2012 Sanderson Humanitarian Honoree- Al Burke

A face like Al Burke’s is one you don’t easily forget.

“I was in the theater, watching The Wedding Singer, and the scene with Billy Idol on the airplane… and there he was on screen,” said Frankie Kazarian.  “I pointed and said, ‘Hey, that’s Mr. Outrageous Al Burke’… and people looked at me with no idea what I was talking about.”

Well, perhaps the name of Al Burke doesn’t immediately come to mind, even if the face rings a bell, but more about Kazarian’s powers of recall will be revealed later.   That recognizable face is a marketable one; it has taken Burke to the bank time and time again.   Whether it’s his popular scene in The Wedding Singer, on the back of a Harley-Davidson, singing in Spanish for Corona Beer, on Japanese television speaking Japanese for Skainar AL commercials, or as an alien life form in the Star Trek Enterprise TV series,  Al Burke’s expressive features show off his multi-dimensional talents as he nearly leaps through the screen with his performances.

It is Burke’s most defining role; however, that truly captures the attention of young and old alike.  As a longtime volunteer and regular visitor to children’s wards in hospitals, brightening the days of youngsters in need of a boost, Burke stands tall as a champion for charitable causes.   His selfless dedication has earned him the distinction of being the 2012 recipient of the Cauliflower Alley Club’s Jason Sanderson Humanitarian Award.   The smile on Sanderson’s face beamed through the phone lines when describing how positive a reaction Burke received from CAC board members following his nomination.  “”Al definitely exemplifies the qualities that are admired among award recipients.  I can see why this fellow deserves this honor; he’s a good natured person…and continues to give back to the business,” Sanderson said.

At first glance, the perception one gets of Burke is that professional wrestling should be his outlet for employment, if it was not already the case.  CAC Executive Vice-President Karl Lauer heaps effusive praises on to “Mr. Outrageous” for cultivating the fierce look.  “Al Burke looks physical and athletic, keeps himself in good condition… at about 230-240 pounds with that Fu Manchu mustache, he stands out and looks like a wrestler,” Lauer said.  “Al stayed in shape and didn’t have to hide his body with a lot of clothing…I preferred to use guys with a physique that presented themselves as professional athletes.”

Lauer was introduced to Burke through a recommendation from Professor Toru Tanaka, who was helping to find talent to augment Lauer’s cards while he promoted throughout California in the later part of the 1980′s.  “Tanaka was one of my top guys, and asked if I could use Al for a couple of shots,” Lauer recalls.  “He worked out wonderfully, and wound up becoming a regular worker on many of my shows, fitting in as many dates as he could around his other commitments.”

Long before the West Coast got to see just how outrageous Al Burke’s career path could be, though, it’s important to start in the Midwest, where so often before, tales of greatness begin rather modestly.

“I started in the Minneapolis area where I trained by Dan Rgnonti from Eddie Sharkey’s school; he was Rigs of the Terminators,” Burke said.  “Dan helped walk me through my first match under the hood as a ninja, which was a popular character in the Midwest at the time. So many of the great workers came through that Midwestern circuit back then, into the 1980s.   At the time, there weren’t a lot of wrestling schools back then and upon graduation you really learned about  the business by getting in a car and driving to the towns, gathering knowledge from the veterans riding with you.  Guys today don’t get the benefit of traveling to different territories and getting the experience of road trips.  It’s too bad, but today the workers have a different mindset.” I might have been pushed into the ring a little sooner than I should have been, but I was tabbed as a natural for wrestling; I was a two-time city boxing champion in the Golden Gloves, and had studied tae kwon do for five years. So I did have a lot of related ring experience.”

Booked in a match against Rgnonti, Burke remembers, “He called for me to give him a sidekick, and so I did… I really BLASTED him!  Man, was I green as grass back then!  He was like, ‘what a crowbar I’m in here with’… but we got through it.”

