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Showing posts with label Abdullah the Butcher. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abdullah the Butcher. Show all posts

October 19, 2015

This Day In Wrestling History


Johnny Valentine defeats Abdullah The Butcher to win the National Wrestling Federation World Heavyweight Title in Cleveland, OH.
October 19, 1972

WWE holds their No Mercy Pay-per-view in Baltimore, Maryland. The show is especially notable for an "I Quit" match between Vince and Stephanie McMahon in which Vince promised to give up ownership of WWE if he lost, and Stephanie agreed to step down as General Manager of Smackdown if she lost. Stephanie lost, and would not appear on WWE programming (in a storyline sense, as she did attend the WWE Hall Of Fame events) until October 3, 2005. It is also interesting to note that the Maryland State Athletic Commission had a rule that prevented male vs. female wrestling matches, and WWE had to pay a fine (which they were prepared to do in advance) in order to have the match. This match also occurred six days prior to her real life marriage to Triple H.
October 19, 2003

Michael Hegstrand aka Hawk of the Road Warriors/Legion of Doom passed away in his sleep at age 46.
October 19, 2003

June 3, 2014

Indy Talent Wins Major Lawsuit Against WWE Hall of Famer


Larry "Abdullah The Butcher" Shreve was found guilty today in the negligence, assault and battery care related to the transmission of the Hepatitis C virus to Devon Nicholson who wrestles as "Hannibal." Nicholson was cured of the disease in late 2013 after undergoing 2 intensive and expensive chemotherapy like treatments and lost a WWE contract due to testing positive for the virus in 2009.

According to a CBC report, Nicholson has been awarded $2.3 million in damages which must be paid by Shreve. Shreve has 30 days to appeal the judge's decision, and you can read more at this link.

November 11, 2013

Abdullah The Butcher Loses in Court


Thunder Bay Ontario's Net News Ledger is reporting that Abdullah The Butcher lost a court motion to have his statement of defense struck from the record on November 5th and was ordered to pay costs of the motion. The trial related damages will move forward, and you can read more details at this link.

March 6, 2013

Superstar Billy Graham Wants Out of WWE's Hall of Fame


Superstar Billy Graham wrote the following post on his facebook page about wanting out of WWE's Hall of Fame. The Christian Post also did a story talking about Graham wanting out which you can read here.

The following is from Graham's Facebook page:

"In 2011 I became one unhappy retired wrestler when WWE inducted into its Hall of Fame Abdullah the Butcher (Larry Shreve). Not just because Shreve had never worked for the WW(W)F or stepped foot inside Madison Square Garden, not just because my good friend Randy "Macho Man" Savage was passed over in the honors list of that year, but because Abdullah actually is a butcher in a disturbingly real sense.

Now we all know that pro wrestling is largely make-believe. The trouble is that many of us end up losing the ability to distinguish fantasy from reality. The temptation to become in real life the characters we create in the ring can sometimes become just too overwhelming. I'm afraid that's the case with this WWE Hall of Fame inductee. For decades Larry Shreve has played the blood-lusting Abdullah the Butcher, a maniac psychotic enough to qualify as a Canadian-born Hitler, another Fuehrer.

Well, losing touch with reality is one thing; losing respect for other wrestlers' rights is another, and in my view the "Butcher" has blotted his copybook big time by becoming a suspected spreader of Hepatitis C through his negligence when blading in the ring. The Butcher, who is Hepatitis C positive Genotype 2 is currently facing allegations of negligence, assault and battery in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice stemming from an unsanitary blade assault in a 2007 professional wrestling match. Nicholson is being represented by Ronald Caza in the case. Caza, of the Caza Saikaley law firm is one of Canada’s most eminent lawyers.

In this link (youtube.com/watch?v=0rN4FI8yqq8) you will see how Shreve, in a match against Hannibal (Devon Nicholson), cut his own head with a razor blade and then cut the forehead of the unsuspecting Nicholson. It’s alleged that the end result of this assault was Nicholson, a healthy young man at the time who was just beginning a promising career, contracting Hepatitis C. How many others wrestlers have contracted Hepatitis C thanks to Abdullah's indifference to the danger he poses regularly to his fellow workers? Nicholson is now in the middle of a 9 month regimen with disturbing side effects to rid him of this disease.

