ABDULLAH THE BUTCHER vs. BILL ROBINSON

Abdullah The Butcher vs. Bill Robinson
ALL JAPAN, PWF Championship Match
Oct. 18 1978 Tochigi-Ken Taiikukan (Tochigi)

As a rule, there is no clear baby face or heel on the ring of Japan. But until the 60's, a vague atmosphere was there, Japanese wrestlers were good guys and foreign wrestlers were bad. The first wrestler who stopped that tendency was Bill Robinson. He was a foreigner, but he was clearly a baby face. Some people admired him, and some people spoke ill of him because he often posed as a hero. Robinson challenged Antonio Inoki of NEW JAPAN in 1975, and then he took part in ALL JAPAN. He wrested PWF Championship (of course, the symbol of Giant Baba) from Killer Tor Kamata.

Abdullah The Butcher had challenged Baba many times persistently, and now his target turned to Robinson. The starting bell rang. It was uncanny that The Butcher didn't show a foul attack as usual. In the first round, Robinson attacked Abdullah steadily with punches and kicks, and he took a fall from The Butcher with One Hand Back Breaker. When the second round began, The Butcher couldn't stand up because of a pain of his back. Giant Baba (TV commentator) told The Butcher was pretending to be hurt.

Baba's opinion was right. Robinson thought it was the biggest opportunity to defeat his enemy, and he rushed hard, kicked The Butcher many times over again. The Butcher suddenly avoided the opponent skillfully, so that Robinson fell from the ring, and he hung in midair from the rope. The Butcher attacked Robinson's left knee harshly. And then Abdullah came on the ring, Robinson necessarily lost on a count-out.

Now it was The Butcher's one-side match. Though the starting bell of the third round rang, Robinson couldn't move on account of his injury. Abdullah used Head Butt, and he kicked and kicked. Robinson used One Hand Back Breaker recklessly, and he brought about his own ruin. Robinson insisted to fight more, but at last the referee Joe Higuchi stopped the match, and he decided that The Butcher was a winner. As a result, Abdullah took the PWF belt for the first time !! He laughed spitefully and made a show of the belt to Robinson. In a sense, that may have been the highlight of this match.