Get out your fork and dig into our stories about the one and only Abdullah the Butcher!

ABDULLAH THE BUTCHER STORIES

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Memories
I can’t say anything but good about Abdullah the Butcher. He
worked for me here and I never had an empty house while he was
with me. I wrestled him myself several times and on the coldest
day of the year, I had them lined up 17th Avenue trying to get into
the building. And the place was jammed, you couldn’t put threetimes
the people into the building. I never ever saw him in an
empty house. He and Archie ‘The Stomper’ [Gouldie] had some
great matches. They were both jealous of each other too. Archie
didn’t have anything good to say about Abdullah and Abdullah,
he’d make out that he couldn’t remember Archie’s name. He’d say
‘What’s his name? Thing, thing. You know what I mean.’ Archie’d
calmly refer to Abdullah as ‘the black bastard’ or something like
that. They weren’t really in love with each other and yet every time
they came together, the people were turned away. Archive and
Abdullah went home with a good, full wallet too.
Stu Hart from a Nov. 1997 interview with SLAM! Wrestling

Of course, Abdullah was pretty much a terror throughout the
wrestling world, but by the time I saw him in the Georgia area in
the late eighties, he had pretty much mellowed out.
My memory of Abdullah comes not from wrestling, but from a
lame martial arts movie he was in. I don’t remember the name or
who else was in it. All I remember was the bad dubbing, especially
in the case of Abdullah, whose shrieking, climatic line was,
“LEAVE THEM TO ME!!! THE BLACK RETAINER!!! LEAVE THEM
TO ME!!! This was mere moments before he was brutally killed by
a gang of hoodlums or renegade Shaolins, I don’t remember.
Why that line has stayed with me, I’ll never know.
Gary Williams

Abdullah wrestled for Stampede Wrestling several times. During a
match in the late 1960’s (I was in high school at the time),
Abdullah had just forked and bloodied another victim. As he
headed back to the dressing room, I gobbed on him from above
the archway leading to the dressing room. He stopped, looked up
and gave me the stare of death! Then he motioned like he was
going to come into the stands after me. I had nightmares for
months after!
John Campbell

The first time I saw Abdullah, I was in awe. It was in Hull, Quebec
in 1985 where he took on Bruiser Brody. What can I say, he came
out into the crowd, he shoved me off my chair and used it on
Brody. What a night!!!!!
Felix Vlacic

My brother and I met Abdullah at his soul food eatery in Atlanta,
GA earlier this year. We had the pleasure of sitting and talking
with “The Butcher”, and he even took the time out to pose for a
few pictures with us. A few things stands out about that visit… # 1)
5/27/2020 SLAM! Sports – Wrestling – Abdullah the Butcher
slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/Bios/abdullah.html 3/19
He speaks English, #2) He is very down to earth #3) He is very
intelligent. Fans were ensured a bloody battle whenever this man
stepped into the ring. He is truly the toughest man ever to enter
the squared circle.
Peter Edmonds

Truly the most fearsome animal in wrestling history. His size,
coupled with his use of sharp foreign objects and the look of
Satan himself made him intimidating. I remember back in 1969
being a kid of 10 years old when I came within 2 feet of ATB. His
eyes were truly frightening and the deep scars all over his head
made him seem sort of like Frankenstein to me. This man was
truly a giant who had a lethal elbow drop and many wicked tactics
in his arsenal. Too many of my favorite wrestlers of the time shed
gallons of blood fighting him.
Finally I must say that his name is still mentioned in my house
whenever my mother visits. She looks down at my rather large
beer belly and simply says, ” Hello Abdullah! “.
Van Wilson

Abdullah the Butcher. I remember him in WCW, when he was
wrestling with Mick Foley (Cactus Jack). I remember that bamboo
pole.
I also remember seeing him in the “chair” and getting “shocked”
at a Halloween Havoc PPV. Whenever he’s wrestling, the other
wrestlers expect to see blood on them, no matter what. He’s one
sick and sadistic puppy–and I like that ! He’s a wrestler in the
same insane tradition as Mick Foley, Chris Benoit, Kevin Sullivan,
and Sabu !
F’in NUTS, man !
kevin, kevosh

I come to known Abdullah wrestling in Puerto Rico during the late
70″s and early 80’s. The classic matches in Puerto Rico was
always Carlos Colon vs Abdullah. These two guys would fight all
over the stadium picking up anything they laid their hands on. The
greatest battle was the barb wire matches, Most of Abdullah’s
scars came from these matches in Puerto Rico and I’m glad to say
that I was there to see them all.
Gonzo, Brooklyn, New York

One of the first matches I ever watched was a Cactus Jack/
Abdullah the Butcher matches during one of WCW’s house shows
that eventually led to the brutal, classic death match between
these two legends at Halloween Havok! I still remember the
shrieks! The screams! The Blood! I am not one who glorifies
bloody matches, but somehow, with the Butcher and Cactus Jack,
it just seemed right! I miss seeing him in the ring. I would love to
see him lock up with the likes of Vader, the Undertaker, the Giant,
or even my hero, Bret Hart. The Butcher is one of the reasons I
am a wrestling fan today, and I am glad to see him receiving some
honor for the influence he had on this great sport.
Jason Gibson, Maryville, Tennessee

It was a few years ago when Jacques Roougeau promoted a few
cards at the Verdun Auditorium. That was the first indy card that I
attended and it made me truly realize that wrestling doesn’t
always start with the WWF. He was wrestling Richard Charland
and they just went at it, tooth and nail. I was just shocked to see
the guy that was in WCW for a bit in a small town like Verdun. The
same guy that was charred with flames like a hamburger patty at
Burger King. The guy whose forehead looked more and more like
a map. The guy that just doesn’t seem to ever go away. But I will
say this about Abby: He made bleeding to death look like fun. Too
bad ECW wasn’t around in his heyday.
Clifford D.Pine

I saw Abdullah for the first time in person at an independent
wrestling card in Humble, TX. He was scheduled to wrestle a local
wrestler named Humongous and I wasn’t sure what to expect from
Abdullah when he stepped in the ring with this young kid. I
shouldn’t have worried. Abdullah started things off by snatching
the cane away from his manager of the evening and pounding the
poor idiot repeatedly over the head with it. When the action finally
made it to within the confine of the squared circle it was only a
matter of moments before Abby produced his trademark foreign
object and opened up his opponent’s forehead. From then on out
it was total mayhem. At one point the action spilled out of the ring
never to return and I climbed on a chair to get a better look.
Abby’s bloodied foe chose that exact moment to break a plastic
snack bar tray over the Butchers head—sending a plastic shard
within inches of my face! Needless to say I got off that chair
pronto! I’ll never forget that night of destruction at the Humble
Bingo Hall and I still count the days when the infamous Butcher
will hopefully make his return.
Michael Mensik