In my opinion every time "The Butcher" behaves in this utterly irresponsible way, cutting the foreheads of other wrestlers, it is as if he is attempting murder, because the fact is the Hepatitis C can kill. I take no pleasure at all in saying this. Larry Shreve was once a friend of mine and it has saddened me to see him sink into such anti-social behavior. But right is right and wrong is wrong and never the twain shall meet. WWE, with its powerful influence on our vulnerable youth in these increasingly immoral times, should be strongly condemning life-threatening gimmicks in the ring, not rewarding them, and Larry Shreve needs to take stock of his actions and the tragic effects they have had on others. The world of pro wrestling is a rough and tough one, and none of us has a lily-white record when it comes to personal behavior. But carelessly spreading a deadly disease in the name of "entertainment" is beyond a joke. So hopefully now you will all have a better understanding of exactly why I asked WWE to remove my name from the WWE Hall of Fame list when Abdullah was inducted two years ago.

December 15, 2012

This Day In Wrestling History


Wladek Zbyszko draws with The Masked Marvel (Mort Henderson) at the Manhattan Opera House.
December 15, 1915

The most important figure in the history of professional wrestling in Japan, Rikidozan, dies of complications from a stab wound suffered on December 8th at the age of 38. Rikidozan, who debuted in 1951, helped to popularize professional wrestling in post-WWII Japan, and would train Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba, who would become two of the most influential and powerful individuals in Japanese wrestling. While it was thought that Rikidozan, whose Japanese name was Mitsuhiro Momota, was born in Nagasaki, Japan, in truth he was Korean. Because Koreans were heavily discriminated against in Japan, his real background was kept secret, not being revealed until long after his death. Rikidozan's final match was on December 7th, teaming with Great Togo & Michiaki Yoshimura to battle The Destroyer, Buddy Austin & Illio DiPaolo to a draw. Stories of what happened the night Rikidozan was stabbed are cloudy, with legend and fact often getting mixed up. He was stabbed in a nightclub and allegedly it was by a member of the Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia. However, stories have circulated for years that he beat up his attacker and partied into the night before going to the hospital, which is why the wound got infected and ended up killing him. Obviously, there are many that doubt that account of the stabbing.
December 15, 1963

Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk wrestled a legendary match against Abdullah The Butcher and The Sheik in Japan. The match turned the Funks fan favourites in Japan because of the extreme violence.
December 15, 1977

A tribute show to Stu Hart was held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada at the Calgary Corral, the site of many Stampede Wrestling shows.
December 15, 1995

Triple H defeated Shawn Michaels in a two-out-of-three falls match in 38:30 to capture the Raw World Title.
December 15, 2002

partial source: pwinsider.com

August 12, 2012

A Close Encounter with the Sport’s Most Authentic Madman: Abdullah the Butcher


Wrestling fans know Abdullah the Butcher as the most extreme independent-circuit wrestler, a 400- pound hairless blob of muscle and fat whose presence at a match guarantees gouts of blood from at least one wrestler and possibly both. His weapon of choice is the fork, but he improvises when cornered. In Japan, where Abdullah is a beloved figure who visits retirement homes to cheer up the elderly, two skeptics once spotted him in a hotel lobby and remarked loudly that his shows were fake. Without hesitation, Abdullah shattered a glass against his scalp, then picked out the shards, produced a needle and thread, and stitched himself up.

