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00:00In 30 years, I have never seen more exciting matches.
00:09Well done for the count. One, two, three.
00:11In 1990, the Universal Wrestling Federation appeared out of nowhere,
00:17ready to make a major impact on the wrestling world.
00:21The UWF was a dream.
00:23I'll tell you, we have some of the finest talent anywhere in the world.
00:26The UWF brought together a roster of all-time greats and future stars.
00:31It was an ambitious dream of an outsider, a man named Herb Abrams.
00:36The purpose of this federation is to have wrestling go back to basics,
00:40the way wrestling used to be.
00:42I really believed that I was stepping into something new and cutting edge
00:46with Herb Abrams and the UWF.
00:48UWF, number one, baby, number one!
00:51While his lofty vision put the UWF on a path to success,
00:55Herb's dream became everyone else's nightmare.
00:59I am going to get you once and for all!
01:03Right from the get-go, the show was a joke.
01:05The money wasn't legit.
01:07Herb had squandered millions of dollars.
01:09All hail broke loose.
01:13Herb Abrams and oh, here they go!
01:14Herb was like a ball of fire, just looking for oxygen.
01:18SWAT teams are gonna be knocking down the door here in a minute.
01:22I couldn't even fathom it.
01:24I heard that he was covered in Vaseline and cocaine.
01:26It was crazy.
01:27You've got to start from the bottom and work your way up.
01:30Herb started at the top and worked his way down.
01:33Now, for the first time ever, the true story behind the monumental downfall of Herb Abrams.
01:40You can't get any darker than the story of the UWF and Herb Abrams.
01:46You can't.
01:50By the end of the 1980s, the WWF dominated professional wrestling.
02:00Powered by the vision and expertise of Vince McMahon, no other organization came close to its mainstream popularity.
02:08But in 1990, an unknown wrestling fanatic came from out of nowhere to attempt to slay the WWF monster.
02:18I mean, I see him so clearly in my mind like it was yesterday.
02:22And I cannot talk about Herb without smiling.
02:26I am Mick Foley.
02:27I am sometimes known as the hardcore legend.
02:31Get on him!
02:32All the way to hell!
02:33Good God almighty!
02:34They killed him!
02:35Herb was the little guy with a big personality.
02:39His enthusiasm was contagious.
02:43I believe I was at one of John Arezzi's weekend of champions.
02:47John was one of the first guys who was putting together wrestling weekends.
02:52My name is John Arezzi and I've been in and out of the pro wrestling business really since the early 1970s.
02:58There was a gentleman who was looking to start a wrestling promotion and he was a little eccentric.
03:04He had really big aspirations.
03:07He wanted a launch at the wrestling fan convention.
03:10He mentioned a lot of money being pumped into the organization.
03:12But when he mentioned the names like Bruno Sammartino, I mean to me that was legitimacy.
03:16For most of the 20th century, Bruno Sammartino was the face of professional wrestling and one of its first true icons.
03:25And I called Bruno to verify it and he said he was going to be getting involved with Herb.
03:30So I certainly gave him the time of day and welcomed him to my wrestling fan convention.
03:35The wrestling fans fantasy weekend event is one of the first fan conventions of its kind.
03:42And a convenient arena for Herb to approach talent looking for new opportunities.
03:49There was a lot of the guys from the Northeast, the Cactus Jacks, Sunny Beaches.
03:54And Herb made a point to introduce himself to almost everybody there.
03:58I know he was trying to, you know, look for talent at the convention.
04:01He was there, I guess, recruiting.
04:03My name is Rick Allen, formerly known as Sunny Beach in the wrestling world.
04:07He was, you know, looking to do big things.
04:10And he goes, Sunny, my boy, we're going to make it big one day, you know.
04:14Just be there for the ride.
04:15I didn't inspire to become a professional wrestler, to be honest with you.
04:19He saw something in me that I didn't even see.
04:22He's a hell of a wrestler, this guy.
04:26The brand name is Wild Thing Stevie Ray.
04:29He said, Stevie, my boy, I'm going to turn you into a big star.
04:34I can't wait to be around this guy.
04:37Herb had never wrestled.
04:39He had never really experienced anything in the wrestling other than really being a fan.
04:44My name's B. Brian Blair, and I've been wrestling for a long time.
04:50I knew Herb Abrams from the very beginning.
04:53He asked me if I wanted to come work for him.
04:56I thought, well, you know, this is a great way back to kind of the WWE
05:01without the pressure of wrestling 67 days in a row.
05:05It was perfect for me.
