Abdullah the Butcher vs. Andre the Giant (9/17/83)

[El Boricua]

Abdullah the Butcher vs. Andre the Giant (9/17/83)

[...TG]

Motivated Andre in his physical prime (towards the end of it, anyway) is so impressive to me it's hard for me to accurately assess a match - he's so quick and agile and gigantic I can't get past it. I'll probably end up ranking this fairly high even though there's not much here. Though I felt like Abby brought plenty to the table as well.

[elliott]

Andre never ceases to impress me just on sight alone and he just TOWERS over Abdullah. It is really striking. Andre’s selling of Abdullah’s strikes is REALLY impressive. Abby just kills Andre with headbutts. This really gives you an idea of how over/important Abby is in Puerto Rico if Andre is selling like this for him. I really enjoy the commentary with Hugo talking about how he used to managed Abby but he doesn’t want to talk about it. It was a different time and he’s a different person. And “I know know Andre was paid good money to come down to San Juan, Puerto Rico and hurt Andre.” Great stuff. Match is pretty much what you’d expect.

[KB8]

I think this is the first time I've seen Abby match up with someone substantially larger than he is. I know Andre was a few inches shorter than his billed height (though the afro might've made up for it), but, as corny as it sounds, his aura and presence really does make him seem like every bit the giant he's presented as. This was pretty short, but I dug it for what it was. The main hook was Abby being headbutted and bear-pawed before inevitably bringing out the fork to turn the tide. I love how Andre sold being jabbed with a shiv and punched in the throat. He's a big expressive dude and he's great at conveying that sense of vulnerability with equal parts danger, like the monster from Stranger Things after being caught in the bear trap (so I guess Abby is Nancy Wheeler, only he's peppering Andre with fork stabs rather than bullets). Eventually he fights back, takes the fork for himself, and appears to be stabbing Abdullah in the neck and stomach with it, which was very Puerto Rico. To the surprise of all the match ends in a count out and crowd brawl, with Andre throwing a fence at Abdullah's head.

[WingedEagle]

Another Puerto Rican outing that left you wanting more. Andre looks even more monstrous towering over Abby. Andre's offense and strikes look so violent here. He goes down surprisingly easy from a jab to the throat -- don't let anyone say he didn't sell. That continues with Abby controlling with chokes and more throat shots. Andre eventually blocks one and fires back with shots that look like absolute death blows. They disappear in a chase to the back but this was super fun while it lasted.

 

***

[Migs]

Slowish brawl, but solid and fun. I get the double contour finish, but it still felt like it knocked something off for me. **

[fishbaugh]

Not sure why I didn't see the double DQ coming during the first few minutes of the match, but I was all in on aggressive Andre taking it to Abby, who gave it right back. The first 5 minutes of what could have been a really good brawl, but nothing more. Agree with everyone above that a match like this shows just how fucking HUGE Andre was -- he actually looks over 7 feet tall in there with Abby.

 

Rating: 4

[dawho5]

Andre looks so damn massive in the ring with Abby. The fork shots in this match were really great. Andre picking up an entire section of fence and hitting Abby with it is breathtaking. Fun match that hopefully had a big payoff for someone somewhere.