For a long time, Abdullah the Butcher was one of the scariest and most mysterious men in the pro wrestling world. Billed as the 'Madman from the Sudan', Abdullah lived his gimmick and, even once kayfabe became harder and harder to maintain, would not reveal too much about the business or himself.
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However, in more recent years the now 82-years old WWE Hall of Famer is not only facing health problems and financial troubles but - potentially as a result of those issues - has become more open about the business and his time in it. Here then are ten backstage stories about Abdullah the Butcher that you may not have known - and that may or may not be 100% accurate.
10 He Is (Allegedly) Illiterate
As odd as it may seem for somebody who has been this successful during his career, Abdullah claims to be illiterate. He also says that his inability to (properly) read or write was what ultimately cost him the lawsuit filed by Devon Nicholson regarding the Hepatitis C infection Nicholson claimed was transmitted by Abdullah. Whether true or not, the fact that Abdullah openly claims being illiterate is remarkable.
9 He Dropped Out Of School After Grade 2
Abdullah's claim of illiteracy makes more sense once you know that he left school after grade two. It also makes it very unlikely that Abdullah is not able to read or write at all. It is much more likely that he knows enough to get by. Either way, Abdullah's lack of education makes his success in business all the more interesting - and also explains why he is always travelling with what is described as an 'entourage.'
8 Starred In Japanese Movies And Commercials
As famous and successful as Abdullah was in the United States and Puerto Rico, his popularity in Japan is on another level.
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To some extent, this popularity also exposed Abdullah's mysticism as a brutal madman by showing him in a different light, as this commercial shows.
7 His Atlanta Restaurant Only Had Plastic Forks
Like a surprisingly large number of other wrestlers, Abdullah was also a restaurant owner: the Abdullah the Butcher's House of Ribs and Chinese Food. The restaurant, located on the outskirts of Atlanta, closed down some years ago. However, there was the interesting anecdote that it only used plastic forks once it realized that people started stealing the metal forks as souvenirs. Whether or not this was actually the case - it would have been more on-brand for Abdullah to sign forks and charge customers for them - it still makes for an interesting story.
6 He Claims He Still Wants To Wrestle
Abdullah is 82 years-old and, by his own admission, requires hip replacement. Nonetheless, Abdullah claims he would still like to get back into the ring! While it seems like a way to promote his GoFundMe for his surgery (and financial troubles) it would be a remarkable event if the Madman from the Sudan would step into the ring one more time at his age!
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His last match to date was in 2012 when he competed alongside Keiji Mutoh and Kikutaro against Masanoku Fuchi, Osamu Nishimura, and BLACK BUSHI at the first event of All Japan's New Year Shining Series.
5 He Was Supposed To Wrestle Hulk Hogan In WWE
This one is a bit hard to believe considering the timeframe, but Abdullah claims that he was scheduled to start a feud with Hulk Hogan in the WWE. According to Abdullah, he was working with Hogan in Japan in 1982, when Hogan told him he could bring Abdullah into the WWE to feud with him for the title. The only problem with the story is that Hogan wasn't in the WWE in 1982 and wouldn't be the WWE Champion until January 1984. There is of course a chance that Hogan contacted Abdullah and brought his name up to Vince McMahon in the lead-up to WrestleMania 2 and that Abdullah is just conflating two stories. The booking leading up to the event, as well as the nature of Hogan's opponent - King Kong Bundy in a steel cage - would fit a brief Abdullah run. However, according to Abdullah, Vince McMahon canceled plans after finding out about Abdullah's use of forks and blood.
4 He Almost Got Mid-Atlantic Kicked Off TV
Given the nature of Abdullah's bloody matches and his tendency towards using a fork in matches, it is no surprise that he got an American promotion in trouble with television executives. What is surprising is that this trouble had nothing to do with a fork or one of his matches - but with a raw liver. As the story goes, Abdullah decided to eat (or at least chew on) a raw liver on live television. According to David Crockett, Abdullah was bleeding and the scene of a bleeding man chewing on a piece of raw meat and having its juices run down his face did not go over well with TBS executives, who made it perfectly clear that they didn't want to see similar scenes again.
3 He Almost Appeared At Royal Rumble 2000
On his Foley is Pod podcast, Mick Foley revealed that he pitched Abdullah the Butcher to Vince McMahon as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble match. Abdullah had never performed in Madison Square Garden, and Foley wanted to give the then 59 year-old Abdullah the opportunity to do just that. Needless to say, Foley's suggestion was not taken and Abdullah - to this day - has never performed in the most famous arena in the world.
2 He Was On A Hijacked Plane
On February 10, 1969, Abdullah the Butcher found himself on board an Eastern Airlines flight from Puerto Rico to Miami when Peter Alvarez, a Cuban national, hijacked the plane and demanded it headed towards Havana. Abdullah apparently rose to take on the armed hijacker but was asked by a flight attendant to remain seated (back then, policy was to acquiesce the hijackers demands in the interest of safety for crew and passengers). After the plane landed in Havana, Alvarez was arrested and the plane headed towards its initial destination.
1 He Lost A Lawsuit About His Hepatitis C Infection
Unfortunately, this is probably the best-known story about Abdullah the Butcher today. Abdullah was exposed and (allegedly) contracted hepatitis C sometime during his long and bloody career. In 2014, Canadian wrestler Devon 'Hannibal' Nicholson won a lawsuit in which he claimed that his own hepatitis C infection was contracted as a result of a match with Abdullah. Nicholson was awarded $2.3 million dollars - a verdict that allegedly caused Abdullah's current financial troubles (despite Nicholson's claim that Abdullah hasn't paid).