05:08With the exhilaration of an obsessive fan,
05:11Herb officially launches the UWF at the convention
05:15with a press conference laying out his grand plans for global domination.
05:20It was really designed to kind of introduce his vision
05:24and announce some of the performers that were going to be associated with him.
05:28But it turned into more of a circus.
05:30And there was an angle between Dan Spivey and B. Brian Blair.
05:34There were tables torn. There were glasses thrown.
05:36Look at this.
05:37He introduced as his booker Black Jack Mulligan, who at the time was incarcerated.
05:43And he mentioned that he was going to be using Bruce or Brody as one of his top stars,
05:48but Bruce or Brody had been murdered a year ago.
05:51It was far-fetched, but it wasn't because the entire wrestling business is far-fetched.
05:57His belief in his own words made people around him want to believe.
06:02And, you know, when he's telling you this is going to be one of the greatest wrestling promotions,
06:07I thought this is the man who's going to mix Hollywood and sports entertainment in a way that not even Mr. McMahon had done.
06:15Exploding out of the convention, Herb's pure force of personality has bought him a roster of eager wrestlers,
06:23each with the high expectations of a man who is a complete mystery.
06:27I didn't know a whole lot about who Herb Abrams was.
06:33I knew that he was a businessman of some kind.
06:36He was working with the stock market.
06:40He told me he was in the clothing industry.
06:42I have no idea what Herb Abrams did. I really don't know.
06:46Herb owned clothing companies in New York City called I'm a Big Girl Now.
06:51It was all these beautiful dresses that you wouldn't have thought would have been for these oversized women.
06:57My name is Lane Duke. I worked at NBC for 24 years as head of post-production and quality control.
07:04I always wanted to get involved with professional wrestling.
07:08When you're a fan, you have that deep desire to want to be on the inside.
07:14Herb Abrams was my best friend. We were kindred spirits.
07:19Herb was in a pair of jeans, cowboy boots, and he was going from the minute I met him.
07:24He let me in so quickly because he didn't have a me.
07:28He didn't have someone that could do what I did.
07:31He believed so much in what he was doing and in what he was selling.
07:36Herb Abrams' greatest dream comes to life on October 1, 1990, when the UWF Fury Hour debuts on cable television.
07:46There's excitement in the air throughout this capacity crowd. This is the premiere of the UWF.
07:52We were in Reseda, California. It was a nice setup. It was a small venue, but it was sold out.
07:57We were believing in Herb's vision. I didn't know where it might take us, but I resolved to enjoy it.
08:02Between these two guys, this is Captain Jack. And I would rather hurt a man than love a woman.
08:09He had guys that had recently parted with WWF, and so they were fresh and hot on the television.
08:15Herb Abrams had what I thought was arguably more star power than WWE at that time.
08:22Guys like Paul Orndorff, who'd drawn an enormous amount of money.
08:25Then he has Steve Dr. Deft Williams, Captain Lou Albano, Danny Spivey, and then Bob Orton.
08:31It brought instant credibility to the UWF, having these big names on board with us.
08:36It's coming, wrestling fans! The Orndorff Piledriver! Boom!
08:41Taking a hands-off approach, Herb empowers his talent with creative freedoms they'd never had before.
08:47It was a lot looser in Herb Abrams' territory than it was in Vince's, where, you know, you had to walk like you did in the Army.
08:54I went from feeling like I'd been wrestling with handcuffs on to feeling like I had total freedom.
08:59I thought it was something special. I thought I got it on the ground floor in the infancy of the show.
09:04I knew that I was heading for stardom. You know, I knew that Herb was gonna give me that big push.
09:11Everybody was happy, and things were good.
09:15With his dream of becoming a big-time promoter within reach, Herb seeks to align with the one man who could fast-track his success in the wrestling world.
09:25Herb met with Vince McMahon and said to him,
09:28You want the East Coast and the Central, and it's all yours. What about if I promote the West Coast for you?
09:35And Vince McMahon blew him off.
09:37Rejected by wrestling's king, Herb's attitude towards the WWF evolves into a desire for utter domination.
09:46In order to compete, he looks to expand the UWF roster.
09:51Do you think that letter? You shut up! You shut up! I'm talking!
09:56I am a manager, for God's sake! I am the man who has to bring him to glory!
10:01I'm Marty Yesberg. I'm from Gaffney, South Carolina. And back in the 80s, I was branded the Colonel by Jimmy the Boogie Woogie Man Valiant.
10:11In the dressing room, we kept hearing about this Mark out in California, who had tons of money and was putting together a TV show called the UWF.
