1 00:00:10,010 --> 00:00:14,223 [Thunder] 2 00:00:14,223 --> 00:00:17,517 Abdullah the Butcher was like a nightmare come to life. 3 00:00:17,517 --> 00:00:18,810 He terrified people. 4 00:00:18,810 --> 00:00:20,020 [Screaming] 5 00:00:20,020 --> 00:00:23,524 Just savage, bloody, thirsty machine. 6 00:00:23,524 --> 00:00:25,025 Trying to rip the eyeball. 7 00:00:25,025 --> 00:00:26,443 When Abdullah walked in the ring, 8 00:00:26,443 --> 00:00:29,279 you know you're gonna get blood. 9 00:00:29,279 --> 00:00:32,032 Every match he was in, he bled. 10 00:00:32,032 --> 00:00:33,325 You bled. 11 00:00:33,325 --> 00:00:34,701 [Announcer] Oh my God, right on- 12 00:00:34,701 --> 00:00:37,120 [narrator] One of the most infamous wrestlers of all time, 13 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:39,957 Abdullah the Butcher left a legacy of violence 14 00:00:39,957 --> 00:00:42,084 and bloodshed wherever he went- 15 00:00:42,084 --> 00:00:44,419 From Puerto Rico to Japan, 16 00:00:44,419 --> 00:00:46,213 and across North America. 17 00:00:46,213 --> 00:00:48,799 -It's Abdullah! -[Match bell ringing] 18 00:00:48,799 --> 00:00:50,717 Think about what he's experiencing. 19 00:00:50,717 --> 00:00:52,135 He's getting cooked! 20 00:00:52,135 --> 00:00:55,305 You can't think of a heel that was bigger than Abdullah. 21 00:00:55,305 --> 00:00:56,515 You can't. 22 00:00:56,515 --> 00:00:59,768 [Crowd cheering] 23 00:00:59,768 --> 00:01:02,145 He made money everywhere he went. 24 00:01:02,145 --> 00:01:03,647 But the more money we made, 25 00:01:03,647 --> 00:01:05,691 the more danger we had to face. 26 00:01:05,691 --> 00:01:08,568 Even though Abdullah was playing a character, 27 00:01:08,568 --> 00:01:10,571 inside, that was him. 28 00:01:10,571 --> 00:01:12,406 He would have people with slingshots hitting him and 29 00:01:12,406 --> 00:01:14,074 throwing things at him, because they think 30 00:01:14,074 --> 00:01:15,826 he's hurt the damn guy. 31 00:01:15,826 --> 00:01:18,245 Fans at ringside when he got too close, 32 00:01:18,245 --> 00:01:21,081 I mean, they were running! 33 00:01:21,081 --> 00:01:22,791 [Thunder] 34 00:01:22,791 --> 00:01:25,669 Everybody's blood thirsty. 35 00:01:25,669 --> 00:01:28,005 Everybody, everybody is blood thirsty. 36 00:01:28,005 --> 00:01:30,048 They want it. 37 00:01:30,048 --> 00:01:32,134 Notorious for blurring the line between 38 00:01:32,134 --> 00:01:35,304 reality and fiction, Abdullah remained a mystery 39 00:01:35,304 --> 00:01:37,055 even to those closest to him. 40 00:01:37,055 --> 00:01:39,266 See, you all know the wrestler, 41 00:01:39,266 --> 00:01:42,227 but you don't know the person. 42 00:01:42,227 --> 00:01:44,146 He's a hero all the time. 43 00:01:44,146 --> 00:01:46,231 He was a very good person. 44 00:01:46,231 --> 00:01:50,569 In a gruesome but successful career spanning 7 decades, 45 00:01:50,569 --> 00:01:53,613 Abdullah's thirst for blood made him infamous, 46 00:01:53,613 --> 00:01:55,699 but also led to his downfall. 47 00:01:55,699 --> 00:01:58,076 He cost me my WWE career, that was a fact. 48 00:01:58,076 --> 00:01:59,828 The Hep C caused me 49 00:01:59,828 --> 00:02:01,830 not to have my WWE contract. 50 00:02:01,830 --> 00:02:05,208 -[Indistinct shouting] -Japan. Japan. 51 00:02:05,208 --> 00:02:07,544 You're a piece of shit and I hope that when you die, 52 00:02:07,544 --> 00:02:09,796 you die a really slow and painful death. 53 00:02:10,255 --> 00:02:14,301 ♪ 54 00:02:17,596 --> 00:02:19,181 Now he's biting again the wound that's 55 00:02:19,181 --> 00:02:20,891 already open on the forehead. 56 00:02:20,891 --> 00:02:22,476 Acting like he finds the 57 00:02:22,476 --> 00:02:25,103 taste of the blood pleasurable. 58 00:02:25,103 --> 00:02:27,022 Abdullah the Butcher would come into a regional 59 00:02:27,022 --> 00:02:30,817 wrestling territory and just set business on fire. 60 00:02:30,817 --> 00:02:32,402 Blood everywhere! 61 00:02:32,402 --> 00:02:35,030 The difference between Abdullah and everyone else 62 00:02:35,030 --> 00:02:37,908 is when anyone else came into the territory, 63 00:02:37,908 --> 00:02:40,952 fans were rooting for their favourite to win. 64 00:02:40,952 --> 00:02:42,621 When Abdullah came in, 65 00:02:42,621 --> 00:02:44,831 they were rooting for their favourite to survive. 66 00:02:44,831 --> 00:02:46,249 Oh, what a... 67 00:02:46,249 --> 00:02:47,918 Looks like he's getting ready to carve up 68 00:02:47,918 --> 00:02:49,586 a steak there and eat a little bit of it. 69 00:02:49,586 --> 00:02:51,880 Hello, I'm Mick Foley, sometimes known as the 70 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:54,466 Hardcore Legend, and I have been involved with 71 00:02:54,466 --> 00:02:58,470 professional wrestling since 1985. 72 00:02:58,470 --> 00:03:01,139 I knew of the legend of Abdullah, 73 00:03:01,139 --> 00:03:03,767 because in those days, you learned about people 74 00:03:03,767 --> 00:03:07,771 outside of your geographic area largely by the magazines. 75 00:03:07,771 --> 00:03:11,441 And the magazines painted this amazing portrait of 76 00:03:11,441 --> 00:03:13,485 this unstoppable monster. 77 00:03:13,485 --> 00:03:16,363 I was so intrigued by Abdullah the Butcher that the 78 00:03:16,363 --> 00:03:19,449 first thing I did, uh, when I got to college as a freshman, 79 00:03:19,449 --> 00:03:22,119 is I put a black and white photo of him on the wall, 80 00:03:22,119 --> 00:03:24,663 and began to tell the entire dormitory that 81 00:03:24,663 --> 00:03:27,791 he was my father. 82 00:03:27,791 --> 00:03:29,668 When you have those, those, uh, 83 00:03:29,668 --> 00:03:32,921 Taekwondo karate pants, and you see him 84 00:03:32,921 --> 00:03:37,134 with a fork with all those gigantic cuts... 85 00:03:37,134 --> 00:03:40,387 And he opens those big eyes and you see him on promos, 86 00:03:40,387 --> 00:03:45,475 eating, uh, liver and the blood of the liver coming out... 87 00:03:45,475 --> 00:03:50,689 That's Abdullah the Butcher, and he was unstoppable. 88 00:03:50,689 --> 00:03:52,274 My name is Hugo Savinovich. 89 00:03:52,274 --> 00:03:54,693 I'm from Guayaquil, Ecuador, and I've been in this 90 00:03:54,693 --> 00:03:59,072 passionate industry for close to 50 years. 91 00:03:59,072 --> 00:04:03,618 And I will do it again! Love lucha libre. 92 00:04:03,618 --> 00:04:05,370 No one was safe. 93 00:04:05,370 --> 00:04:07,956 Here he comes again, he hits Bronko Lubich. 94 00:04:07,956 --> 00:04:10,834 Not the referee, not the owner of the company. 95 00:04:10,834 --> 00:04:13,336 He would put fear into your body, 96 00:04:13,336 --> 00:04:16,089 into your brain, your soul. 97 00:04:16,089 --> 00:04:19,426 [Spanish commentary] 98 00:04:29,561 --> 00:04:32,564 Yeah. Eating a raw, raw meat. 99 00:04:32,564 --> 00:04:34,816 [Laughing] Chicken. 100 00:04:34,816 --> 00:04:36,985 I don't know. And he could even 101 00:04:36,985 --> 00:04:41,406 take a phonebook and tear it in half. 102 00:04:41,406 --> 00:04:43,450 ♪ 103 00:04:43,450 --> 00:04:45,076 Mhmm. 104 00:04:45,076 --> 00:04:48,872 My name is Josephine Hearon Shreve. 105 00:04:48,872 --> 00:04:53,084 Abdullah the Butcher is my brother. 106 00:04:53,084 --> 00:04:57,380 Windsor, at that time when I was growing up, 107 00:04:57,380 --> 00:05:01,051 I always say that's old school. 108 00:05:01,051 --> 00:05:04,513 And it was like we was raised in a two bedroom house, 109 00:05:04,513 --> 00:05:07,390 war time house, there was eight of us. 110 00:05:07,390 --> 00:05:11,978 Two or three of us slept in a bed together. 111 00:05:11,978 --> 00:05:16,900 I had my own room because I slept in the bathtub. 112 00:05:16,900 --> 00:05:18,652 I had a cushion to put in there. 