EXECUTIVE BOARD
ADVISORY BOARD
B. Brian Blair
Welcome back to Las Vegas. I am so pleased to see all of the members that have joined us at the Plaza Hotel for our 59th Reunion. Old rivals between the ropeswillbereunited,we’llre-livesomeoftheharrowing tales of life on the road, and share hearty laughs as we remember some of the unforgettable times that we were able to experience through our shared love ofthisindustrythatweknowasprofessionalwrestling.
Each year, our reunion brings together members from across the country and around the globe. It is really heartwarming to see our members connecting across territoriesandgenerations.Theretrulyisnofellowship like that of the men and women in pro wrestling. It is those very same brothers and sisters who are at the heart of what our club is all about.
The Caulifower Alley Club began as an avenue for “the boys” to help each other out. Through medical emergencies, vehicle breakdowns, natural disasters, and about any nature of crisis that we can experience not only as athletes, but as people just trying to make a living and provide for their families in the best way they could. Over close to six decades, nobody is entirelysurehowmanyhundreds ofthousandsofdollars we have been able to give back to those in need, but
it is a cause that becomes even more important with each passing year. The CAC takes to heart our responsibilitytoourmembersandthosealumnifromthe wrestling fraternity that have given so much of themselves for the joy of so many.
Iamreallyexcitedabouttheprogramthatwehaveassembled for this year’s reunion. I am grateful to work with such a dedicated team throughout the year on both the Executive and Advisory Boards who give so willingly of their time and expertise for the Club. We are also blessed to have the support of so many advertisers, suppliers and vendors that all believe in our mission and want to give back to pro wrestling.
EnjoyourtimetogetherinLasVegasaswemakenew friends and re-connect with those from years ago.
Keep buzzing,
B. Brian Blair, President and CEO
CAC Tip of the Hat
Keeping us in the loop with the latest club news and some great photos, memories and nostalgia, Bob Cook has been at the helm of our Facebook and social media platforms. Thank you Bob for the countless hours in service to the CauliflowerAlley Club.
The “Iron” Mike Mazurki Award celebrates lifetime achievement andlookingatthelifeandcareerof Mick Foley, one could argue that he has packed several lifetimesworthofadventureintohis60yearsonEarth. Wrestling, writing, movies,TV shows, and a “Medal of Sanity” awarded by John Stewart in recognition of being a great human being. No, it’s hard to define Mick Foley with a description that fits into any ONE box.
Lookingat Mick’sbodyofwork, onecan’thelpbutcelebratetheversatilityofaperformerthatcouldperpetually re-invent himself to adapt to any situation. From his international exploits and exploding barbed wire death matches in Japan as Cactus Jack, through his years as a Frankenstein-like monster Mankind, then Dude Love and ultimately billed just by his own name -- each face of Foley gave us something new to celebrate and be entertained by.
ButregardlessofhowwefirstwereintroducedtoMick, what strikes us the most is his accessibility to the fans through his personal appearances, his one man comedy shows, his writing and the causes for which he contributes his time. He has been active with the Make-a-WishFoundation,wasinstrumentalinbuilding schools in the Philippines, Mexico and Sierra Leone through ChildFund International, and has visited military bases and hospitals to delight wounded soldiers.
We have learned that on one occasion, while appearing on an event in Kelowna, British Columbia at a fund raiser for “Mamas for Mamas” a support initiative for single mothers, Mick not only appeared with local independent wrestlers at a food drive at a local supermarket before the matches, he waived his own appearance fee in support of the cause.
Mick’sselflessnessandsacrificeisnotonlyevidenced byhowmuchhehasgivenofhimselfinfrontoftheTV
cameras to a worldwide audience, but also through his quiet efforts to give of himself to communities and causes without any fanfare.
In Mick Foley, we each see someone that we aspire to be. Someone that defies the odds, chases their dreams, creates their own successes and then continually seeks out new ways to challenge himself, but never loses his empathy for others.
In 2011, we recognized Mick with the Lou Thesz Award, and we are pleased to recognize him once again in the Ring of Friendship with the “Iron” Mike Mazurki LifetimeAchievement award.
