, professional wrestler, promoter and trainer. Hart founded Stampede Wrestling, a promotion based in Calgary, Alberta, and was the father of famous wrestlers Bret and Owen Hart...
.
Cormier made his professional debut in 1967 and wrestled in several countries. While touring the world as a competitor, he used several ring names. In Calgary's Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
, he used the name Norton Jackson. He then took on the moniker Terry Martin while wrestling in Central States Wrestling
Heart of America Sports Attractions
Heart of America Sports Attractions, also known as the Midwest Wrestling Association, Central States Wrestling and the World Wrestling Alliance, was an American professional wrestling promotion that ran shows mainly in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa...
. He competed primarily as a tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
wrestler, and he won his first title belt in Kansas City
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
on October 31, 1968. Teaming with his brother Leonce, who was using the name Tommy Martin, he won the Central States version of the NWA North American Tag Team Championship
NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Central States version)
The NWA North American Tag Team Championship was a major tag team championship used and defended in the National Wrestling Alliance affiliated Central States Wrestling based out of Kansas City, Missouri. Although the name of the championship aludes to it being nationally recognized and defended,...
. The reign lasted for one week before they dropped the title to The Texas Outlaws (Dick Murdoch
Dick Murdoch
Hoyt Richard "Dick" Murdoch was an American professional wrestler.-Professional wrestling career:A second-generation wrestler, the son of 1950s Texas wrestler Frankie Hill Murdoch, Dick Murdoch grew up with fellow second-generation wrestlers Dory Funk, Jr. and Terry Funk, watching their fathers...
and Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes (wrestler)
Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. , better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for WWE...
).
Cormier also competed for the Eastern Sports Association
Eastern Sports Association
The Eastern Sports Association, often referred to in the business simply as "the Maritimes," was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Halifax, Nova Scotia...
(ESA), which was affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
(NWA). His brother Jean-Louis, competing as Rudy Kay, was both a booker and wrestler for ESA, and Cormier used his brother's ring name as the inspiration to become Bobby Kay. In the ESA, the four Cormier brothers often took turns facing the same wrestlers. A heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
(villain) wrestler would face one brother, then move on to face the rest in succession. Bobby Kay held the ESA International Tag Team Championship
ESA International Tag Team Championship
Eastern Sports Association's International Tag Team Title was represented by a Trophy, and was defended in the Maritimes from 1969-75.- International Tag Team Champions :...
several times in the ESA; his first came when he teamed with brother Leonce (who was then competing as Leo Burke) to win the title in mid-1973 by defeating Fred Sweetan
Freddie Prosser
Freddie Prosser was a Canadian professional wrestler, known by his ring name Freddie Sweetan. He competed in certain North American regional promotions including the National Wrestling Alliance as well as Grand Prix Wrestling, Maple Leaf Wrestling and Stampede Wrestling during the 1960s and 1970s,...
and Mike Dubois. They held the title for about one month before dropping it to Sweetan and Kurt Von Steiger
Kurt and Karl Von Steiger
Kurt and Karl Von Steiger was the ring name of professional wrestlers Lorne Corlett and Arnold Pastrick worked under for most of their careers. The Von Steiger gimmick was that of two German villains, called heels, despite both wrestlers hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada...
. Kay then teamed with brother Yvon (who was known as The Beast) to regain the title. The teams traded the championship back and forth once again over the course of the summer. They lost the title to Sweetan and Jim Dillon
James J. Dillon
James J. "J.J." Dillon is a retired American professional wrestler and manager.He is best known for being the strategic leader of the original Four Horsemen that consisted of Nature Boy Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, Arn and Ole Anderson. He is most remembered as a manager in pro wrestling...
in autumn 1973. After Dillon left the promotion, the championship was vacated; Kay and The Beast regained it the following year. The reign lasted less than one week before Sweetan and Dubois won the title. Teaming with Burke in June 1974, Kay had one final reign with the title; he sustained an injury, however, and Ron Thompson defended the championship in Kay's place.
Later that year, Cormier returned to Kansas, where he won the NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship
NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship
The NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship a professional wrestling championship that currently serves as the main title for the National Wrestling Alliance promotion, NWA Midwest. For most of its existence, however, the title was defended in the NWA affiliate Central States Wrestling from...
in December. Cormier later returned to Stampede Wrestling, this time adopting the ring name Bobby Burke to form a tag team with his brother Leo Burke. They defeated The Royal Kangaroos
The Royal Kangaroos
The Royal Kangaroos was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of cousins “Lord” Jonathan Boyd and Norman Frederick Charles III. The duo played off their Australian heritage which included using a boomerang as their weapon of choice...
in 1977 to win the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship
Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship
The Stampede International Tag Team Championship is the main tag-team title in the Canadian professional wrestling promotion Stampede Wrestling. It was created in 1958 as the NWA International Tag-Team Championship...
. After dropping the title to Mr. Hito and Michel Martel
Michel Vigneault
Michel Vigneault was a Canadian professional wrestler, known by his ring name Michel "Mad Dog" Martel, who competed in North American and international regional promotions including Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling, Stampede Wrestling, International Wrestling Enterprise and the World Wrestling...
later that year, they did not regain the belts until 1980, when they defeated Duke Myers and Bobby Bass.