Seeing Abdullah The Butcher was better than any PPV show. I
saw him about 50 times in Puerto Rico and he had bloody
matches against Carlos Colón, enough blood to bring a lot of pints
for the Red Cross.
Abby came here for the first time in 1974 or 1975, but he has
already a feud with Colon in Canada, then known as Carlos
Belafonte. Later in the 80’s, before the Bruiser Brody incident, he
had blood fest with Brody in lot of towns in Puerto Rico.
He also had bloodiest matches against Invader 1 (Jose
Gonzelez), Chicky Starr, Bronco, Ric Flair and Dory Funk Jr.
If you want to see something better that a WCW, WWF or ECW
PPV, just watch an Abdullah The Butcher video.
Manuel Gonzelez

I remember watching Abdullah the Butcher on World Class
Championship Wrestling when I was real little, in the late 80’s I
guess. He always had something with which he bloodied his
opponents. In a cage match, Fritz Von Erich was the special
referee, and after Abdullah attacked his opponent with the
weapon, Fritz confiscated it. In their struggle, Adbullah attacked
Fritz with the weapon. Fritz responded by taking the weapon and
bludgeoning Abdullah himself with it! What memories…
Adam Boyette

My favorite memory of Abdullah the Butcher was during an
N.W.A. tv taping i believe in the early 80’s. Abdullah ran into the
ring from the dressing room and proceeded to carve up Wahoo
McDaniel’s forehead with a fork. Numerous wrestlers tried to
come to the aide of Wahoo, but the Butcher was not to be
stopped.
Paul Brown

I remember Abdullah for his classic battles with Dino Bravo in
Japan and the Sudan. Abdullah was the first man I had ever seen,
who made Dino bleed !!! Here’s to ten great years more.
Daniel Slengerich, Denmark

The best moment that had to deal with Abdullah the Butcher
came in 91 when he was in one of Lex Luger’s gift boxes that
attacked Sting. I remember Starrcade 91 when Abdullah & Sting
were partners at the lethal lottery. Abdullah’s target wasn’t Bobby
Eaton or Brian Pillman in this match. It was Sting. He constantly
attacked Sting at every chance, even jabbing a pencil in Sting’s
throat! Sting & Abdullah went to Battlebowl when Sting pinned
Bobby Eaton.
The Ritter’s

I saw Abdullah ‘the Butcher’ at my one and only visit to
Stampede Wrestling in 1969, there it was Stu Hart and ‘Abby’… I
don’t remember a fork…but I do remember pepper being dumped
in Stu’s eyes.
Then ‘almost recently on an episode of TSN’s Pro-Wrestling
Plus, ‘Wailin’ Ed'(we should include him in the Wrestling Hall of
Fame) intro’ed a fight in Puerto Rico… there was a very *rotund*
Butcher… and all of a sudden the memories roared back…
Ralph Barczewska in Calgary

I was lucky enough to see Abdullah the Butcher wrestle twice,
both times in tag team action at the Brendan Byrne Arena (since
renamed the Continental Airlines Arena) in New Jersey. The first
match saw ATB teaming with Norman the Lunatic against Kevin
Sullivan and Cactus Jack. Upon alighting from the locker room
tunnel, Abby immediately flew into insanity mode, overturning the
timekeeper’s table and utilizing it, the ring microphone, and even
the bell, as weaponry! He and Norman proved victorious, by the
way. The second time he was teaming with Cactus Jack, against
Van Hammer and El Gigante–and I’m proud to say my young
daughter was with me watching the legendary Abdullah again
carve and kendo-stick his way to a win.
Steve Caratzas, Brooklyn, New York

I have been fortunate enough to meet and talk to some of the
greats in wrestling. However, no memory can compare to meeting
“The Wild Man from the Sudan”. I was 10 at the time and living in
South Dakota. The man event featured The Butcher vs. Voodoo
Mulumba. I had been blown off by some faces and was feeling
really angry that these heroes would treat me so badly. But then I
saw this huge scary black man come out of the dressing room. It
was HIM. I had seen his exploits on TV and had untold pictures of
the carnage he had left in his wake from the wrestling magazines I
collected then. I gathered up my courage (my friend Troy was too
chicken to get anywhere near him) and went up to try to talk with
this hulking behemoth. To my surprise he DID speak English and
treated me with respect and kindness. He didn’t talk down to me
and treated me like an adult. After a few minutes of conversation,
he told me he had to get ready and went back to the dressing
room. When his match finally started, I was the only one in the
building cheering for the Butcher.
Spankee

I was lucky enough to see Abdullah wrestle many times. I
remember one time in the Saskatoon Arena he was wrestling
Carlos Belafonte. He came out early to confront Gino somebody
or other and Carlos came to the rescue.
Carlos gave chase to Abby thru the rink and one of the plywood
boards covering the ice moved and Abdullah went for an
unscripted ride on the ice.
Well Carlos and Abdullah looked at each other and seemed to
say “what next”, so Belafonte threw a punch and Abdullah left. I
was lucky to be in a position to see the smile on both their faces
before they recovered. I think I was 11 at the time but that moment
has always stuck with me as my favorite wrestling memory.
Jeff Swick

I remember seeing Abdullah the Butcher in old repeats of WCCW
and while he was wrestling for NWA and WCW. The best
memories I have of Abdullah is when he wrestled for an Indy
promotion here in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He wrestled for the
now defunct CCW (Colorado Championship Wrestling) against
Eric Embry. Eric was bleeding from the forehead and hand from
the fork shots from Abdullah. Eric grabbed the hammer from bell
keeper and used the claw on Abdullah head. They both spouted
blood like fountains and after 10 minutes of blood and mayhem it
ended up in a double DQ. Other wrestlers came down to break
the two up but they were met with fists, elbows and a fork. Pat
Tanaka met the heavy elbow of Abdullah and picked himself up off
of the floor with blood running from his mouth. After the matches
were over, I waited to meet the wrestlers and remember seeing
Abdullah standing at the door with a towel wrapped around his
head. I asked him for an autograph and he just walked past me to
get into the van completely staying in character.
Rodney

I have never seen Abdullah in person, but I have seen him on TV
when he was in the NWA/WCW. I remember the present to Sting
angle. I also have his action figure from when he wrestled Carlos
Colon in the AWA. I just want to say I hope I get to see him
wrestle someday live. I live in Indiana and we don’t get too much
“real” action up here. But Abdullah is one of my all-time favorites!
So I just wanted to say, I hope I see more of Abdullah on TV in the
future, and that he is the all time legend of “Hardcore.”
Thanks, BJ

