10 Most Effective Wrestling Blade Jobs Ever

3. Abdullah The Butcher And Bruiser Brody Blade Themselves Into Folklore

Austin McMahon
WWE.com

If you write down everything that happened in a typical Abdullah the Butcher Vs. Bruiser Brody match, the description doesn't do the dynamic - nor the drama - justice. Across Texas, Puerto Rico and Japan, most infamously, they walk-and-brawled and bladed as Abdullah stuck a fork in Bruiser's forehead.

The matches almost invariably ended in a double disqualification. The series was a rule-proving exception to the wins and losses matter philosophy. The notion of a "better man" undid the unique appeal of their chemistry. It was never about who was the better man; it was always about who was the most unhinged, and in practise, this was about the only good 50/50 booking ever penned. Political considerations were at play, obviously, but the spectacle of Abdullah and Brody brutalising one another all over the arena was a massive draw - even (or especially) if those drawn hurried away in fear.

The wild-eyed intensity and outrageous blood-letting was better crafted than you'd think; their use of plunder was a crazed but not un-traditional way of "calling it". It wasn't artless plunder work; together, they perfected a different strain of wrestling as an improvised performance art.

In the process, they bladed themselves into wrestling folklore captured by the most lurid mag covers ever.

 
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Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!