Cormier competed in Toronto from 1982 to 1984 under the ring name Terry Kay, a name that he had also used while wrestling in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
. He won the NWA Canadian Television Championship
NWA Canadian Television Championship
The NWA Canadian Television Championship was a secondary singles title in Toronto-based NWA affiliate Maple Leaf Wrestling from 1982 to 1984, when the title was abandoned after the promotion left the NWA to join the World Wrestling Federation...
on December 26, 1982. He and his brother Leonce bought out Jean-Louis's stake in the Eastern Sports Association but ran into problems with their partner Al Zinck and television deals, which enabled Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling
Grand prix wrestling
Grand Prix Wrestling is a wrestling promotion run and owned by Emile Duprée. Grand Prix Wrestling has currently stopped touring due to heavy traveling costs...
(AGPW) to gain a stronger foothold in the Maritimes
Maritimes
The Maritime provinces, also called the Maritimes or the Canadian Maritimes, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. On the Atlantic coast, the Maritimes are a subregion of Atlantic Canada, which also includes the...
. His final title victory came in AGPW, where he won the company's North American Tag Team Championship in 1990 while teaming with his brother Leo.
Retirement
Cormier retired from professional wrestling to spend more time with his wife and two children. He also performed country music as part of the Bobby Kay Band. He taught his younger brother, former professional wrestling refereeReferee (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling referee is the official figure that makes sure that wrestling matches move smoothly in an attempt to maintain kayfabe. The referee also has the ultimate power in the ring...
Hubert Gallant, to play the guitar. He also made another attempt at promoting
Promoter (entertainment)
An entertainment promoter i.e. music, wrestling, boxing etc is a person or company in the business of marketing and promoting live events such as concerts/gigs, boxing matches, sports entertainment , festivals, raves, and nightclubs.- Business model :Promoters are typically hired as independent...
wrestling events in such locations as Moncton, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia in the mid-1980s. After arranging exclusive deals to promote shows in specific territories, Cormier had trouble attracting fans after the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
moved into the same areas. Because the WWF had a larger budget and was able to gain access to arenas with larger seating capacities, Cormier's promotion was unable to compete. In 2006, a celebration was held in Memramcook to honor the four wrestling Cormier brothers. Cormier now balances competing in occasional wrestling matches with his job in shipping and receiving for Loblaws
Loblaw Companies
Loblaw Companies Limited is the largest food retailer in Canada, with over 1,400 supermarkets operating under a variety of regional banners, including the namesake Loblaws. LCL is headquartered in Brampton, Ontario...
.
Championships and accomplishments
- Atlantic Grand Prix WrestlingGrand prix wrestlingGrand Prix Wrestling is a wrestling promotion run and owned by Emile Duprée. Grand Prix Wrestling has currently stopped touring due to heavy traveling costs...
- AGPW North American Tag Team Championship (1 time)—with Leo BurkeLeo BurkeLeonce Cormier is a retired Canadian 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 and the National Wrestling Alliance in New Zealand...
- AGPW North American Tag Team Championship (1 time)—with Leo Burke
- Central States WrestlingHeart of America Sports AttractionsHeart of America Sports Attractions, also known as the Midwest Wrestling Association, Central States Wrestling and the World Wrestling Alliance, was an American professional wrestling promotion that ran shows mainly in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa...
- NWA Central States Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Central States Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship a professional wrestling championship that currently serves as the main title for the National Wrestling Alliance promotion, NWA Midwest. For most of its existence, however, the title was defended in the NWA affiliate Central States Wrestling from...
(1 time) - NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Central States version)NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Central States version)The NWA North American Tag Team Championship was a major tag team championship used and defended in the National Wrestling Alliance affiliated Central States Wrestling based out of Kansas City, Missouri. Although the name of the championship aludes to it being nationally recognized and defended,...
(1 time)—with Tommy MartinLeo BurkeLeonce Cormier is a retired Canadian 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 and the National Wrestling Alliance in New Zealand...
- NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship
- Eastern Sports AssociationEastern Sports AssociationThe Eastern Sports Association, often referred to in the business simply as "the Maritimes," was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Halifax, Nova Scotia...
- ESA International Tag Team ChampionshipESA International Tag Team ChampionshipEastern Sports Association's International Tag Team Title was represented by a Trophy, and was defended in the Maritimes from 1969-75.- International Tag Team Champions :...
(5 times)—with Leo Burke (2) and The Beast (3)
- ESA International Tag Team Championship
- Maple Leaf WrestlingMaple Leaf WrestlingMaple Leaf Wrestling was the unofficial name in the 1970s and 1980s of the professional wrestling promotion run by Frank Tunney in Toronto.-Queensbury Athletic Club:...
- NWA Canadian Television ChampionshipNWA Canadian Television ChampionshipThe NWA Canadian Television Championship was a secondary singles title in Toronto-based NWA affiliate Maple Leaf Wrestling from 1982 to 1984, when the title was abandoned after the promotion left the NWA to join the World Wrestling Federation...
(1 time)
- NWA Canadian Television Championship
- Stampede WrestlingStampede WrestlingStampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
- Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team ChampionshipStampede Wrestling International Tag Team ChampionshipThe Stampede International Tag Team Championship is the main tag-team title in the Canadian professional wrestling promotion Stampede Wrestling. It was created in 1958 as the NWA International Tag-Team Championship...
(2 times)—with Leo BurkeLeo BurkeLeonce Cormier is a retired Canadian 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 and the National Wrestling Alliance in New Zealand...
- Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship