WWE Hall of Famer ‘rotting to demise’ in hospital as grim photograph emerges
WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT Wrestling legend Abdullah the Butcher is now bedridden and spent months in nursing homes and hospitals after suffering from horror life-threatening infections and bedsores
Abdullah was inducted into the WWE hall of fame in 2011
Wrestling legend Abdullah the Butcher is “rotting to death” after suffering bedsores and infections in hospital. The WWE Hall of Famer, 85, was rushed to hospital in October after he suffered a stroke.
Abdullah, real name Lawrence Robert Shreve, is now bedridden and spent months in nursing homes and hospitals in Atlanta, Georgia in the US, suffering from horror life-threatening infections. He told a local tv news crew: “I want the world to pray for me.”
His assistant Malikah Marshall said: “He’s not doing too well. He has a sacral wound and it started real small. And now it’s real large to where you could probably put one or two of your fists in his wound.”
The grappling legend appeared on camera on Atlanta First News looking frail in hospital bed as he told of his ordeal. Bedsores are caused by pressure that reduces or cuts off blood flow to the skin and can increase the risk of life-threatening bacterial infections.
Malikah told the news outlet: “I’ve been helping him for the past 15 years and I’ve never seen him like this. He’s lost so much weight.
“I don’t know what to do because I need help. I need somebody to help me because I want to save his life. With a wound that deep, sepsis set in and he could die.”
A fundraising page has been set up to help cover his medical expenses. It reads: “Late last year, Abdullah suffered two strokes. He is still dealing with health issues related to the strokes and diabetes.
“The hospital in Atlanta is working hard to discharge him. Miss Malikah is working around the clock to maintain his care. His bills are piling up and he needs our support more than ever.”
Professional wrestler Devon “Hannibal” Nicholson – who alleged Abdullah gave him blood disease Hepatitis C during a match – posted to his YouTube channel: “Abdullah the Butcher spending his final days literally rotting to death before he is sent off to hell.”
Nicholson won a $2million lawsuit against him in 2014 after his WWE contract offer was rescinded when he was diagnosed with the blood disease, of which he is now cured.
Canadian-born Abdullah started wrestling as a teen in the late 1950s and first gained attention in All Japan Pro Wrestling in the 70s and 80s. He was an industry stalwart during his heyday and his bloody matches Terry Funk and Jumbo Tsuruta became iconic.
He also locked horns with the likes of Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant throughout his memorable career and terrified a young Bret Hart by brutally beating his dad Stu during a match for Stampede Wrestling in Calgary.
One of his most gruesome moments came during WCW’s Halloween Havoc in 1991 in which he competed in a Chamber of Horrors match alongside fellow legends Sting, Cactus Jack, Vader and the Steiner Brothers.
His team lost the match when a bloodied Abdullah was strapped into a “chair of torture” and appeared to be electrocuted. One fan wrote: “Being a kid watching Halloween Havoc 91 I still get nightmares from the chamber match.”
One of his trademarks is a series of divot-like scars on his scalp due to the amount of time his head was cut open during matches. The scars are so deep that fellow grappling legend Mick Foley says he is able to put gambling chips into them.
After losing the 2011 lawsuit, it was reported that he was forced to cash in on his WWE Hall of Fame ring to raise funds, while he was said to be living day-by-day as recently as 2022.