I have been involved in “the business,” in one role or another,
since 1961. Presently, I am a referee working the independents in
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and elsewhere.
I had often seen Abby on cards working for different promotions.
However, and I say this breathing a distinct sigh of relief, I was
never assigned one of his bloodbaths. One fateful night – in
Bordentown, New Jersey at The Armory – my luck ran out. To
make the probability of disaster more predictable, Abby opponent
for the “death match” was The Raging Bull Manny Fernandez.
This was a wrestling fan’s dream. These two guys defined
“Extreme” years before Paul Heyman was conceived. I bear an
indelible scar over my right eye where Manny busted me open
with a steel chair. Manny and Abby took it all over The Armory.
The many soldiers and airmen from the surrounding military
installations were flabbergasted at the non-stop savagery. Abby
famous five-pronged fork was sharpened for carving duty.
After about twenty minutes of sheer mayhem, Abby took Manny
onto the arena floor. Being the dutiful referee, I followed in hot
pursuit only to be clotheslined by Abby and then unceremoniously
tossed into the ringside chairs. Hell, it cost me a brand new
referee’s shirt that got torn – not to mention a bruised collarbone
and sprained ankle. I shall always cherish the experience!
FRED RICHARDS

One night in Greensboro, Abdullah faced Wahoo McDaniel. It
must have been bad because a fan wrote a letter to the editor of
the Greensboro Daily News complaining about their treatment at a
local hospital. They had called the hospital to inquire about
Wahoo’s condition after the match. The fans were angry because
the hospital would not acknowledge that Wahoo was there. Now
that is good work.
Hank Ingram

I remember that stare from watching him on TV as a child and
when I saw he ran a restaurant in Atlanta, me and my friend left
from Baltimore to try and meet the Butcher. We were not
disappointed! Not only were the ribs and hot wings great, we got
to meet Abdullah. You will have a hard time trying to find a nicer
person. We talked for a while and took some photos. He evan put
me in a headlock! Wow!
Tom

The Butcher was one of the scariest men of the seventies. His
wild eyes and size were enough to make you pee your pants. I
first saw him wrestle on a World Wrestling Council show in Puerto
Rico. He wrestled Bruiser Brody. They didn’t even get in the ring.
There was nothing but chairs flying and each man choking the
other with fire in their eyes. I then saw him wrestle Carlos Colon
for the North American Belt which, I think, Abdullah held. It was a
mess. Colon did well but it ended with a blood bath. People say
Mick Foley or the Junk Yard Dog are the kings of hardcore but the
Butcher rules. When I think of wrestling of the seventies and
eighties I think of men like Wrestling II, Ric Flair, The Masked
Superstar, Jerry Lawler and the king Abdullah the Butcher.
Stacey Ruckle

If Abdullah the Butcher had a good manager in Quebec, it was
the late Eddy “the Brain” Creatchman. I saw most of his fights at
the former Paul-Sauvé Arena and blood was the main thing at his
fights. However, Creatchman was proud of his protégé, his “Beau
gros noir”… and used him each time he was tired of seeing one
wrestler dominating all the crowd, mostly the likes of the late Dino
Bravo….
Claude Leduc, Montréal, Qc

I remember his Hardcore match in ECW. It was just about as
Violent as the Axl\Ian Rotten Baseball bat on a pole match or
worse(The one were Ian put the bat in Axl’s head). The match was
with the Sandman and I was there to see it!!
My god it was Violent!!
I think it is obvious that wrestling is fake, but they threw the rule
book out. It lasted a good 30 minutes!! The match was stopped
because they both were knocked out from bleeding. I could`nt see
any part of the ring that was not stained with blood!! After approx
10 tables, 5 canes, 6 garbage cans, 4 chairs, and 3 21×4 inch tv
screens were broken, the police wanted to brake it up. Sandman
chaired 4 of the police men down, and Abdullah belly to bellied 3
at a time!!!
The crowd was electrified!!! Then, Sandman got an exploding
thumbtack bed and hit it over Abdullah’s head!! Abdullah did not
get up. Sandman then got some explosives in his face and was
knocked out!!! They were caried out in stretchers as the crowd
chanted ECW ECW ECW!!!
Susan Perez

I remember Abby from the 70’s, and his really bloody feuds with
the Rougeau’s in Montreal. He could generate so much heat
without saying a word! No theme song, no fancy costume.
Mark Nixon, Un montrealais living in Denmark
I have been a wrestling fan since the age of eight. And one of the
biggest reason i felt in love with wrestling if not the biggest reason
was Abdulah. I have seen more than 15 Carlos Colon vs.
Abdullah the Butcher matches, I mean, there is no doubt that Mike
Foley is great, But Carlos Colon and Abdullah the butcher
matches are perhaps Hall a fame material. If you mention the
name of Abdullah the Butcher in Puerto Rico, it will be like
mentioning the name of Roberto Clemente. Everybody just knows
who he is…. Thanks for the memories
Larry…

 

It was on a Thursday night in the spring of 1976 when a carload
of us high school boys went to the famed Bryan Street Gym in
Douglas Georgia to see a super wrestling card featuring our
favorite, “The American Dream Dusty Rhodes” taking on the
wildman from the Sudan “Abdullah the Butcher”! Although I had
never seen it done before, the promoter gave all ringside seat
holders a box of barbequed ribs from KFC, compliments of Dusty
Rhodes, as we were told. It was our first time seeing “Doolah” as
we called him, although we had seen the “Dream” on numerous
occasions. Just as Dusty was about to lay some heavy words of
wisdom on the packed house crowd, Doolah came from nowhere
and attacked Dusty from the rear. That’s when all hell broke loose.
In short order, Doolah had Dusty in a serious headlock when he
placed his foot up on the bottom turnbuckle and reached into the
top of those “curled toe boots” and retrieved a nineteen cent bic
ink pen and started poking Dusty in the forehead. We were sitting
close by at ringside and could actually see three puncture holes in
Dusty’s forehead. Needless to say Big Dust bled like a stuck hog
all over the place. The match spilled out into the audience and all
over the big gym. It turned into chaos as people were running over
each other and knocking over chairs and such to get out of the
way of two of the hottest wrestlers of the day. One lady sitting near
us passed out right on the floor and was taken away by
ambulance. We later found out that the lady died of a heart attack
right on that gym floor. I don’t believe many left that gym
disappointed that night because Dusty and Doolah fought and
bled all over the place like madmen…and all of us at ringside got a
box of ribs too!
Canefan

