Cormier grew up with eight brothers and four sisters on the family's farm in what is now
Memramcook, New Brunswick. He became interested in professional wrestling because of his older brothers
Jean-Louis,
Yvon, and
Léonce, who competed under the ring names Rudy Kay, The Beast, and Leo Burke, respectively. Cormier made his professional debut in 1967 and wrestled in several countries. He competed primarily as a
tag team wrestler, 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. 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. 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 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. ==Retirement==