Time marches on, as did Al Burke.  Basing himself out of Green Bay, he began a multi-year stint working at television tapings for the World Wrestling Federation.  “Tom Stone was booking the local talent for TV at the time, and I coordinated a bunch of the Minnesota guys, where I’d get between 10 to 20 of them first for a two or three days of tapings,” said Burke.  “I remember the first television I was on, I got to face Hacksaw Jim Duggan, a real baptism into jobbing.  But I got paid well, with my expenses,  trans and lodging paid for.  My first year in the business, I was able to pay off my schooling.   I wasn’t the biggest, tallest or strongest, but I was trying to make a life for myself and pay the bills… so I went for it.”

Burke looks back at the five years he worked with the WWF and their stars fondly.  “I experienced things that most could never say they did,” Burke said. “I got to work with guys like Big John Studd, Andre the Giant, the Big Bossman plus many others… what an honor it was to be able to be in there with them.”   Burke made a number of friends traveling up and down those highways, and easily recalls his favorites.

“I really loved the trips I made with Little Tokyo, who just passed away recently… and Cowboy Cottrell, Karate Kid, all of Littlebrook’s guys.  Paul Orndorff was another guy… then there was Curt Hennig, Ricky Rude and Sherri Martel… with so many of us being from Minnesota, we had a common bond. Woody Farmer and Jerry Monti were other west coast promotions I worked for; in fact I bought one of my rings from Jerry… an old AWA wood ring with the big old 2 inch thick ropes that I shipped up to Alaska.” . With wrestling fast becoming a nationally-touring business for the largest organizations, Burke morphed into his “Mr. Outrageous” persona and subsequently moved his base of operations from the Midwest to California, where he garnered plenty of publicity through savvy business acumen and a desire to deliver the goods in the entertainment aspects of his wrestling role. “Outrageousness” was an epidemic, as Burke’s infectious personality burst forth in excess.    Media outlets ate up what Burke was serving, and he parlayed it into Hollywood acting roles as he supplemented his in-ring dates.   It was during this time that his association with Karl Lauer blossomed into not only wrestling bookings, but opportunities in front of the camera.

Lauer recalls asking Burke to take part in a motion picture that he had been given the title of Associate Producer.  “It was called Atomic Blue, and the main character had three people portraying different aspects; one for the speaking role, the stunt work and Al’s portion which was to handle the wrestling,” Lauer said.  Burke recalls it slightly differently, naming it under its Spanish language equivalent.  “Azul Atomico was a film that Karl thought I would be perfect for as the lead character. It involved me taking a backdrop onto concrete as my initiation,” Burke says incredulously.  “Eventually, more work started coming in.”

Starting his now third decade in and around the Silver Screen, Burke’s body of work casts quite the impressive profile.  A running tally as of a short time ago has totaled at more than 50 commercials and movies and 53 music videos, with a steady stream of activity keeping his dance card filled.  “I’ve been used in print advertising, TV shows…a bunch of cool stuff,” Burke said.  “I haven’t had to get a real job in a long time!  I’ve even gotten to do some work with the GLOW girls, where I get to beat up a bunch of Los Angeles radio station DJ’s; basically just a bunch of fun, crazy stuff…it’s a heck of a good life.”

Sometimes, however, the work can be beneficial to the actor without the end result even seeing the light of day.  “I shot a commercial at Universal Studios once, with a crew of about 30 people.  I was dressed as a British captain with a cannon set on deck of a ship… and I was paid for my day’s work, although the ad never saw the airwaves,” Burke said.  “Commercial work pays the best as you get paid the most for the first airing, then somewhat less after each successive broadcast.”  Even the film work from the 90s, such as the famous Wedding Singer scene still brings in royalty checks.  “It’s usually now under 100 dollars, but I still get four every year,” Burke said.

One royalty check afforded Burke the chance at pulling a classic rib.  “I attended one CAC reunion and got to present Karl Lauer with a framed copy of one of my royalty checks from Mad About You,” Burke said.  “It was appropriate because Karl likes to remind people about how he started me in film work.”  Comically, the check was issued in the amount of one cent!