I had the misfortune of being an on-deck referee for an Abdullah
the Butcher bloodfest. He was wrestling The Mauler, and carving
him up like a turkey on Thanksgiving. The referee was Steve Hall
and tried to play hero and take Abby’s pencil away from him. Well,
Hall wanted it, and he got it! About seven times in the forehead to
be exact. So my promoter sent me out there to DQ Abby, and as I
ran to the ring, I was greeted with a steel chair to the head, and
one across the back. Five stitches later, I realized just how lucky I
was. I got tattooed by the Butcher!
Scott DeMarc

I was doing some ring photography for a promotion run by
Jacques Rougeau. Backstage, I chatted with mellow Abdullah. I
was at ringside only to see him transform into a psychotic wrestler.
He shoved and pushed anyone and everyone out of his way. Mind
you, he was bleeding so much, you would be smart to move. In
the VIP section, there were many women and children but
Abdullah still plowed through them unconcerned. After the match,
I spoke to him again backstage and he was calm & mellow again.
I said, “boy, the promoter sure gets their money’s worth with you!”
He laughed and told me it’s the only way he knows how to wrestle.
The towel soaking on his head was red from all the blood. A half
hour later, he cleaned himself with water and the bleeding
stopped. How routine this must be for Abby.
Harris Black

I was 5 or 6 years old the first time I saw Abdullah the butcher
wrestle. I’m 24 now and I’m still having nightmares-seriously!
Abdullah is still the reigning King Of Hardcore 4 Life!
dagobblah
The first live wrestling card I ever saw was a World Wrestling
Council event. It was held in Ponce, Puerto Rico, in 1981 or 82.
The Main Event that night was Abdullah The Butcher vs. Bruiser
Brody. That single match changed my life. I was five or six years
old at the time, so when I saw Abdullah use a fork on Brody’s
forehead, I was hooked. They used chairs, tables, anything you
can think of. They had to stop the match due to severe bleeding
by Brody. And after same, Abdullah did not stop punishing Brody.
Carlos Colon came out, and he too got some from The Butcher.
Anyways, from that day on I became a Hardcore fan. Dont let
anybody fool you. Cactus Jack is not hardcore enough, Sabu is
not hardcore enough, nor Hak, nor Bam Bam. Abdullah The
Butcher Is Hardcore. Just ask Terry Funk.
OSCAR GONZALEZ

Ever since 1964 I have been following “The Mad Man From
Sudan”. And I would have to say no one in the sport can compare
to the legendary Abdullah. He has took on almost every big name
wrestler from 1958-99 { Dusty Rhodes, Andre The Giant, Ric Flair,
Bruno Sammartino, Harley Race, Hulk Hogan, Carlos Colon,
Bruiser Brody, The Shiek, Terry Funk…} and either bear him or
gave them reoccurring nightmares. Abby holds the world wrestling
record for most injuries given and still adds numbers to it today!!
The man is indeed a top legend in the sport and I’m glad he is
now getting the credit he deserves. He has toured the world and
wrestled in almost every fed. over his 42 year career and unlike
most wrestlers his age is still in there with the greats!
Abdullah The Butcher a true legend.
Augusto Branco NPR Florida
Abby is the greatest big man I have ever seen but I still like him
(and his scars)
Mreo316

I remember when at Halloween Havoc Abdullah, Cactus Jack,
and the Diamond Stud lost thanks to Rick Steiner when he put
Abdullah in the chair of doom and Cactus pulled the lever to allow
Scott and Ric Stiener ,Sting and ??? to win
Tuda
The funniest thing I have ever seen in pro wrestling was an
interview Abdullah the Butcher did in the early eighties,(I
think).After doing his regular wide-eyed stare,he decides to eat
Ken Resnick’s tie. I peed my pants!
G.T.

I was in Montreal in 1984, when Abdullah was brought into the
International Wrestling circuit. The angle was that Abdullah had
been brought in by Eddy “the Brain” Creachman to destroy the
Rougeau family. One night in the Paul Sauve Arena, Abdullah
absolutely mauled Jacques Rougeau with the fork, chairs, canes,
television cables and anything else close at hand. The fans were
insane with rage, and then Jos LeDuc came down to the ring to
aid Abdullah. The two of them worked over Rougeau until the fans
finally snapped, and pelted the villains with a hail of folding chairs.
Amidst the building riot, Abdullah was talking to the ringsiders in a
mock French accent, which made them even more incensed. It
took about twenty police officers to get the two back to the
dressing room. To avoid a riot, the promoter had to send Rougeau
back out to ringside later on in the card to show he was fine. It
was chaos, and Abdullah seemed to enjoy it!
Ken Kirkwood

I count myself among the very lucky ones – lucky because I was
fortunate enough to see Abby and Bruiser (in one of Bruiser’s last
state-side matches) – in August 1986 at the Erie County Fair, just
outside of Buffalo, NY. Headlining the card were two (NWF) title
matches – Sgt. Slaughter vs Sheik El Shad and Wendie Richter vs
Heidi Lee Morgan. But it was Abby and Bruiser who stole the
show. I was covering the event for my college paper and was up
in the pressbox when I saw Abby come in – walking up the stairs
to the locker room, bags in hand with a grin on his face to match
his girth.
The match itself was one of the best I’ve seen in my 25+yrs of
watching wrestling. The two of them took it out into the stands
(causing one elderly lady to actually faint). They broke tables,
chairs, and anything else that got in their way or was within reach.
Needless to say, both of them were extremely bloody by the end –
and I was lucky enough to get some absolutely prime photos of
both of them. Afterwards, they were joking about everything in the
showers/locker room. Unfortunately, Abby left early and I wasn’t
able to interview him, but I was able to get a few words with
Bruiser – who was just the nicest, soft-spoken guy you could ever
meet. He was all upset that he couldn’t talk with me more, but he
was catching a ride to the next two with Jules Strongbow (and
Jules was in a hurry to leave).
All the glitter, glam, and flash of the big stadium shows of the
WWF/WCW still haven’t been able to match the sheer fun I had
that evening. I don’t know that anyone puts on shows like that
anymore – it’s a shame.
Adam G. Alsop

My husband was stationed at Warner Robbins Air Force Base in
1974 and I taught kindergarten at Thomas Elementary School.
Our most favorite thing to do in those days were to attend
wrestling matches at the Macon Coliseum and the Atlanta Omni.
We were absolutely enthralled with wrestlers like Mr. Wrestling
No. 2, Bob Armstrong, Rocky Johnson, Ricky Gibson and the king
Abdullah the Butcher. I remember his clips on the interviews with
Vince McMahon and how he would eat raw liver and raw fish.
Unbelievable! I’ll never forget when we drove to Columbus.
Georgia to see him wrestle Chris Taylor, the Olympic Champ and
how he attacked the referee and bit his eye. There was blood
everywhere. Still and all I knew that “Abduli”, my pet name for him,
had to be a nice person when he wasn’t “Putting on a Show” in
the ring. I never had the opportunity to meet him personally, but
we are returning to Georgia for our 25th wedding anniversary and
we hope to get to see him at his rib house in Atlanta. My dream
would come true if I could get a hug from my favorite wrestler
“Abduli”. I’ll keep my fingers crossed and if I do I’ll try to scan in
the photo to your website. Abdullah will live forever in my heart
and in our memories as making our year in Georgia the most
enjoyable one ever. Thanks Adullah for all the good times.
Nancy and Allen Munsell, Witt, Illinois

