Abdullah The Butcher

[9.0] "The older I get, the more I appreciate Abdullah the Butcher's work. You always knew exactly what you were gonna get when he came to town. He was a weird lookin' dude with two moves who bled all over the place and wrestled to a double count out with everyone. And yanno what? He was so weird looking and so good at bleeding that he was able to do it for fifty years and it still be entertaining. I've found that I often go out of my way to watch his stuff just to see how he's gonna ping off of the likes of, say, Harley Race or Billy Robinson despite knowing almost to a certainty what I'm gonna get. The man had something going for him that few pro-wrestlers ever do - he was a draw. Plain and simple."

[9.0] "Abdullah The Butcher was a major draw cross continental draw with great longevity. I would call him an all time great brawler. He has some great matches on tape. The shame is most of his best work probably took place in the US or Canada in the 60s or 70s and is lost media. Abby was an iconic character and was very believable."

[8.0] "One of the best to ever do it without any doubt. Abdullah is one of the ones who created the death match, and he's the one actually who might start all of that, the deatmatchers didn't really understand his work and ruined that side of wrestling history a lot but Abdullah showed it in the most pure acceptable way possible, it's not about moves it's about you makes the movies feel meaningful and impactful as much as possible. And he did that, Abdullah's career is filled with gold and masterpieces, whether you'll like him or not, you know that. He changed wrestling for the better so there's a lot of reasons on why I give him 8"

[7.0] "I must start this by saying Abdullah The Butcher terrified me at Stampede Wrestling. You could not attend a Stampede Wrestling show without this man bleeding and fighting all over the venue. He was truly booked like a monster in western Canada. Now that I am older, I dont exactly see it that way. He barely wrestled anything considered technical. He had 4 moves of doom (headbutt, fork, suplex, Elbow Drop). He was for sure a product of the times. But I can never forget the chaos he brought with him. For that he gets a better rating than possibly earned. All said, still one of my favorites ever."

[10.0] "One of the earliest examples of what is known today as a hardcore wrestler, used weapons, blood in every match, he's also maybe the scariest person in all of wrestling. He was important to many different promotions in many different regions and had many great feuds with some of the all time greats. A completely unique wrestler with one of the coolest looks and styles ever in my opinion. Abdullah definitely ranks high for me in a greatest wrestler ever list"

[3.0] "Abdullah had aura, would occasionally deign to bump, and was sometimes surprisingly quick in the ring (in the '70s; by the '90s this has gone). He all too often personified bad, slow, empty work, relying on indifferent gimmickery."

[6.0] "Abdullah The Butcher is definitely an acquired taste. If you're judging based on technical skill or in-ring psychology by today's standards, he's not going to impress. But in terms of presence, aura, and sheer chaos, few could match what he brought to a crowd. He was a spectacle -- the blood, the fork, the wild eyes -- it all worked in his era. He's one of those guys who carved out a niche and became a legend doing it his way. Not my favorite to watch bell-to-bell, but undeniably important to wrestling's hardcore legacy."

[9.0] "Abdullah is profoundly dated. Like, his wrestling does NOT hold up to modern standards. But that should not erase that at the time, he was the most compelling act during his prime. Exciting and downright terrifying as a monster heel. His character work is probably the only thing that still holds up. His hardcore stuff is brutal, but (again for the time) his storytelling didn't suffer at all. Big fan of his, honestly, and while I admit it is a little bit of a guilty pleasure, I am still a big proponent of his."

[10.0] "One of the greatest ever pretty easily , A massive attraction all over the world and truly carried an aura of danger everywhere he went . Abdullah gets a bad rap online by people who have only read about him and never actually had the pleasure of watching a great Abdullah The Butcher bloody brawl . He has some of the most heat filled matches in the history of Pro Wrestling with so many great opponents that putting him anywhere lower than top 50 all time is preposterous. His match with The Sheik against the Funks is one of the greatest ever and a must watch for anyone"

[3.0] "Great gimmick... but I don't see anything in the ring but a plus size guy rolling around in the ring and opening his opponents' foreheads with a fork. I understand that in the era of the territories his aura attracted people, but there is also a reason why he stopped being interesting in the 90s... being relegated to working only in Puerto Rico and in the minor leagues of Japan. In 1982 he had the opportunity to shine against Hulk Hogan in New Japan Pro Wrestling and Hogan did all the work... only to end up with that damn fork again. Guys, it's good that you protect and practice your aura... but also learn to wrestle."

