TIJ: Abdullah the Butcher in dire financial straits

[Big BosskMan]

On yesterday's episode of TIJ, Chris interviewed Abdullah the Butcher and his entourage about Abby's current financial issues. From what I remember:

• Caretaker claims Abby cannot read or write beyond a second grade level
• Leading to current financial problems instigated by Dense Devin/Hannibal on the Hep C. lawsuit. Caretaker claims due to his illiteracy, Abby did not understand and ignored requests to appear in court so he lost.
• Dense Devin is seeking upwards of $2M in damages.
• GoFundMe has been set up, seeking $50K, currently at $3,750 with Jericho contributing $2,500
• Abby is apparently broke, no money, and needs a hip replacement

[Feyrhausen]

I would suggest having an entourage might be a waste of money. But I guess if he cant read then he needs someone to help him. But if this entourage wasnt reading him his mail/summons then they arent worth much.

Edit. This guy made a lot of money back in the day. Makes you appreciate guys like Bruno who saved their money and retired quietly. And only did appearances or interviews when they felt like it, not because of money.

[Big BosskMan]

Apr 9, 2022 16:14:48 GMT -5 Feyrhausen said:

I would suggest having an entourage might be a waste of money. But I guess if he cant read then he needs someone to help him. But if this entourage wasnt reading him his mail/summons then they arent worth much.

Edit. This guy made a lot of money back in the day. Makes you appreciate guys like Bruno who saved their money and retired quietly. And only did appearances or interviews when they felt like it, not because of money.

Yeah, the entourage was his caretaker and at least 2 other people. The caretaker seemed genuine but the other two felt off to me.

I am a bit torn on the illiteracy claims. It's quite possible, but also a bit impossible, that he managed all that international travel without really understanding it. Claims security at the airport helped him keep kayfabe by not breaking character, though security knew he was Lawrence Shreve.

The money bit is puzzling too, given he worked all those years and had a fairly high profile in Japan and Puerto Rico.

[Mozenrath]

It's worth noting that he had his restaurant. That can be a source of income, but also, a restaurant can hemorrhage money. Investments like that going south can destroy a nest egg easily.

[Feyrhausen]

Apr 9, 2022 16:50:33 GMT -5 Big BosskMan said:

Apr 9, 2022 16:14:48 GMT -5 Feyrhausen said:

I would suggest having an entourage might be a waste of money. But I guess if he cant read then he needs someone to help him. But if this entourage wasnt reading him his mail/summons then they arent worth much.

Edit. This guy made a lot of money back in the day. Makes you appreciate guys like Bruno who saved their money and retired quietly. And only did appearances or interviews when they felt like it, not because of money.

Yeah, the entourage was his caretaker and at least 2 other people. The caretaker seemed genuine but the other two felt off to me.

I am a bit torn on the illiteracy claims. It's quite possible, but also a bit impossible, that he managed all that international travel without really understanding it. Claims security at the airport helped him keep kayfabe by not breaking character, though security knew he was Lawrence Shreve.

The money bit is puzzling too, given he worked all those years and had a fairly high profile in Japan and Puerto Rico.

I mean he owned a restaurant that closed pre COVID IIRC. That could have been a decent loss. Other than that I am sure he lived a Flair style life.

[KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!]

Jericho has contributed at least a few times some big amounts to GoFundMe and other platforms even if he didn’t have much interaction with the performer.

[koreycaskets]

Abdulla being Canadian has full health care and could have his surgery and stay for free. I know it's the paying to get up here would be a huge issue though if he's broke.

[Feyrhausen]

Apr 9, 2022 17:36:46 GMT -5 koreycaskets said:

Abdulla being Canadian has full health care and could have his surgery and stay for free. I know it's the paying to get up here would be a huge issue though if he's broke.

I mean they are trying to raise $50,000. I would think a rental car and gas would be a lot cheaper than that.

[Deleted]

f*** 'em.

Dude's a scumbag. Maimed tons of people without their consent. Acted like a huge scumbag. Wasn't just unprofessional, he's a bad dude.

Even if you just limited it to non wrestling people, I know of TV news show hosts dude sliced open without consent. He gets no sympathy from me just because he's old.

