 Abdullah the Butcher in 2011 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lawrence Robert Shreve (1941-01-11)January 11, 1941 (age 84)[3][4][5] Windsor, Ontario, Canada |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Abdullah the Butcher Kuroi Jujutsushi[1] Pussycat Pickens[citation needed] Saladin Pikens[1] Zelis Amara[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)[2] |
| Billed weight | 360 lb (163 kg)[2] |
| Billed from | Sudan[1] |
| Debut | 1958 |
| Retired | October 9, 2010 (last match) February 19, 2019 (announced) |
Lawrence Robert Shreve[1] (born January 11, 1941), better known by thering nameAbdullah the Butcher, is a Canadian retiredprofessional wrestler. He has a reputation for being involved in some of the most violent and bloodyhardcore wrestling matches of all time. Over his time in wrestling he was given the moniker of "Madman from Sudan".
One of Shreve's trademarks is a series of divot-like scars on his head that he has due to excessive use ofblading during his career. The scars are so deep that, according toMick Foley, Shreve is able to put gambling chips into them.[6] An amateur martial artist, Shreve also has knowledge ofjudo andkarate, often incorporating this knowledge in his wrestling matches through throws and chops.
Shreve was born on January 11, 1941,[3][7][5] and raised inWindsor, Ontario, as part of a family of ten people in a deeply impoverished household.[5] His mother was an African-American from Michigan, and his father was a member of the Native AmericanBlackfoot tribe.[8] He learnedkarate andjudo as a youth and, teaching fellow children in the backyard, claims to have eventually earned the title of seventh-degree grandmaster.[5]
Shreve caught the attention ofMontreal promoterJack Britton,[5] and he soon made his professional wrestling debut at age 17 in 1958. He initially competed in numerous independent territories in Canada under various monikers such asPussycat Pickens[citation needed],Kuroi Jujutsushi (the Black Wizard) andZelis Amara. Ultimately, he created his gimmick of an evilArabiansadist, and in a match againstGino Brito[5] (Jack Britton's real-life son), theAbdullah the Butcher character first distinguished himself as one of the world's most feared rule breakers when he broke a chair over Brito's head and then beat him senseless with a chair leg.
Since his gimmick required him to speak no English (though it was his native tongue), he had a number of managers over the course of his long career, includingGary Hart,Paul Jones,Eddie Creatchman, Black Baron,The Grand Wizard,J. J. Dillon,Damien Kane,Larry Sharpe,Hugo Savinovich,Chicky Starr,Oliver Humperdink,Buddy Colt,George Cannon,Bearcat Wright, Big Bad John, Tony Montana, Gentleman Jim Holiday, and Rock Hunter. All were portrayed as "handlers" commissioned to control the Sudanese madman, while also doing most of the talking in promos and interviews. He has, however, spoken for himself in English-language promos while in Japan.
Due to his frequent traveling, Abdullah the Butcher usually served as more of a special attraction than as a consistent championship contender. Accordingly, Abdullah never did win a world heavyweight championship, though he would capture several regional titles during his career. He won his first major championship on October 23, 1967, when he teamed withDr. Jerry Graham to defeatJohn & Carlos Tolos for theNWA'sCanadian Tag Team Titles in Vancouver. A few years later, he ventured to theMontreal region, where he had three reigns as theIWA International Heavyweight Champion between 1969 and 1972, feuding againstIvan Koloff andJohnny Rougeau. He later served as one of the premier rule breakers inCalgary's Stampede territory, capturing theNWA Canadian Championship, as well as having six North American Heavyweight Title reigns during the early 1970s. On June 24, 1972, he defeatedErnie Ladd in Akron, Ohio, to capture his first of twoNWF Heavyweight Championships. In 1972, he wrestled a few matches forWorld Wide Wrestling Federation. Also he worked forStampede Wrestling from 1970 to 1974. During the mid-1970s, he frequently performed inDetroit,Michigan's Big-Time Wrestling territory, where he engaged in a rivalry againstThe Sheik. He teamed withKiller Tim Brooks to win the region's version of the NWA World Tag Team Titles before defeating Bobo Brazil on February 8, 1975, for the NWA United States Championship.
In addition to his successes in North America, Abdullah the Butcher performed in theFar East,Europe, theCaribbean,Australia, andAfrica. On March 12, 1974, he traveled toNew Zealand, where he captured the British Empire Commonwealth Title by defeating the nation's championJohn da Silva. Abdullah also established himself as one of the premier attractions inJapan, where he competed as part of the round-robin tournament that ultimately crownedGiant Baba as All-Japan's inaugural PWF Heavyweight Champion in February 1973. On October 18, 1978, Abdullah won that same PWF belt when he defeated European former AWA champion Billy Robinson. On October 13, 1980, he also beatJumbo Tsuruta to capture the NWA United National Heavyweight Title. He also feuded withTerry Funk inJapan, and Funk claims to have had one of his top three all-time greatest matches with Abdullah the Butcher.