10:25He flew us all out to California. He set me up in this two-bedroom estate hotel, Beverly Hills.
10:38And it was all that and a bag of chips. And we wasn't working for him. Understand, we was just going to meet him.
10:47You know, I'm like, wow.
10:50That night, he knocks on the door. And he has two high-end call girls.
11:02We're not talking about South Carolina snaggletooth call girls. We're talking about Hollywood honeys.
11:12He brings these girls into my suite that I thought was my suite. And I'm drooling all over myself because, I mean, I'm thinking, I don't even get to see women like this, much less, you know, have this delivered to my room.
11:29And in the process, he broke out a little mirror. And he had his nose candy with him.
11:38The only thing I can think of is, you know, SWAT teams are going to be knocking down the door here in a minute.
11:44And we got two high-priced hookers and cocaine everywhere.
11:49I didn't know how to get out of the room. I really and truly wanted out of that room.
11:54I'm in California. I'm on his dime. I can't call the police. Hell, the room's in my name.
12:01So I kind of just sat over in the corner. And, you know, I mean, it was like a live pornography session.
12:10And it was a very long night.
12:19This is my pride and joy. This is the original television championship belt for Sports Channel.
12:26It says UWF on both sides. And when you hold it like this, it was fuck you to Vince McMahon.
12:35And that's what the FQ was standing for. So when he would hold it up, Herb would hold it up.
12:40He knew that he was telling Vince McMahon to have himself.
12:46Herb's vision for the UWF was to put the WWF out of business. I mean, he was that cocky.
12:53Herb was doing everything in his power to intentionally needle McMahon and to piss him off.
12:59He wanted a squash fence. He wouldn't even be happy with peaceful coexistence.
13:03I think he just wanted to put the guy down.
13:06With rival WWF far out of view, Herb Abrams takes the opportunity to launch his first attack,
13:14bringing in one of Vince McMahon's most prized attractions.
13:18Herb calls me and he's so excited. He goes, Lenny, get here as fast as you can.
13:25I'm not going to tell you who's sitting here, but this is the best thing.
13:29Now, when I came out here before, I said I had a surprise, something special, something that only Universal Wrestling Federation can handle.
13:38The 12th wonder of the world. Here he is, Andre the Giant.
13:44Yes, this is true. Andre the Giant has signed a long-term contract with the Universal Wrestling Federation.
13:51Well, he's not in his prime anymore, as everybody knows, but...
13:54He will be wrestling, John.
13:55He will be wrestling.
13:56He will be wrestling.
13:57They had Andre the Giant. Andre the Giant had come in.
14:01It was just colossal to have him walk down the ring. Even though we maybe had 200, 300 people in the audience, they were all standing. And they knew that we had hit.
14:13But, Lou, I want to ask you one thing. What does UWF mean?
14:18After Andre made the appearance for UWF, Vince McMahon got on the phone and called him and brought him right back in.
14:24Big wonder of the world, Andre the Giant!
14:31This is going to be very, very interesting, Jimmy.
14:34The embarrassment of losing Andre the Giant is an enormous blow to Herb's plan for dominance.
14:40Without McMahon's riches, Herb responds by throwing every gimmick in the book to gain the attention of fans.
14:49Herb would think of things on the fly, change things on the fly.
14:53Ladies and gentlemen!
14:54What?
14:55This is a disgrace! I'm reversing the decision!
14:57As long as it entertained Herb, he thought it was entertaining the world.
15:01The Viking is back. I told you I'm going to hurt every pencil neck, every pipsqueak.
15:06I want a cage back!
15:08Indian strike match!
15:09Indian strike match!
15:10I don't think he had the knowledge, you know, to really take it to the next level.
15:16Sunset flip, Bob. He went for sunset flip and he missed.
15:19If you don't understand the psychology, if you don't understand how each guy works, what their strengths are, what their weaknesses are, how to put them together, who they work the best with, then you are never going to be successful.
15:31Running out of ideas, Herb turns to yet another new strategy to invigorate the UWF.
15:37What made you come to this?
15:39Who is this overgrown smurf? He asked me questions!
15:42I beg your pardon! I beg your pardon!
15:45I said, who is this overgrown smurf asking me questions!
15:48It's interesting what happens to a promotion when the boss becomes the, you know, the star of the show.
15:54Welcome back to another night of the Fury Hour. I'm Herb Abrams and again we've got a powerful show for you tonight.
16:00He was writing the checks so Herb could do anything that he wanted to do because it was Herb's world and we were just living in it.
16:06You think about it! You think about it! Because you're the one that wanted it and now you got it!