I was fortunate enough to be a part of James L. Hines’ “Big Time
Wrestling” promotions in Ohio from 1993 thru 1995. During this
time, Mr. Hines brought in Abby several times to headline his
shows in small southern Ohio towns. However, nothing could
compare to the time Hacksaw Jim Duggan faced Abby in
Circleville, Ohio at the Pickaway County Fairgrounds Coliseum on
February 12, 1994. The place was packed which made the
situation very frightening. One of my many duties was being part
of security. Needless to say, we really had our hands full as both
took their war out into the Coliseum and into the crowd. People
were either trying to follow them and watch them as they used
everything on each other. Kids and women were nearly trampled
under by them as they went from one end of the building to the
other. Finally, after about twenty minutes of non-stop violence,
Abby trotted back to the “villain” dressing room. Hacksaw ran
down the runway to the dressing room and tried everything to bust
the door down. He finally gave up and stormed into the “hero” side
and slammed the door shut so hard it broke the door!
Needless to say, my 45 minute long drive back to Columbus,
Ohio that night was very slow as my nerves were still bad from
what I had just witnessed.
Johnny Davis

Well I think I am the only one so far to mention Abdullah in
Australia.
And what illustrious company.
Abdullah, Waldo Von Erich, The Great Tojo and I think Don Fargo
were the bad guys managed by Big Bad John. These guys fought
the team of Mark Lewin, King Curtis, Spiros Arion and Shiek Wadi
Ayoub. Throw in Cyclon Negro and Killer Karl Kox and Bulldog
Brower and what a mix!
Abdullah was legendary for his axe and elbow smash and could
throw a good kick.
23 stone and from Sudan, what memories. Killer Karl Kox
brainbusted Brower and Brute Bernard but gee I don’t think you
could do it to Abdullah.
My only regret is not seeing Abdullah fight Mankind (or Cactus
Jack) and the other matches (hardcore)
Thanks for the memories Abdullah….
Mike Lanzing

I was umpiring winter baseball in Puerto Rico when I met Abby. I
was watching his match in the dugout of the Grand Bithron
stadium in San Juan. Abby was working with Carlos Colon, and
the action eventually filtered from the ring to the infield to the
dugout. As he smashed Carlos into the dugout wall, uttering
Abudda, abudda, abudda, he suddenly turned to me and said,
“This is a hell of a way to make a living. abudda, abudda.”
Larry Young, American League umpire

Saw Abby at an indy show at Reading Municipal Stadium,
Reading, Pa vs. Frank Brody in 1987. Somehow these 2
knuckleheads got hold of a vendors, stainless steel wash basin
they used to keep ice in. Needless to say, it was used with
emphasis.
The ring that night was over the pitchers mound with available
seating covering the rest of the infield. Well, Abby and Bruiser
should have put on uniforms and suited up for the Reading
Phillies. They spent most of their evening in left field screeching
blood curdling murder.
About the wash basin? I found it later on that night in the umpires
locker room, dented on every spot, and of course, covered in
blood.
Del Mintz, PR Director, Reading Phillies,1987

Abby, I watch all the matches and I love it especially with my
father the Invader-1. Well I like to see make another come back,
thanks for the memories..
Then invader-4, edwin_mejias

My memories of ATB are grizzly….and vivid, as we all have
watched Texas wrestling in the 1980s. I have worked with men
who have wrestled the Butcher, and the response is the same to
the question: what’s it like wrestling ATB. They all say “hell.”
Wildside Johnny

Without a doubt, Abdullah is a legend in Puerto Rico. One time
on the WWC TV show, “El Munecazo” Hugo Savinovich was doing
an interview with Abdullah and the “Mad Man” killed a chicken
with his teeth and his bare hands in front of the audience, and
then stabbed himself on the forehead with a sharp stick he used
as well as the fork and the thumb to the throat. Imagine what
Carlo Colon wen through in that match!!
Efren Berrios

In the late 80’s when International wrestling was doing the
Northern Ontario, I looked forward to seeing Abbie tear apart
Steve Strong (Steve DiSalvo) throughout the Sudbury Arena.
Through ringside up into the cheapseats people were getting as
far away from the fighting duo as possible. Blood was flying and
the arena was going nuts. A funny note, when Abbie arrived, he
was in the the smallest compact car possible. When he got out the
cars springs rose almost a foot. A small boy approached him with
pen and paper in hand looking for an autograph. Abbie,well
dressed (shirt and dress pants) patted the kid on the head, broke
his pencil and ripped the paper. I still laugh when I think of it.
Abbdullah for Prime Minister!
TERRY FIELDING, SUDBURY

I remember Abdullah the Butcher immensely! I had a picture of
him that said BLOOD BATH! He was fighting Carlos Colon and
there was an actual fork stuck in Colon’s head I will never forget
watching those matches in high school.
Abdullah the Butcher is one of the reasons I still watch Wrestling
now-a-days,but as soap operie as it is today, back then it was all
vicious and mean Abdullah going haywire
He literally scared the hell out of me in high school. Probably the
most underrated pro wrestlerof all time because of his weight and
his dirty tricks with that demented fork of his!
OUCH!
Domenic Vitanza

I remember watching Abby during a stint in the Southwest. He
was fighting Scott Casey (The more apt description would be
maiming Casey). Abdullah had blood pouring from Casey for just
about the entire match. Terry Funk(Fresh after losing the NWA
world title) tried to make the save, but Abdullah pulled out his
trademark fork and carved up Funk’s head.it was my sickest
memory of him.
Pat,Brooklyn N.Y.