[jason1980s]

I really don't doubt the literacy claim. I asked for a photo to be personalized many years ago and he snapped at me for asking. And even recently when Eric Simms was doing a signing, Eric stated that personalizations weren't available. It would be interesting to see how he was able to do the restaurant so long if he couldn't read or write well.

[Johnny B. Decent]

I got to imagine being that damn big for decades really isn't helping his health now that he's in his later 70's.

[oxbaker]

Apr 9, 2022 18:45:35 GMT -5 Feyrhausen said:

Apr 9, 2022 17:36:46 GMT -5 koreycaskets said:

Abdulla being Canadian has full health care and could have his surgery and stay for free. I know it's the paying to get up here would be a huge issue though if he's broke.

I mean they are trying to raise $50,000. I would think a rental car and gas would be a lot cheaper than that.

Presumably he cannot drive himself. And once he got there he would need money for rent, food, etc., to get himself set up. He may also have bills to settle here. Being in poor health isn’t cheap and he may have outstanding hospital/doctor debts.

That aside, many years ago a co-worker and I were driving through Atlanta on business and we stopped at Abdullah the Butcher’s House of Ribs and Chinese Food. The BBQ was ok, nothing special, but it was a neat experience.

The main dining area had pictures on the wall of tons of wrestlers autographed to Abdullah. And there was a smaller room off the main dining room called the ‘wrestling room’ that had a TV set up and a video of ‘Abdullah’s greatest matches,’ which included various territories stuff. And, of course, lots of bloody matches.

Me and my friend were the only two eating in there until this older woman came in with her food. She obviously didn’t know much about the place and was horrified with what was on the TV. She asked if we could change the channel and (my friend recounted this many times) I turned to her and said, ‘Lady, you should have gone to the Olive Garden.’

Alas, the Butcher was not there for the lunch shift that day so didn’t see him. I did get to meet him a few years ago at WrestleCon and got photos of him choking me and simulating sticking a fork into my head.

Abdullah didn’t say much. He had a ‘caretaker’ or someone sitting with him that talked price and kind of told him what to do with each patron. He did not stand up — can’t remember if he was wheelchair bound or sitting in a chair, but he stayed seated not just for me but for all interactions.

[jason1980s]

Apr 9, 2022 22:18:43 GMT -5 oxbaker said:

stuff. And, of course, lots of bloody matches.

Me and my friend were the only two eating in there until this older woman came in with her food. She obviously didn’t know much about the place and was horrified with what was on the TV. She asked if we could change the channel and (my friend recounted this many times) I turned to her and said, ‘Lady, you should have gone to the Olive Garden.’

Years ago when WCW was doing the Saturday Night shows where they showed guys coming from backstage and they had 8x10 promos on the wall, I simulated that in my parent's house. I put a bunch of magazine photos taped to the wall going from the upstairs to down. And most photos were bloody pictures and had some Abdullah ones too. My mother was horrified because people were coming to see the house for sale.

Abdullah was an interesting meet for me because he was one of the worst experiences and also one of the best. I met him in 2005. He was on a "super ticket" but came in a few hours early and set up his own booth. He was charging $5 each to sign and later his price for the promoter was $15 so people were getting him first, then getting refunds for their tickets they had already purchased. Now THAT's going into business for yourself. That's the show where he got mad I wanted a photo personalized (when he was on the super ticket). He said he didn't have time for that but it could have been due to illiteracy. Iron Sheik would have an assistant spell the name and most times would turn out wrong and it was really difficult for Sheik but he liked to personalize. I have three "To JESON" autographs from him and had one "TO JASLM" from many years back. But I feel like Abdullah would be more of a very prideful guy who wouldn't want the secret getting out during his prime.

In 2016 I met Abdullah with Nikolai and he was so gracious and overally friendly but it was a case of "who you know." I told Jim Cornette the story and he said "Abdullah was nice? Did you have money in your hand?" I met him in 2017 with Nikolai again and he was a little out of it. His assistant wheeled him into a small alcove to look at wrestling memorabilia and he just sort of stared into space for a while before being brought into the autograph room. He had been doing the autograph shows circuit even just a few weeks ago, with Eric Simms. For 2016 Abdullah was doing the show circuit with Bobby Fulton and his son. In 2017 I think he had a relative with him.