113 00:05:18,652 --> 00:05:20,820 My father and them would have to go to the bathroom, 114 00:05:20,820 --> 00:05:22,531 they'd piss in a can. 115 00:05:22,531 --> 00:05:24,157 My mother had to come in the washroom, 116 00:05:24,157 --> 00:05:25,825 she'd knock on the door, and I'd get out of the tub 117 00:05:25,825 --> 00:05:28,203 and let her in. 'Cause I don't think my mother 118 00:05:28,203 --> 00:05:30,247 wanted to piss in a can, okay? 119 00:05:30,247 --> 00:05:32,207 That's the way it was. 120 00:05:32,207 --> 00:05:35,335 My name is Ralph Shreve. 121 00:05:35,335 --> 00:05:39,589 I am Larry Paul Shreve's brother, 122 00:05:39,589 --> 00:05:42,300 as Abdullah the Butcher. 123 00:05:42,300 --> 00:05:44,928 I call him Larry. 124 00:05:44,928 --> 00:05:47,931 That's his name, to me. 125 00:05:47,931 --> 00:05:50,892 Abdullah the Butcher is his money name, 126 00:05:50,892 --> 00:05:53,645 his wrestling name. 127 00:05:53,645 --> 00:05:55,480 If you ever interview him, 128 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:57,899 you just look at his damn head. 129 00:05:57,899 --> 00:05:59,442 -You ever interview him? -Mhmm. 130 00:05:59,442 --> 00:06:01,069 Oh, there you go then. 131 00:06:01,069 --> 00:06:02,612 I guess, you, he tells the truth, 132 00:06:02,612 --> 00:06:04,197 but I'll tell you one thing, 133 00:06:04,197 --> 00:06:06,283 there I think you should be better off 134 00:06:06,283 --> 00:06:08,702 talking to him a longer distance. 135 00:06:08,702 --> 00:06:10,996 [Indiscernible shout] 136 00:06:10,996 --> 00:06:13,915 He'll have your ass jump up in one minute, 137 00:06:13,915 --> 00:06:15,375 and you scared to death. 138 00:06:15,375 --> 00:06:17,627 He's a good actor. 139 00:06:17,627 --> 00:06:22,132 ♪ 140 00:06:22,132 --> 00:06:26,261 ♪ 141 00:06:26,261 --> 00:06:30,223 ♪ 142 00:06:30,223 --> 00:06:34,019 [Booing] 143 00:06:34,019 --> 00:06:34,978 [Off-screen] Oh yeah we just gotta- 144 00:06:34,978 --> 00:06:36,229 [Abdullah] I wanted to take it off with the thing. 145 00:06:36,229 --> 00:06:39,816 I got my head off, let me take my head off. 146 00:06:39,816 --> 00:06:41,026 [Off-screen] Looking good. 147 00:06:42,736 --> 00:06:46,031 [Laughing] 148 00:06:46,031 --> 00:06:48,116 Yeah, that's me. 149 00:06:49,034 --> 00:06:51,077 My name is Larry Shreve. 150 00:06:51,077 --> 00:06:53,204 My name, my other wrestling name, 151 00:06:53,204 --> 00:06:55,415 is Abdullah the Butcher. 152 00:06:55,415 --> 00:06:57,417 I'm from "Cartoon", Sudan, 153 00:06:57,417 --> 00:07:01,671 but now since I'm putting air out, 154 00:07:01,671 --> 00:07:04,466 I'm from "Cartoon", Sudan, Windsor Ontario. 155 00:07:05,008 --> 00:07:06,843 [Off-screen] [Laughing] 156 00:07:09,429 --> 00:07:11,097 Oh they worked hard. My mother worked hard, 157 00:07:11,097 --> 00:07:13,642 my dad worked hard. 158 00:07:13,642 --> 00:07:18,939 [Teeth clicking] 159 00:07:18,939 --> 00:07:21,191 [Sighing] 160 00:07:21,191 --> 00:07:24,903 When I seen my mother on the floor, scrubbing floors, 161 00:07:24,903 --> 00:07:28,281 you know, at the funeral home, I said to myself, 162 00:07:28,281 --> 00:07:31,326 "Holy shit, my mother works hard." 163 00:07:31,326 --> 00:07:32,202 But I never knew that she was 164 00:07:32,202 --> 00:07:35,872 on her hands and knees until I went there. 165 00:07:35,872 --> 00:07:40,126 I didn't want to learn how to read or write because 166 00:07:40,126 --> 00:07:44,631 I was only worrying about my mother and father. 167 00:07:44,631 --> 00:07:47,092 I wanted to make money. 168 00:07:47,092 --> 00:07:50,845 I used to buy candy, three for a penny. 169 00:07:50,845 --> 00:07:54,432 Go to school, and uh, 170 00:07:54,432 --> 00:07:58,144 "You wanna buy some candy?" Right? 171 00:07:58,144 --> 00:08:01,356 I'd sell it for maybe a penny a piece or whatever. 172 00:08:01,356 --> 00:08:04,025 When the kids owed me money and I'd say, 173 00:08:04,025 --> 00:08:06,736 "When you gonna pay me my money?" 174 00:08:06,736 --> 00:08:09,114 So maybe he got scared 175 00:08:09,114 --> 00:08:11,825 like I was gonna do something, right? 176 00:08:11,825 --> 00:08:14,953 So he wouldn't go to school. 177 00:08:14,953 --> 00:08:17,038 Maybe his mother came and says, 178 00:08:17,038 --> 00:08:19,207 "My kid is scared to come to school." 179 00:08:19,207 --> 00:08:21,167 And uh, that was it. Then I says, 180 00:08:21,167 --> 00:08:24,587 "I gotta get out of here and try to make some, 181 00:08:24,587 --> 00:08:26,965 you know, money where I don't have a problem." 182 00:08:26,965 --> 00:08:28,341 And that's what I done. 183 00:08:31,219 --> 00:08:32,804 He only finished the grade second. 184 00:08:32,804 --> 00:08:35,265 I was a year smarter than him and I'm not really that smart 185 00:08:35,265 --> 00:08:38,059 myself, but I'm saying we done a lot. 186 00:08:38,059 --> 00:08:40,937 He done, Larry, he went to people's houses knocking on 187 00:08:40,937 --> 00:08:43,606 the door and asking for old clothes all that, 188 00:08:43,606 --> 00:08:45,859 and he had a second hand store with all kinds of 189 00:08:45,859 --> 00:08:48,695 old clothes, and he had a store. 190 00:08:48,695 --> 00:08:51,740 He shined shoes for years, 191 00:08:51,740 --> 00:08:55,952 then he got a janitorial service, uh, business. 192 00:08:55,952 --> 00:08:57,829 He had people cutting grass and all that. 193 00:08:57,829 --> 00:09:00,540 He had a, he had a truck where he went around 194 00:09:00,540 --> 00:09:03,042 moving stuff out of people's basements and all that. 195 00:09:03,042 --> 00:09:04,294 He was a worker. 196 00:09:04,294 --> 00:09:07,505 Let's just say he was always a hustler. 197 00:09:07,505 --> 00:09:09,883 He'd be into, he'd been into karate and all that. 198 00:09:09,883 --> 00:09:13,386 He had a karate place where like, senior citizens, 199 00:09:13,386 --> 00:09:16,806 he trained them to learn how to defend their self. 200 00:09:16,806 --> 00:09:18,558 That's right in Windsor he had about eight or nine 201 00:09:18,558 --> 00:09:20,769 old ladies in their 60s or 70s, 202 00:09:20,769 --> 00:09:22,771 and he had where they could defend their self. 203 00:09:22,771 --> 00:09:25,065 Just old people and that. 204 00:09:25,065 --> 00:09:27,901 I was down at the Windsor arena and I was doing karate 205 00:09:27,901 --> 00:09:32,072 and stuff like that, and uh, the manager of the place, 206 00:09:32,072 --> 00:09:34,407 he said, "Hey, you should be a wrestler." 207 00:09:34,407 --> 00:09:38,453 I said, "Oh I don't want to do that crap." 208 00:09:38,453 --> 00:09:39,746 He said, "You could make some money." 209 00:09:39,746 --> 00:09:41,915 I said, "Oh, OK." 210 00:09:41,915 --> 00:09:44,209 Abdullah crosses the river to Detroit 211 00:09:44,209 --> 00:09:46,211 where he meets the original Sheikh, 212 00:09:46,211 --> 00:09:48,963 one of the innovators of hardcore wrestling. 213 00:09:48,963 --> 00:09:51,674 Wait a minute. The Sheikh has got the fire! 214 00:09:51,674 --> 00:09:54,385 -Oh! -A despicable act of biting. 215 00:09:54,385 --> 00:09:57,096 Abdullah playing an Arabic, uh, wrestler, 216 00:09:57,096 --> 00:09:59,599 they only had one at that time. 217 00:09:59,599 --> 00:10:01,267 And that was, they called him The Sheikh. 218 00:10:01,267 --> 00:10:05,480 Not the Iron Sheikh, the Sheikh out of Detroit. 219 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:07,398 He used to do all that stuff, you know, 220 00:10:07,398 --> 00:10:11,611 cut you in your forehead. Walk around crazy. 221 00:10:11,611 --> 00:10:14,697 [Shouting] A ball of fire into the face... 222 00:10:14,697 --> 00:10:16,741 Put out that fireball! 223 00:10:16,741 --> 00:10:19,327 Hi, this is Mr. USA, 224 00:10:19,327 --> 00:10:23,456 WWE Hall of Famer, Tony Atlas. 225 00:10:23,456 --> 00:10:24,958 He grew up watching the Sheikh, 226 00:10:24,958 --> 00:10:26,292 imitating the Sheikh. 227 00:10:26,292 --> 00:10:28,503 [Indistinct commentary] ...Camel clutch. 228 00:10:28,503 --> 00:10:31,756 Wait a minute, wait a minute, that's my scarf! 