Hey Mick, Have a nice day!
Combining class, beauty and a deep-seeded passion for the sport of wrestling and all with whom she shares the ring, Natalya is the embodiment of all the qualities that are demonstrative of the Lou Thesz Award. She joins the ring of friendship as only the third woman in history to be honored with this award, following Penny Banner in 1997 and Wendi Richter in 2012.
Her success wasnot guaranteed basedonher bloodline-the daughterof Jim “TheAnvil”Neidhart and granddaughterofStuHart.Instead,sheforgedherownpathontheCanadian independents, followed by the U.S., England and Japan before being signed by the WWE in 2007.
“My first year in the WWE I was making $500 a week,” the third generation star told Chris Van Vliet in a recent interview. “But for me, it was about getting my foot in the door. Eighteen years later, I’m still here.”
She’s not only remained continuously employed with the WWE, she has excelled as both a competitor and a mentor to her peers, shining as one of the brightest stars of the women’sdivision.Her18-yeartenureeclipsestheWWEcareers of most all of the Hart family, and rates as one of the longest women’s careers in the company.
We’ve not seen the last of the records that she will break beforeshehangsupherboots.Shehasbeenrecognizedby theGuinnessBookofWorldRecordsformostmatchesfora female WWE wrestler (1,514), most wins by a female WWE wrestler (663), most appearances on pay-per-view for a female WWE wrestler (75), most WrestleMania appearances by a female WWE wrestler (8), most WWE RAW matches (174), and most WWE Smackdown matches (200). It’s startling to consider that many of those records were formally recorded in 2021 not at the sunset of Neidhart’s career, she still has a lot of mileage left. With each passing year, she continues tocarve a path that is incredibly hard to follow.
Whether it be in history-making performances, including the first women’s match ever contested in the SaudiArabia, her ground-breaking cross-promotional appearances for Bloodsport and the NWA, Natalya’s career is one without parallel.
Natalya, and her husband T.J. Wilson (better known to American audiences as Tyson Kidd) are continuing another family tradition. They have installed a ring at their Florida home for a training centre that they have christened “The Dungeon 2.0” where they spend their time away from the spotlight helping to hone the skills of the emerging generation of stars -- in the same fashion that they each got their own break three decades ago.
A proud product of Stu Hart’s dungeon, an unforgiving torture chamber that has hardened dozens of wrestlers who would go on to Hall of Fame careers, she stands as one of the greatest success stories of all -- and the first woman to take those humble beginnings in the basement and rise to the top of the industry.
WecongratulateNatalyaasthe2025LouTheszAwardhonoree.
CAC Tip of the Hat
An alumni of the ring with a career that spanned the globe, Ricky Santana joined the CACAdvisory Board in 2024 and has taken over coordination of the popular seminar series. We are looking forward to what promises to be an incredible line up of panels and stories this year. We tip our hat to Ricky for your efforts.
Louisiana’s Carlene Moore-Begnaud has travelled a winding road in professional wrestling. From watching wrestling on television as a child, she had never considered that this might one day be her path. However, when a knee injury sidelined a promising basketball career in College, fate intervened.
Crossing paths with one of her childhood heroes, the Junkyard Dog, she began training at his school and learning the trade. Later she would continue her training with Rod Price.After only six monthswith Price, she was headed for Extreme Championship Wrestling and then later World Wrestling Entertainment where she reigned as a two-time women’s champion.
Sincedeparting fromthe WWE,shehas remainedactive in the sport including a 948-day run as the NWA World women’s champion. But she has continued to delight fans with appearances for Women’s Extreme Wrestling, Women Superstars Uncensored, Shine, Chikara, AEW and spot appearances for the WWE.
On learning she was to be honored by the CAC, Jazz toldAlexandraRobertson “It’stelling methat I lefta mark and a stamp in my career and it’s great to be recognized for that.”
Awayfrom the glare of the ring lights,Jazzisraising twin daughters with her husband, fellow former WWE Superstar Rodney Mack. Together, they have also run a wrestling school, The Dog Pound.
