How would Orville Burke stack up to Shawn Rhoden

[pellius]

[Royalty]

Rhoden would beat him with definition and cuts

[Flexacon]

Burke would get raped like an old bikini slut in a cheap hotel room

[robcguns]

Burke would blow him away size wise especially back and arms.

[Matt]

Orville Burke is a bit like Jeff King in that threads on him pop up from time to time.  I wish there was more information as to what exactly caused Orville to quit bodybuilding, and what he has been doing since.  I think Shawn Ray stated that he was currently living in Sweden.

Too bad there isn't much video footage of Orville Buke available online:

[Matt]

Burke would blow him away size wise especially back and arms.

I think you are right about the back - Orville's back was incredible.  As for his arms...Burke's arms were considered a weak point, so I'm not sure.  Initially, I didn't see why Orville's arms were considered weak, just as I didn't see why Ben Pakulski's arms are considered weak, but I guess if we were to compare them to the best bodybuilder of their day [Ronnie Coleman and Phil Heath, respectively], then you could argue that they had weak arms.

But Orville's back was one of the best in the business, and I don't see Shawn Rhoden comparing to him, back-wise.

Shawn Rhoden's height is 5'9.5", while Orville Burke's height was said to be 5'11".  So they were similar in height, and I think Orville would stand up well to Rhoden.  I do think that Rhoden's superior conditioning would possibly seal the deal there.

[Royalty]

Orville Burke is a bit like Jeff King in that threads on him pop up from time to time.  I wish there was more information as to what exactly caused Orville to quit bodybuilding, and what he has been doing since.  I think Shawn Ray stated that he was currently living in Sweden.

Too bad there isn't much video footage of Orville Buke available online:

You can blame Chris Lund.

Burke tore his tricep during a Chris Lund photo shoot in 2002 (JP Fux tore his quads during a Chris Lund photo shoot in 2002 as well)

Burke supposedly had a bad reaction to the anesthetic during surgery to repair the tricep. He was never the same since that surgery.

[Matt]

You can blame Chris Lund.

Burke tore his tricep during a Chris Lund photo shoot in 2002 (JP Fux tore his quads during a Chris Lund photo shoot in 2002 as well)

Burke supposedly had a bad reaction to the anesthetic during surgery to repair the tricep. He was never the same since that surgery.

Didn't Don Youngblood tear his triceps as well during a 2002 Chris Lund photoshoot?  Youngblood said that he was trying to hit 585-lb for the bench press during the shoot [if I'm not mistaken - or it could have been 495-lb], and said that 405-lb would have been just as impressive, without carrying nearly as much injury risk.

So...were three Chris Lund photoshoot injuries in one year alone - 2002?

I'm reminded of this:

[AbrahamG]

Short answer? He wouldn't.

[LurkerNoMore]

Orville Burke is a bit like Jeff King in that threads on him pop up from time to time.  I wish there was more information as to what exactly caused Orville to quit bodybuilding, and what he has been doing since.  I think Shawn Ray stated that he was currently living in Sweden.

Too bad there isn't much video footage of Orville Buke available online:

Coma will do that do you.

[pamith]

Burke had bigger lats

[Matt]

Coma will do that do you.

So being given too much anesthetic caused him to lapse into a coma...and when he came out...something happened?  Brain damage?

Is the issue that it's hard to predict how much anesthetic you need for a man of Orville's size?  I remember on the A&E documentary about Andre the Giant "Biography" [I think from 1999], they said that Andre needed back surgery, but that doctors had a difficult time figuring out how much anesthetic to give him.

I always assumed the anesthesia issue was a simple one, but I guess not.

Any more details on this interesting story would be appreciated.  Orville just sort of disappeared with no clear reason why given in the magazines or elsewhere.  Maybe because the injury that caused this was essentially the product of the IFBB / FLEX magazine [Chris Lund photoshoot], it was thought better to just be quiet about it.

I recall reading that in the year 2000, Orville was working for a supplement company owned by Steven Weinberger, and making $1,000 a month with it.  STEEL PERFORMANCE NUTRITION, was it?  Something like that.