[10.0] "Abdullah the Butcher one of the biggest attraction in Japan with a big legacy in pro wrestling and pop cult, the only guy who won the Champion Carnival twice during the Giant Baba era. Also a huge draw in Puerto, Rico and North America. He isn't a skilled wrestler but a great brawler/hardcore guy full of charisma just watch his feuds with Bruiser Brody and the Sheik. His character changed a lot of pro wrestling, something you can feel in ECW, FMW etc maybe not the first but one of the most important for hardcore/ deathmatch wrestlng."

[10.0] "If your main metric of a good wrestler is moves in a match, Abdullah will likely not be the man for you. If you like brawling, blood, ludicrous violence, screams that sound like someone getting jabbed with a branding iron, and some of the funniest promos in history, Abby is your guy. Fantastic matches from the 70s all the way into the 90s, he isn't just one of the best brawlers of all time, his longevity matches up with some of the all time greats. A behemoth of a man who always put his soul into every performance."

[8.0] "Don't let the rating fool you, Abby had a long, storied career of great work. He's had a helluva life, but man what a run he had in the territories. Better list of matches than you'd think! I'm fond of his All Japan work the most, as I think their tag settings brought the most out of guys like Butcher. Obviously he stayed past his due date, but you can say that about everyone in wrestling."

[8.0] "Abdullah the Butcher is the ideal example of how you can be objectively bad at every individual component (wrestling, talking, look) of professional wrestling but still be one of the all-time greats through sheer "it factor" alone. Great fights with Bruiser Brody."

"This is my opinion, Abby was not a bad wrestler and train some people that deathmatch fans know 1 being Abdullah Kobayashi and overall his not a bad wrestler and maybe he "gave" Hep C to Hannibal (I'm not saying he did but what Hannibal had to say about him on DSOR and saying "Abby must die a slow and painful death" is just wrong) and his battles with Carlos Colon, Bruiser Brody, Giant Baba and some indy wrestlers I liked the way he wrestled and I wish Abby have a good life."

[7.0] "Not quite as good as i'd thoguht he'd be with his reputation. He is known as a hardcore legend and his scars on his head definitely solidify that but I was never really entertained watching him. Would never take away his elgendary status and of course he was a major draw but honestly his legacy hasn't aged well at all i'm sorry to say. Great character work though and for that I am giving him a +1."

[5.0] "I give him a 5 because although he is considered a hardcore wrestling legend, he wasn't that entertaining and could be reckless at times and endangering his opponents."

[10.0] "It sucks he had to sell his restaurants, I love Butcher and I love how he always cared for a mass amount of different people in the business. I really hope he gets some credit for what he did in the ring, he deserves it all. There wouldnt be any type of hardcore/extreme/deathmatch styled matches without him and some other significant people. Lost one of his best friends via a murder, had a 2.3 MILLION DOLLAR LAWSUIT, he had to deal with death threats (from his co-workers, peers, fans, family, and many others) and still put on a damn good show for the fans."

[9.0] "One of the most influential prowrestlers inside and outside of the ring. Abdullah the Butcher brings with him most the things that make prowrestling so sucessful: mystery, scare, blood and guts. A true pioneer of hardcore/deathmatch and a absolute legend in many countries!"

[3.0] "One of the original hard core guys, and he had a place in the 60's-80's but he could only do trash wrestling spots in his later years."

