Abdullah the Butcher: Overrated or Underrated?

May 2024 ยท 2 minute read
I'd probably have to say he's underrated. When Larry Shreve started doing the Abdullah character in the 60s, NOBODY had seen anything like it. A wild, uniquely unpredictable character that literally scared people. When someone mentions hardcore wrestling, Abdullah the Butcher is one of the first names that immediately just jumps into my head.

He also incorporated some of his martial arts knowledge into his character, which was something else that a lot of the American audience wasn't really familiar with and hadn't been exposed to. Abdullah was a character that was tailor made for the territory system. The guy was a something of a sadistic sideshow freak that would come to a territory, stay a month or so and then move on. Just like Andre the Giant, Abdullah never really seemed to get old because he'd only spend a short amount of time in any given territory during the year and by the time he came back to a certain area, the crowds lined up and were excited to see what he'd do next.

Abdullah was never very athletic and wasn't a great technical wrestler, but the gimmick of Abdullah the Butcher was extremely unique and still stands out today. An Abdullah-esque character in the WWE or TNA wouldn't really work today as the novelty wears off too quickly and there's simply not many places left to go.

I don't really think he gets the credit that he deserves for his innovative character. I mean, if you're someone that wanted to see some blood, you always got your money's worth when Abdullah the Butcher was in town.

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