16:12All I saw was money, TV. I was open to anything to get the exposure that I was after.
16:21He saw a way to get heat and actually be on camera and have a feud between the colonel and the owner of the organization.
16:33What's Herb doing? Herb took him down! Herb Abrams may have a new career, folks!
16:40I knew as long as he was part of it, he would keep me around.
16:43The Herb Abrams game! He hit him right in the head with that speed!
16:47And another one!
16:48Colonel Redman has ever done something like this to me! I am glad to get you once and for all!
16:55Herb attempts to get one over McMahon by emulating one of WWF's most lucrative ventures, merchandising.
17:02Everybody's buzzing over the UWF merchandise! Call the UWF Caroline!
17:08Yeah!
17:09Introducing the UWF Superstars cookies! We've got the Steve Ray Wild Thing cookie! The Steve Williams cookie! That's coming soon! The Herbie cookie!
17:22Herbie cookies! Herbie! Let me repeat that for you! Herbie cookies!
17:28He also wanted the ice cream bar! But the cookies, they were great!
17:32And let's not forget the B. Brian Blair cookie! It's honey flavored!
17:37Herb is in desperate need of a power play when his television contracts start slipping away!
17:42That's beach brawl! The battle to crown the sports channel television champion! Pay-per-view 1495! The UWF's beach brawl! Call your cable operator today!
17:52When I heard that Herb was putting on a pay-per-view, it seemed like the breakthrough moment!
17:57It was proven by the WWF! It was proven by WCW! That's where they made the majority of their income was through their pay-per-view events!
18:04And to Herb to step into that arena, maybe he was expecting to roll the dice, get lucky, and then finance the whole operation!
18:13High expectations for the UWF's inaugural pay-per-view weigh heavily on Herb. Instead of holding the beach brawl in a largely populated area, Herb lands on Palmetto, Florida, over an hour away from the closest major city.
18:28Palmetto Manatee Civic Center was a nice venue. I mean, WWF does TV tapings out of there. I think that's one of the reasons why Herb picked that place.
18:36Herb said that he had every newspaper, he had every radio station, everyone was gonna give it a push to help him.
18:43Chris, we're real excited about the beach brawl, and I would highly suggest that people call to secure beach brawl right in their living room,
18:51because it will be just that, a brawl at the beach. Hopefully millions of fans watching the show.
18:57I go, and I look at this building, and I know that there's no way in hell we can sell this building out.
19:03Building was immense. Building was bigger than any building I had ever seen in my entire life.
19:10And I knew damn well that we didn't sell this building out. Somebody screwed up.
19:21With the UWF's first pay-per-view event just days away, promoter Herb Abrams indulges in Florida's nightlife scene, letting it get the better of him.
19:32They talk about those people that work hard, play hard. That was Herb Abrams.
19:35What was your drug of choice, would you say?
19:37Um, obviously it was cocaine.
19:42There were more drugs back in the late 80s, early 90s, than any other time in the history of pro wrestling.
19:53There was just like debauchery down there. I mean, they were staying up around the clock partying. It was like one big party for some of the guys.
20:00When I got to Florida, he was in his hotel room, and he had been partying. I found Herb to be in really, really bad shape.
20:10And I said to him, you've got to straighten yourself out. We've got this goddamn pay-per-view to do. You're going to kill yourself. Why are you doing this?
20:18Uh, you know, Len, it's the stress I'm under. And I said to him, Herb, when we're finished with this, we've got to get you into the rehab. If we don't go into rehab, I can't do this with you.
20:29Herb's distractions from the beach brawl comes to a head as he arrives to find thousands of empty seats at the arena.
20:38They had to cut the auditorium lights down to do the TV show, so nobody would know there's nobody there. That's pay-per-view. That was a pay-per-view.
20:51When I saw how few people were in the audience, I'd say to Herb, how can this be?
20:56And he'd say, somebody screwed up.
20:59He tried to keep upbeat. He was in there doing the rig-and-outs and this thing, but I think that really hurt him.
21:04Brian, I'm going to go with the doc. I'm going to go with the doc.
21:07So Herb Abrams going with Steve, Dr. Death Williams.
21:10He was running in and out of the bathroom a lot that night, so obviously he was doing a lot of cocaine.
21:16It was the worst pay-per-view, I think, in pay-per-view history.
21:19He got like a .01 buy rate that equates to maybe a hundred, it's either a hundred or a thousand people.
21:30It was a financial loss, a tremendous financial loss. Nobody was happy.
21:34All the guys were talking, you know, between themselves, and they thought it might be the end of the promotion.