While fans may miss seeing Jazz regularly on television, she is still very active in the sport. Earlier this year it was reported thatshe wasworking asan agent forTotal NonStopActionandthisSpringsheservedasaguesttrainer at the WWE Performance Centre.
Like her feelings on her own school, her recent roles all point to her motivation to contribute in a positive way. “I just want to give back what has been given to me.”
If you’re experiencing a feeling of deja vu, you’re not mistaken. The Cauliflower Alley Club had initially planned to honor Jazz at the 2020 reunion before the event was forced to be cancelled due to the global pandemic. However we are excited that schedules have allowed us to honor Jazz this year.
We (finally) welcome women’s wrestling legend Jazz to the Ring of Friendship as the 2025 Women’s Wrestling Honoree.
CAC Tip of the Hat
For the past several years, David Boyce has designed the cover of our banquet program, including this year’s. David is a wrestling manager and promoter in Nova Scotia, Canada.Thank you David for all that you do for the sport of wrestling and the CauliflowerAlley Club.
For those of us that have ever stepped foot between the ropes, many of us can remember the butterflies in our stomach as we prepared to go through the curtain for our first match. Imagine how much that was amplified for a young Steve Rivers when in 1991, he stepped into the ring for the first time ever on a television taping for the WWE in his hometown of Calgary, standing across the ring from former WWE World champion, The Iron Sheik. From that memorable beginning, Steve Rivers has carved a path without rival in Canadian wrestling rings for the past 34 years.
Taking his first lessons from Davey Boy Smith, who was a mainstay around Calgary between his tours of Japan after his first WWE run, Rivers was soon introduced to the Hart family and continued his training with Ross Hart. He learned the ropes through a hardknocksapprenticeshipacrosstheCanadianprairies, bodyslamming his way through rodeos, country fairs and Legion halls. He has even tested his mettle againstsomeofthemostunforgivingconditionsofthe Canadian north - surviving multiple winter tours, trekking across frozen lakes halfway to the Arctic Circle, all for the love of the game.
Though he has not been signed to a major American company, his track record includes matches against the likes of Razor Ramon, The Repo Man, Chris Jericho, Dr. Luther, Phil Lafon, and Demolition. His passport includes stamps for Japan, Lebanon and Puerto Rico.
Billed as “The All American” for most of his three decade career, Rivers has navigated the cross border tensions that have existed on both sides of the 49th parallel for a generation. Leveraging the political climate inaway thatboth draws upon wrestling tradition and innovates by giving it a new and relevant spin.
Making a regular pilgrimage to Las Vegas over the
years to attend the Cauliflower Alley Reunion, this year Steve Rivers crosses the stage to accept honors as the third ever Independent Wrestling Honoree. We welcome Steve Rivers to the Ring of Friendship.
PAST HONOREES IN THIS CATEGORY
2023 -Riea Von Slasher
2024 -Gary “NightTrain” Jackson
Pro wrestling/Lucha Libre has always had a history of creating “Larger than Life” characters based off of comic books and superheroes. Especially in Mexico, a world withhundredsofsensationalcharacters,imposingmasks and charismatic personalities,onenamestands out from that group, that luchador being “El Fantasma”.
Born in Michoacan, Mexico, El Fantasma (based on the iconic comic strip that actually debuted in 1936 and has been running in newspapers in Spanish for nearly a century) debuted in Lucha Libre in 1979, trained by the legendary Villano I. With the support of the fans, an extremely unique look and beautiful mask, it didn’t take longforEl FantasmatostartmakinganimpactinMexico City.ElFantasmawasconstantlyindemand,wrestlingall over Mexico City, and ultimately worldwide.
In only his second year in Lucha Libre, El Fantasma ended up in an important match for the CMLLpromotion for their anniversary event. They had El Fantasma challenge Sangre Chicana for the NWA World Middleweight title in the main event on the card, with the match going toadraw.ThemagazinesthatcoveredLuchaLibreatthe time all reported how El Fantasma truly showed a ton of heart that evening, and the path was set for him to take over Lucha Libre, especially when a little over a month later, El Fantasma ended up winning his first, of many, “apuesta” (“bet”) matches, where he challenged El Satanico for his hair, and ended up being the victor.