Dubbed “wrestling’s Methuselah” by The New York Times, Abdullah has fought for the past 50 years as “the Madman from the Sudan,” a billing his opponents say is at least half true. Born Larry Shreve in Windsor, Ontario, 71 years ago, he has never visited the Sudan. But some of his wrestling colleagues—they would say victims—claim his madness is genuine, and needs to be stopped. When the WWE Hall of Fame inducted Abdullah last year, Hulk Hogan and “Superstar” Billy Graham, two venerable masters of the mat, objected on the grounds that Abdullah had supposedly cut opponents without their permission, drawing blood for the audience’s entertainment. “Abdullah really is obsessed with cutting people,” says Devon Nicholson, 29, a 265-pound fellow Canadian who wrestled Abdullah and is now suing him for alleged injury in the ring. (The suit is still in its early stages; Abdullah denies the charges.) “He is like a monster movie come to life.”...More?

source: theatlantic.com

December 15, 2011

This Day in Wrestling History


The most important figure in the history of professional wrestling in Japan, Rikidozan, dies of complications from a stab wound suffered on December 8th at the age of 38. Rikidozan, who debuted in 1951, helped to popularize professional wrestling in post-WWII Japan, and would train Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba, who would become two of the most influential and powerful individuals in Japanese wrestling. While it was thought that Rikidozan, whose Japanese name was Mitsuhiro Momota, was born in Nagasaki, Japan, in truth he was Korean. Because Koreans were heavily discriminated against in Japan, his real background was kept secret, not being revealed until long after his death. Rikidozan's final match was on December 7th, teaming with Great Togo & Michiaki Yoshimura to battle The Destroyer, Buddy Austin & Illio DiPaolo to a draw. Stories of what happened the night Rikidozan was stabbed are cloudy, with legend and fact often getting mixed up. He was stabbed in a nightclub and allegedly it was by a member of the Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia. However, stories have circulated for years that he beat up his attacker and partied into the night before going to the hospital, which is why the wound got infected and ended up killing him. Obviously, there are many that doubt that account of the stabbing.
December 15, 1963

Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk wrestled a legendary match against Abdullah The Butcher and The Sheik in Japan. The match turned the Funks fan favourites in Japan because of the extreme violence.
December 15, 1977

A tribute show to Stu Hart was held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada at the Calgary Corral, the site of many Stampede Wrestling shows.
December 15, 1995

Triple H defeated Shawn Michaels in a two-out-of-three falls match in 38:30 to capture the Raw World Title.
December 15, 2002

partial source: pwinsider.com

December 7, 2011

Abdullah the Butcher Lawsuit Update


The Devon Nicholson lawsuit against Abdullah the Butcher was covered on the front page of Primera Hora, a largely circulated newspaper in Puerto Rico today.

After recounting the lawsuit, Abdullah the Butcher commented on the revelation that Nicholson's lawyers dropped about Butcher being positive for Hepatitis C, commenting, ""The only thing I will say is that when we meet again in court, to be in a month and a half or so is going to take a big surprise. Soon we will know the whole truth."

Abdullah also commented that he's been in the business for 50 years and this was the first time he'd ever been accused of such a thing.

Carlos Colon, one of Butcher's most famous rivals, decried Nicholson in the same article, commenting, "It took me by surprise all this, because Abdullah spent years coming to Puerto Rico and have never had any problems. When I originally learned of the lawsuit, I talked to him and said he was not sick. It seems to me that this boy (Nicholson) he wants to take money from Abdullah."

Nicholson declined to comment for the piece, noting he was told by his lawyers not to make any public statements regarding Abdullah.

source: pwinsider.com

December 4, 2011

Abdullah the Butcher Tests Positive for Hepatitis C


According to an article by PRwrestling.com, attorneys for Devon "Hannibal" Nicholson are stating that WWE Hall of Famer Abdullah the Butcher has indeed tested positive for Hepatitis C after taking recent tests. Nicholson sued Abdullah in Canada claiming he contracted the disease from him preventing him from a deal with WWE when he tested positive while taking tests for the company.

November 20, 2011

WWE Lawsuit to be Featured in Documentary


On November 26th at 7pm, Global TV will air a documentary on former independent wrestler Devon Nicholson and his lawsuit against WWE Hall of Famer Abdullah the Butcher. WWE refused to allow anyone from the company to be interviewed for the documentary.