21:41I was a glass half full guy. I would see those empty seats and I would think that it was a way to do cool stuff.
21:47It was really clear that most of his best intentions were not going to come to fruition.
21:54With the event a financial disaster and checks for the talent starting to bounce, the UWF wrestlers confront Herb face to face.
22:04I go knock on his hotel door so I can get my money and the door opens and there's these two naked girls.
22:13So, not like I hadn't seen a naked girl before but this was a little unusual and then I look and I see Herb on the bed.
22:20He's naked and he's laughing and I look over and he's got two big old piles of cocaine on each nightstand.
22:26It's a picture that's forever etched in my mind.
22:29So, he tells those girls to leave and as they're getting dressed, Herb writes him a check for $2,000 each.
22:36I thought, golly, $2,000. This guy's crazy. Blowing money on cocaine and hookers.
22:43I mean, how long is this promotion going to last?
22:47I had a guy tell me one day, he said, you know, this is a runaway train.
22:51I said, no brother, this is a train wreck and all they're trying to do now is just figure out if there's any survivors.
22:57Herb Abrams' connections in the wrestling world start to dry up.
23:02Many of the wrestlers stiffed on pay are refusing to work while Herb's vices are taking hold.
23:09I kept in contact with Herb even when I did not work for Herb.
23:13You could see the wear and tear on his face.
23:15I mean, between the drugs and the failing promotion, it was really taking a toll on Herb.
23:22I don't think he was keeping up with money. I don't think it mattered to him as long as the party continues.
23:31In Spartanburg, South Carolina, he pulled a fast one.
23:37So, the day of the show arrives. TV crew gets there about 12 o'clock. Herb's there.
23:46And they said, we need to get a check from you for tonight's show.
23:52Herb says, let me get everything set up and I'll cut you a check.
23:56So, we get up to about 4.30. TV crew came back and said, Mr. Abrams, if you don't give us some money, we're packing up leaving.
24:09Herb says, okay, let's go up to the office. They call Herb's bank.
24:16Mr. Abrams has multi-millions of dollars in this bank account. Confirms it.
24:25TV crews look at each other. They say, yeah, he definitely got the money.
24:31He had two bank accounts. He had one that was filthy rich, and then he had the other bank account that he cut his check on that had no money in it.
24:43Herb worked something out to where they accepted a check. And I told them, don't accept a check if you don't want to accept a check. And they accepted a check.
24:53All hell broke loose. Some of the guys that had worked that show threatened to throw Herb off the fifth floor balcony. And that's when reality hit me upside the head. I was hiding out.
25:10I had people calling my phone. I mean, they were wanting to kill me for being associated with the company.
25:17As UWF leader Herb Abrams is now forced to promote shows in smaller towns, his party lifestyle grows more intense and his grasp on reality begins to slip.
25:35He would get in this paranoia state where he would swear that there was someone with a bug, you know, in his hotel room.
25:44I've seen him paranoid several times. And I asked, what's wrong?
25:48Like, just stare around and look around and say, I think they're outside. And I said, who? He goes, they're watching us. I said, who? And he would never tell me who it was.
25:56I don't know who he felt was recording him, whether it be the police, whether it be the hookers, whether it be the pimps. I'm thinking no one's spying on Herb. It's the drugs talking.
26:08He would go through the furniture and look for microphones or cameras. And he'd tear the furniture up, just tear it up to bits.
26:18For some reason, he had a fascination with cushions. And if it was a zipper, he'd open them up and he'd just start ripping through them.
26:28I mean, he'd just rip them out and, you know, and then when that was ripped out, he'd go to the next one.
26:33All the feathers would have been all over the room. I mean, you know, he wanted everything.
26:39That paranoia thing, it concerned me because there was some truth behind some of that.
26:47As he would go over to the door and the people, and he would look through the people like this right here.
26:57Now, you got to understand, here's this five foot tall, little naked Jewish fella with cowboy boots.
27:05That's the one thing he didn't take off was his cowboy boots. And he's going, shh, shh.
27:13I said, what's wrong, Herb?
27:15They're coming. They're coming. You hear them. They're coming. Shhh.
27:21Now, what are you thinking?
27:22Oh.
27:26Yeah, they're probably coming.
27:28Herb's problems escalate further when he tries to put one over on the wrong people.
27:34Here he is. He's with this girl who he's supposed to pay on.
27:38And he's doing this, a lot of give you a check type thing.
27:41No, you're supposed to give me cash.
27:42She's not falling for it.
27:44Boom. Door breaks down.
27:46Thug's there. Herb's eyes popped out.
