Elijah Burke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Elijah Burke |
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Burke in 2007
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| Birth name | Elijah Samuel Burke |
| Born | May 24, 1981 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | D'Angelo Dinero The Pope Elijah Burke General Pope Da Pope |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Billed weight | 230 lb (100 kg) |
| Billed from | Big Bear, California Jacksonville, Florida "The Streets of Harlem, New York" |
| Trained by | Ohio Valley Wrestling |
| Debut | 2003 |
Elijah Samuel Burke (born May 24, 1981) is an American professional wrestler. He is famous for his ring names "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero and Da Pope. He currently wrestles for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he is a former NWA World Television Champion.
Burke began his wrestling career in 2003 with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). He first trained and competed in their special training area, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). From 2006 to 2008, he was on WWE's main shows. In WWE, he was known for being a key member of the group called The New Breed. Burke was also the final opponent of fellow wrestler Chris Benoit.
Later, Burke worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling/Impact Wrestling from 2009 to 2013 and again from 2015 to 2017. During his first time there, he was a wrestler. The second time, he was one of the main commentators for their TV shows.
Before wrestling, Burke was a police officer in Jacksonville, Florida, and also an amateur boxer.
Contents
- Early Career in Law Enforcement and Boxing
- Professional Wrestling Career
- Outside of Wrestling
- Championships and Accomplishments
- See also
Early Career in Law Enforcement and Boxing
Before becoming a famous wrestler, Elijah Burke worked as a police officer for the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office in Florida. During this time, he also became an amateur boxer. He was very successful, with a record of 98 wins and only 1 loss over three years.
According to WWE, his amateur boxing record was 103 wins and 1 loss, with 102 of his wins by knockout. His only loss happened because he was disqualified. Before his matches, he would write "4-Up" on his wrist tape. He said this came from a joke about hitting someone five times, but a punch is more like four hits.
Professional Wrestling Career
World Wrestling Entertainment (2004–2008)
Training in Ohio Valley Wrestling (2004–2006)
After signing with WWE, Burke was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) to train. OVW was a place where new wrestlers developed their skills. He became the OVW Heavyweight Champion on December 8, 2004. He later lost the championship to Matt Morgan. While in OVW, WWE offered him a spot in a group called the Spirit Squad, but he turned it down.
The New Breed (2006–2007)
Burke joined the main WWE roster on SmackDown! in July 2006. He teamed up with another new wrestler, Sylvester Terkay. They were called The Knock-Out/Tap-Out Connection because of Burke's boxing background and Terkay's mixed martial arts skills.
In November 2006, Burke and Terkay moved to the ECW brand. Burke sometimes worked as a commentator for the show. He soon became the leader of a new group of wrestlers called The New Breed. This group included Matt Striker, Marcus Cor Von, and Kevin Thorn. They had a long rivalry with the ECW Originals, a group of wrestlers from the original ECW. At WrestleMania 23, The New Breed lost to the ECW Originals.
The New Breed tried to get CM Punk to join their group, and for a short time, he did. But CM Punk soon turned on them. This led to problems within the group, and The New Breed eventually broke up.
Going Solo and Leaving WWE (2007–2008)
On June 19, 2007, Burke wrestled against Chris Benoit in what would be Benoit's final match. Burke lost, and the winner was supposed to get a chance at the ECW World Championship. Burke later had several chances to become the number one contender for the title but was not successful.
Near the end of 2007, Burke had a short feud with Batista. He also formed a team with Shelton Benjamin. Burke appeared in the 2008 Royal Rumble match and at WrestleMania XXIV. His last TV match for WWE was against Matt Hardy. On November 10, 2008, WWE announced that Burke was no longer with the company.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2009–2013)
"The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero
In 2009, Burke joined Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) with the new ring name D'Angelo Dinero. He was also called "The Pope." He started as a "heel" (a bad guy) but soon became a "face" (a good guy) when he teamed up with Matt Morgan and Hernandez.
In 2010, Dinero won a tournament to earn a match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against A.J. Styles at the Lockdown event. He lost the match and suffered a shoulder injury that kept him out of action for two months.
Later in 2010, Dinero joined Sting and Kevin Nash in a storyline where they were trying to expose the bad things happening in TNA. It was later revealed that they were right, which made them heroes to the fans.
Feud with Devon
In 2011, Dinero began a storyline with Devon. At first, they were partners and even challenged for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. However, Dinero later turned on Devon. This led to a match at the Genesis event in 2012, which Devon won.
Burke's contract with TNA ended in January 2013, and he left the company.
Return to TNA as a Commentator (2015–2017)
Burke returned to TNA in June 2015 as a commentator, using the name Da Pope. He joined Josh Mathews at the announce table. He also wrestled a few matches, including a street fight against Lashley in 2016. Burke left TNA again in August 2017.
National Wrestling Alliance (2019–2020)
In late 2019, Burke joined the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). On October 20, 2020, he defeated Zicky Dice to win the NWA World Television Championship.
Outside of Wrestling
Burke has appeared on TV shows outside of wrestling. In 2007, he was a guest on the Sci-Fi Channel's show Ghost Hunters. He is also a playable character in the video games WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2008 and WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2009.
In 2011, Burke graduated from college with a degree in criminal justice. He is good friends with the WWE tag team The New Day and has appeared on Xavier Woods' YouTube channel, UpUpDownDown.
Championships and Accomplishments
- All Caribbean Wrestling
- ACW Heavyweight Champion (1 time current)
- Atomic Legacy Wrestling
- ALW Next Level Championship (1 time)
- ALW Rapid Fire Championship (1 time)
- Baltimore Championship Wrestling
- BCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Combat Revolution Wrestling
- CRW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Jeremy Prophet
- Fighting Evolution Wrestling
- FEW North Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- FEW International Championship (1 time)
- FEW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with JB Cool
- National Wrestling Alliance
- NWA World Television Championship (1 time)
- Ohio Valley Wrestling
- OVW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- OVW Television Championship (1 time)
- OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Private Anthony (1) and Big Jon (1)
- Sixteenth OVW Triple Crown Champion
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (2010)
- PWI ranked him No. 36 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2010
- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
- 8 Card Stud Tournament (2010)
See also
In Spanish: Elijah Burke para niños
