Insane Insights Dark Side Of The Ring: Herb Abrams

Dark Side of the Ring has had some wild episodes that have also taught the viewers many things they did not know coming into the documentary. One of the episodes in The Dark Side of the Ring that was full of insanity, yet enlightening is the episode that VICE made on Herb Abrams and the UWF promotion. Here are the 10 most Insane things that occurred in the Dark Side of the Ring episode on Herb Abrams.

10. The First UWF Press Conference Showed Immediate Red Flags

For every company that starts up in pro wrestling, there is always a press conference to start. Its focus will be to announce the new promotion, explain what it is all about, who will be involved, and even set up new angles for the promotion. Herb did this and even started to build an angle between Danny Spivey and Brian B. Blair.

The UWF Conference exhibited immediate red flags that went unnoticed. Every professional wrestling company requires a booker to schedule and promote events. Herb announced Blackjack Mulligan as the booker, but there was a significant issue: at the time, Blackjack Mulligan was incarcerated. He was serving a two-year prison sentence for attempting to distribute one million dollars' worth of counterfeit money. He couldn't fulfill the role of a booker while behind bars.

That's not all as Herb also mentions that his star attraction for the UWF promotion was going to be focused on Bruiser Brody. The problem was, that Bruiser Brody was dead. The press conference was in 1989 and Brody died in 1988. This was a clear red flag that Herb was planning to make a wrestler who was dead his star attraction.

Herb Abrams should count himself lucky that he was not laughed out of the building for those statements. That should have been a dead giveaway that this promotion would be a disaster.

9. How Herb Abrams became Wealthy

It's puzzling that many professional wrestlers in the documentary confessed they were unaware of how Herb Abrams had accumulated his wealth before becoming a promoter. That is a crucial detail one must know before joining a new company or promotion. The wrestlers and staff presumed he was a businessman or involved in the stock market.

The documentary introduces Lenny Duge, the General Manager of the UWF promotion and Herb Abrams' close friend. Duge confirmed the source of Herb's funds. Herb was an entrepreneur who owned a clothing store named "I'm a Big Girl Now," catering to plus-size women. Although the exact profits from the business are unverified, it was substantial enough to fund a wrestling promotion.

8. Herb Abrams Insane Meeting with Vince McMahon

Herb Abrams officially started his UWF promotion and he had a ton of talent that he built up. Herb realized that he needed more and wanted to make the company work. What Herb decided to do was to set up a meeting with Vince McMahon to propose an idea.

The idea Abrams had was that Vince could have the East Coast and he would have the West Coast and they could be some sort of power team. Vince was not going to agree to that and told Herb "Get the hell out of here". What did Herb think was going to happen asking Vince that?

Following the meeting, Herb was determined to take on him and the WWF. Considering the number of attempts and failures to outdo Vince, it seemed like an ambitious idea. Herb was willing to go to great lengths for retribution, including the design of the UWF Television Title. The design was such that he and the wrestlers could hold it in a manner that sent a defiant message to Vince, symbolically saying "FU." Lenny still possesses the actual belt that was used for the show as well.

That was not the only thing he did to get back at Vince as well…

7. Herb Abrams signed Andre The Giant

Andre The Giant was one of Vince's most prized attractions in the early days of the company when he took over. Andre at the time had his contract expired, but he was also in really rough shape recovering from his back surgery. Herb realized this and got Andre to sign with the company.

It got a lot of people to start paying attention, especially as a radio show discussed that he signed a "long-term contract" with the company. Well, Vince found out and what did he do? He called up Andre immediately and signed him to a new contract to return to the company. Herb gets screwed here and it was super embarrassing for the company to lose Andre.

6. Marty Yesberg’s First Meeting With Herb Abrams

The documentary delves into the introduction of Marty Yesberg, also known as The Colonel. Yesberg begins to hear about a new promotion called the UWF and expresses interest in getting involved. They arrange a meeting, which turns out to be so bizarre that even Goldust would be envious.

Yesberg and Abrams decide to set this meeting in a hotel room suite at Beverly Hills. Yesberg is in there waiting for Herb to arrive. Well, he arrived, along with two high-end "escorts", a bunch of cocaine, and probably fully intoxicated. This terrified Yesberg as he had never seen this amount of cocaine or type of escorts.

To make it even worse, the room was in Yesberg's name. He could not go out to complain, so he had to stay in that hotel room all night and worry that the Swat Team might come. He watched Herb Abrams do all of those drugs and even saw Herb do the Horizontal Mombo with these escorts all night long.

This did not terrify Yesberg as he would sign a contract with the UWF and even had a feud with Herb in the promotion. However, if that was the way a business meeting was held, not only would it be wise to run as far as you can working there, but it would be ethical to report this man to the cops. I guess the money Yesberg got in that contract was too good for him to pass on.

5. The First PPV for the UWF Was a Huge Money Looser

Herb so badly wanted to get back at Vince again, so he believed that the company needed to do a PPV to get to the next level. The PPV is called the Beach Brawl and oh boy was it a tremendous disaster.

The PPV took place in Florida, but it was an hour away from the big cities in Florida. Speaking of the word big, another issue was how big the building was. Even the employees saw the building and knew that they were not going to be close to filling it. The third issue as well, is Herb Abrams is heavily intoxicated. It got so bad that Lenny tried to convince Herb to go to rehab in the middle of the show.

