The "Pope" feels blessed to have joined TNA Wrestling -- and the feeling is mutual.
Elijah Burke -- a/k/a Pope D'Angelo Dinero -- recently signed a long-term contract extension. Since making his TNA debut in July, Burke has impressed company officials with his in-ring work and colorful interviews. He also has the potential to become an African-American headliner, which the company sorely lacks outside of Bobby Lashley after Booker "Booker T" Huffman left TNA.
"I have absolutely nothing but positive thoughts about coming here," Burke said Wednesday in a telephone interview. "This is literally a stress-free environment. Everyone is just like a big family. This is my first time experiencing that."
Burke was previously with World Wrestling Entertainment for two-plus years, working primarily for the company's Extreme Championship Wrestling brand. But the "Elijah Experience" ended with his release in November 2008 as part of WWE's belt-tightening with talent and the inability of scriptwriters to craft effective story lines for his character.
Burke enjoyed his WWE stint, but admittedly wonders why he was canned when the company is struggling to find marquee African-American talent. A 2008 TNS Sport Poll sponsored by ESPN showed that 41 percent of African-American sports fans also liked pro wrestling, with 15 percent describing themselves as avid followers. Those were the highest percentages among all ethnicities surveyed, yet minority WWE talent is mired in mid-card roles. WWE recently tried to elevate a black star in Kofi Kingston, but his star may already be fading after a feud with Randy Orton quickly fizzled.
"The funny part is that it seems (WWE) can only push one black wrestler at a time," said Burke, who himself enjoyed a short-lived feud with WWE star Dave Batista two years ago before the story line was abruptly dropped. "God forbid you push two black guys at the same time. They've always had this problem. It's something I've been in discussion about with (TNA President) Dixie Carter because it's something I feel TNA needs to tackle even though I think they do a great job with diversity. Why it didn't happen in WWE? I have no idea."
One of five black performers listed on TNA's 61-person talent roster, Burke is working his way up the ranks. He will team with Matt Morgan, Hernandez and Suicide against Team 3-D, Rhino and Jesse Neal in an eight-man elimination match on the undercard of Sunday's "Final Resolution" pay-per-view show.
The event will be in Orlando, Fla., which is only a two-hour drive from where Burke's pro-wrestling dreams began. Burke, 31, was such an ardent pro-wrestling fan while being raised in Jacksonville that he was nicknamed "Nature Boy" in high school. Burke would emulate Ric Flair's strut as a kid after leaving money in his church's collection plate and once got a spanking at Bible camp after delivering Nikita Koloff's "Russian sickle" clothesline on an unsuspecting youngster.
"Everyone who knew me knew about my love for wrestling," Burke said.
Burke initially pursued a career in law enforcement as a corrections officer in Jacksonville, but remained involved in athletics through amateur boxing. While making an arrest in 2004, Burke said he came across an advertisement touting WWE tryouts at the company's Ohio Valley Wrestling developmental territory in Louisville, Ky. Burke was impressive enough to receive an invitation back for full-time training and quickly earned a WWE developmental contract.
After initially declining a spot in the ill-fated Spirit Squad, Burke was elevated to WWE's main talent roster in 2006. He appeared on two "Wrestlemania" shows (23 and 24) and was a staple of ECW programming throughout 2007, which helped Burke hone his slick-talking interview style.
Burke received invaluable backstage advice from WWE agents that included some of his childhood idols, like Dusty Rhodes, Arn Anderson and Ricky Steamboat. He also began writing an "Elijah Experience" column on WWE's Web site that was the genesis for his Pope D'Angelo Dinero character. Burke worked several non-televised matches as the Black Pope, but WWE ultimately passed on the gimmick.
"Elijah would always refer to the people as his congregation," Burke said. "He would call himself their guiding light, their paragon of virtue and host of hosts. During that time, I started calling myself the Black Pope. Lo and behold, Elijah took the back seat and the Pope took the front seat."
Burke has put himself in position for a smooth ride going forward. Preparing for life after wrestling, Burke recently completed another semester of Internet college classes that have moved him closer to a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. He is hoping to start a charity in 2010 aimed at helping underprivileged children.
Grappling-wise, Burke should benefit from the increased exposure that Hulk Hogan's imminent arrival will bring to TNA. The Hulkster will make his official debut Jan. 4 on a three-hour TNA "Impact" special (8 p.m. EST, Spike TV) that will air opposite WWE's "Monday Night Raw" telecast (9 p.m., USA Network).
In media interviews, Hogan has said he will place the emphasis on the wrestlers and not TNA scriptwriters to craft interviews. That has this Pope excited about spreading his message.
"This is my creation," Burke said. "This isn't something I practiced doing. What you guys are witnessing is a little black boy who came from a Southern Baptist church. I'm just being able to display that now on a bigger stage, and it has started in TNA in a cool way."
For more information on Burke, visit www.theelijahexpress.com. For more information on "Final Resolution," visit www.tnawrestling.com.
(Alex Marvez writes a syndicated pro-wrestling column for Scripps Howard News Service. Contact him at alex1marv@aol.com or follow him via Twitter at http://twitter.com/alexmarvez.)
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