On story that is not mine but was from the site called "markedout" is about a guy who comes from England every Wrestlemania (at least previous years) and gets in touch with legends to see if they would meet him for lunch or dinner at a restaurant, basically a private meet and greet. At various times I know he met with Bruno, Larry Z., one of the Crockett brothers and also Abdullah, which was surprising. I think it may have been his HOF week also. The story I remember was Abdullah was really nice and when they both parted from the restaurant, Abdullah asked if the guy had a ride to the airport and actually drove him to the airport. I don't believe he had any assistants with him either but it would have been his home state and he was in slightly better health.
I know he had an assistant for the 2005 signing, not sure if it was Honest John Cheatum but they were travel partners for a while.

[Deleted]

I don't have direct experience of Canada's system but most other places I've been to free healthcare is based on residence rather than nationality. If he hasn't been paying into the Canadian system they may charge for treatment.

[Can you afford to pay me, Gah]

Its hard for me to feel sorry for him being there is so many stories about him not being a good person. If it true that he barely read or write. How in the hell could he go through a process to run a restaurant? That part doesn't make sense to me. Now The whole Hannibal situation that went on and on for years. Yeah my opinions on Hannibal changed because of that recent referee stuff. Its weird to me because how he not knowing about the court days when Hannibal said Abbullah was tested for Hep C. Hannibal also said Abbullah tried to appeal a court ruling in Georgia.

[jason1980s]

Apr 9, 2022 23:13:03 GMT -5 Can you afford to pay me, Gah said:

Its hard for me to feel sorry for him being there is so many stories about him not being a good person. If it true that he barely read or write. How in the hell could he go through a process to run a restaurant? That part doesn't make sense to me.

I'm pretty interested in knowing this myself. I don't see him as a guy who would have a huge group of advisers like more famous stars who are trying their hands in business but I would think in his case maybe someone was handling the the financial affairs. I would imagine he did well in Japan and probably saved his money at the time and could have had someone advising him in the business. Or his advisors now could be lying about the illiteracy. But it's not uncommon for celebrities to run a restaurant and have absolutely no involvement with it other than their name. It's probably a main reason why so many fail.

["Playboy" Don Douglas]

I’m not sure what to think about this one. Abby is a bit of a con man.

I met him at the NWA Legends Fanfest one year, and he was actually okay. He wasn’t really friendly, but he wasn’t rude at all.

Then again, I heard someone say they had asked him to personalize his autograph, and Abby snapped, “Don’t tell me what to write, mark!”

A year or 2 later, the Fanfest was in Atlanta. Abby was not booked, but showed up in the hotel lobby with a box of 8x10s and a fork and went into business until he was escorted from the premises.

I can believe he’s having health problems, especially at his age. Broke? Possibly, if the restaurant was losing money before it closed and the Hannibal lawsuit cost a lot. I get the impression Abby liked to live large, so he probably has had some bad spending habits.

The literacy part? I don’t know. And the GoFundMe makes me wonder if it’s just a cash grab.

[oxbaker]

Apr 9, 2022 23:05:00 GMT -5 jason1980s said:

Apr 9, 2022 22:18:43 GMT -5 oxbaker said:

stuff. And, of course, lots of bloody matches.

Me and my friend were the only two eating in there until this older woman came in with her food. She obviously didn’t know much about the place and was horrified with what was on the TV. She asked if we could change the channel and (my friend recounted this many times) I turned to her and said, ‘Lady, you should have gone to the Olive Garden.’

Years ago when WCW was doing the Saturday Night shows where they showed guys coming from backstage and they had 8x10 promos on the wall, I simulated that in my parent's house. I put a bunch of magazine photos taped to the wall going from the upstairs to down. And most photos were bloody pictures and had some Abdullah ones too. My mother was horrified because people were coming to see the house for sale.