27:50He goes and throws himself through a window.
27:54I literally got a phone call from him in California.
27:57He's running through a neighborhood naked.
27:59And he's like, what do I do? What do I do?
28:01And I said, make yourself visible. I don't care.
28:05Make people see you. Get arrested. Go to jail.
28:09And that probably wouldn't have been a smart thing because she probably had contacts in there as well.
28:14But anyway.
28:15Herb's excessive lifestyle has finally reached its limit and his activities in wrestling cease.
28:21Any comeback for the UWF seems near impossible.
28:25Meanwhile, his old rival Vince McMahon stages one of his most flamboyant events yet.
28:32The spectacle of WrestleMania 9 shows Las Vegas casinos that wrestling can be a huge draw.
28:40For Herb, it opens the door to a golden opportunity in the city of Second Chances.
28:46His first event in over a year, the Blackjack Brawl.
28:51What better way to showcase your product than in one of the preeminent locations in Las Vegas, or in the world for that matter?
29:01For Herb to pull off the MGM Grand, it's a wager city. It's a betting city.
29:08So, obviously, he got somebody to take the bet.
29:11That was his deal. That was his motifs. That's what he did.
29:14He would go for the biggest freaking bite he could get, and he'd take it.
29:18He was spending an enormous amount of money on the talent that he was bringing in for it.
29:24It was a loaded show with big, big names.
29:28And it just seemed like a party.
29:31The night before the show, Herb brings me up to his penthouse suite.
29:36When I saw the suite, I believed that MGM was going to be packed.
29:41I was thinking 17,000 people packed to the rafters.
29:45I mean, this overlooked the whole city.
29:47And Herb goes, wait till you see this. People are going to lose their minds.
29:56He proceeds to pull out a pair of yellow ostrich skin cowboy boots that have UWF burnished into the leather.
30:05The fact that he thought people would lose their minds over a pair of cowboy boots was an indicator that there were issues.
30:13Making their way into the luxurious MGM Grand, UWF talent discover once again that Herb's reach is leagues beyond his grasp.
30:24It was a gorgeous arena, and that night it was a gorgeous empty arena.
30:28It was, like, sad to wrestle in front of, you know, a couple hundred people again.
30:32You know, my first match was in Clarksburg, West Virginia.
30:35And we had 300 people, but we were at the Clarksburg Armory.
30:39He didn't seem bothered by what was going on.
30:43Almost like it was part of the grand plan.
30:46Like, okay, those 300 people are going to be checking out my ostrich skin boots.
30:50It was just a bundle of energy running here to there.
30:53And he was involved in everything.
30:55It really was an embarrassment.
30:57And, you know, he was really outrageous during that show.
31:01He might have been coked up throughout that entire show.
31:04I mean, when he takes the microphone and he just screams into it,
31:07let's hear it for the Jews, I mean, in front of the crowd.
31:10I mean, it was kind of hilarious. It was sad.
31:13All in the same way. It was kind of weird.
31:16He was acting very strangely. His mannerisms were different.
31:22The showdown will take place!
31:24Steve, Dr. Ben Williams, puts the title of the line against militia!
31:29Sid, the star!
31:33I'm happy to have you as champion, but I'm glad you got busted up!
31:37Herb's not making too many friends tonight, John.
31:40He was twitching and jumping and such, and so they all knew he was high.
31:46On that night, I had a chance to wrestle my idol, Jimmy Snuka.
31:51And when Jimmy Snuka and I start heading into the stands, you know, 16,700 empty seats,
31:58I remember Brian Blair going, what are you doing?
32:01I said, it's Herb's show. We can do whatever we want.
32:04They're high. They're way up there.
32:06Ladies and gentlemen, we have a double disqualification!
32:11The downside is that check did not clear.
32:14He wrote me a check.
32:16It, uh, it bounced.
32:20It was a failure, and, um, you know, that's gotta hurt.
32:25He had the weight of the world on his shoulder.
32:28I would never have wanted to be, uh, Herb Abrams in his position.
32:32When he came back, he told me how successful it was.
32:35I had the MGM, Len.
32:37Yeah, you drew 200 people, and it was a total clusterfuck.
32:40And he says, yeah, but I had the MGM.
32:43Emotionally and physically defeated by his failure in Las Vegas,
32:54Herb's dreams of a wrestling triumph may finally be over.
32:58The lifestyle took a, took a toll on Herb.
33:01He didn't have the spunk that he had, that electricity,
33:04constant, constant spark that made the room glow.
33:08You know, it was like he aged 10 years in two years.
33:11It was such a big deal that he left L.A. for good
33:16and came back to New York.