During the 1980’s, El Fantasma was a hot commodity, wrestlingallovertheworld,makinghisnameinJapanfor theoriginalUWFandtheW*INGdeathmatchpromotion. HealsobrokethroughintheU.S.inTexasandCalifornia, becomingaregularatthelegendaryOlympicAuditorium, main eventing multiple times. When the AAA promotion, created byAntonio Pena, started on May 15th, 1992, El Fantasma headlined the debut event.
As time went on and his in ring career slowed down, his heart never left Lucha Libre for multiple reasons. Most importantly,washisownbloodline,ashissonJorge,patterned his name and look after his father, calling himself
“El Hijo del Fantasma”. Similar to the career his father had in the ring, his son also wrestled worldwide, especially in the cult classic “Lucha Underground”. After sixteen years wrestling in Mexico, Jorge signed with the WWE, where he debuted as “Santos Escobar” in 2019. He even named the faction he’s the leader of “El Legado de Fantasma” (The Legacy of Fantasma) to honor his legendary father.
Thesedays,ElFantasmaplaysakeyroleinLuchaLibre, serving as the President of the wrestling commission in Mexico City where he oversees events to ensure fans andwrestlersaretreatedfairly.ElFantasmacanbespotted front row at mostly all events in the city where hair vs hair, mask vs mask, or title matches are taking place, ensuring stipulations are enforced and the fans get their money’s worth.
We honor El Fantasma tonight with the highest award we can give a luchador, the 2025 CauliflowerAlley Club Lucha LibreAward! Felicidades!
Roy Lucier
CAC Tip of the Hat
Amember of the Club’s Executive Board, Rich Ingling has served as theTreasurer andkeeps trackof the monies raised through the efforts oftheClubandthegenerousdonationsofourmembershipthroughout the year. Rich is also responsible to get those cheques in the mail for those who seek benevolent fund assistance.
It wasn’t just their scarred foreheads and booming voices that drew the attention of wrestling fans when the Sheepherders entered the territory. Their smash mouth wrestling style and raucous approach to ringside promos stopped fans in their tracks and made you take notice. The whole package combined, refined over decades as a team and dominance in successive territories around the globe served to make them one of the most prolific and successful teams to ever step through the ropes.
Fans might age themselves by how they were first introducedtotheteam-asunorthodoxTheKiwis,asthe brutalSheepherders,LosPastores(inPuertoRico)or as the lovable Bushwhackers.
First pairing as a team in New Zealand in 1966 under promoter John DaSilva, the duo first arrived in North America in 1972 for Paul Vachon’s Grand Prix Wrestling in Montreal as “Crazy” Nick Carter (Butch) and Sweet William (Luke). This was followed by stays in Calgary for Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling, Interna-
tional Wrestling Enterprise in Japan, and Don Owen’s PortlandWrestlingbeforetheylandedintheCarolinas to work for Jim Crockett Promotions.
“We didn’t realize the power of television that the Crockett territory had”, Butch shared in an interview with Title Match Wrestling. “We weren’t used to all of the miles that we had to put on working that territory andaftertwelveorsixteenweeks,wegaveournotice. But it was a big mistake.”
Regardless of what short term impacts it may have had on their careers, it did not hinder their opportunities. Not only would they find themselves headlining in Puerto Rico, Texas, Florida, and Oklahoma, but often they would find themselves in booking roles as well, helping to influence the health of the promotions where they served.
Amongthetopteamsthattheywouldwrestleandfeud with include The Fabulous Ones,The Fantastics,The Grapplers, The Rock & Roll Express, The Rougeau Brothers, and many more.
Their run as a pair spanned 40 years, and has included an induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2020.
Though the world mourned the loss of Butch after he unexpectedly passed away in 2023, Luke has continued to march on, promoting the life and times of both wrestlers in their autobiography “The Bushwhackers: Blood,Sweat&Cheers”.Incredibly,Lukewrestledearlier thisyearina matchin Gatineau,Quebec,marking a ring career that has endured sixty years between the ropes.