229 00:10:31,756 --> 00:10:34,050 Oh this is a grudge match! This is war! 230 00:10:34,050 --> 00:10:36,636 [Larry] I told my dad, I said, "Dad, I'm wrestling at 231 00:10:36,636 --> 00:10:38,763 Cobo Hall." My dad says, 232 00:10:38,763 --> 00:10:41,307 "Those are some dangerous people over there." 233 00:10:41,307 --> 00:10:44,602 My dad used to see me with cuts on my head. 234 00:10:44,602 --> 00:10:46,229 He told my mother, "Tell him that he'd better, 235 00:10:46,229 --> 00:10:48,106 he'd better get out of that shit." 236 00:10:48,106 --> 00:10:51,818 I said, "Dad, listen, smack me." 237 00:10:51,818 --> 00:10:54,863 He said, "For what?" I said, "Just smack me." 238 00:10:54,863 --> 00:10:59,075 ♪ 239 00:10:59,075 --> 00:11:02,620 ♪ 240 00:11:02,620 --> 00:11:06,999 ♪ 241 00:11:06,999 --> 00:11:10,044 He went- 242 00:11:10,044 --> 00:11:12,046 He seen me bleeding. 243 00:11:12,046 --> 00:11:15,592 He said, "I didn't hit you that hard!" 244 00:11:15,592 --> 00:11:18,386 Then I showed him the blade. 245 00:11:18,386 --> 00:11:20,638 He said, "Now I know you're crazy." 246 00:11:20,638 --> 00:11:23,308 [Laughing] 247 00:11:23,308 --> 00:11:25,894 Having learned this bloody trick of the trade, 248 00:11:25,894 --> 00:11:30,023 Abdullah travels the world 249 00:11:25,894 --> 00:11:30,023 showcasing his hardcore style. 250 00:11:30,023 --> 00:11:31,566 While working in Puerto Rico, 251 00:11:31,566 --> 00:11:33,776 he meets promoter Carlos Colón and 252 00:11:33,776 --> 00:11:36,696 his right hand man, Hugo Savinovich. 253 00:11:36,696 --> 00:11:38,698 I started working with Carlos and they say, 254 00:11:38,698 --> 00:11:41,200 "You're good, but you're not big enough." 255 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:42,869 He says, "I want to make you a manager." 256 00:11:42,869 --> 00:11:44,329 And then he says, "By the way, 257 00:11:44,329 --> 00:11:48,666 we're bringing into Puerto Rico, one month... 258 00:11:48,666 --> 00:11:50,209 Abdullah the Butcher." 259 00:11:50,209 --> 00:11:51,669 And I, I have heard of him, and I said, 260 00:11:51,669 --> 00:11:55,882 "Wow, I mean, what a way to begin a managing career." 261 00:11:55,882 --> 00:11:58,343 Managing him, it was, you know, just, 262 00:11:58,343 --> 00:12:01,721 a, just a crazy, crazy way of earning a living. 263 00:12:01,721 --> 00:12:03,932 Everybody just going crazy here. 264 00:12:03,932 --> 00:12:07,852 By 1983, he was already drawing gigantic money in, 265 00:12:07,852 --> 00:12:09,729 in the Caribbean islands and Puerto Rico. 266 00:12:09,729 --> 00:12:12,941 People will fill up the stadiums, 267 00:12:12,941 --> 00:12:17,862 until I will make the promoter Carlos Colón look good. 268 00:12:17,862 --> 00:12:20,323 But at the same time, he will destroy you. 269 00:12:20,323 --> 00:12:22,951 Perhaps the fear of being involved in this match- 270 00:12:22,951 --> 00:12:25,119 [Tony] Abdullah was wrestling in Puerto Rico for a couple of 271 00:12:25,119 --> 00:12:27,288 months, he'd wrestle in Japan for a couple of months, 272 00:12:27,288 --> 00:12:29,791 and then he would come back to the States. 273 00:12:29,791 --> 00:12:31,459 [Commentary] Whoa! 274 00:12:31,459 --> 00:12:33,336 [Audience screaming] 275 00:12:33,336 --> 00:12:35,129 And he was a big draw. 276 00:12:35,129 --> 00:12:37,799 I mean, wherever he went he drew money. 277 00:12:37,799 --> 00:12:41,803 Abdullah was worth every penny that he got paid and 278 00:12:41,803 --> 00:12:45,223 trust me, he was making huge money. 279 00:12:45,223 --> 00:12:50,979 He lived really like a rich guy. 280 00:12:50,979 --> 00:12:53,815 Abdullah were very cautious of his money. 281 00:12:53,815 --> 00:12:56,192 When he got paid, as soon as you'd give it to him 282 00:12:56,192 --> 00:12:58,486 he'd count it. 283 00:12:58,486 --> 00:13:00,405 I made sure my mother and father, 284 00:13:00,405 --> 00:13:03,700 my brothers and sisters, got some of it. 285 00:13:03,700 --> 00:13:06,119 My mother used to work for the funeral homes and 286 00:13:06,119 --> 00:13:08,496 stuff like that, I went to her one day and I said, 287 00:13:08,496 --> 00:13:10,832 "Come on, Ma." She said, "What?" 288 00:13:10,832 --> 00:13:12,792 She said, "I want you to meet Mrs., ah..." I says, 289 00:13:12,792 --> 00:13:15,378 "I don't want to meet them. You understand? 290 00:13:15,378 --> 00:13:17,046 You're here scrubbing floors and stuff like that and 291 00:13:17,046 --> 00:13:19,048 I supposed to be Abdullah the Butcher, 292 00:13:19,048 --> 00:13:22,218 and you're on your hands and knees scrubbing floors?" 293 00:13:22,218 --> 00:13:26,431 From that day, she never worked another day of her life. 294 00:13:26,431 --> 00:13:29,017 And I made sure of that. 295 00:13:29,017 --> 00:13:30,643 But I was dumb. 296 00:13:30,643 --> 00:13:33,146 I didn't have the schooling. 297 00:13:33,146 --> 00:13:35,606 Like I tell you, if I know what I know now, 298 00:13:35,606 --> 00:13:38,901 everybody shafts me. You understand? 299 00:13:38,901 --> 00:13:42,113 Despite his successful and profitable rise to fame, 300 00:13:42,113 --> 00:13:45,450 Abdullah today finds himself in legal trouble and 301 00:13:45,450 --> 00:13:46,743 financial ruin. 302 00:13:50,580 --> 00:13:52,749 Hell. 303 00:13:52,749 --> 00:13:55,168 You don't know who in the hell is working with you 304 00:13:55,168 --> 00:13:58,504 or working against you. You understand? 305 00:13:58,504 --> 00:14:01,257 I'm in bad shape. Real bad shape. 306 00:14:08,181 --> 00:14:12,643 And anybody, anywhere, that does not fear the 307 00:14:12,643 --> 00:14:16,189 name of the almighty Abdullah the Butcher, 308 00:14:16,189 --> 00:14:20,610 is either an insane fool or they're lying to ya. 309 00:14:20,610 --> 00:14:25,114 With Larry Shreve, yeah, it could be really difficult for 310 00:14:25,114 --> 00:14:27,492 a fan to know where the character ends, 311 00:14:27,492 --> 00:14:29,660 where the real person begins. 312 00:14:29,660 --> 00:14:31,579 He has reigned terror in the- 313 00:14:31,579 --> 00:14:34,916 [Growling] 314 00:14:34,916 --> 00:14:38,878 For someone who rode with him for hundreds of hours, um, 315 00:14:38,878 --> 00:14:42,173 yeah, you, you, you get to know the real guy. 316 00:14:42,173 --> 00:14:45,468 Or what he wants to show you of the real guy. 317 00:14:45,468 --> 00:14:48,387 Abdullah the Butcher moves swiftly for a big man. 318 00:14:48,387 --> 00:14:52,225 See, he always talk about he's an entertainer. 319 00:14:52,225 --> 00:14:54,352 He's entertaining you. 320 00:14:54,352 --> 00:14:58,022 But the real true person, you all don't know. 321 00:14:58,022 --> 00:15:03,361 My name is Jocelyn Malikah Marshall. 322 00:15:03,361 --> 00:15:06,823 I met Abdullah while I was on the streets 323 00:15:06,823 --> 00:15:09,075 feeding the homeless. 324 00:15:09,075 --> 00:15:13,246 He told me his name was Joe and I was just so excited to 325 00:15:13,246 --> 00:15:16,374 see somebody else out there like myself 326 00:15:16,374 --> 00:15:18,417 feeding the homeless. 327 00:15:18,417 --> 00:15:21,337 So, I didn't know he had a restaurant. 328 00:15:21,337 --> 00:15:24,340 He gave me the address of the restaurant and 329 00:15:24,340 --> 00:15:25,883 I brought my son over there. 330 00:15:25,883 --> 00:15:28,761 My son said, "Do you know who that is?" He said, 331 00:15:28,761 --> 00:15:31,639 "That's Abdullah the Butcher." And I said, 332 00:15:31,639 --> 00:15:35,059 "Who is that?" Because I'm not into wrestling. 