33:17I thought he, I thought he was really cleaning himself up.
33:21So I get a phone call from Herb, and he goes,
33:24Len, big things are happening.
33:26I go, Herb, are you sure you're straight?
33:29He goes, Len, I'm perfectly straight.
33:32On July 17th, 1996, a long-time friend
33:37visits Herb at his office in New York City.
33:40This is the last known recording of Herb Abrams.
33:44Hey.
33:45Come here.
33:46Herbie.
33:47Hi.
33:48You want to look around here first?
33:50Yeah.
33:51Okay.
33:52Wow.
33:53You know, I can't keep, I can't keep the house together myself
33:58because it's just too much work.
34:00Are you happy?
34:01I'm very happy.
34:02I've never been happier.
34:03Okay.
34:04Never been happier.
34:05Can we be filming this, or is this supposed to be a...
34:08Well, you didn't get a release from me.
34:10Well, you're right.
34:11I just...
34:12Herb appears to have turned a corner on his sobriety,
34:15but his friends are left in the dark as he suddenly disappears.
34:1996, when I was working in the offices with him,
34:22sometimes, you know, he'd come in the next day all hungover.
34:25Sometimes he wouldn't even come in at all.
34:26Sometimes you wouldn't see him for a couple of days
34:28or hear from him for a couple of days.
34:30So that was just Herb being Herb.
34:33I was working at NBC, and I got a call from Stacy, my wife,
34:38and she says, Lenny, I have some really, really bad news.
34:41Sonny Beach called, and Herb's passed away.
34:45Herb's dead.
34:47Sonny's crying on the phone.
34:49So I call Sonny Beach, and I go, what is going on?
34:52Nobody knew what happened.
34:54And then his mother called me up,
34:56and then it was just like a blur after that.
35:00I must have cried for like two hours.
35:02And it was just the hardest thing to call those men,
35:07and then to hear them all start to cry.
35:10These super-gargantuan, strong men that you saw fly across the ring
35:15all cry over Herb dying and me not being able to almost talk.
35:22On July 23, 1996,
35:25officers respond to an unbelievable scene at the office of Herb Abrams.
35:30Details were sparse, and those closest to Herb would hear varying accounts
35:35of the disturbing events as they unfolded.
35:38It was kind of like how someone would say if they walked into his hotel room
35:42and saw him, you know, naked.
35:44That's a real shock to some people, okay?
35:47To me, that was part of his process of what he was going through.
35:52The night that I guess he passed away, he was partying, drinking.
35:55He had a couple of escorts up there with him.
35:57And I heard that he had done so much cocaine that he was whacked.
36:01And he found a baseball bat and started tearing up the room that he was in
36:05and just went absolutely berserk.
36:09I heard that he was covered in either oil or Vaseline and cocaine.
36:13It was crazy.
36:15That he was chasing around hookers with this baseball bat.
36:18Somebody told me that the escorts tried to rob him, too,
36:21and that's why he grabbed a bat.
36:22That's a sight to see, I'm sure.
36:24So I call Sunny Beach, and I go, what is going on?
36:27And he says exactly what it says in the tabloids.
36:31That Herb was running around naked,
36:34smashing a baseball bat on the walls and in the office,
36:38chasing a couple of hookers with coke all over his body.
36:42He had baby oil all over him.
36:44And I guess somebody called the police.
36:46I heard somebody called the police on him.
36:48There's rumors like he got sodomized by police with their batons.
36:52I mean, I heard that.
36:53I'm going, what the hell?
36:55I guess one of the girls ran out of the office
36:57and just shut the door behind him.
36:58I think he ran into it.
36:59I think that's how he passed away.
37:01When the police showed up,
37:03I heard he had a massive coronary and died.
37:07And what I'm told is that he took his clothes off in the jail
37:11and he had a seizure and it killed him.
37:15You know, nobody knew if he was robbed.
37:17Nobody knew if he got beat up with a baseball bat.
37:20So there was all kinds of stories going around at the time,
37:22and nobody knew the true story.
37:24Still, we don't know, because I wasn't there.
37:26So, you know, you never believe everything you hear.
37:29Chasing hookers around and, you know, all greased up
37:33and died in the back of a police car.
37:36The one thing I know is that Herb Abrams left this world
37:45doing what he loved, cocaine and hookers.
37:51The wild and conflicting circumstances surrounding Herb Abrams' death
37:59overshadow his already extreme life
38:02and reach urban legend status within the wrestling world.
38:06It kind of became folklore.
