WWE: This Madman Says He Could Break The Undertaker's Streak

abdullah the butcher Hardcore wrestling icon Abdullah the Butcher, known for his violent bloodbaths against the Sheik, Dusty Rhodes, and Bruiser Brody, would have loved a crack at the Undertaker's streak at WrestleMania. "We never wrestled, but I believe I could have beaten the Undertaker's streak before my hip problems," said Abdullah the Butcher in a recent interview with WhatCulture. "I need a new hip, and I'm getting close to getting one. "And I still look 100 per cent good. If you were to put me with the Undertaker today, we could sell out any place in the world. And we would make a hell of a lot of money." Hailed as "the Madman from Sudan," Abdullah the Butcher (born Larry Shreve) grew up in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, learning the martial arts of judo and karate before making his wrestling debut in 1958. "Montreal promoter Jack Britton took one look at me and said, 'He's a natural,'" said Abdullah. "And the people feared me. At the age of 22, I was packing houses in Montreal." Over a half-century later, the Madman from the Sudan is confident he could still pack houses, especially if he had an opponent like the Undertaker. "I've wrestled lots of big men over the years and had great matches -- Don Leo Jonathan, Blackjack Mulligan, Giant Baba in Japan, Giant Warrior in Puerto Rico," he said. It was in Puerto Rico, wrestling for Carlos Colon's World Wrestling Council (WWC), where Abdullah had a heated rivalry and a classic battle with Andre the Giant. "In San Juan's Hiram Bithorn Stadium, we had a hell of a match," said Abdullah. "But if Andre and me were to ever have wrestled in New York, we could have drawn the biggest crowds in history. I also wrestled Andre in Montreal and Tokyo." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZd-vAVs39E Unbeknownst to many fans, Abdullah wrestled Hulk Hogan in a series of matches back in the '80s. "Hogan and I wrestled in Japan for two weeks, selling out and having great matches," he said. "We could do it again today -- I don't know if he's still wrestling -- and I think we could still give the people action." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdkvuH5PHqI Throughout the '70s and '80s, Abdullah wrestled in practically every territory in North America, as well as Kuwait, Korea, Uganda, and practically everywhere else. Everywhere, that is, except with WWE. "The WWE was scared of me because I was an outlaw, and I did not kiss anybody's butt," said Abdullah. "The boys, back in the day there, would say, 'Don't bring Abdullah in -- he'll be trouble.' But every place I went, it didn't matter, I could bring business up in the territory. Every country I wrestled in, I could have a great match with their top stars, and I did." After a career spanning six decades, Abdullah the Butcher was finally inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2011, alongside the Legion of Doom, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, and Shawn Michaels. "It was tremendous -- so many people. It was a whirlwind," said Abdullah with obvious pride. "When they phoned and said, 'We want to put you in the Hall of Fame,' I started smacking myself to make sure I was hearing them right. It was in Atlanta, where I live and run my restaurant, Abdullah the Butcher's House of Ribs, so I wasn't far away and I got picked up in a limo. I loved it." It was also the first time Abdullah would come face-to-face with Vince McMahon. "I sat down with him at the Hall of Fame and we talked for a bit. It was nice," he said. "Vince, a lot of people call him a dog -- they say this and that -- but he takes care of a lot of wrestlers who are in trouble, even long after they've left the company. He's a good man. And my Hall of Fame induction, I was very, very happy." Abdullah said he would be happy if he could climb back in the ring, one more time. "I love the wrestling business, and up until I needed a new hip, I could still go," he said. "I'm getting calls from Japan, 'When are you comin'? When are you comin' back?' "Imagine me and the Undertaker in Japan, we could sell out the Tokyo Dome," Abdullah added. "'I knew him before he went to the WWE. Taker's a really good, solid wrestler, especially for his size, and he's a really nice kid. But I think I could have beaten the streak, if I had made it to WrestleMania." After a long pause, Abdullah opined with a chuckle: "They call him the 'Dead Man,' but I'm probably the one who will die in the ring."
Contributor

Marshall Ward is an arts, music, entertainment and professional wrestling writer based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. A weekly columnist with the Waterloo Chronicle newspaper, Ward is also a contributing writer for Rock Cellar Magazine and has interviewed everyone from William Shatner to Olivia Newton-John to Ringo Starr. Email is welcome at marshall_ward@hotmail.com.