October 3, 2011

Indy Wrestler Devon Nicholson Files Suit Against WWE


Devon "Hannibal" Nicholson, the Ottawa wrestler who has already filed a $6.5M lawsuit against Abdullah the Butcher, has now filed a statement of claim against World Wrestling Entertainment, claiming wrongful dismissal/breach of contract. The wrestler, who has Hepatitis C, is seeking almost $6 million from WWE.

The suit, filed August 26th and served September 26, 2011 in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, is based on the fact that WWE offered Nicholson a standard contract on June 5, 2009, and later rescinded the contract on August 28, 2009, upon discovery that Nicholson had Hepatitis C through medical tests required for the employment.

Nicholson is alleging that he was discriminated against based on the fact that he was found to be Hepatitis C positive. His separate claim against Abdullah the Butcher (Larry Shreve, of Atlanta) is accusing the famed wrestler infected Nicholson with the blood disease.

September 23, 2011

Update on Abdullah the Butcher Hepatitis Lawsuit


MacLeans.ca featured a piece on the lawsuit brought against WWE Hall of Famer Abdullah the Butcher by Canadian wrestler Devon Nicholson (aka Hannibal), who has alleged that Abby passed on Hepatitis C by blading Nicholson without his consent.

According to the piece, Abdullah's lawyers recently filed a response in court, noting that Nicholson was the promoter of the event in question and Abdullah was simply following his orders.

Abdullah, who has yet to provide a blood sample to prove he doesn't have the disease, also noted that if he is carrying Hepatitis, it's because Abdullah caught it from Nicholson.

Abdullah was interviewed in the piece, noting that he believes he was targeted because it's well known he saved his money (he's notoriously cheap and will pull anything to squeeze an extra few dollars out of those he's working for) and is set up with his restaurant while others are not as lucky.

The article also noted that Abdullah is in line for a hip replacement, but has to drop 100 lbs. first and sometimes wakes up screaming at night from the pain he's in. Abdullah has been more or less immobile in the ring in recent years and walks with a cane. There is a lot on Abby's life in the piece as well.

Nicholson is also interviewed, noting that WWE is the only place he ever wanted to go and work and now that's over. He's working as a trainer and painted it as a terrible fate "filling water bottles and training fat people" while watching his friends all move on with their dreams and careers....More?

August 1, 2011

Abdullah The Butcher Responds To Lawsuit; Says He Doesn't Have Hepatitis C


The Ottawa Citizen has a new article online today covering Devon Nicholson's $6.5 million lawsuit against Abdullah the Butcher (real name Lawrence Shreve).

Not only is Shreve denying he gave Nicholson the disease, he says he doesn't have Hepatitis C and will be providing a blood sample in the next few days.

"I'm not the only one that he [Shreve] has wrestled. He has wrestled everybody," Shreve told the publication. "He's been to Puerto Rico, all over."

The lawsuit alleges that Abdullah the Butcher bladed both of them during a 2007 match and once Nicolson had contact with Abby's blood, he contracted Hepatitis C...More?

source: wrestlingnewsworld.com

July 28, 2011

Multimillion Dollar Lawsuit Filed by Ottawa Wrestler Against Abdullah the Butcher


Four months after his induction in the WWE Hall of Fame, Abdullah the Butcher (real name Larry Shreve​) was served with a statement of claim on Monday July 24thfor a 6.5 million dollar lawsuit, filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, involving negligence, assault, and battery against a local Ottawa wrestler, Devon (Hannibal) Nicholson. Designated co-plaintiffs under the Family Law Act are Laura Joan Nicholson, Arthur Gwyn Nicholson, Frederick Kerry Nicholson, and Joan Greenwell, claiming $40 000 respectively for general damages.

The lawsuit stems after allegations surfaced on a YouTube documentary titled Don’t Bleed on Me, released on March 31st 2011, over an incident that happened between the wrestlers in 2007. Two years ago, Devon Nicholson was on the edge of achieving his dream of working for World Wrestling Entertainment. The talented wrestler obtained a contract, only to have it rescinded on the grounds of him having Hepatitis C. WWE annulled the contract regardless of its current “No Blood” policy and having employed Hepatitis C positive wrestlers in the past...More?

source: netnewsledger.com

April 24, 2011

Abdullah the Butcher Fires Back at Superstar Billy Graham on WWE HOF


In a recent interview with The Ottawa Sun, Abdullah the Butcher discussed recent comments by "Superstar" Billy Graham that he didn't belong in the WWE Hall of Fame.