I was working as a civil servant in Montreal, one day Abdullah
came in, my partner working with me asked what happened to you
referring to scars on his head. Abdullah answered stick to
business. That is exactly what he did, a very imposing man, a
great wrestler have always enjoyed his matches.
John O’Halloran, Montreal

I’ve been watching wrasslin’ a long time. I’ve seen the hi lite of
pics of the Abby “bloodbaths”. none of them compare to the
carnage that went on between Abby and “the Shiek” in Detroit at
Cobo arena during, I believe it was the mid to late 70’s. I saw
Abby stick the better part of a #2 ticondaroga pencil so far into the
Sheik’s forehead only the eraser was left. Whether it was pencils,
or his famous fork, these two would use anything they could get
their hands on, (or into their tights, or boots) to be as evil on each
other as possible.
boomer1

i remember in 1984 when i attended a house show that included
a match with Abby against Carlos Colon in Atlanta,GA. This one
was a BLOODBATH! One spot was where Abby hurled a steel
chair at Carlos, but he ducked and it came about 3 inches from
hitting my face! I still get nightmares! Another spot was where
Abby took his fork out of his pants (still brawling in crowd) busted
Colon wide open, and bathed in his blood with a devilish half-grin
on his face. the people around me, including my brother, groaned
in disgust, while I sat silently with a spark in my eye. This
experience was nothing short of incredible!
Timothy Dineen

Here’s another one from Australia.
The Abdullah the Butcher legend lives on in the Olympic City! I
remember ATB as a teenager in the early 1970s and he had quite
a cult following downunder. I went to an all-Boys High School and
can vividly recall my peers executing the ATB elbow smash on
some poor unsuspecting fool. Recently I had my 20-year reunion
and you guessed it – we spent most of the night reminiscing about
wrestling – King Kurtis, Mark Lewin, Spiros Arion – gone but not
forgotten. All the best Abby, thanks for the memories.
Alan W.

This past April 14, Abdullah the Butcher headlined a card down
here in the Dallas area for the NWA Southwest “Parade of
Champions.” His opponent was the NWA Texas Hardcore
Champion, the Necro Butcher, and the match was aptly dubbed,
the “Battle of the Butchers” and believe me it lived up to its name.
The match was into the crowd and concession stand shortly after
the bell, as Abdullah went absolutely BERSERK!!! He broke a
mop over Necro Butcher’s shoulder, and then shattered a glass
coffee pot over his head!!! When the two returned to ringside,
Abby broke a beer bottle on the post and used it to stab his
opponent in the forehead–OUCH! When Abby returned to the
ring, Necro Butcher’s blood was actually POURING from several
wounds on his forehead, covering himself and the ringside area.
The match didn’t last terribly long, as both men, especially Necro
bled profusely. After Abby won the match and his second NWA
Texas Hardcore (formerly Brass Knucks) title, the two battled
down the aisle and into the entrance tunnel, knocking over a wall
and setting off the fire alarm!! Fire trucks and ambulances came
racing to the scene, and Abdullah was stripped of his title,
because the promoter claimed that if he caused that much
damage to win the title, he definitely doesn’t want him defending it
in their arena!
JOEY

Nothing will top this one. Nothing. After a bloody match during the
WWC Anniversary tour 2000 shows, Abby called for the crowd to
join him while he danced to James Brown’s Living in America. It’s
unbelievable the love the fans in Puerto Rico have for him. If I
wasn’t there taking photos, and didn’t have a home video of it to
back it up, I wouldn’t have believed it either. There will never be
another Abdullah the Butcher, in or out of the ring.
riccibard

I have always been interested in Abdullah the Butcher,and I’ve
always wanted to meet him and see one of his hardcore matches.
Its amazing he’s spent over 42 years in this sport and he has no
titles from any major federation. He deserves more than what he
has in my opinion. He has given so much to the sport of
prowrestling isnt it about time he got something out of it? To Larry
Shreeve if you ever read this, I know when a lot of today’s
wrestling fans are asked about you most of them don’t know you
or don’t know very much about you and think you are a nobody,
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well I know different you are a legend and I strongly admire you
and I hope someday you get something out of wrestling that you
deserve. Thank you for your time Abdullah the Butcher fans. and
If you ever read this Abdullah thank you. Thank you for all you
have done
barrylee

Dear Abdullah, After reading all of the messages posted to you
it’s hard to believe that no one has mentioned you throwing fire! I
grew up in Cleveland during the late sixties and early seventies. I
have watched almost 75 percent of every match you have had .
The best wrestling you ever did was when you worked in NWA
Detroit and NWF Cleveland territories. Your weight was about 330
to 350 you wore white karate pants, wrestled barefoot. Wore some
kind of wrist supports that looked like the fire flash came from.
Unlike the Sheik when you threw fire it seemed like the entire ring
lit up, it wasn’t just an opponent’s face and chest, It was the entire
ring. Remember Little Abner Osborne? Anyway most people
reading this wouldn’t have a clue of what I mean. You are a one
man wrecking squad. I have always said if the United States Army
had The Sheik and Abdullah the Butcher in a room with the
enemy who ever they would be. If is was 50 men, 100 men,
whatever they wouldn’t have a chance to last very long. Abdullah I
can’t say about you that hasn’t been said before. But one thing
you will be is remembered.
Sincerely, Richard Fletcher

The only time I got to see Abdullah, was on a TV match during
the old NWA mid-Atlantic days during the Crockett era. It was
either 1985 or 1986 and Abdullah was brought in as an enforcer
by Tully Blanchard against Dusty Rhodes. Dusty ended up with a
“fire-ball” in his eyes.
Baby Doll was Tully’s valet at the time. Anyway, when I tell the
young fans of today about Abdullah, they don’t believe me. If they
onlyknew!
Thanks. Bill Nelson (Leola,PA)

I watched the Heroes of Wrestling PPV. Abdullah was wrestling
the One Man Gang. It was one of the bloodiest matches ever!
Chairs, forks, chains anything you name it. The match was called
off cause of all the mayhem. I’ll never forget it!
greenday008

I’ve had the honour to have gone to sooo many Abby matches
down here in Puerto Rico. I remember in Anniversary 97 when
Abdullah fought Carlos Colon in a retirement match. The match
was a BLOODFEST — they fought right in front of me and my
brother. As a matter a fact I just saw him fight about 2 months ago
in Anniversary 2000 when he danced to some James Brown
music. Abby in my heart is the BLODDIEST WRESTLER TO
EVER STEP INTO THE SQUARED CIRCLE!
Thanx 4 the memories Abby!!!!!!!
Erick Estrada

It was in Sault Ste. Marie and the main event was Abdullah the
Butcher and Dino Bravo it was a match that I will never forget.
They started brawling outside of the ring and they had the ice still
in in the arena and past ringside was roped off and it was just ice.
Abdullah was being chased by Dino Bravo and went onto the ice
with all the fans from ringside following them. Abdullah slipped
and fell on the ice and Dino started giving him shots in the head.
The ice was full of blood they got up and started heading towards
the boards. At the time they were putting new rink boards in and I
saw Abdullah literaly rip a 2×4 off the boards with spikes in it. His
strength was amazing and started swinging it at Dino Bravo. Then
they fought the way back to the dressing rooms where nobody
was allowed to go.
Kevin

