Not so long ago, the man known to pro-wrestling fans as MVP was known to corrections officers at a series of South Florida correctional institutions as Alvin Burke, Jr., just another guy with an aptitude for wrong. Wrong place. Wrong time. Wrong choices.
One, Darryl Davis, who moonlighted as a wrestler on the local indie circuit, saw something more: the physique and attitude that could bring Burke success (or at least a better outlet for his aggressions) inside the squared circle. He offered to train Burke for free, if he kept his nose clean on his next parole.
Burke took to the sport “like a fish to water,” and began competing on the indie circuits as Antonio Banks, using his experience as a bouncer in high-end Miami’ clubs, putting up with whims of million-dollar athletes, to craft his persona. Soon enough, he set his sights on the big leagues — the WWE.
This time, he found himself in the right place, but it was still the wrong time.
“John Laurinaitis, the head booker, said ‘We like you. We just have nothing for you. We’re going back to characters. So come up with a character that we don’t already have that you can do and get back to me.’
Burke just turned up the dial on Antonio Banks.
“It’s a modern phenomenon — the 20 million dollar a year athlete,” he says. “So I was thinking about it — you open up a newspaper or turn on ESPN on any given day, and there’s an athlete who’s done something somewhere. There’d be no shortage of material. And I thought that MVP would be the perfect name for this ueber-athlete — but instead of it being just the most valuable player, I wanted to come up with a very ethnic-sounding name. A very “black” name, if you will. So I came up with the name Montel. And Vontavious was just something I made up, because I was thinking about all these athletes now — LeBron James, Keyshawn Johnson — all these colorful names that black people seem to come up with. Vontavious seemed to be something along those lines.
And thus, Antonio Banks became MVP, earning himself a spot on the WWE roster and a high-profile story line that heralded him as the most coveted free agent in the sports entertainment world.
Displaying a talent for mic work that matched his skills in the ring, MVP quickly become a fan favorite who was matched up against — and mentored by — some of the league’s top talent, from his fiery in-ring debut against Kane to last year’s WrestleMania title bout with the late Chris Benoit.
“I’m very much at home in front of the camera. I know I excel on the mic — that’s something I do exceptionally well,” MVP announces. “And as far as my ring performances, at first I was a little nervous because, you know, I was working with the best of the best in our industry. One of the first people I had to work with was Kane, which is extremely intimidating, but he was the consummate professional and really nurturing and taught me an awful lot. I was very fortunate that a lot of the veterans who I wasn’t even necessarily working with still took an interest in me and took me under their wing, and everybody was very helpful in my education.”
Chief among them, his doomed WrestleMania rival Chris Benoit, whose influence he discusses without hesitation.
“First things first: Chris Benoit was my favorite wrestler. As far as an in-ring performer goes, there was none better. You may have a very, very select few that may have been as good — but there were none better. And I was very fortunate that, even before I got signed with the WWE, he and I became friends and he took an active interest in my career. So when I found out that he and I were going to be in a feud, and it would ultimately take us to WrestleMania, I have to tell you, I was in absolute awe. It was surreal. I mean, people ask me if I was nervous or if I was uptight — and there may have been a couple times earlier in the day that I was a little nervous. But by the time it was actually showtime, it was too surreal for me to be nervous. It was almost dreamlike … it was out-of-body.
“And now, when I go back and watch it, sadly, it was one of the highlights of my career that because of his tragic ending was … kind of erased.”
For the first time during our talk, MVP finds himself without words. He pauses for a minute, clears his throat and continues.
“Speaking about Chris directly, he touched everyone in the locker room in a positive way. And the young guys whom he influenced, he influenced very positively. He recognized the guys that had that intense, heartfelt passion for our industry.
“You know, our fans are smart. And they know garbage when they see it. And they know the guys who are dedicated. I think that’s why he was so beloved by the fans — because they knew he went out there and gave his heart and soul every night. That’s something that I do anyway because I think that if you buy a ticket to the show, you deserve to get your money’s worth. But there was just something about him and working with him that makes me want to go above and beyond every time I lace up my boots. He would call you to task if you weren’t up to point. And every time I lace up my boots, I do my best to leave it all in the ring.
“All the positive parts of his existence will live on in me because he instilled certain behaviors and qualities and habits in me that are part of who I am now.”
Who he is now is Montel Vontavious Porter, WWE Superstar, and a happy man, he says, for the first time in his life.
“It’s funny, my brother was telling me the other day that he remembers years ago when I was bouncing and was working in the nightclubs how miserable I was. I was a miserable person (he chuckles). It was tough to spend any time around me because I was always so bitter. It’s wrestling. And not just wrestling — I wanted to wrestle here. And my brother said, ‘Man, it’s good to see you happy.’ As a matter of fact one of the owners of the clubs I used to work at, I ran into him and he said, ‘It’s good to see you breathing.’ And I know exactly what he meant. For the first time in my life I am happy. I am truly happy.”