Timothy James "Tim" Burke (October 1, 1960 – June 21, 2011), known by his ring name Lucifer, was an American professional wrestler, trainer and promoter who competed in numerous East Coast and Mid-Atlantic independent promotions during the 1990s and early 2000s; among the promotions he appeared in included the Atlantic Wrestling Federation, East Coast Wrestling Association, Cueball Carmichael's Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance, Long Island Wrestling Federation, New Jack City Wrestling, Regional Championship Wrestling, United Independent Wrestling, and the Wrestling Independent Network. As co-founder of the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation with promoter Dennis Wipprecht, Burke was a major figure in Maryland professional wrestling during the 1990s. He not only brought in stars from Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation to the area but gave many future independent stars their first big break in the business. His "Brain Buster's Pro Wrestling Academy", the MEWF's official training facility, produced many of these wrestlers, most notably, Ruckus and Tonya Stevens. Burke went into semi-retirement after the MEWF folded in 2004, partially due to his declining health, and spent his final years in Maryland Championship Wrestling until his death from cancer six years later. He wrestled his final match at MCW's "Legends of Maryland" show against the Cat Burglar on November 7, 2009, and where he was inducted into the MCW Hall of Fame. The company, which competed against the MEWF in a bitter 5-year rivalry, acknowledged Burke and Wipprecht's role in developing "indy wrestling" on the East Coast and "had it not been for these two men there may not be wrestling in Maryland today". Career Early career and the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation (1991–1992) Timothy James Burke was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on October 1, 1960, to Eleanora and William M. Burke. He was trained by Bob Starr who later helped he and promoter Dennis Wipprecht establish the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation, then one of the first independent promotions in Maryland. He made his pro debut as "Lucifer" on its first show held in Pasadena, Maryland on August 2, 1991. One of his earliest opponents during the MEWF's first year was Rasta the Voodoo Mon. The MEWF would eventually become of top independent promotions on the Eastern seaboard during the 1990s. Burke also wrestled for other promotions while running the MEWF, using variations of his "Lucifer" ring name "Mr. Lucifer" and "Lucifer, the Knight of the Road", including the Atlantic Wrestling