About 2-3 weeks ago, I actually got the pleasure of meeting
Abdullah. We were in Atlanta, on our way home from Florida, and
I was reading Mick Foley’s book. I got to a sentence that said that
he had some kind of restaurant in Atlanta, and the irony is that we
were staying in Atlanta that night. Anyway, I told my dad about the
restaurant, and we looked it up in the phone book at the hotel.
Sure enough, it was still there. So I called the restaurant and had
them fax us the menu and a map of how to get there from the
hotel. We went there the next day, and I was astonished at how
amazing the place looked. It had autographed pictures of all the
wrestlers. Anyway, my family ate our meal, and we talked a little
bit afterward, and as we were leaving the buliding, [we hadn’t
seen Abdullah yet] some guy came up and started talking to my
dad. Being deaf, he didn’t hear what the guy was saying. So he
then followed my dad, and all of a sudden, I saw this HUGE guy
yelling at the other guy to get away from my dad. So the other guy
went into the restaurant, and the other one chased him in there.
My brother told me and my dad that it was Abdullah who was
yelling at the guy, and we waited by our car to see if it was really
him. Sure enough, it was, and he then waved to us all, and we left
the parking lot. That’s a memory I’ll keep near my heart forever.
Abdullah’s a very sweet and caring guy, and if you have the
chance, go to the restaurant! It’s worth the trip!
Nikki

Yes, I remember the days when wrestling was good. I mean
GOOD. My first and favorite memories are of the Crockett years of
the NWA. Magnum T.A., Nikita Koloff, the original Horsemen, The
Road Warriors in their prime…and of course, the occasional
appearances of Abdullah The Butcher. I wish I would have been
alive to witness his earlier career (I’m 21 years old), but my love of
the sport has allowed me to catch on the events before my time.
Abdullah is a wrestling legend, one of the pioneering ‘top crowd
drawers’. The brutal matches were the best in those days – no
quarter to your opponents! There was a lot less interferences too.
Ahhh, those years are long gone, gave way to merchandising,
drama, and sell outs. At least no one can take those memories of
the mighty past.
Clint Moistner

I remember when Gary Hart Was Abdula The Butcher’s manager
and David VonErich got the claw on The Butcher’s head and put
him on the mat. When David Von Erich had the claw locked in Von
Erich looked over at Gary Hart and gave him the thumbs down
sign at him.
Bryan T. Spencer

I was born on October 27, 1968. My very first memories of
professional wrestling came 6 years later; somewhere between
Fall of 1974 and Winter of 1975. Before Ted Turner’s WTSG
(Soon to become WTBS and then known as TBS), was a national
station, the residents of 4 border states watched (if they had a
good antenna), “Columbus Championship Wrestling” (and as
always, “Sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance”). This
tremendous area for wrestling was the brainchild of promotor Fred
Ward. Fred Ward’s wrestling vision was revolutionary and was the
precursor to what became Georgia and then National and then
World Championship Wrestling. Fred Ward broadcasted LIVE
wrestling every Saturday for years. I have copies of the programs
that were published to promote the events; dating from 1974 to
1981. Those programs aside, my very first memory of wrestling
involved a feud which involved “Marietta’s Own”, Bob Armstrong
and “The Wildman from Sudan, Abdullah the Butcher”, managed
by Rock Hunter (Any one that remembers Rock Hunter, please email
me at stephen.chew@accu-tech.com.) Regardless, mystery
partners were announced and small towns in the area buzzed with
delight, of the upcoming match. The Columbus Municipal
Auditoreum held the “Match of the Century” long before Dusty
Rhodes & Harley Race Tangoed in Tampa; and before
Greensboro North Carolina ever heard of the World Title changing
hand in a cage match. Division was born. The Butcher and Rock
Hunter enlisted Pak Song. Bob Armstrong had a surprise guest
that did not make his presence known till that night. Ernie “The Big
Cat” Ladd stepped into the ring, and the auditorium crowd went
wild. Armstrong and Ladd were victorious that night, but the feud
lasted several weeks ending in Ladd parting ways with Armstrong.
Ladd parted ways with his usual keen sense of humour and a
Louisville Slugger.
Chew

Abdullah was one of the innovators of hard core wrestling along
with The Sheik. I have a tape of a 1998 match that Abdullah had
with “Beastmaster” Rick Link (it was a NDW show from a
speedway in Concord, NC), and both guys bled freely. Needless
to say, Abby’s trademark fork came into play with Link being the
victim of the fork more than Abby. It was for Link’s World Brass
Knuckles title, but the match ended up being ruled a no-contest
(don’t ask me why a no-contest can be ruled in a hardcore match).
After the match both Link and Abby were still fighting and several
“plants” got roughed up as well. My favorite part after the match
was that Abby chased a cameraman out of the speedway and
Chris Cruise complained “Get back in there, cameraman! That’s
your job!” I also remember Abby being put in the electric chair
during the Chamber Of Horrors match at Halloween Havoc 1991,
but other than that, the match blew big time.
bigshow2000

I have just finished reading the many stories in your site about
Abdullah the Butcher. I think I was around 15 years old, that was
early in the 70’s and we had a rather lame wrestling show in New
Zealand. As we only had one channel in those days I used to
watch wrestling as there wasn’t anything else to do. This particular
season they had the likes of King Curtis, Sperios Arion and Mark
Lewin fights the likes of Big Bad John, Waldo Von Erich and
another Japanese wrestler whose name escapes me. This one
night a new comer arrived, Abdullah the Butcher was in New
Zealand. The six of us were spell bound by the antics of this man
and when he came to Palmerston North we were all compelled to
go and see Abdullah in the flesh. To this day I have never seen
anyone else so riveting in the wrestling field. Abdullah the Butcher,
who will always be number one in my books. I now have a new
goal in my life, save up and go to his restaurant and meet the man
that made an impact on my life.
All the best and what a fantastic site you have.
Cheers, Warren Hancock

The best match I’ve ever seen was Abdullah The Butcher vs Dick
The Bruiser in the Louisiana Superdome. I’d never seen the
Butcher or Bruiser before, and boy was I in for something. The
bell hadn’t even rung to start the match when they started to go at
it. Why they had a ref in there I don’t know, they beat the hell out
of that poor man. I’ve never seen that much blood before in my
life. But when someone says anything about old wrestling
matches they’d better have something to say about Abdullah The
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Butcher. If you ask me to tell you about the Butcher, I’ll tell you
that he’s the father of hard core wrestling. There’s a lot of good
hard core wrestlers out there but never have I seen one like
Abdullah The “FATHER OF HARD CORE WRESTLING” Butcher.
Thinks’ for opening my eyes to wrestling.
Big Boudreaux, New Orleans
Forget Mankind , The Butcher is King.
EricMendoza , San Juan PR