We are blessed to be joined by Bushwhacker Luke to accept the 2025 TagTeamAward on behalf of his team.
CAC Tip of the Hat
Spend just five minutes with Darla Staggs and you will quickly recognize that she is the heart of the CauliflowerAlley Club. Serving as the Executive Board Secretary and also the Benevolent Fund Coordinator, she cares deeply for all members that she is able to help. Thank you Darla for your service to the CauliflowerAlley Club.
For 75 years, a three generation legacy has been wellestablished by the Orton family. But many fans may be startled to realize that Bob Orton Jr. has wrestled for 53 ofthoseyears.Wrestlinghisearliestmatchesinthesummer of 1972, “Cowboy” Bob was lastin action earlier this year in a match vs.Attila Khan in Godfrey, Illinois. There is no doubt that wrestling is in his blood.
Emerging from a large shadow cast by his headlining father, Bob Sr., Junior established his own place in the sportandwaspart ofsomeofwrestling’smostnewsworthy happenings.After establishing himself in Florida and Georgia,hewasamongaroster oftalentthatmadelocal headlines after a walk out and territory dispute with the Fullers, he was a mainstay for the Poffo family International Championship Wrestling in Kentucky, considered in the day to be an “outlaw” promotion -- falling outside the established wrestling territory fiefdom. He appeared in the undercard of the infamous Muhammad Ali - Antonio Inoki mixed martial arts match in 1976 and we can’t forget that he was among the first wave of talent to be recruitedbyVinceMcMahonJr.inthenationalexpansion ofthe WorldWrestlingFederation in 1984--appearingin the first three WrestleManias.
Asmooth technician between the ropes, fans may forget that before Gorilla Monsoon dubbed Bret Hart with the handle, itwas Bob Orton Jr.that he labelled, “The Excellence of Execution”.
As notorious and wild outside the ring as he was in front of the roaring fans, Bob Orton’s journey through profes-
There is no denying Herb Simmons’ lifelong love for the sport of professional wrestling. For 46 years, he has maintained a close connection to the sport and through his contributions as a promoter, has touched the lives of hundreds of wrestlers and thousands of satisfied ticket buyers.
His introduction to the sport was behind a microphone, serving as a commentator for Tony Casta on shows taped at the South Broadway Athletic Club in St. Louis, Missouri.Itwasn’tlongbeforethatroleevolvedintomore responsibilities behind the scenes, collaborating with Casta to promote throughout Missouri.
Best known as the promoter for Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling in East Carondelet, Illinois, Herb has enjoyed the privilege of working with a wide array of
talent. Among them, Bruiser Brody, Killer Brooks, Terry Funk, Spike Huber, Bob Orton Jr.,Abdullah the Butcher, Bushwhacker Luke and 2024 Independent Wrestling honoree Gary Jackson.Through his efforts, he has done a great deal to keep the legacy of professional wrestling alive in the midwest.
Inadditiontohisworkasapromoter,Herbhasservedas a member of the CauliflowerAlley Club’sAdvisory Board in recent years among the many hats that he wears. He was previously recognized by the Club in 2021 with the RedBastienFriendshipAward,reflectiveofthehundreds ofrelationshipsthathehasbuiltduringalmosthalfacentury in the wrestling game.
When not around a wrestling ring, Herb has been a long serving mayor for the East Carondelet -- a post he has held for more than three decades. In fact, his efforts in one arena often serve to assist the other. The wrestling matches help support the community and causes that mattermosttohisconstituents.Besides,hisinvolvement with wrestling has proven to be a great curiosity among his peers in the political realm.
“It’s a great topic of conversation when I go to political doings,” Simmons told Kari Williams in a 2021 interview. “I’ve kind’ve got the name of the wrestling guru.” More often than not, Herbsaysthatconversations oftenreveal “closet fans” who demonstrate a connection to wrestling or a memory of the matches and/or the larger than life characters from the ring in some manner.