"I helped Superstar Billy Graham when he was in Calgary. I loaned him money. For him to say I shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame is wrong. I still think he's a nice guy, but he doesn't know what he's talking about. What shouldn't I be in the Hall. They put Drew Carey in. What's wrong with me? I drew money all over the world?"

April 17, 2011

Wrestler Spurned By WWE Still Wrestling


The phone call hit Devon Nicholson like a folding chair to the side of the head.

Bleary-eyed and behind the wheel of his green 1997 Toyota Tercel, he had just completed a 15-hour drive from Ottawa to Edmundston, N.B., where he was putting up posters for a future wrestling show, the first week of September in 2009.

Two months after shocking news that Nicholson had tested positive for Hepatitis C, the voice on the other end of the cellphone told him a three-year WWE contract offer had been yanked off the table. Devon Nicholson claims to have gotten Hepatitis C from Abdullah the Butcher, but he is still wrestling...More?

source: slam wrestling

March 23, 2011

Interview with Abdullah the Butcher

Highlights from Slam Wrestling's interview with Abdullah the Butcher:

Getting the call from WWE:

"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 took them a while to get me in to their Hall of Fame, but I'm very happy. Even though I don't live far away, they're going to pick me up in a limousine. I love it!"

His drawing power today:
"If you were to put me with The Undertaker today, we could sell out any place. I need a new hip, but I still look 100 per cent good. Hulk Hogan and I wrestled in Japan for two weeks back in the '80s, selling out and having great matches, and we could do it again today. I think we could still give the people action."

Never working for WWE:
"I've never met Vince McMahon Jr. The WWE were scared of me because I was an outlaw, and I did not kiss anybody's butt. The boys, back in the day there, would say, 'Don't bring Abdullah in -- he'll be trouble.'"

March 21, 2011

Another WWE HOF Inductee Announced


WWE has officially announced Abdullah The Butcher as the newest inductee into the WWE Hall Of Fame class of 2011.

You can read the official announcement online at WWE.com.

December 15, 2010

This Day in Wrestling History


The most important figure in the history of professional wrestling in Japan, Rikidozan, dies of complications from a stab wound suffered on December 8th at the age of 38. Rikidozan, who debuted in 1951, helped to popularize professional wrestling in post-WWII Japan, and would train Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba, who would become two of the most influential and powerful individuals in Japanese wrestling. While it was thought that Rikidozan, whose Japanese name was Mitsuhiro Momota, was born in Nagasaki, Japan, in truth he was Korean. Because Koreans were heavily discriminated against in Japan, his real background was kept secret, not being revealed until long after his death. Rikidozan's final match was on December 7th, teaming with Great Togo & Michiaki Yoshimura to battle The Destroyer, Buddy Austin & Illio DiPaolo to a draw. Stories of what happened the night Rikidozan was stabbed are cloudy, with legend and fact often getting mixed up. He was stabbed in a nightclub and allegedly it was by a member of the Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia. However, stories have circulated for years that he beat up his attacker and partied into the night before going to the hospital, which is why the wound got infected and ended up killing him. Obviously, there are many that doubt that account of the stabbing.
December 15, 1963

Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk wrestled a legendary match against Abdullah The Butcher and The Sheik in Japan. The match turned the Funks fan favourites in Japan because of the extreme violence.
December 15, 1977

A tribute show to Stu Hart was held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada at the Calgary Corral, the site of many Stampede Wrestling shows.
December 15, 1995

Triple H defeated Shawn Michaels in a two-out-of-three falls match in 38:30 to capture the Raw World Title.
December 15, 2002

partial source: pwinsider.com

July 26, 2010

Still the Butcher After All These Years

 photo i_zps0ebed5ab.jpg
Oderint Dum Metuant: Let Them Hate As Long As They Fear