It might be attributed in part to Burke’s good fortune that he now looks for ways to give back, to the wrestling community and toward charitable organizations.   Karl Lauer recalls Burke’s earliest volunteerism:

“Frequently we’d get calls at the wrestling office from groups like Make-A-Wish Foundation or City of Hope, requesting some wrestlers to come visit terminally ill children,” Lauer said.  “A common crew of Mr. Outrageous, Professor Tanaka, Mando Guerrero, Buddha Khan and the masked Bossman (Lauer) would do their part to bring a bright spot to what might otherwise be a child’s dreary day in the hospital.”

“Al never turned down a request, not even one time.  He would always make time, even if he had to leave his day job,” Lauer said.   “Al is the most generous man with his time that I’ve ever known.  He loves to be with the children, posing for pictures and signing autographs…playing around with the youngsters and letting them wear his title belts.”

“Those hospital visits, sometimes kids who are dying perk up for the day when a wrestler visits.  I remember one visit in particular, where a kid got out of bed for the first time in a long while… it lifts their spirits, and mine,” Burke said.   “I think those kind of moments show what kind of power being a pro wrestler has.  A lot of people look up to us.  What does it take to answer their questions and bring them into our world for a while?  Not much…I think it’s a big part of our job.  I think the time I spend with fans, especially the young kids, is worth more than any money I could give… I get so much out of it myself.   I love talking to the kids, shaking hands.  And the Championship belts I bring, I don’t wear them to show off, I want the kids to wear them…you should see their eyes twinkle.  You can really make a good impression.  They think they’re almost magical…worth more than gold.”

“I hope wrestlers realize the power they have.  You really make their day… so make the effort.  Keep trying to make that difference in their lives.”

Another noble effort, indicative of why Burke was selected for the Humanitarian Award, was his commitment to entertaining the military personnel at numerous bases around the country, and the world.  “My first show was set up at Ellsworth Air Force base; I wound up doing between 300 to 400 shows all over the world,”  Burke said.   Alaska Wrestling Alliance, the group which Burke is a co-owner, is the only promotion in the state, and has done much to boost the morale of soldiers serving far and wide.  “Some of our wrestlers are in the military…that makes them some of the best damn babyfaces ever,” Burke said.  “One of our guys is being deployed to Afghanistan, and we’re going to lose his wrestling services for the next year during his tour.”

Alaska Wrestling Alliance is a venture with families as their focus. “We run shows where nobody gets offended, that’s helped make us successful, because that’s the kind of show the military wants.  We also visit mess halls and schools on base,” Burke said.   It’s a labor of love, and Burke’s core principles make for a strong foundation.  “We had done training camps, and discovered that a lot of guys didn’t want to travel…they were never going to make it.  But when Nick Danger and I re-opened a camp in Alaska with hopes to open a school on the military base in Alaska, and I became a trainer for the GI’s…it was great.   I’d be happy just to train the military guys!”  Conditions make the Alaska Wrestling Alliance events rewarding when they see people come out in even the roughest of weather.  “We do shows in Anchorage where the temperature can be actually 40 below and colder, WITHOUT the wind chill and we are planning to also work on the military base in Fairbanks where it is even colder,” Burke says.

Al Burke is viewed as a trainer for more than just the in-ring aspects of the sport.  His sage advice is revealed in day-to-day discussions with young talent, and summarized eloquently at CAC reunions, where Burke tailors seminars to give those wrestlers who can benefit from a wily veteran’s perspective on how to rise to the next level.   Self-marketing and forward thinking have a great deal to do with the seminar’s makeup.