I also read that he worked for Donald Trump's personal security detail.

[Bevo]

Very ugly physique

[LurkerNoMore]

So being given too much anesthetic caused him to lapse into a coma...and when he came out...something happened?  Brain damage?

Is the issue that it's hard to predict how much anesthetic you need for a man of Orville's size?  I remember on the A&E documentary about Andre the Giant "Biography" [I think from 1999], they said that Andre needed back surgery, but that doctors had a difficult time figuring out how much anesthetic to give him.

I always assumed the anesthesia issue was a simple one, but I guess not.

Any more details on this interesting story would be appreciated.  Orville just sort of disappeared with no clear reason why given in the magazines or elsewhere.  Maybe because the injury that caused this was essentially the product of the IFBB / FLEX magazine [Chris Lund photoshoot], it was thought better to just be quiet about it.

I recall reading that in the year 2000, Orville was working for a supplement company owned by Steven Weinberger, and making $1,000 a month with it.  STEEL PERFORMANCE NUTRITION, was it?  Something like that.

I also read that he worked for Donald Trump's personal security detail.

it should be easy to figure out...except when other drugs and shit are involved and the patient doesn't disclose everything he has been using

[OneMoreRep]

I always get Orville Burke confused for Desmond Miller.

Which one died and which one almost died?





"1"

[che]

Burke's height was said to be 5'11". 

How tall was Flex Wheeler , 6'3'' ?

[Matt]

it should be easy to figure out...except when other drugs and shit are involved and the patient doesn't disclose everything he has been using

I wondered if the PEDs had an impact...as well as not disclosing them...

That makes sense.  Oh well.  I guess it's a lesson for the rest of us - to disclose these things.

[Matt]

I always get Orville Burke confused for Desmond Miller.

Which one died and which one almost died?

"1"

Both almost died.  I think Desmond Miller had come down with heart problems, and then quit bodybuilding as a result.  The heart problems were speculated to be related to bodybuilding on here, but I'm not sure if that was ever confirmed.  Either way, we didn't hear about him much at all after that.

[Matt]

How tall was Flex Wheeler , 6'3'' ?

Haha, Flex does look 6'3" there, based on Orville's height of 5'11".

Ron puts Orville's height at 5'9.5" here:

Born Wrville [sic?] Wayne Barrington Burke on March 18, 1963 in Kingston, Jamaica. Currently lives in Brooklyn, New York (2000). Height is 5'9 1/2". Married to Christina (their wedding was in Sweden in 1999). Mother's name is Olive; sister's name is Cheryl. Older brother's name is Ezra. Has another brother named Howard.

http://getbig.com/almanac/men/men-b.htm

[rocket]

He obviously suffered some brain damage from it - or they'd have not gone quiet

How much, we'll never know - but at least he is up and functioning enough to be at a show in pic on this thread.
http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=635697.0

[Matt]

He obviously suffered some brain damage from it - or they'd have not gone quiet

How much, we'll never know - but at least he is up and functioning enough to be at a show in pic on this thread.
http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=635697.0

Great post!  Thanks for sharing that.  Looks like I answered my own question, haha:

Is KWON aware of this?

PS - Orville was indeed injured in a pump-up accident for a FLEX magazine photoshoot taken by Chris Lund, but the damage came during surgery.  The anesthesiologist made a mistake of some sort, causing Orville to lapse into a coma, where he sustained brain damage.

^ That is close to correct.  Someone can feel free to correct me.  I don't know if his case was "covered up" exactly...but in the world of bodybuilding, it's not "What have you done for me?"  It's "What have you done for me lately?"  Standard fare, really.

That said...I guess what I'm ultimately seeking here is confirmation.  I've heard that story before, but no one seems to have any definitive answer.  It's nice that that photo of Orville Burke with Shawn Ray showed up - at least we know he is alive and presumably living in Sweden still.

The Orville Burke story fascinates me because he basically disappeared one day, and no one seemed to want to talk about it, or had any definitive knowledge on the subject.