Butcher hunts for fresh meat

By GLENN COLE -- Toronto Sun Almost every wrestling fan has a memory of the mad man from the Sudan.

If it seems like Abdullah the Butcher has been just about everywhere, he has. And the 62-year-old veteran of the squared circle will be grappling in Toronto next Sunday at 4 p.m. at Appleby's Sports Bar and Grill (2787 Eglinton Ave. East, Scarboro).

The Butcher has had classic bloody matches from Tokyo to Verdun, Que. Cactus Jack, the late Bruiser Brody, the Sheik, Ric Flair, Wahoo McDaniel and many more have had nasty encounters with Windsor's wild-eyed man.

There was a night at the old Montreal Forum when two relatively sane Montreal sportscasters decided to take in their first live wrestling card.

Flair was on it in a classic match with Jacques Rougeau, but all the talk after the show centred around Abdullah the Butcher, who came fully equipped with a fork and tongue depressor to do a little carving of his opponent.

With a red liquid dribbling down his face, the Butcher went flying from the ring in direction of the two sportscasters. One moved, the other didn't.

The Butcher landed about two feet in front of him, a little worse for wear but ready to carve on.

Now an owner of an Atlanta restaurant -- no doubt with an endless supply of forks -- the Butcher will make mincemeat of Pretty Boy Simms of Montreal next Sunday in one of six bouts on the card.

Simms won't be pretty for long.

WARRIOR RETURNS: It was amazing to see the reaction the Warrior received Monday night in Hartford when he made his debut in World Championship Wrestling. Look for a Warrior-Hulk Hogan confrontation at Halloween Havoc, if the Warrior stays around that long.

HERE AND THERE: The much-ballyhooed Steve Austin-Undertaker match goes next Sunday in New York as part of the Summerslam pay-per-view on Viewer's Choice (8 p.m.). The card, which also features Hunter Hearst Helmsley against Rocky Maivia for the Intercontinental title, has the potential to be one of the best pay-per-views shows this year. It can't be as bad as WCW's Road Wild earlier this month ... March 28 is the date for Wrestlemania XV. Speculation is that it will be held in Philadelphia, but don't rule out Toronto yet ... Chris Benoit's deal with WCW runs out in February and there are rumors that he will bolt back to ECW ... Rowdy Roddy Piper pops in on Nitro this Monday ... Rick Martel, who suffered a knee injury while working for WCW recently, has retired. He's 43 ... John Molinaro thinks the WWF's plan to launch the Lucha Libra Show will be a failure. For a complete rundown of the luchadors we suggest Molinaro's newsletter. Cost is $2 per issue by mail. Write to John Molinaro, 643 Blue Forest Hill. Burlington, Ont. L7L 4H4 ... What's this about Gord Rease being suspended by the RWA? Is that him masquerading as El Mechanico? Find out next Sunday at 3 p.m. on the RWA's next card in Brantford at Talk of the Town, 67 Charing Cross St. Admission is free