He arrived inWorld Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) in 1986, where he defeatedThe Great Kabuki for the Texas Brass Knuckles Title and waged war against the equally wildBruiser Brody. In Puerto Rico, he was declared the first WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion in July 1982 following three reigns as the Puerto Rican champion between 1978 and 1981. He was introduced inWorld Championship Wrestling in a giant, gift-wrapped box.[9] This giant box was to beSting's birthday gift fromCactus Jack.[9] Sting unwrapped his gift and Abdullah attacked him, leading to both Abdullah and Cactus feuding with Sting after the incident. The feud culminated in a "Chamber of Horrors" match atHalloween Havoc 1991, in which Cactus accidentally electrocuted Abdullah in anelectric chair, leading to a brieffeud between the former allies. In 1993, Abdullah arrived inECW, where he participated in a storyline with Kevin Sullivan, Terry Funk and Stan Hansen, and wrestled at Ultra Clash and Bloodfest. In October 1999, Abdullah took part in the ill-fatedHeroes of Wrestling pay-per-view with a match against theOne Man Gang. The match ended in a double count-out. In late 2002, Abdullah made a one-night appearance inRing of Honor as Homicide's partner, facing the Carnage Crew in a bloodyBunkhouse Brawl at ROH's Night of the Butcher. On December 13, 2008, Shreve wrestled againstBalls Mahoney in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, during the annual event WWC Lockout.
During July 2009, he wrestled inDragongate andHustle. He also wrestled at theNew Japan Pro-Wrestling supershowWrestle Kingdom IV in Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2010, as well as wrestling for Japanese independent promotion Osaka Pro Wrestling. In 2009, Abdullah made an appearance at the Decatur Book Festival, facing off against authorMichael Muhammad Knight. Abdullah pummeled Knight with chairs, forks, and a water cooler, not even stepping into the ring. Knight was taken from the festival in an ambulance and received 46 stitches. It was Right After Wrestling in March 2011, hosted byArda Ocal andJimmy Korderas, that Abdullah admitted his favorite wrestler to face was actuallyLou Thesz.[10] His last match was on October 9, 2010, in a draw againstBull Buchanan at GCW Southern Legends Fan Fest.
Also in 2011, Abdullah returned toGeorgia Championship Wrestling as a mentor and adviser to a local wrestler known as The Congo Warrior. On October 20, 2018, it was announced that Abdullah would have his retirement ceremony during the Giant Baba 20th Anniversary Memorial Show on February 19, 2019, at Sumo Hall in Tokyo.
Throughout his career, manyvideo games have included depictions of Abdullah the Butcher, either as playable characters or as enemies. Some of these, such asLegends of Wrestling II, have included his name and direct likeness, whereas others such asHammerLock Wrestling andAppoooh include original characters inspired by Abdullah. Characters in Japanese anime or manga are also frequently designed to resemble Abdullah the Butcher, often with his signature scars. Examples include Abdullah fromKinnikuman, Abdullah the Criminal fromOne Piece, and Mr. Heart fromFist of the North Star.
In 2007, theWWE andJakks Pacific released an Abdullah the Butcher "WWE Classic Superstars" figure complete with the blade marks on top of his head. A DVD was also released namedThe Triumph and Tragedy of World Class Wrestling which included a bloody cage match between Abdullah and his famous rival Bruiser Brody. The 2007, WWC's anniversary show was dedicated to Abdullah the Butcher's contributions to WWC.
On April 2, 2011, Abdullah the Butcher was inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia. In early 2012, Abdullah the Butcher appeared on theWrestling Marks of Excellence radio show and said he had given away his Hall of Fame ring to his brother, saying that he had been in the business and drew people from all over the world and should have been inducted decades ago.[11] Following his WWE Hall of Fame induction,Superstar Billy Graham requested his name be removed from the Hall, saying: "It is a shameless organization to induct a bloodthirsty animal such as Abdullah the Butcher into their worthless and embarrassing Hall of Fame and I want the name of Superstar Billy Graham to be no part of it."[12] In February 2015, Shreve announced on his Facebook page that he would be selling his WWE Hall of Fame ring.[13]
Shreve has been accused of infecting other wrestlers withhepatitis C throughsharing a blade and/or cutting wrestlers without their knowledge.[14] Canadian wrestler"Hannibal" Devon Nicholson, who said he contracted hepatitis C when Shreve bladed him without consent, pursued legal action.[14] On June 3, 2014, an Ontario court ruled in favor of Nicholson and ordered Shreve to pay $2.3 million in damages.[15] The Fulton County Court of Georgia ruled that the Canadian judgment would be upheld in the state of Georgia where Shreve resides.[16] Shreve was the trainer of Japanese wrestlerAbdullah Kobayashi, whose style of wrestling and ring name were both directly inspired by Shreve's.
Shreve has appeared in Japanese TV commercials forSuntory,Daikin Industries,Denon, andSapporo Ichiban. He also had acting roles in the martial arts action filmRoaring Fire, and the prison dramaI'm Going to Get You, Elliott Boy.
Shreve has appeared in 12 video games, debuting in one of the firstAppoooh,[17] produced by Sega for Japanese Arcades. Shreve has also appeared inSuper Star Pro Wrestling,[18]Virtual Pro Wrestling 64,Virtual Pro Wrestling 2: Ōdō Keishō,Fire Pro Wrestling, "WCW vs nWo: World Tour"[19]Fire Pro Wrestling 2,[20]Legends of Wrestling II,King of Colosseum Red,[21]Showdown: Legends of Wrestling,Fire Pro Wrestling Returns[22] andWrestle Kingdom 2: Pro-Wrestling World War.
Shreve previously owned two restaurants (one inAtlanta, Georgia and one inJapan) called Abdullah the Butcher's House of Ribs and Chinese Food.[23][24] Shreve was often on hand to meet fans and sign autographs. It was referenced in the 2006 filmATL during a scene where three characters argue over a local barbecue. On July 24, 2016, it was reported that Shreve had closed his restaurant in Atlanta.[25]
Shreve was hospitalized in July 2024 due to intestinal issues,[26] and aGoFundMe was set up shortly afterwards.[27]
Shreve was hospitalized with serious health issues in October 2025.
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| International | |
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| National | |