333 00:15:35,059 --> 00:15:37,270 Abdullah was his, uh, hero. 334 00:15:39,814 --> 00:15:41,899 He loved the bad guys, yes. 335 00:15:41,899 --> 00:15:44,444 [Tony] Abdullah was the best heel 336 00:15:44,444 --> 00:15:46,737 that the world ever saw. 337 00:15:46,737 --> 00:15:49,824 Even picturing it in my head now, just the way he stands, 338 00:15:49,824 --> 00:15:52,201 the way he, he moves around the ring, 339 00:15:52,201 --> 00:15:54,495 and the things he did. 340 00:15:54,495 --> 00:15:58,207 To see a whole crowd of people move back. 341 00:15:58,207 --> 00:15:59,625 He could walk through an aisle and 342 00:15:59,625 --> 00:16:01,669 people would run from him. 343 00:16:01,669 --> 00:16:02,879 And when he come through that ring and 344 00:16:02,879 --> 00:16:05,256 people go, "Uh oh, here come Abdullah." 345 00:16:05,256 --> 00:16:07,758 It got so it wasn't a gimmick. 346 00:16:07,758 --> 00:16:10,052 He was in character most of the time. 347 00:16:10,052 --> 00:16:12,054 Especially when he went out in public. 348 00:16:12,054 --> 00:16:14,265 Uh, I remember seeing a flight attendant 349 00:16:14,265 --> 00:16:15,808 go over to him, and as soon as Abdullah saw 350 00:16:15,808 --> 00:16:18,102 that flight attendant, his eyes bugged out, 351 00:16:18,102 --> 00:16:19,854 his mouth started watering, 352 00:16:19,854 --> 00:16:23,608 and she tried to like get his beverage order and 353 00:16:23,608 --> 00:16:25,067 just walked away. And I was like, 354 00:16:25,067 --> 00:16:26,360 "Abby, are you ok?" And he goes, 355 00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:28,404 "Gotta protect the character, champ. 356 00:16:28,404 --> 00:16:31,240 Gotta protect the character." And that's what he would do, 357 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:34,785 and so in his own way he would create this grass roots 358 00:16:34,785 --> 00:16:38,623 campaign for the authenticity of his character. 359 00:16:38,623 --> 00:16:41,125 Put it this way, when he went into the ring with 360 00:16:41,125 --> 00:16:45,630 any wrestler, he made them a good wrestler. 361 00:16:45,630 --> 00:16:48,216 If you had to fight Abdullah, you fought Abdullah. 362 00:16:48,216 --> 00:16:49,675 You got over. 363 00:16:49,675 --> 00:16:51,302 People knew you the next day. 364 00:16:51,302 --> 00:16:53,095 They got like a crown on their head because 365 00:16:53,095 --> 00:16:55,806 they're wrestling one of the best. 366 00:16:55,806 --> 00:17:00,144 That's why I say, Abdullah made Carlos Colón. 367 00:17:00,144 --> 00:17:03,731 Abdullah made Tony "Mr. USA" Atlas. 368 00:17:03,731 --> 00:17:08,236 Everybody that fought Abdullah became a big star. 369 00:17:08,236 --> 00:17:11,489 Here he comes, hard! There goes Kevin with a... 370 00:17:11,489 --> 00:17:14,533 The dirty battle continues between Abdullah and Kevin. 371 00:17:14,533 --> 00:17:17,245 And here he is with the big karate thrust to the head of 372 00:17:17,245 --> 00:17:18,829 the Dirty Dutch Mantel. 373 00:17:18,829 --> 00:17:23,167 [Cheering] 374 00:17:23,167 --> 00:17:26,295 What really made Abdullah was the time in Japan. 375 00:17:26,295 --> 00:17:28,881 [Japanese commentary] 376 00:17:28,881 --> 00:17:30,174 In Japan during that time 377 00:17:30,174 --> 00:17:32,551 wrestling was still about 70% real. 378 00:17:32,551 --> 00:17:34,262 If you got a karate kick in Japan, 379 00:17:34,262 --> 00:17:35,972 it was a real karate kick. 380 00:17:35,972 --> 00:17:38,557 You got chopped in Japan, it was a real chop. 381 00:17:38,557 --> 00:17:40,893 The only thing that was fake in Japan were 382 00:17:40,893 --> 00:17:42,395 who won and who lost. 383 00:17:42,395 --> 00:17:47,817 [Japanese commentary] 384 00:17:47,817 --> 00:17:49,902 He was on the cover of all these magazines. 385 00:17:49,902 --> 00:17:52,738 They had billboards of Abdullah, you know, 386 00:17:52,738 --> 00:17:54,240 pictures of Abdullah. 387 00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:56,701 He was what I call "crazy over". 388 00:17:56,701 --> 00:18:01,372 Like, he was an iconic part of Japanese culture. 389 00:18:01,372 --> 00:18:03,666 [Shattering glass] 390 00:18:03,666 --> 00:18:04,834 You're through! 391 00:18:04,834 --> 00:18:07,878 That's fine, it doesn't bother me at all. 392 00:18:07,878 --> 00:18:10,840 ♪ 393 00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:13,634 [Screaming] Agh! 394 00:18:13,634 --> 00:18:15,928 As crazy as this might sound, 395 00:18:15,928 --> 00:18:19,056 he recorded an album in Japan. 396 00:18:19,056 --> 00:18:21,475 In the, in the dressing room. 397 00:18:21,475 --> 00:18:24,103 ♪ My name is Abdullah the Butcher! ♪ 398 00:18:24,103 --> 00:18:26,814 ♪ I want to do all these crazy things to ya. ♪ 399 00:18:26,814 --> 00:18:30,276 ♪ My own family hates me because I'm too vicious. ♪ 400 00:18:30,276 --> 00:18:32,862 [Laughing] 401 00:18:32,862 --> 00:18:34,780 They never seen nothing like me. 402 00:18:34,780 --> 00:18:36,657 I was different. 403 00:18:36,657 --> 00:18:40,036 They only seen the wrestling, you know? 404 00:18:40,036 --> 00:18:42,413 That was it. I was different. 405 00:18:42,413 --> 00:18:46,959 [Video game music] 406 00:18:46,959 --> 00:18:49,670 Having found success with the hardcore style 407 00:18:49,670 --> 00:18:52,923 he adapted from the Sheikh, Abdullah becomes a mentor 408 00:18:52,923 --> 00:18:55,176 to wrestler Devon Nicholson. 409 00:18:55,176 --> 00:18:59,347 But this long term friendship will end in disaster. 410 00:18:59,347 --> 00:19:01,724 I actually ended his career. 411 00:19:01,724 --> 00:19:03,559 Retired him in the ring, retired him out of the ring. 412 00:19:03,559 --> 00:19:05,686 ♪ 413 00:19:05,686 --> 00:19:07,521 My name is Devon Nicholson 414 00:19:07,521 --> 00:19:10,941 and my wrestling name was Hannibal. 415 00:19:10,941 --> 00:19:15,321 There will be no more Abdullah after the 23rd! 416 00:19:15,321 --> 00:19:17,531 No class, no idea how to dress. 417 00:19:17,531 --> 00:19:21,660 Starting his career with Stampede Wrestling in 2001, 418 00:19:21,660 --> 00:19:24,914 Devon begins working under the name "Mad Man Hannibal", 419 00:19:24,914 --> 00:19:27,458 and soon launches his own indie promotion, 420 00:19:27,458 --> 00:19:29,377 Great North Wrestling. 421 00:19:29,377 --> 00:19:33,214 In 2006, he begins working with Abdullah. 422 00:19:33,214 --> 00:19:36,133 Before all the, all the negative stuff happened, 423 00:19:36,133 --> 00:19:38,052 I actually considered him 424 00:19:38,052 --> 00:19:41,263 somewhat of a mentor and like... 425 00:19:41,263 --> 00:19:45,184 I would say he was the first wrestler to like, 426 00:19:45,184 --> 00:19:50,314 take me under his wing a bit, and teach me about 427 00:19:50,314 --> 00:19:52,691 how to get heat and stuff. 428 00:19:52,691 --> 00:19:56,237 We ended up tag teaming and wrestling each other, uh, 429 00:19:56,237 --> 00:19:58,114 numerous times. 430 00:19:58,114 --> 00:19:59,782 I knew- yeah, I used to work for him. 431 00:20:01,450 --> 00:20:05,329 Yeah. I used to fly into, um, Toronto or whatever, 432 00:20:05,329 --> 00:20:07,498 and we had shows. 433 00:20:07,498 --> 00:20:09,417 He'd come out to Calgary, Alberta. 434 00:20:09,417 --> 00:20:12,169 We'd have shows. You understand? 435 00:20:12,169 --> 00:20:14,797 Abdullah, you think I'm not ready for you? 436 00:20:14,797 --> 00:20:19,677 [Screams] I'm gonna get you, in your last match in Canada. 437 00:20:19,677 --> 00:20:21,387 [Groaning] 438 00:20:21,387 --> 00:20:24,682 There will be some people that will always, uh, 439 00:20:24,682 --> 00:20:27,309 hate me for exposing him, but whatever. 440 00:20:27,309 --> 00:20:29,311 I don't care. [Laughs] 441 00:20:29,311 --> 00:20:31,313 I stopped him from wrestling. 442 00:20:31,313 --> 00:20:34,316 ♪ 443 00:20:38,863 --> 00:20:42,867 Already 68 years old and six decades into his career, 444 00:20:42,867 --> 00:20:46,078 Abdullah returns to Canada to wrestle Hannibal in 445 00:20:46,078 --> 00:20:49,373 what's being billed as his retirement match. 446 00:20:49,373 --> 00:20:52,126 I remember my first experience of Abdullah. 447 00:20:52,126 --> 00:20:55,921 My grandmother was actually somewhat of a wrestling fan, 448 00:20:55,921 --> 00:20:58,549 and I remember she let me rent a wrestling movie 449 00:20:58,549 --> 00:21:01,093 called, "I Like to Hurt People." 