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Abdullah the Butcher

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Abdullah the Butcher
Born (1941-01-11) January 11, 1941 (age 83)[1]
Windsor, Ontario[1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Abdullah the Butcher
Madman from Sudan[1]
Saladin Pikens[1]
Zeras Amala[1]
Kuroi Jujutsushi[1]
Billed height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[1]
Billed weight360–400 lb (163–181 kg)[1]
Billed fromThe Sudan[1]
Debut1958[1]


Larry Shreve (born Lawrence Robert Shreve[1] on January 11, 1941) best known as Abdullah the Butcher, and also at times the Madman from Sudan, is a professional wrestler known as one of the most brutal or "hardcore" professional wrestlers of all-time.

The scars in his forehead are said to have occurred during frequent blading. According to Mick Foley, Shreve used to put gambling chips into the deep divots in his head to entertain (or scare) people at casinos. However, New Jack claimed in his RF shoot interview that the grooves in his head were surgically implemented.

An amateur martial artist, Shreve also has knowledge of judo and karate, often including this knowledge in his professional wrestling matches. This knowledge was mainly displayed by him using judo "style" throws, and karate "chops."

Career

Despite wrestling folklore, Abdullah the Butcher does not truly hail from the arid desert of the Sudan, as he grew up in Windsor, Ontario, Canada as part of a family of ten people in a deeply poor household.[2] He managed to learn karate and judo as a youth, teaching fellow children in the backyard and claims to have eventually earnt the title of seventh-degree grandmaster[2].

Standing 6’1” and weighing a robust 360 pounds, Shreeve was eventually spotted by Montreal promoter Jack Britton[2], and he soon made his professional ring debut at age 17 in 1958. He initially competed in numerous independent territories north of the border while performing under such various monikers as Pussycat Pickens, Kuroi Jujutsushi (The Black Wizard) and Zeras Amala. However, he ultimately created his legendary gimmick of an evil Arabian sadist; and in a match against Gino Brito[2] (Jack Britton’s real-life son), Abdullah the Butcher first distinguished himself as one of the world’s most feared rulebreakers when he broke a chair over his opponent’s head and then proceeded to beat him senseless with the leg.

Such acts of violence were only the beginning for the terrifying Abdullah the Butcher, whose menacing figure, excessive violence, and complete disregard for the safety of himself or his opponents quickly established his well-deserved reputation for ruthless brutality. Abdullah’s matches almost always degenerated into bloodbaths, and he was infamous for stabbing his opponent’s wounds with his trademark fork (or any other foreign weapon that he could get his hands on at the moment). In addition to his insanely hardcore style, Abdullah the Butcher was revolutionary in that he would never stay in any one territory for too long so as to maintain the novelty and incredible notoriety of his character. By constantly roaming from region to region, Abdullah positioned his reputation as the most violent wrestler in the world. Consequently, he was often brought into a territory as a hired gun to destroy a popular fan favorite, and his appearances usually sparked local interest since he was always such a huge drawing card. As a result, Abdullah thus engaged in crimson-soaked carnages against some of the sport’s greatest legends, including The Original Sheik, Buddy Rogers, Giant Baba, Bobo Brazil, Bruiser Brody, Carlos Colón, Dusty Rhodes, André the Giant, Harley Race, Terry Funk, and “The Mongolian Stomper” Archie Gouldie, among others. Moreover, since his gimmick required that he speak no English (even though it was his native tongue in actuality), he possessed an extraordinary number of managers over the course of his long career, including Gary Hart, Paul Jones, Eddie Creatchman, Black Baron, the Grand Wizard, J.J. Dillon, Damien Kane, Larry Sharpe, Oliver Humperdink, George Cannon, Bearcat Wright, Big Bad John,Gentleman Jim Holiday,and Rock Hunter, who were all portrayed as “handlers” commissioned to control the Sudanese madman while doing most of the talking in interviews. Furthermore, Abdullah would often bloody his opponents with foreign objects that he concealed in his pants. He frequently used a fork as his trademark weapon.