I stumbled across this site as I was looking at the
www.wcwclassics.com website, and under the list of legends was
the name ABDULLAH THE BUTCHER! You got that right. I was
lucky enough to see Abdullah in action at a house show at the
Omni in Atlanta, GA, WAY back in 1992. I was a freshman in high
school at the time and I went with my mother and a good friend
who was just a big of a wrestling fan as I, I mean he was the one
who named our class snake in the 5th grade, Jake The Snake!
But that’s another story. On this particular night in Atlanta, The
Butcher was fighting Cactus Jack (Mick Foley) inside of a 15 foot
high steel cage. From the opening bell they ravaged one another
nonstop, and when Cactus Jack tried to flee the cage, Abdullah
grabbed him by the hair and threw him clean to the floor. This was
years before the HELL IN A CELL THAT MADE FOLEY FAMOUS!
Even after that, The Butcher and Cactus brawled into the
audience and The Butcher threw Cactus down a flight of stone
steps. Needless to say, Foley was really bloody and weakened
and the Butcher was still going strong. So when are we going to
see a 2 hour WCW Classics solely dealing with the matches of
“The Madman From The Sudan” Abdullah The Butcher, the man
who once tore up a wrestling magazine and ate it while being
interviewed by Gordon Solie?
BrnLeague

Back in the late 60’s and early seventies there was a trend of
crazy, wild and insane animal villains in wrestling. They were as
good as gold at the box office with their viciousness and
unpredictable styles. Each territory usually had its own wild man.
Whether it was the Wild Bull of the Pampas Pampero Firpo, the
original Sheik Eddie Farhat, Jim “Brute” Bernard, Wild Bull Curry,
or George the Animal Steele, you knew when you watched them
you were going to see unparalleled savagery.
Of all wrestlings wild men one name stood out as one of the very
best. Time and his actions in the ring also proved out that he was
a true legend in the sport. That man was the Madman from the
Sudan ABDULLAH the Butcher!
Abdullah started out in the business as Cillius Amera. (lol) As you
can imagine this was not a name that struck fear in the hearts of
the wrestling fans. But then Abdullah the Butcher was unleashed.
A huge behemoth of destruction, Abdullah destroyed many a
jabrone in squash matches week after week in territory after
territory. The shear overwhelming brutality of his attack never left
an opening for the young up and comers and older journey man
who worked the Squash matches. Abdullah was relentless from
the beginning or the match to the end. There was no “wrestling”
Just war and destruction.
Before the Butcher the main madman on the scene in the Detroit
Big Time Wrestling area was the legendary original Sheik. The
Butcher used a lot of the same style as the Sheik, foreign object
and savage biting and strangling of the opponent. But because of
his size Abdullah eventually stepped up to the same level as
Sheik.
Abdullah, when I first saw him was big about 300 pounds but
could move with the speed of a cat. He had a background in
martial arts and could strike like a big tiger on his prey. At that time
he generally came to the ring with white karate pants and bare
foot, usually wearing an Arabic head dress like the Sheik. His
matches consisted of him attacking his opponent before the bell
being all over him with karate thrusts, choke holds and biting.
Generally whether the opponent warranted it or not Abdullah
would use a foreign object on him. He had a technique of using
his girth to hide the object from the ref, positioning himself
between the man and the ref and giving him a good shot with a
fork or a piece of metal wrapped in tape. Abbie would also hide an
object in his mouth while the ref would try to reach around his
prodigious mid section to check for his weapon. All the while the
fans could see the villain with the weapon in his mouth but
because of the circumference of his mid section the ref didn’t have
a clue.
Another Abbie trick was to stick a pencil or piece of taped metal
under the prodigious flap of flesh that hung under his arms and
over his pectorals to hide it from the ref. This got tremendous
heat.
Many many matches also involved Abdullah’s opponent getting
“color”. Abdullah was also not above getting some “green” for red.
This could be evidenced by the huge gnarly grooves in his bald
forehead. I once saw Abdullah put quarters side ways in the
grooves in his head and sticking them in so they would hold tight
in the grooves and stand strait out. (yuck!)
One great memory that went across the world in the days of the
wrestling magazines because TV being the way it was and
territories, you only saw wrestlers from the area you lived in and
had to depend on the wrestling magazines to find out about talent
from other areas. One picture that will always be remembered was
in the Inside Wrestling and the Wrestler Magazines of Abdullah
the Butcher tearing into a raw chicken and eating it. His manager
at the time was Eddie the Brain Creatchman. Abdullah would
forever become known for that picture.
His finishing move was an awesome meat cleaver of an elbow
drop. Abdullah would decimate an opponent and then when he
was helpless on the canvas he would retreat to the furthest corner
and like a mad rhino he would explode across the ring and leap in
the air and crash onto his victim. Many times once was enough for
a pin but not enough for Abbie. And again more and more heat, as
he would drop the devastating elbow on his helpless challenger.
I implore anyone to check out matches from the early seventies
of Abdullah before he got up in the 400 and 500 pound range.
Though he weighed 300 pounds he was soooooo quick and the
elbow that eventually became more of him dropping his massive
weight on his opponent, was more athletic and agile. He would
literally sprint across the ring and leap WAY UP in the air! For a
big man it was AWESOME.
I saw many a babyface get served up to the Butcher. From
Tommy Rich, to Dusty Rhodes, Mark Lewin, Terry Funk, Dory
Funk Jr, Bruiser Brody, and on and on and on. He even found
himself facing his mentor the Sheik in matches that had a
multitude of gore, foreign objects and medicated powder. My last
memory of Abdullah was later in his career wrestling Abuddah
Singh (Balls Mahoney). In a small independent match Abbie was
wrestling Abuddah whose gimmick was to blow a big fire ball.
Abbie said that Balls was nervous, Balls says he wasn’t but in the
end Abbie had the full entrance fireball that Balls would do before
a match laid on his chest. It was the most disgusting thing i have
ever seen. Large folds and strips of burnt flesh hung from
Abdullah’s chest. His brown skin was highlighted by smoldering
pink burnt flesh. This was a horrible accident but Abdullah
continued fighting with Balls, who was horrified and wanted to end
the match, Abdullah whispered to him to continue the match till its
end.
Abdullah was AWESOME. Abdullah was GREAT. Ye though I
walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil
but many a wrestling fan and wrestler feared Larry Shreve, Cillius
Amera, Abdullah the Hun and ABDULLAH THE BUTCHER
because he was the baddest, meanest mother—— in the valley!
John Mozuke, Worthington WV