450 00:21:01,093 --> 00:21:04,847 Against the butcher from the Sudan, Abdullah the Butcher. 451 00:21:04,847 --> 00:21:06,557 And I just remember thinking, um, 452 00:21:06,557 --> 00:21:08,684 how did they make this blood effect? 453 00:21:08,684 --> 00:21:12,771 You didn't really know how they did blood in those days. 454 00:21:12,771 --> 00:21:15,316 You'll probably have to edit this. 455 00:21:15,316 --> 00:21:17,485 ♪ 456 00:21:17,485 --> 00:21:19,361 And I know Bret Hart would put it in his mouth, 457 00:21:19,361 --> 00:21:23,199 he said, but I was always too afraid to do that. 458 00:21:23,199 --> 00:21:26,827 So, then you would take the blade and put it like there, 459 00:21:26,827 --> 00:21:30,748 and tape over top and then when it comes time to bleed 460 00:21:30,748 --> 00:21:33,000 you'd pull it out. 461 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:35,878 And then, I'm not gonna do it, I'm not Abdullah, 462 00:21:35,878 --> 00:21:39,006 but you'd slice down like that. 463 00:21:39,006 --> 00:21:42,384 Now, for me to hit myself, I would hit myself like this. 464 00:21:45,221 --> 00:21:48,182 You see it? 465 00:21:48,182 --> 00:21:50,100 I was around Abdullah a lot. 466 00:21:50,100 --> 00:21:52,978 And you never actually see him do the deed. 467 00:21:52,978 --> 00:21:56,941 The blood would arrive as if, you know, by magic. 468 00:21:56,941 --> 00:22:00,194 Abdullah have razor blades on all his fingers. 469 00:22:00,194 --> 00:22:02,404 First he'd cut you with the razor blade. 470 00:22:02,404 --> 00:22:04,323 And what does he got? He's got a foot! 471 00:22:04,323 --> 00:22:06,283 And then he would take the fork and scrape it across and 472 00:22:06,283 --> 00:22:08,410 make it bigger so it could bleed more. 473 00:22:08,410 --> 00:22:09,537 [Laughing] 474 00:22:09,537 --> 00:22:10,788 And he after would stick that fork, 475 00:22:10,788 --> 00:22:12,957 and he would stick you with that fork too. 476 00:22:12,957 --> 00:22:14,333 He's about to stab you in the head with that fork, 477 00:22:14,333 --> 00:22:15,668 hurt like hell. 478 00:22:15,668 --> 00:22:18,754 That's Abdullah, Abdullah the Butcher! 479 00:22:18,754 --> 00:22:20,256 I mean, he would cut you deep. 480 00:22:23,175 --> 00:22:25,803 Not to Abdullah. 481 00:22:25,803 --> 00:22:28,097 Because, see, 482 00:22:28,097 --> 00:22:30,516 in the older days the guys would tell you this, 483 00:22:30,516 --> 00:22:32,726 "Suck it up! 484 00:22:32,726 --> 00:22:35,145 If you don't like it you're in the wrong business, kid. 485 00:22:35,145 --> 00:22:36,814 Suck it up." 486 00:22:36,814 --> 00:22:39,525 There was no bitching and complaining in wrestling. 487 00:22:39,525 --> 00:22:42,403 I didn't carry a blade 'cause I didn't juice every night. 488 00:22:42,403 --> 00:22:45,614 But this was part of these guys' gimmick. 489 00:22:45,614 --> 00:22:48,576 Abdullah, Bruiser Brody, 490 00:22:48,576 --> 00:22:51,370 Dusty Rhodes... 491 00:22:51,370 --> 00:22:53,414 [Cheering] 492 00:22:53,414 --> 00:22:55,916 Abdullah bled every night. Every night. 493 00:22:55,916 --> 00:22:58,544 It was kind of like, Ric Flair gotta have the robe, 494 00:22:58,544 --> 00:23:00,796 where Abdullah gotta have the blade. 495 00:23:00,796 --> 00:23:03,924 Why you, why do they call him Abdullah the Butcher? 496 00:23:03,924 --> 00:23:06,051 What does a butcher do? 497 00:23:06,051 --> 00:23:07,678 They take the- make blood. 498 00:23:07,678 --> 00:23:10,347 They try to hurt you, to torture you. 499 00:23:10,347 --> 00:23:13,434 This guy here, he was rushed to the hospital. 500 00:23:13,434 --> 00:23:15,060 He had four stitches in the back of head, 501 00:23:15,060 --> 00:23:18,063 'cause this guy chopped him in the damn head and got cut. 502 00:23:18,063 --> 00:23:21,191 Don't think that this is all phoney blood. 503 00:23:21,191 --> 00:23:24,612 Abdullah's intense blood lust and unpredictable style 504 00:23:24,612 --> 00:23:26,572 keeps him from signing with the world's 505 00:23:26,572 --> 00:23:30,409 largest promotion, Vince McMahon's WWE. 506 00:23:30,409 --> 00:23:34,455 Vince kind of knew that Abdullah was going to be 507 00:23:34,455 --> 00:23:37,666 very hard to be controlled, and 508 00:23:37,666 --> 00:23:42,379 I think that if you would even ask Abdullah, 509 00:23:42,379 --> 00:23:45,215 I don't think he even trusted himself. 510 00:23:45,215 --> 00:23:48,719 Because I don't think a lot of times he planned things. 511 00:23:48,719 --> 00:23:52,348 We were going to have a tag team match in Ottawa and 512 00:23:52,348 --> 00:23:56,435 before the match we were appearing on a local 513 00:23:56,435 --> 00:23:59,980 television show called, "Roger's Daytime." 514 00:23:59,980 --> 00:24:01,649 I just happen to have a fork right here. 515 00:24:01,649 --> 00:24:03,025 -Oh. -Eh? 516 00:24:03,025 --> 00:24:04,652 With the old, you know. [Mock screaming] 517 00:24:04,652 --> 00:24:09,281 And without, uh, this being planned or anything. 518 00:24:09,281 --> 00:24:10,741 -It's always a pleasure. -Thank you. 519 00:24:10,741 --> 00:24:12,701 -Why do you have to go? -[Yells] 520 00:24:12,701 --> 00:24:15,454 He put the male host in a headlock. 521 00:24:15,454 --> 00:24:17,247 -Abdullah! Abdullah! -[Screaming] 522 00:24:17,247 --> 00:24:18,791 Abdullah, settle down! 523 00:24:18,791 --> 00:24:21,210 He walked the male host over to where there was 524 00:24:21,210 --> 00:24:23,420 going to be a cooking segment after. 525 00:24:23,420 --> 00:24:27,424 [Growling] 526 00:24:27,424 --> 00:24:29,259 [Shattering] 527 00:24:29,259 --> 00:24:32,012 And then the guy started bleeding. 528 00:24:32,012 --> 00:24:35,391 Settle, back off, are you gonna manage this Friday? 529 00:24:35,391 --> 00:24:37,893 -Ah, you know what? -You should come with me. 530 00:24:37,893 --> 00:24:40,104 And come to the show on Friday night. 531 00:24:40,104 --> 00:24:41,438 It was the weirdest moment ever. 532 00:24:41,438 --> 00:24:42,564 The guy was like, 533 00:24:42,564 --> 00:24:44,149 I just remember him shaking like that. 534 00:24:44,149 --> 00:24:46,443 He was like going into shock almost. 535 00:24:46,443 --> 00:24:49,113 It was like a guy that obviously isn't used to 536 00:24:49,113 --> 00:24:52,825 bleeding or getting in fights or anything. 537 00:24:52,825 --> 00:24:54,702 Uh, we'll be right back after this. 538 00:24:54,702 --> 00:24:56,912 I think that was 2009. 539 00:24:56,912 --> 00:24:59,540 You couldn't even really get away with it then, 540 00:24:59,540 --> 00:25:01,542 it was a miracle he did. 541 00:25:01,542 --> 00:25:04,086 But you could see like how in the old days 542 00:25:04,086 --> 00:25:06,839 he could get away with stuff like that. 543 00:25:06,839 --> 00:25:11,552 But I think in 2022 it would be hard to assault 544 00:25:11,552 --> 00:25:13,679 a TV show host and get away with it. 545 00:25:13,679 --> 00:25:16,557 I think he was in his late 60s by then too. 546 00:25:16,557 --> 00:25:21,145 So, it, so it certainly... helped. 547 00:25:21,145 --> 00:25:23,564 After years on the independent circuit and 548 00:25:23,564 --> 00:25:26,483 mentorship from Abdullah, Hannibal finally achieves 549 00:25:26,483 --> 00:25:29,778 his own opportunity to wrestle for the WWE. 550 00:25:29,778 --> 00:25:33,115 When I was signed by WWE 551 00:25:33,115 --> 00:25:35,826 he actually screamed with joy, 552 00:25:35,826 --> 00:25:37,870 because I guess since he never actually wrestled 553 00:25:37,870 --> 00:25:40,956 for them, and it was kind of like, 554 00:25:40,956 --> 00:25:43,625 someone that kind of represented him in a way, 555 00:25:43,625 --> 00:25:45,461 was going to get in there. 