“Having my job means the work is never a steady gig, but then you learn not to spend money you don’t have…never count on it,”  Burke said.  “You simply have to treat it like a business, be a professional.  It is true in both wrestling and Hollywood.   For example, would a smart wrestler looking to get booked, call that promoter when he’s drunk?  Not if he wants the booking!  But I know it’s happened!    The same is true with promotional photos… When I was coordinating talent, I collected 8 by10s of guys I thought might be useful to promoters… and some guys would give me poorly scanned photocopies with hand written scribble and think it would lead somewhere!  Remember: promote yourself properly; when I put a press package together I want my best foot forward…you get rewarded back that much more for the extra effort.”

“From Dan Rgnonti, I learned to check my ego at the door, realizing I’d lose in wrestling more than I’d win.  You have to learn to do what the promoters need for the job, and do it with a smile… or else find another job,” Burke concluded.  “And always keep an open mind.”

So goes the tale of Mr. Outrageous.  It remains to be seen just how many of tomorrow’s rising stars have yet to be a few steps closer to their own levels of success from heeding his advice, but thus far, Al Burke is able to point to one shining example of his own generous nature and positive attitude.

“A few years back at a CAC reunion, I went up to congratulate Frankie Kazarian, who was receiving an award (Future Legend),” Burke recalls.  “And Frankie told me that it wasn’t the first time we had met; that it was years before he even entered the business.”

The occasion was in the 1990s; a card at Twenty-Nine Palms Marine Base, where Mr. Outrageous was on the lineup.   Kazarian picks up the story from here:

“I was eleven years old at the time, and I can remember that The Warlord was part of the card as well.  It was the very first time I had the chance to meet a wrestler.  During an intermission, I ran across Mr. Outrageous, who was getting warmed up,”  Kazarian said.  “I was pretty intimidated, but I took a deep breath and gingerly approached him.”

What Kazarian found was a personable, talkative Al Burke behind the Outrage.  “Al was really cool to me, and we chatted for a little while.  I mentioned to him that I was an Ultimate Warrior fan at the time.  Al shared with me that he’d wrestled him before and was one of the stiffest guys he’d been in the ring with.  At that time, I didn’t even know what Stiff meant,” Kaz concluded. “But years later, that very subject came up in the locker room after I got in the business; I was able to say I heard that same opinion years earlier… from Al Burke!”

As Kazarian and Burke reconnected at that CAC reunion, it was to Burke’s surprise that their chance encounter in Kazarian’s youth was one of the positive experiences that helped convince young Kaz to get involved in the wrestling industry.  “I remember Al as being kind enough to take the time to be nice to a young fan, and it stuck with me,” said Kazarian.   “You know, I never classified the wrestlers as superstars or ‘job guys’… I gave respect to all of the wrestlers equally.  To me there were wrestlers with losing records, but they were guys who could pull out a victory at any point!  In my eyes, if you were in the same ring you had that equality.  I wish I could look back with that childlike innocence today. I found Al to be just as pleasant meeting him again in Vegas… I’m glad he’s still around.”

As for Burke’s stunned reaction?  “Well, there aren’t too many times that Mr. Outrageous is speechless,” Burke said.  “You never really know who you’ll impact, or how.  And if or when you do find out… it’s very rewarding.  To me, this is how you can best use your celebrity. That mystique your status as a wrestler gives you can be used for good.”

“I want to instill in the young wrestlers how important it is to give of your time – - to go to hospitals and do charitable work.  It can be something like setting up cots in a homeless shelter, or helping serve them a meal,” Burke said.  “So little of your time is required, but it helps out so much.   I want to do it the rest of my life, and get others involved.  Reaching out and finding ways to give back is important.”

Hardly an outrageous perspective.   Join your fellow CAC members in celebrating with Al Burke on his 2012 Jason Sanderson Humanitarian Award this  April!

You can view some of the Japanese Commercials Burke has been a part of by clicking on the following links:
http://www.eisai.jp/health-care/ad-gallery/skainar-al/02_index.html
http://www.eisai.jp/health-care/ad-gallery/skainar-al/01_index.html#to_top