Abdullah was an interesting meet for me because he was one of the worst experiences and also one of the best. I met him in 2005. He was on a "super ticket" but came in a few hours early and set up his own booth. He was charging $5 each to sign and later his price for the promoter was $15 so people were getting him first, then getting refunds for their tickets they had already purchased. Now THAT's going into business for yourself. That's the show where he got mad I wanted a photo personalized (when he was on the super ticket). He said he didn't have time for that but it could have been due to illiteracy. Iron Sheik would have an assistant spell the name and most times would turn out wrong and it was really difficult for Sheik but he liked to personalize. I have three "To JESON" autographs from him and had one "TO JASLM" from many years back. But I feel like Abdullah would be more of a very prideful guy who wouldn't want the secret getting out during his prime.

In 2016 I met Abdullah with Nikolai and he was so gracious and overally friendly but it was a case of "who you know." I told Jim Cornette the story and he said "Abdullah was nice? Did you have money in your hand?" I met him in 2017 with Nikolai again and he was a little out of it. His assistant wheeled him into a small alcove to look at wrestling memorabilia and he just sort of stared into space for a while before being brought into the autograph room. He had been doing the autograph shows circuit even just a few weeks ago, with Eric Simms. For 2016 Abdullah was doing the show circuit with Bobby Fulton and his son. In 2017 I think he had a relative with him.

On story that is not mine but was from the site called "markedout" is about a guy who comes from England every Wrestlemania (at least previous years) and gets in touch with legends to see if they would meet him for lunch or dinner at a restaurant, basically a private meet and greet. At various times I know he met with Bruno, Larry Z., one of the Crockett brothers and also Abdullah, which was surprising. I think it may have been his HOF week also. The story I remember was Abdullah was really nice and when they both parted from the restaurant, Abdullah asked if the guy had a ride to the airport and actually drove him to the airport. I don't believe he had any assistants with him either but it would have been his home state and he was in slightly better health.
I know he had an assistant for the 2005 signing, not sure if it was Honest John Cheatum but they were travel partners for a while.

Going a bit off topic here but the Iron Sheik part of your post made me remember my encounter with Truth Martini some years ago.

It was before an ROH show (it was WM weekend, I think they were doing a TV taping day after a Supercard of Honor) they had a meet and greet. You basically bought tickets for $10 I think and you could redeem those for autographs/photos of whoever you wanted — hand them your ticket. 

Well the night before, Truth Martini had opened the Book of Truth on (I’m pretty sure) Matt Taven and it did a flash-bang fire that ‘blinded/burned’ Taven. 

So Truth was at a table sitting next to Jay Lethal … and Lethal was basically helping Martini because apparently he was almost totally deaf. Couldn’t hear a thing I said. So Jay would lean over and say (fairly loudly) ‘he wants to take a picture with you’ or whatever. And Truth would smile and come around. 

Well I just wanted to chat for a second (which I did through Jay) and check out the Book of Truth, which for those not familiar Maritni was a manager (his stable was the House of Truth) and he had a book called the Book of Truth which had a dust jacket with the title and a photo of Martini. So Jay laughed and said, rather loudly, ‘He wants to look at Book of Truth’ and Martini smiled and handed it over.

The dusk jacket was wrapped around a thick hardback that was some kind of technical manual, like on auto mechanics/repairs or something like that. But the cool thing when I opened it was getting to see the ‘magic trick.’ Because the middle of the book had a big hole cut through the pages (like maybe half the pages, with the front and back pages not cut) and this lighter device where you would put flash paper (wasn’t loaded when I looked at it) and a trigger (wasn’t set) so when he opened the book the trigger would strike a flint and light the paper to produce the fire bang.

My main memories of it was ‘that is a really cool thing they rigged up’ and how sweet (only word I can think of) Jay was with Martini. Jay told me Martini was pretty much completely deaf in his right ear and maybe half deaf in his left ear, so he always sat to Truth’s left side so he could talk to him. You could tell he really cared for the guy watching him deal with people who came up to get photos or autographs or whatever with Truth. 

[Non Banjoble Tokens]

This is weird. I would think a Butcher would have no problem running a successful BBQ joint.

[Jaws the Shark]

I wonder how much he actually ran the restaurant, and how much other people did using his money and name. It may explain why he went broke.