We congratulate the second-ever recipient of the Karl Lauer Independent Promoter Award, Herb Simmons as our 2025 honoree, as he joins the ring of Friendship with his second award in four years.
CAC Tip of the Hat
Since 2020, Vance Nevada has served as the editor for The Ear, coordinating the layout and content for 15 issues of the newsletter and four annual banquet programs. He is a lifetime member and has served on multiple committees since 2011.Thank you Vance for your service to the CauliflowerAlley Club.
Formorethantwodecades,thewrestlingindustryhas looked to Dr. Tom Prichard for his insight on the art of professional wrestling and his eye for talent. But you won’t necessarily learn that from a Google search of his career. The reality is, he may have influenced and mentored some of the most celebrated stars, though never given his full due for his role.
Applying more than 20 years of wrestling experience, Dr. Tom was an influence at Ohio Valley Wrestling when the Louisville-based promotion was a developmental training ground for future WWE Superstars. There, he instilled not only the importance of in-ring fundamentals, but also an appreciation for the tradition of the sport and the 100 wrestling legends that each aspiring superstar should absolutely know for their unique roles in shaping the sport. He insights were so well respected that he was chosen to head up WWE Talent Relations for two years from 2002 to 2004. The company brought him back in 2007 for another five-year run as the head trainerforDeep South
Wrestling in Georgia and then Florida Championship Wrestling in Tampa -- the pre-cursor to the WWE Performance Centre and the NXTbrand.
Amongthewrestlerstobecounselledandmentoredin the earlydaysoftheircareersincludeTheRock,Mark Henry, KurtAngle, Randy Orton,The BellaTwins, and fellow 2025 Honoree Natalya.
“Ithinkaudienceslookforauthenticity,”TomtoldBradley Craig during a recent interview. “It was generally the talent with the most authentic personas that got overwiththecrowds.RomanReignswasone,aswas Cody Rhodes. Cody is an example of a star who is equally overwith men, women and children.”
One does not find success for as long as Prichard in the wrestling game without keeping a finger on the pulse of the public’s tastes and being aware of how they are consuming the product. And though he believes that the basics and fundamentals are timeless, the true art of wrestling is through creating a connection with the ticket buyers that gets them emotionally invested.
Today, Prichard is still in the ring -- as a trainer at his own school in LaFollette, Tennessee. Partnering with Glenn Jacobs (WWE Hall of Famer, Kane), he still delivers instruction with the same curriculum that has launchedthecareerofmanytopsuperstars.It’shighly likely that a future international sensation may be taking their earliest steps in the sport in Tennessee right now.
We welcome Dr. Tom Prichard to the Ring of Friendship as the2025 Ron HutchisonTrainer’sAward Honoree.
CAC Tip of the Hat
Joining the Executive Board in 2024, David Lawson has played a pivotal role in helping the Club to take full advantage of digital technologies as he manages the website, develops graphic content and has led the charge on the new CACTVYouTube channel.Thank you David for your service to the CauliflowerAlley Club.
Afamiliar smilingfaceatourannualreunionsisthat of shutterbug Wayne Palmer. Immortalizing the memories and interactions of friends and fans each year in Las Vegas, his work has frequently appeared in the pages of The Ear. Each year, the friends that he has made in Las Vegas positively light up when they see that he has arrived.
Wayne callsNorthfield,Ohiohomeandfirstbecamea fanofprowrestlingwhenhewassixyearsold.Hehas been a member of the Cauliflower Alley Club since 2012 and he tells us “I keep coming back because of the friendships that I have made.
We formally welcome Wayne Palmer into the Ring of Friendship with the 2025 Red Bastien Friendship Award.
ThefirstevertagteamrecipientsoftheJamesC.MelbyawarddescenduponLasVegasasthelatestrecipients of the prestigious Historian Award. Pat Laprade and Bertrand Hebert have both singly and in tandem waved the flag of Quebec, Canada and the contributions of the Montreal territory to the worldofwrestling.