556 00:25:45,461 --> 00:25:48,130 But after a series of routine blood tests, 557 00:25:48,130 --> 00:25:51,216 Hannibal receives career shattering news. 558 00:25:51,216 --> 00:25:54,470 In my blood test they found that the Hepatitis C virus 559 00:25:54,470 --> 00:25:59,600 was present, and I was, like... 560 00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:02,770 well, first of all, I was confused on like 561 00:26:02,770 --> 00:26:05,189 how I would have such a thing. 562 00:26:05,189 --> 00:26:08,567 A lot of guys would use dirty razor blades, you know. 563 00:26:08,567 --> 00:26:10,027 'Cause everybody didn't carry blades. 564 00:26:10,027 --> 00:26:11,195 Everybody didn't carry blades. 565 00:26:11,195 --> 00:26:12,404 Sometimes you'd say something like, 566 00:26:12,404 --> 00:26:15,532 "Hey Abby, you got a blade I could use?" 567 00:26:17,868 --> 00:26:20,746 Then he'd go and use the blade and, you know, 568 00:26:20,746 --> 00:26:22,915 when you borrow something you gotta do what? 569 00:26:22,915 --> 00:26:24,917 Give it back. 570 00:26:24,917 --> 00:26:27,336 And they would give it back to Abdullah. 571 00:26:27,336 --> 00:26:31,548 So, it was very easy for somebody to catch a disease 572 00:26:31,548 --> 00:26:33,926 because who knows where that blade came from? 573 00:26:33,926 --> 00:26:36,011 Or who they cut before they cut Hannibal. 574 00:26:39,890 --> 00:26:41,058 Yes. 575 00:26:41,058 --> 00:26:43,310 'Cause there was no other way that I would have 576 00:26:43,310 --> 00:26:46,146 thought that I would have caught it, but I wasn't... 577 00:26:46,146 --> 00:26:50,943 like, at this point, I didn't think that 578 00:26:50,943 --> 00:26:53,612 I would have the evidence or anything. 579 00:26:58,242 --> 00:27:00,077 Yeah, we were good friends, I used to work for him. 580 00:27:00,077 --> 00:27:02,496 He was a promoter. 581 00:27:02,496 --> 00:27:07,543 So, I don't know what happened but, uh, 582 00:27:07,543 --> 00:27:08,877 I don't want to talk about this. 583 00:27:08,877 --> 00:27:10,796 I don't want to talk about it. 584 00:27:18,679 --> 00:27:22,307 His career cut short by his Hepatitis C diagnosis, 585 00:27:22,307 --> 00:27:24,852 Hannibal is desperate for answers. 586 00:27:24,852 --> 00:27:27,479 I had a guy that was doing a documentary on me, 587 00:27:27,479 --> 00:27:29,314 it's called, "This is Hannibal." 588 00:27:29,314 --> 00:27:32,234 We were hoping that it was going to be my journey to 589 00:27:32,234 --> 00:27:36,613 WWE movie, but it ended up just being like a sad movie. 590 00:27:36,613 --> 00:27:39,074 Obviously, it didn't work out. 591 00:27:39,074 --> 00:27:42,035 That the contract got rescinded because 592 00:27:42,035 --> 00:27:44,204 I have Hepatitis C. 593 00:27:44,204 --> 00:27:46,456 So, he was the one that actually saw the 594 00:27:46,456 --> 00:27:50,210 cutting incident, and he showed me the clip 595 00:27:50,210 --> 00:27:52,588 from the 2007 match. 596 00:27:52,588 --> 00:27:54,882 And he was like, "What is Abdullah doing here?" 597 00:27:54,882 --> 00:27:58,218 I haven't even seen footage of the match, 598 00:27:58,218 --> 00:27:59,595 to be honest with you. 599 00:27:59,595 --> 00:28:01,805 I would love to see it. 600 00:28:15,903 --> 00:28:20,490 And, you see him doing that to my forehead. 601 00:28:20,490 --> 00:28:22,618 So, I'm like, he's blading me. 602 00:28:22,618 --> 00:28:24,369 Oh my God. 603 00:28:24,369 --> 00:28:27,706 Eight years managing him in different countries, 604 00:28:27,706 --> 00:28:30,959 I never saw him 605 00:28:30,959 --> 00:28:34,338 doing that to another, another guy. 606 00:28:34,338 --> 00:28:37,382 And if that's the case, wow. 607 00:28:37,382 --> 00:28:39,718 Many local news stations saw my movie and 608 00:28:39,718 --> 00:28:41,762 did their own stories on it, 609 00:28:41,762 --> 00:28:43,221 because Ottawa, I don't think, 610 00:28:43,221 --> 00:28:46,141 ever had somebody that had made WWE. 611 00:28:46,141 --> 00:28:50,854 Ronald Caza, one of the top lawyers in this area, 612 00:28:50,854 --> 00:28:53,482 saw the case and 613 00:28:53,482 --> 00:28:57,402 with his skill as a lawyer he was able to 614 00:28:57,402 --> 00:29:01,698 basically force Abdullah to provide his blood test. 615 00:29:01,698 --> 00:29:05,243 According to his blood work there's a history of Hep C, 616 00:29:05,243 --> 00:29:08,413 so, you would think that he knew. 617 00:29:08,413 --> 00:29:11,625 But whether he knew or not, he should have known 618 00:29:11,625 --> 00:29:14,336 it's dangerous to cut someone with a razor blade 619 00:29:14,336 --> 00:29:16,838 with blood on it. 620 00:29:16,838 --> 00:29:19,174 The footage of Abdullah cutting Hannibal 621 00:29:19,174 --> 00:29:21,093 with a used razor blade, 622 00:29:21,093 --> 00:29:23,220 and the results of Abdullah's blood tests 623 00:29:23,220 --> 00:29:26,682 formed the basis of a lawsuit filed by Hannibal. 624 00:29:26,682 --> 00:29:29,351 A lawsuit that Abdullah claims he couldn't read, 625 00:29:29,351 --> 00:29:31,520 or understand. 626 00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:34,523 I was getting a lot of letters, right? 627 00:29:34,523 --> 00:29:37,401 What am I gonna do, open it up? 628 00:29:37,401 --> 00:29:40,696 I don't know what the hell it says. 629 00:29:40,696 --> 00:29:45,325 If it wasn't for Malikah, no. 630 00:29:45,325 --> 00:29:49,997 I wouldn't, I'd be, I'd really be in bad shape. 631 00:29:49,997 --> 00:29:53,250 And he sat me down, he said, "Sit down, Malikah." 632 00:29:53,250 --> 00:29:56,003 But he told me he didn't know how to read and write, 633 00:29:56,003 --> 00:29:58,255 and he cried like a baby. 634 00:29:58,255 --> 00:30:02,968 A big, huge man, like this, crying. 635 00:30:02,968 --> 00:30:06,054 I've never seen a man cry like that. 636 00:30:06,054 --> 00:30:08,306 ♪ 637 00:30:08,306 --> 00:30:13,186 That's when I understood what was going on in his life, 638 00:30:13,186 --> 00:30:16,815 and he would ask me to open his mail and read it to him. 639 00:30:16,815 --> 00:30:21,069 And after I looked through it, it included the, 640 00:30:21,069 --> 00:30:23,905 the court case with Devon Nicholson. 641 00:30:23,905 --> 00:30:26,867 I don't know anything about that. 642 00:30:26,867 --> 00:30:30,620 My sister called me and said, 643 00:30:30,620 --> 00:30:33,999 "You lost the case, in uh, Toronto." 644 00:30:33,999 --> 00:30:37,794 I said, "What?" 645 00:30:37,794 --> 00:30:41,423 And it was default. 646 00:30:41,423 --> 00:30:46,595 That's what, because I didn't show up, and that was it. 647 00:30:46,595 --> 00:30:49,514 When you aspire to be a professional wrestler, 648 00:30:49,514 --> 00:30:51,892 this is how you celebrate a legal victory. 649 00:30:51,892 --> 00:30:57,314 He ended up losing in court in both Ontario and Georgia, 650 00:30:57,314 --> 00:30:59,358 and he was found guilty of negligence, 651 00:30:59,358 --> 00:31:01,401 assault, and battery. 652 00:31:01,401 --> 00:31:04,529 He either knew, or should have known 653 00:31:04,529 --> 00:31:07,783 that he had Hep C, which Abdullah still denies 654 00:31:07,783 --> 00:31:10,952 even though he provided the blood tests. 655 00:31:10,952 --> 00:31:13,872 Court documents show that Abdullah carries the 656 00:31:13,872 --> 00:31:17,417 same rare strain of Hepatitis C as Hannibal. 657 00:31:17,417 --> 00:31:19,878 In the years that follow, Abdullah makes a 658 00:31:19,878 --> 00:31:22,672 range of claims including the allegation that it was 659 00:31:22,672 --> 00:31:25,550 Hannibal who gave the disease to him. 660 00:31:25,550 --> 00:31:28,470 After the Canadian judge sees the video evidence, 661 00:31:28,470 --> 00:31:31,598 coupled with the confirmation that both men share the same 662 00:31:31,598 --> 00:31:35,644 rare strain of Hep C, the courts side with Hannibal. 663 00:31:35,644 --> 00:31:39,773 It's very good to have that on the record after all this, 664 00:31:39,773 --> 00:31:41,942 all these years, of being called a liar. 665 00:31:41,942 --> 00:31:46,238 Devon Nicholson was awarded $2.3 million in damages. 