38:09Everywhere we go, you get a Herb Abrams story, you know,
38:12and some are better than others, some are true,
38:14some you don't know what to believe.
38:16When they told me he died, I said, no, he's faked his death.
38:23He's left. He's left the country.
38:25And I hate to talk ill of the dead, if he's dead.
38:30But I had a promotion that was down in Union, South Carolina,
38:36that ran under UWF.
38:39And this promoter swore to me that the night of his show,
38:44this little fella came to the show in blue jeans and cowboy boots
38:52and asked him what the name of the organization was.
38:58And he swore it.
39:00He said, I'm telling you, he said, that Herb Abrams showed up at my show.
39:04And because it said UWF, this person gave them the riot act,
39:09that he would sue them.
39:10And it was as if Herb was legitimately alive.
39:14And I said to Marty, Herb's dead.
39:17Uh, question.
39:19Herb Abrams couldn't keep quiet for 30 years.
39:23Maybe he went under witness, but I don't know.
39:26He would find a way to resurface.
39:28No, I find it completely unfeasible that Herb Abrams is alive
39:33and not seeking the limelight somewhere.
39:35And I know that if he was still alive, he would have come and found me.
39:40He would have let me know that he was alive.
39:43He would have, uh, he would have done everything he could
39:47to send a message somehow.
39:50He wouldn't have stayed away 30 years.
39:53He wouldn't have stayed away 30 years.
39:58Herb, we miss you.
40:00Wish you were still here with us.
40:02You know, it could have been a great thing.
40:07What's that?
40:09You know, the UWF and, uh, just what he was doing.
40:14If, uh, we would have had a little bit more backing,
40:16a little bit more support, I think it could have went a long way.
40:20And now I'm visiting Herb in the cemetery.
40:27We deal, we cope, and we go on.
40:33I actually inherited Herb's dog after he passed away.
40:36What was the dog's name?
40:37Uh, Cokie.
40:39It was Snow White and a dog.
40:41And, uh, it was laying in the coke.
40:44Herb called it Cokie.
40:45Herb loved that dog to death.
40:47Herb's style was always to be a generous guy.
40:51I picked up the tab for everything.
40:53But again, that's easy to do with other people's money.
40:56If it was his hard-earned money, he would still do the same.
41:00I think he was just always trying to prove himself,
41:03or always wanting to be liked,
41:04or always wanting to be somebody to be respected.
41:07But we all respected him, and we all liked him.
41:10How did you feel after he passed?
41:16It was a loss of someone who, uh...
41:26Someone who believed in me.
41:28I had to...
41:34I had to say...
41:48that he truly brought life.
41:51He brought it out of me.
41:54Without their fallen leader,
41:57the UWF faded out of existence
41:59and into the memories of those who fought to bring it to the top.
42:03I think Herb should be remembered as a person who tried
42:07to do something special in the wrestling industry.
42:10I think Herb Abrams was this bizarre character
42:13who wanted to become a major player in the pro wrestling business,
42:17and he was never able to succeed because he got in his own way,
42:21from his personal demons to the way he ran his business.
42:24The worst thing that Herb Abrams did,
42:27whether you hear about that he was involved with hookers,
42:30or coke, or this, or not paying people,
42:34the worst thing that Herb Abrams ever did to me was die.
42:37It's haunted me for the entire time of this 30 years,
42:41and this is the only reason that I've ever talked about,
42:45the first time I've ever let the secret of the UWF out.
42:49And you have it the best that I could give it to you today.
42:54He had the enthusiasm and, I think, the courage
42:58to try to live out his dream.
43:00He was such a die-hard fan that that was his downfall.
43:05He would love the negative that's on the internet.
43:08He would love it all.
43:10Why is that?
43:11Because he was Herb Abrams.
43:13He was a thing unto himself.
43:16I have to believe this is the way Herb would want it.
43:20You know, like, maybe he got in death what he didn't have in life,
43:24and that is he became a legend.
43:27Last question.
43:28If he was alive today, what do you think he'd be doing?
43:33Time.
43:40Yeah, there's no way Herb's gonna keep his taxes.
43:43I just think he'd be behind bars.
43:46He would have hurt no one except himself,
43:49and I'd be visiting him,
43:51and we'd be toasting with a glass of milk and Herbie cookies.
43:58Me too.
44:00Have a good night.
44:01I'll see you next time.
44:02Bye.
44:03Bye.
44:07Bye.
44:08Bye.
44:09Bye.
44:10Bye.
44:11Bye.
44:12Bye.
44:13Bye.
44:14Bye.
44:15Bye.
44:16Bye.
44:17u
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