As a result of his frequent traveling, Abdullah the Butcher usually served as more of a special hardcore attraction than as a consistent championship contender. Accordingly, Abdullah never did win the World Heavyweight Championship, though he would nevertheless capture a myriad of regional titles during his legendary career. He won his first major championship on October 23, 1967 when he teamed with Dr. Jerry Graham to defeat John & Carlos Tolos for the NWACanadian Tag Team Titles in Vancouver. A few years later, he ventured to the Montreal region, where he secured three reigns as the IWA International Heavyweight Champion between 1969-72 while feuding against Ivan Koloff and Johnny Rougeau. He later served as one of the premier rulebreakers in Calgary’s Stampede territory, capturing the NWA Canadian Championship as well as six North American Heavyweight Titles during the early 1970’s while battling the likes of Archie Gouldie, Jerry Christy, and Sweet Daddy Siki. Before long, Abdullah the Butcher was also established as a well-known villain in the U.S.; and on June 24, 1972, he defeated Ernie Ladd in Akron, Ohio to capture the first of two eventual NWF World Heavyweight Titles. During the mid-1970’s, he also frequently performed in Detroit, Michigan’s Big-Time Wrestling territory, where he engaged in a classic rivalry against local legend, the Sheik. Moreover, he also teamed with “Killer” Tim Brooks to win the region’s version of the NWA World Tag Team Titles before he then defeated Bobo Brazil on February 8, 1975 for the NWA United States Championship. Shreve is almost always paired with a manager (most notably "Playboy" Gary Hart in Texas, Georgia, and Florida, and Hugo Savinovich in Puerto Rico) and never speaks in U.S. territories. He has spoken in Japanese interviews, where promos aren't as important to get a wrestler over.

He arrived in World Class in 1986, where he subsequently defeated the Great Kabuki for the Texas Brass Knuckles Title while waging war against the equally wild Bruiser Brody. However, perhaps Abby’s most memorable encounters occurred in Puerto Rico, where he was billed as the very first WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion in July 1982 following three reigns as the Puerto Rican Champion between 1978-81. His violent battles against Carlos Colón and Hercules Ayala are legendary; and he still remains one of the area’s top attractions, as he recently defeated Carly Colón for his fifth Universal Title on January 3, 2004.

He was introduced in World Championship Wrestling in a giant, gift-wrapped box. [3] This giant box was to be Sting's birthday gift from Cactus Jack. [3] Sting unwrapped his gift and it turned out to be Shreve, leading to both feuding with Sting after the incident, culminating in a "Chamber of Horrors" match at Halloween Havoc 1991, in which Cactus accidentally "electrocuted" Abdullah in an electric chair. Afterwards, he had a brief feud with his old ally, Cactus Jack, in 1992.

In 1993, Abdullah arrived to ECW, where he had a storyline with Kevin Sullivan, Terry Funk and Stan Hansen, wrestled in Ultra Clash and Bloodfest.

In late 2002, Abdullah made a one night appearance in Ring of Honor as the partner of Homicide to face the Carnage Crew in a bloody Bunkhouse Brawl at ROH's Night of the Bucher.

His entrance music (Japan) is Pink Floyd's instrumental track "One of These Days" from their 1971 album Meddle.

Recently, Shreve has been seen wrestling in Super shows across Canada. [4]

Legacy

Abdullah’s reputation as the most sadistic and bloodthirsty hardcore wrestler in history has established a legacy. In addition, his dietary habits have also become infamous, as he has been known to eat announcers' ties, whole raw fish, he once even bit the head off a live chicken before a shocked crowd. His unpredictable, ultra-violent style served as inspiration for other wrestlers, including “Maniac” Mark Lewin, Kevin Sullivan, Cactus Jack, Kamala, and Sabu, among others; and he still continues to compete on the independent circuit after a career that has now spanned five decades.