[6.0] "Abdullah had a very limited move set, most of the match he was usually hitting someone with a fork, but in any case he was a really good brawler. The Butcher is a true pioneer of hardcore wrestling, and he really excelled in this direction. A very intimidating guy who gave the impression of a real madman both in the action in the ring and behind the scenes interviews in which he ate raw meat and even insects. He has some really impressive matches to his credit, mostly teaming up with fellow hardcore pioneer The Original Sheik. A reference foreign villain, able to turn the crowd against him and even intimidate. 6 points."

[10.0] "Legendary, influential, & entertaining hardcore wrestler. One of the Founding Fathers of Hardcore Wrestling. Was a huge draw among several territories. He is a major Pop Culture Icon across Japan (His likeness has been modeled in Video Games, Anime, & Manga). Knew his worth, and knew not to stick around one territory for too long, thus avoiding overexposing himself and causing his gimmick to wear thin in one territory, which was a smart move. Took part in some legendary feuds: w/ The Sheik vs. The Funks, vs. Bruiser Brody, & vs. Carlos Colon. Had extremely high charisma for his gimmick to boot. Also, he used "One of these days" by Pink Floyd as his theme music. That is an extra thumbs up from me."

[4.0] "I respect him for bumping a lot for younger guys. That's not something a lot of guys are willing to do. He also had a lot of impressive moves inside him, tho you're not gonna find them in a lot of his matches"

[6.0] "While his in-ring quality was objectively pretty dismal, there are few wrestlers who could brawl better than Abdullah. He and Brody's arena-wide brawls in All Japan more than deserve their legendary reputation."

[10.0] "Every era of Abdullah was awesome. One of the most endlessly entertaining wrestlers ever. People whine and cry like what happened to Hannibal deprived wrestling of some amazing talent. Nah, Hannibal in 2022 is desperately attempting (and failing) to replicate what Abdullah did for 50 years. Abby definitely seems like a shitty person, but as a fan, I could watch his stuff all day."

[0.0] "Immediate fast forward. If i wanna watch a horror movie i'll watch Return of the Living Dead. His style was total garbage, absolutely no talent, can't bump or sell at all. Two thumbs way down... Well, ok hold on lemme take that back to a degree. I liked him as Cactus Jack's sidekick/nemesis in WCW, but that still doesn't raise him up a notch!"

[1.0] "Aside from the fact that he knowingly gave at least one other wrestler Hep C, Abby was a horrible wrestler who's been propped up by many as a legend bc he brawled around with Bruiser Brody for several years."

[2.0] "When people say garbage wrestler that's Abby. Also he's a piece of trash in real life apparently which shouldn't matter but does. Can't stand any match he's in other than vs Hogan or whenever he was with Brody. Other than that, he's a terrible waste of your time. There's much better Deathmatch or hardcore wrestlers out there. Also he had hepatitis and didn't tell other wrestlers he was working with which is fucked up on another level."

[9.0] "He probably deserves a 10. He was like the Andre the giant of hardcore wrestling. He didn? t need titles and couldn? t stay in a place for to long, but whatever territory he came to he drew huge crowds and a win versus the butcher was a huge notch on the belt. I? ve gone back and watched a lot of his matches but it? s more of just a fascination with knowing that at the time people were seeing very rare things with the butcher."

[6.0] "Expecting a technical masterclass or a hard hitting storydriven match from a guy named "The Butcher" is not exactly the greatest of expectations, but regardless, Abdullah's antics are basically the earth in which hardcore style wrestling would grow out of: not a great wrestler? Not in the sense of his objective match quality perhaps, but Abdullah was a remarkable draw, a great one in fact that made a lot of guys a lot of money. Much like how the freak show is a attraction, so was Abdullah: there was nothing like him at the time and people were fascinated, disgusted, or both by his style and the way he showcased it. He was reliable in the ring and was always used as a good way to give the big babyface a boost in reputation from surviving a bout with him. He had good selling, a formidable character at the time, and a gimmick that got old quick, but it was a gimmick that people wanted to watch regardless. I can't exactly give him a perfect rating because, well, he was pretty garbage move wise, and guys like Brody would do the wild crazed character better than he could. He's a figure of wrestling, maybe not for all of the best reasons, but he doesn't deserve the lowest ratings tbh."