666 00:31:46,238 --> 00:31:48,949 Nah, I, I don't think he should pay it, no. 667 00:31:48,949 --> 00:31:52,327 No, not that much, nah. 668 00:31:52,327 --> 00:31:54,871 Nothing. 669 00:31:54,871 --> 00:31:56,706 I wouldn't have sued him. 670 00:31:56,706 --> 00:31:59,000 When you get into a certain profession, 671 00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:02,254 you know, you're taking a risk. 672 00:32:02,254 --> 00:32:05,257 Hannibal could have done it himself. 673 00:32:05,257 --> 00:32:07,092 That's what the guys told me, 674 00:32:07,092 --> 00:32:09,845 "Tony, he don't change his blade. 675 00:32:09,845 --> 00:32:14,099 Do it yourself." He let Abdullah cut him. 676 00:32:14,099 --> 00:32:15,475 He could have cut himself, 677 00:32:15,475 --> 00:32:16,726 but he was scared to cut himself 678 00:32:16,726 --> 00:32:19,062 so got somebody else to do it. 679 00:32:19,062 --> 00:32:20,981 And it cost him. 680 00:32:20,981 --> 00:32:23,191 ♪ 681 00:32:27,863 --> 00:32:31,032 In dire financial straits, Abdullah continues to make 682 00:32:31,032 --> 00:32:35,370 wrestling related appearances and autograph signings. 683 00:32:35,370 --> 00:32:39,249 Hannibal claims that Abdullah has moved around his assets 684 00:32:39,249 --> 00:32:42,043 in order to avoid paying him, and to this day 685 00:32:42,043 --> 00:32:44,838 the matter is still in front of the courts. 686 00:32:44,838 --> 00:32:46,756 He's never paid anything. 687 00:32:46,756 --> 00:32:48,550 He hasn't paid a penny. 688 00:32:50,385 --> 00:32:53,680 Nah. I don't think he have it. 689 00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:56,433 I want you all to look at this. 690 00:32:56,433 --> 00:32:58,602 These, this is dangerous. 691 00:32:58,602 --> 00:33:01,313 This is stuff that you have never seen. 692 00:33:01,313 --> 00:33:04,524 -Look at this. -Oh boy. 693 00:33:04,524 --> 00:33:07,444 He has no money to repair none of this. 694 00:33:07,444 --> 00:33:09,988 Now this is a light fixture 695 00:33:09,988 --> 00:33:13,658 where the water is coming down. 696 00:33:13,658 --> 00:33:16,494 This is electrical. I- listen. 697 00:33:19,831 --> 00:33:21,333 Right now, currently. 698 00:33:21,333 --> 00:33:24,252 That's why I didn't allow you all to come back there. 699 00:33:24,252 --> 00:33:27,422 ♪ 700 00:33:27,422 --> 00:33:31,301 I am stressed. I'm stressed. 701 00:33:31,301 --> 00:33:33,595 I've never had blood pressure until 702 00:33:33,595 --> 00:33:37,724 I got moved into this house. 703 00:33:37,724 --> 00:33:40,936 But it's worth it when you see someone being 704 00:33:40,936 --> 00:33:45,232 taken advantage as him. He built a career. 705 00:33:45,232 --> 00:33:48,485 I should have went to school. I should have went to school 706 00:33:48,485 --> 00:33:53,949 to learn how to read and write. 707 00:33:53,949 --> 00:33:57,327 I studied... money. 708 00:33:59,996 --> 00:34:01,831 But I needed more than that. 709 00:34:01,831 --> 00:34:03,792 [Off-screen] Right. 710 00:34:03,792 --> 00:34:06,586 I got shafted. 711 00:34:06,586 --> 00:34:11,841 All the tapes, what I made for many, many years... 712 00:34:11,841 --> 00:34:13,802 got nothing. 713 00:34:13,802 --> 00:34:15,845 Whatever he's going through, 714 00:34:15,845 --> 00:34:19,432 whatever he's going through that was all his anyways. 715 00:34:19,432 --> 00:34:20,976 So I don't want to say too much, 716 00:34:20,976 --> 00:34:22,060 I'll tell it, that's the truth. 717 00:34:22,060 --> 00:34:25,272 My brother, don't worry, my brother is a, 718 00:34:25,272 --> 00:34:29,025 he's a very nice person, but people play games with him. 719 00:34:33,822 --> 00:34:36,700 No, and I've seen him 720 00:34:36,700 --> 00:34:40,078 order at restaurants, reading menus. 721 00:34:40,078 --> 00:34:44,374 I've seen letters from him. I've seen him sign autographs. 722 00:34:44,374 --> 00:34:46,668 He's owned several businesses over the years and 723 00:34:46,668 --> 00:34:49,796 been involved with large wrestling contracts with 724 00:34:49,796 --> 00:34:53,133 companies like WCW, 725 00:34:53,133 --> 00:34:54,884 and Japanese companies. 726 00:34:57,053 --> 00:34:59,306 No. Nope, he never could. 727 00:34:59,306 --> 00:35:03,143 But he'd find ways like, if they told him, like, 728 00:35:03,143 --> 00:35:08,315 to go, uh, to a chicken farm or something like that, 729 00:35:08,315 --> 00:35:11,526 he'd draw a picture of a chicken. 730 00:35:11,526 --> 00:35:13,737 He... 731 00:35:13,737 --> 00:35:16,239 I don't mean this to be humorous, but like, 732 00:35:16,239 --> 00:35:18,408 he knew how to read a menu? You know? 733 00:35:18,408 --> 00:35:20,785 Like, uh, we would eat out three times a day, 734 00:35:20,785 --> 00:35:22,537 he never had an issue. 735 00:35:22,537 --> 00:35:24,873 I don't know if that's the case. 736 00:35:24,873 --> 00:35:28,501 If it is I think it's just, uh, 737 00:35:28,501 --> 00:35:31,963 it's an accolade for him to be that successful 738 00:35:31,963 --> 00:35:35,759 around the world without that ability, but I don't know. 739 00:35:35,759 --> 00:35:38,636 I've only recently heard that. 740 00:35:38,636 --> 00:35:40,263 That's like a shock to me, 741 00:35:40,263 --> 00:35:45,602 because he made great business transactions. 742 00:35:45,602 --> 00:35:48,730 Even in a cheque, in a cheque you have to write it. 743 00:35:48,730 --> 00:35:51,441 I did not know that, and I, 744 00:35:51,441 --> 00:35:53,985 eight years, we travelled a lot. 745 00:35:53,985 --> 00:35:58,239 Spent a lot of time together and that is a shock to me. 746 00:35:58,239 --> 00:36:03,411 If that is a guy of a second grade education, wow. 747 00:36:03,411 --> 00:36:06,498 That, whoever was the teacher, 748 00:36:06,498 --> 00:36:10,668 we gotta find him or her and honour that person, 749 00:36:10,668 --> 00:36:13,088 because that teacher did a lot. 750 00:36:13,088 --> 00:36:14,547 Abdullah the Butcher himself 751 00:36:14,547 --> 00:36:16,424 getting stitched up right here. 752 00:36:16,424 --> 00:36:18,802 The punishing style of hardcore wrestling has 753 00:36:18,802 --> 00:36:20,970 a long legacy, but it often comes at 754 00:36:20,970 --> 00:36:24,099 great personal cost for those involved. 755 00:36:24,099 --> 00:36:26,851 Abdullah and Carlos Colón invented a match with 756 00:36:26,851 --> 00:36:28,895 a chain going right across the ring, 757 00:36:28,895 --> 00:36:30,188 and there were hook to it, 758 00:36:30,188 --> 00:36:32,816 and even with the rain, a storm, 759 00:36:32,816 --> 00:36:36,361 you could still see just all the blood coming down. 760 00:36:36,361 --> 00:36:40,615 It was horrendous, but for the fans, 761 00:36:40,615 --> 00:36:43,451 it was just devastating the punishment that 762 00:36:43,451 --> 00:36:46,996 they inflicted on each other. 763 00:36:46,996 --> 00:36:48,790 We felt invincible. 764 00:36:48,790 --> 00:36:50,083 [Thunder 765 00:36:50,083 --> 00:36:52,252 And they trained you to feel invincible. 766 00:36:52,252 --> 00:36:55,088 At those times we will put the blood of their opponent 767 00:36:55,088 --> 00:36:57,966 as part of being a heel, and suck the blood 768 00:36:57,966 --> 00:37:00,301 out of your opponent's head. 769 00:37:00,301 --> 00:37:04,556 When I talk about it right now I see the expressions 770 00:37:04,556 --> 00:37:07,475 on a young, the new generation, like, 771 00:37:07,475 --> 00:37:10,854 "What the heck were you guys thinking?" But you know, 772 00:37:10,854 --> 00:37:14,399 back then it was a whole different, different world. 773 00:37:14,399 --> 00:37:17,193 [Japanese commentary] 774 00:37:17,193 --> 00:37:21,781 Any time you watch something, even if you watch 775 00:37:21,781 --> 00:37:23,491 a movie picture or something like that, 776 00:37:23,491 --> 00:37:25,994 they always have violence in it. Right? 