Abdullah worked in nearly every major wrestling promotion in the world, except WWE. He has also taken part of Juggalo Championship Wrestling owned by the Insane Clown Posse, facing off against Pogo the Clown and Jake Roberts[5]. Even at his age, he still makes wrestling appearances and still works matches as brutal as he did in his youth accompanied by his signature fork.

Besides wrestling, Shreve owns two restaurants (one in southwest Atlanta, the other in Japan) called "Abdullah the Butcher's House of Ribs and Chinese Food." [6][7] Shreve is often on hand to meet fans and sign autographs, and the restaurant has become something of a local attraction. Shreve and his restaurant make a cameo appearance in the music video for the song "Damn!" by Atlanta recording artists Youngbloodz. Shreve's restaurant was also referenced in the 2006 Film "ATL" during a scene where the character Ant (played by Evan Ross) and two friends argue over local BBQ. The 2007 WWC's Anniversary show was dedicated to the Butcher's legacy and contributions to WWC.

In wrestling

  • Finishing and signature moves
  • Signature illegal weapon

Championships and accomplishments

  • International Wrestling Association
  • IWA International Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
  • Lutte Internationale (Montreal)
  • Midwest Wrestling Federation
  • MWWF Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[18]
  • NWA New Zealand British Commonwealth Championship (1 time)


  • PWI ranked him # 54 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003[23]
  • TPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Benkei

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

  • He is a superstar in Japan, where he appeared in some TV commercials.

Quotes

"He (Minoru Suzuki) can break their arms and legs when he wants. Abdullah's not a wrestler; I'm just the guy that grabs the fork and stabs and stabs and stabs."

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Abdullah the Butcher profile at OWW". onlineworldofwrestling.com. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  2. ^ a b c d "Man or Madman? Abdullah in Hull". slam.canoe.ca. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  3. ^ a b Mick Foley (2000). Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks. HarperCollins. pp. pg. 202. ISBN 0061031011. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  4. ^ http://www.wrestlingsupershow.com/stars.html
  5. ^ "JCW 2007 Year End!". juggalowrestling.com. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  6. ^ "Alas, only plastic forks at Abdullah's restaurant". slam.canoe.ca. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  7. ^ Mick Foley (2000). Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks. HarperCollins. pp. pg. 201. ISBN 0061031011. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  8. ^ "ALL JAPAN/NATIONAL WRESTLING ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL TAG TEAM TITLE HISTORY". solie.org. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  9. ^ "ALL JAPAN/NATIONAL WRESTLING ALLIANCE UNITED NATIONAL HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE HISTORY". solie.org. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  10. ^ "PWF United States Heavyweight Title". wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  11. ^ "ALL JAPAN/PACIFIC WRESTLING FEDERATION HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE HISTORY". solie.org. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  12. ^ "Champion Carnival 1976". prowrestlinghistory.com. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  13. ^ "Champion Carnival 1979". prowrestlinghistory.com. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  14. ^ "BJPW DEATH MATCH HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE HISTORY". solie.org. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  15. ^ "NWA GEORGIA HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE HISTORY". solie.org. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  16. ^ "NWA GEORGIA TELEVISION TITLE HISTORY". solie.org. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  17. ^ "International Heavyweight Title". wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  18. ^ "MWWF HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE HISTORY". solie.org. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  19. ^ "NWA CANADIAN TAG TEAM TITLE HISTORY". solie.org. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  20. ^ "NWA WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE (Vancouver)". wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  21. ^ "NWA TEXAS HARDCORE TITLE HISTORY". solie.org. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  22. ^ "NWF HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE HISTORY". solie.org. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  23. ^ "PWI 500 2003". wwe-zone.com. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  24. ^ "N.W.A. Canadian Heavyweight Title". wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  25. ^ "NORTH AMERICAN HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE HISTORY". solie.org. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  26. ^ "WWC CARIBBEAN HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE". solie.org. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  27. ^ "WWC North American Heavyweight Title". wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  28. ^ "WWC PUERTO RICAN HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE". solie.org. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  29. ^ a b "WWC WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT/UNIVERSAL HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE". solie.org. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  30. ^ "Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame". pwi-online.com. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
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