[7.0] "If you love blood and guts, Abdullah is your boy. He opened a steak and chinese food house a little while back. I wonder if it's still open?"

[5.0] "Abdullah didn't have a whole lot of traditional wrestling skill, but his look and presence, as well as his participation in bloody and gruesome matches utilizing weapons (including his signature fork), prefiguring the hardcore and deathmatch wrestling trends by decades, made him stand out at the time and ensured his attraction-wrestler status and ultimately his legend. That legacy would, however, be somewhat marred by his continuing participation in such bloody matches after being diagnosed with hepatitis C."

[6.0] "Abby became a legend for bloodying opponents and was one of the first wrestlers to regularly use foreign objects in the ring on his opponents. His weapon of choice later in his career was a fork. Abby was a master at the professional wrestling talent of "blading, " intentionally cutting onesself or an opponent in the forehead and bleeding through the match. The Butcher spent most of his wrestling career travelling from promotion to promotion. His wrestling gimmick, though extremely popular, tended to wear itself out quickly, so like his contemporary Andre the Giant, he was seldom a fixture for long in any one place, but was always remembered wherever he went and his return eagerly anticipated."

[6.0] "Abby was a big star, and was mindful of his limitations, never staying in one place for too long, thus avoiding burning people out on what was actually a very limited act."

[6.0] "You might think I am crazy today giving him a higher rating but he is was good. His wrestling style was limited with a few good punches, headlocks and body splashes other than that not exciting. What I find exciting about this guy is is hardcore brawler style. He is a pioneer of hardcore wrestling and blood. He has had great feuds with the Sheik, Funks, Carlos Colon and other Japanese wrestlers. He used that same damn fork which is unorthodox. That caused hepatitis C to other wrestlers like Hannibal which tarnish his career and dream to wrestle in the WWE. He was wild and crazy in the ring. He got carried away with the hardcore stuff using the same weapons over and over again creating scars in foreheads like Carlos Colon. This man deserves to be in the WWE Hall of Fame and should stay there. He should not just be known for bleeding wrestlers but being a pioneer of hardcore wrestling."

[1.0] "I don't go out of my way to hate people I don't know but I really do hate this mans guts. Abdullah the Butcher is famed for his brutality and gruesome matches from the late sixties to the beginning of this decade. He was a massive attraction back in the day and its not hard to see why; he was something different, and the feud he and Sheik had with the Funks in the 70s was indeed great, but putting aside the fact that hes just a terrible person he was pretty overhyped. He gassed quickly and had a bit of a limited set. He had psychology and charisma, which is more then could be said for a lot of guys in the 70s, but Ive only really gotten into one or two of his matches and those were tag team affairs. Hes probably closer to a 5, but the fact that he willingly spread hepatitis to people in his later years and had no sense of guilt makes it all too easy to just ZERO him. Ive shown some restraint in this case due to his early career."

[5.0] "Although definitely not a very good wrestler Abdullah The Butcher is legendary. He has had some very good matches and some very bad matches along with some very memorable moments. For most people he is most well known for his signature fork and his time in WCW. I liked his matches with Stan Hansen alot as well. Overall 5/10."

[10.0] "If you want someone technical, go somewhere else, but if you want a guy who brings a unique and shocking aspect to all his matches then look no further. The guy was a master of character work and brought some of the best aspects of hardcore wrestling to bear. His unique look is a big positive in my opinion. Abby is a guy I am a big fan of, and I think people write him off way too quickly."

[7.0] "One of the first great pioneers of extreme wrestling. In-ring skills was ok, considering his size and style. Not a great athlete, but an iconic character: an hardcore legend."

[8.0] "Not everyone's cup of tea but Adullah was always a money attraction and a believable threat. His gimmick was powerful and he could be almost immediately plugged into a program with the area's top face and draw real heat"

[3.0] "That type of wrestling isn't really my cup of coffee, but you have to admire his aura and presence in the ring. Unfortunately, the whole story with hepatitis really makes me question Abdullahs character, so therefore a rather low rating."