777 00:37:25,994 --> 00:37:27,662 You have like the cops and the robbers, 778 00:37:27,662 --> 00:37:28,997 you have this and stuff like that. 779 00:37:28,997 --> 00:37:31,583 It's always violence. 780 00:37:31,583 --> 00:37:34,252 And if you don't give the people violence, 781 00:37:34,252 --> 00:37:36,296 they don't come and see ya. 782 00:37:36,296 --> 00:37:38,798 In a twist of fate in 2021, 783 00:37:38,798 --> 00:37:41,259 seven years after his own court battle, 784 00:37:41,259 --> 00:37:43,094 Hannibal finds himself at the centre of 785 00:37:43,094 --> 00:37:46,973 his own controversy by brutalizing a referee. 786 00:37:46,973 --> 00:37:50,101 They were looking for someone to bleed from the spike, so, 787 00:37:50,101 --> 00:37:54,147 the promoter found this referee that was a 788 00:37:54,147 --> 00:37:58,318 known bleeder to, to take the spike. 789 00:37:58,318 --> 00:38:02,697 It hit him several times for... 790 00:38:02,697 --> 00:38:05,408 and it did some damage. 791 00:38:05,408 --> 00:38:08,786 The promoter that, for that show, um, 792 00:38:08,786 --> 00:38:12,957 did not have any medics on site. 793 00:38:12,957 --> 00:38:16,169 It went on longer than it should have, 794 00:38:16,169 --> 00:38:19,005 like it was bad communication all around. 795 00:39:09,639 --> 00:39:12,767 Oh my God. That even makes no sense. 796 00:39:12,767 --> 00:39:18,022 I mean, you just were in a situation and... wow. 797 00:39:18,022 --> 00:39:20,316 Strange things do happen because 798 00:39:20,316 --> 00:39:24,445 what are the chances that you win a court case and 799 00:39:24,445 --> 00:39:28,449 now you're gonna do that to a referee? 800 00:39:28,449 --> 00:39:30,368 [Exhaling sharply] Crazy. 801 00:39:36,666 --> 00:39:39,711 To this day, Abdullah's legal problems haunt him, 802 00:39:39,711 --> 00:39:42,088 and the Hepatitis C controversy has 803 00:39:42,088 --> 00:39:45,633 tainted the legacy of his legendary career. 804 00:39:45,633 --> 00:39:49,429 I know it was horrendous to hear, 805 00:39:49,429 --> 00:39:54,017 because you never want to hear that somebody 806 00:39:54,017 --> 00:39:56,978 did this to another guy, uh, 807 00:39:56,978 --> 00:39:58,938 but then you also wonder because 808 00:39:58,938 --> 00:40:00,815 in my case I was around him 809 00:40:00,815 --> 00:40:03,276 in bloody matches, you know? 810 00:40:03,276 --> 00:40:06,613 And Carlos Colón, and other guys... 811 00:40:06,613 --> 00:40:13,202 but, none of us tested, you know, positive to that. 812 00:40:13,202 --> 00:40:16,289 Hannibal eventually finds an experimental treatment that 813 00:40:16,289 --> 00:40:19,709 cures him of his Hepatitis C, but his bitterness remains. 814 00:40:23,630 --> 00:40:27,675 Yes. [Laughing] 815 00:40:27,675 --> 00:40:32,096 I mean, start, start paying what you can and 816 00:40:32,096 --> 00:40:34,098 take some responsibility for what you did. 817 00:40:34,098 --> 00:40:36,267 You've been, you've been found guilty 818 00:40:36,267 --> 00:40:38,811 in both Canada and the US, 819 00:40:38,811 --> 00:40:42,690 but you never apologized for anything. 820 00:40:42,690 --> 00:40:45,234 Yeah, it's just been a nightmare situation, 821 00:40:45,234 --> 00:40:48,071 but I would never expect that from him. 822 00:40:48,071 --> 00:40:51,491 So, all I can do is move on, which I have been doing. 823 00:40:51,491 --> 00:40:55,745 I'll be honest, talking about this situation, I mean, 824 00:40:55,745 --> 00:40:59,874 this, this is, uh, hopefully the last time 825 00:40:59,874 --> 00:41:01,834 I'll have to talk about it. 826 00:41:01,834 --> 00:41:06,047 It was a terrible period of my life, and I'm over it. 827 00:41:06,047 --> 00:41:09,050 ♪ 828 00:41:09,050 --> 00:41:12,011 Because the lawsuit is argued in a civil trial, 829 00:41:12,011 --> 00:41:14,806 the judge found Abdullah the Butcher liable, 830 00:41:14,806 --> 00:41:19,602 but not guilty, of causing Hannibal's Hepatitis C. 831 00:41:19,602 --> 00:41:21,604 This is the Hall of Fame, and all of these, 832 00:41:21,604 --> 00:41:23,856 these wrestlers here, these are the old ones. 833 00:41:23,856 --> 00:41:25,525 They're probably all dead now. 834 00:41:25,525 --> 00:41:28,069 They're all in the Hall of Fame with Abdullah the Butcher. 835 00:41:28,069 --> 00:41:31,698 Well, I put it this way, all my family is his biggest fan. 836 00:41:31,698 --> 00:41:33,741 He done good. 837 00:41:33,741 --> 00:41:35,326 And I hate to say this, there's a lot of 838 00:41:35,326 --> 00:41:40,415 good wrestlers, I put it this way, he's one of the best. 839 00:41:40,415 --> 00:41:42,625 Being around our next inductee 840 00:41:42,625 --> 00:41:44,711 always made me a little nervous. 841 00:41:44,711 --> 00:41:49,632 This is a man who took hardcore to another level. 842 00:41:49,632 --> 00:41:52,260 Take a look. 843 00:41:52,260 --> 00:41:55,388 In 2011, Abdullah the Butcher is inducted into 844 00:41:55,388 --> 00:41:58,349 the WWE's Hall of Fame. 845 00:41:58,349 --> 00:42:00,518 But if I'm looking to be in the Hall of Fame, I says, 846 00:42:00,518 --> 00:42:05,064 "I don't believe it until they book me there." You know? 847 00:42:05,064 --> 00:42:08,776 And Terry Funk was the one who would put me over strong, 848 00:42:08,776 --> 00:42:11,154 you know, said nice things about me. 849 00:42:11,154 --> 00:42:13,239 You know, he said, "Whatever people say 850 00:42:13,239 --> 00:42:15,700 about Abdullah the Butcher, 851 00:42:15,700 --> 00:42:19,412 he made these promoters a lot of money." See. 852 00:42:19,412 --> 00:42:23,332 I cried. Because I know the story that, uh, 853 00:42:23,332 --> 00:42:27,587 to be what he became 854 00:42:27,587 --> 00:42:30,214 he paid the price, and, 855 00:42:30,214 --> 00:42:34,177 yes, he made the money, but... 856 00:42:34,177 --> 00:42:37,138 it wasn't easy being Abdullah the Butcher. 857 00:42:37,138 --> 00:42:40,725 What's missing in wrestling today is the idea that 858 00:42:40,725 --> 00:42:43,561 someone, an opponent, is fighting for 859 00:42:43,561 --> 00:42:45,563 something bigger than a title or a victory. 860 00:42:45,563 --> 00:42:47,190 They're fighting for their lives. 861 00:42:47,190 --> 00:42:49,066 That's what he brought to the table, 862 00:42:49,066 --> 00:42:51,235 and I don't know if anyone ever did it better than 863 00:42:51,235 --> 00:42:52,904 Abdullah the Butcher. 864 00:42:52,904 --> 00:42:54,489 I never seen anybody that found 865 00:42:54,489 --> 00:42:56,449 what they're actually afraid of. 866 00:42:56,449 --> 00:42:57,575 [Screaming] 867 00:42:57,575 --> 00:42:59,619 They was afraid of him. 868 00:42:59,619 --> 00:43:02,371 And I never seen that, I never saw that with anybody. 869 00:43:02,371 --> 00:43:07,043 I think he should be remembered for his greatness. 870 00:43:07,043 --> 00:43:09,128 His greatness, because 871 00:43:09,128 --> 00:43:11,839 he is the God of wrestling. 872 00:43:11,839 --> 00:43:15,092 Not the negative, you know, 873 00:43:15,092 --> 00:43:20,932 just one little situation and it's not, um... 874 00:43:20,932 --> 00:43:22,809 proven. 875 00:43:22,809 --> 00:43:26,312 He didn't get a chance to 876 00:43:26,312 --> 00:43:29,524 prove his innocence. 877 00:43:29,524 --> 00:43:33,528 I don't care if they take everything he owns, 878 00:43:33,528 --> 00:43:38,241 I would never turn my back on, on being a greatness. 879 00:43:38,241 --> 00:43:40,952 Such greatness. 880 00:43:40,952 --> 00:43:43,830 He's gonna be okay with the help of God. 881 00:43:49,627 --> 00:43:53,923 Just to give me the respect for what I done, 882 00:43:53,923 --> 00:43:58,761 and a lot of things people say I done I did not do. 883 00:43:58,761 --> 00:44:02,056 You know what I mean? And that's all I can say. 884 00:44:02,056 --> 00:44:04,934 Whatever you want to think, I'll leave it up to you.