Before diving into book publishing, both men played roles in broadening the awareness of Quebec wrestling to the world. Long time followers of the sport will recognize Hebert’s names as a correspondent for Pro Wrestling Illustrated in the early 1990’s, supplying match results for Northern Championship Wrestling for printintheArenaReports section.For hispart, Pat was the publisher of the Quebec Wrestling Almanac over multiple years, ensuring that the wrestlers and promotions of Quebec
Their French Canadian pride shows through in their publishedefforts--“MadDogs,MidgetsandScrewJobs (2013),“MadDog:TheMauriceVachonStory”(2016), “Pat Patterson, Accepted: How The First Gay Superstar Changed WWE” (2017),and“The Eighth Wonder oftheWorld-TheTrueStoryofAndretheGiant”(2020).
In addition to their efforts to document professional wrestling history in their distinct region of North America, both Pat and Bertrand are woven into the fabric of the scene -- both influential in booking and promoting at different times in the Province.
We welcome Pat Laprade and Bertrand Hebert into the Ring of Friendship as our latest James C. Melby honorees.
CAC Tip of the Hat
The current Chair of the CAC’sAdvisory Board, Dan Murphy, has been a valued contributor to the club for more than a decade. From lending his talent to write forThe Ear, to coordinating program ad sales and vendor tables, Dan’s dedication is an inspiration. Thank you Dan for your service to the CauliflowerAlley Club.
Few wrestlers can lay claim to a worldwide reign of terror like Abdullah the Butcher. During a career that spanned 44 years, from 1966 to 2010, Abdullah literally gave his sweat, tears, and gallons of blood in service to the sport of professional wrestling.
Introduced to the sport by Gino Brito, the Windsor, Ontario-born Larry Shreve wrestled his earliest matches under the name Zelis Amara, but after arriving in Vancouver in 1967 and re-branding himself as Abdullah the Butcher, he set his career on a whole new trajectory. A main event attraction was created and he headlined during lengthy stays in Vancouver, Montreal, and Calgary where he drew one of the biggest gates of all time for Stu Hart in a showdown against Archie “The Stomper” Gouldie.
But his success domestically paled in comparison to his notoriety overseas. In Japan, Abdullah made a lasting impression and between 1970 and 2010 he appeared on no less than 132 times. His place in the
history books cemented with championship victories both in singles’and tag team competition, but his legacy evidenced by the deep trenches in his own forehead.
The same could be said for his legendary feud with CarlosColoninPuertoRico.Thoughtheirpathswould cross in Montreal and again on the Stampede Wrestling circuit, when the bloodthirsty villain challenged the homegrown favorite on Puerto Rican soil for the first time in 1978, they lit the fuse on a rivalry that wouldburnfordecades.For26years,the foeswaged war all over the Caribbean, spilling blood and trading championship glory along the way.
But it wasn’t just through his body of work between the ropes that Abdullah made headlines. In 1971, his notoriety landed him a film role in the movie “Caged Men” which created nationwide visibility for the rising star. A decade later, he received top billing with costar Sonny Chiba in “Roaring Fire.”
Perhaps his most infamous media appearance came in 1969 but not for the carnage that he created in the ring. The Associated Press picked up the story of a foiledplanehi-jackinginMiami,FloridawhileAbdullah wasen routefrom SanJuan,Puerto Ricoto Montreal. Abdullahwascelebratingforneutralizingthewould-be hijacker and resolving the situation.
Long time fans cannot forget the colorful, gory images of Abdullah the Butcher from the pages of the wrestling magazines, scenes of him tearing into a raw chicken on live television, or his wild brawls with the likes of Bruiser Brody, Cactus Jack (Mick Foley), The original Sheik and more.
At long last, we welcome Abdullah the Butcher to the Ring of Friendship with the 2025 InternationalAward.
CAC Tip of the Hat
For the past eleven years, Brian Blair has served as the President and CEO of the CAC, making his one of the longest term in Club history, second only to Club co-founder Mike Mazurki (1968 - 1990). Since being introduced to the club more than two decades ago, he has personified the benevolence at the heart of the club’s mission.
