Former WWE Star Elijah Burke Discusses Origins Of 'Pope' Moniker

NWA star Elijah Burke didn't tap into his "Pope" persona until he joined TNA, in 2009, as D'Angelo Dinero. However, it turns out that Burke laid the foundation for the character while working as a columnist for WWE.com during his years with the Stamford-based promotion. Speaking with "WrestlingNewsCo," Burke revealed he would interact with the readers by referring to them in the same vein that a pastor would address an apostle.    

"I often times referred to myself as the guiding light, your paragon of virtue, your host of hosts," Burke said of his time writing the WWE.com column. "And I would refer to the people that responded to me in such a large amount ... They would respond to me, and I decided to call them my congregation. Since I was calling them that, I was thinking, 'Shoot, who am I to them? What can I call myself if they're my congregation?'"

While going through a list of possible names, Burke ruled out the possibility of calling himself "The Reverend" upon remembering others in the business who assumed the moniker — such as D-Von Dudley. At that point, the ideal name hit him like a lightning bolt — "There had never been a Black Pope. And thus the name and Black Pope was born." Burke went on to achieve a lot of notoriety as "The Pope" in TNA, following which he took the gimmick to other promotions such as OVW and NWA. He has remained with Billy Corgan's promotion since 2019.