The PPV started and the arena was barely filled in one section. It was so poorly attended that they had to dim the lights in the arena to make it look good on TV. Even a coked-up Herb Abrams saw and was devastated. He even was quoted saying that "somebody screwed up". Well, Herb should have looked himself in the mirror because it was also revealed that he took multiple trips to the bathroom and did a ton of cocaine.

Economic-wise, this was a deep red money loser for the UWF. The PPV buy rate was one of the worst ever in the industry. It was a .01 buy rate which totaled around 100 to 1,000 people that bought the show. That rating was a clear sign that the UWF was nowhere near ready for a PPV.

4. What Brian B. Blair saw when he asked Herb to pay him

The PPV being a financial flop resulted in employees and wrestlers being stiffed on pay. Which is never a good thing to do in any business. One of those wrestlers that were stiffed is Brian B. Blair and he went to speak with Abrams in his hotel room. What he saw when going to Herb is insanity.

Herb in his hotel room was nude, had two escorts in the room, and multiple piles of his "nose candy". Herb notices Brian Blair and before they talk, he gives checks worth thousands of dollars each, which shocked Brian B. Blair knowing the financial issues the UWF is in.

This incident led Blair to question the longevity of the promotion under Herb Abrams' leadership. Yeah, you think so. Do we have job security is a very big question to ask. Remarkably, Blair didn't choose to leave the company immediately or compel Herb to seek rehabilitation.

3. Herb Abrams Had Multiple Bank Accounts to Trick his Staff

The UWF financial problems continue to grow, and the number of people being stiffed on pay is growing. Many wrestlers refused to work the show unless they got paid. The TV crew even got together and immodestly went to Herb Abrams. They said, we better get paid or were gone. Yeah, that is a problem that could have immediately ended the company, with how important the TV crew was in those days.

Herb Abrams decides to bring them to his office to prove that he has money. Herb decided to call the bank to show that Herb had money and was going to pay them. However, he pulled a fast one on them. Herb had 2 bank accounts where one had millions and the other had nothing on it. Guess which account Herb decided to pay these people with? Of course, the answer is the account with no money in it.

Lenny Duge even warns these people, "Don't accept a check with Herb". It would have been wise to trust him knowing how close he was with Herb, but they did not listen. They took the check and of course, it bounced. Some members of the TV Crew even threatened to throw Herb off the roof and threaten to hurt others associated with the company, until he did. The lesson here is if you want to own a business, pay your employees.

2. Herb Abrams Heavily Intoxicated Through The Blackjack Brawl PPV

Amidst the company's turmoil, Herb Abrams chose to launch another pay-per-view (PPV) event to compete with Vince. Inspired by WrestleMania 9, he organized the Blackjack Brawl in Las Vegas to showcase his product.

Despite the previous PPV's outcome, Herb did not downsize but instead booked the MGM Grand, which seats up to 17,000 people, inviting potential issues that could have easily been seen.

Before the PPV, Herb Abrams met with Mick Foley, excitedly sharing his belief that they were on the verge of success and had an idea that would thrill the fans. He presented Mick with yellow ostrich cowboy boots emblazoned with the UWF logo. Mick, realizing Herb was under the influence of cocaine, recognized a significant problem: Herb was planning the show while being high as a kite.

The Blackjack Brawl began, and Herb was noticeably impaired. His behavior during the PPV was erratic, and he made some bizarre statements, including a shout to the crowd saying "Let's hear it for the Jews". He is lucky that it wasn't recorded because that is just so embarrassing.

After the PPV concluded, Herb considered the event a success, primarily because it took place at the prestigious MGM Grand. However, the turnout was dismal, with only 200 attendees, faring much worse than the first PPV, signaling a clear message about the promotion's future.

1. The Way Herb Abrams Died

My goodness, this has got to be one of the craziest deaths that has ever been reported. What happened was on July 23rd, 1996, Herb Abrams was in his office with hookers and a ton of cocaine. What else is new at this point with Herb, it's like roses are red and violets are blue at this point.

Well, Herb did so many drugs that he was in a cocaine-induced state and was whacked. He went crazy and found a baseball bat smashing everything. He then decides to take off his clothes cover himself with baby oil and cocaine and chase these hookers with a baseball bat.

That's not all as there were also rumors on the way that he truly died, and they are just insane. There are 5 main potential theories on the way that he died.

1. He was sodomized by the police with a baton and died of a heart attack

2. The escorts slammed a door on Herb's face and died instantly

3. Abrams had a massive coronary the moment police arrived and died instantly

4. He took his clothes off in the jail and had a seizure in the cell

5. While in the back of the police car, he suffered a heart attack and died instantly

Nobody knows for sure how he died, but it is clear that he had a cocaine-induced heart attack. Brian Blair summed it up pretty well saying “The one thing I know is that Herb Abrams left this world doing what he loved, cocaine and hookers”. That is the line of the documentary and is 1,00% true. He did go out doing what he loved, but his death became a legendary story in pro wrestling. 

My Thoughts on the Documentary

This documentary was well-crafted, and it has become one of my favorite episodes in the series. When this episode aired, I knew little about Herb Abrams. The best way to describe Herb is that he was like a character from GTA V brought to life.

The UWF had immense potential, but the problem was that its owner was a complete disaster. Many were saddened by his passing, and his story serves as a cautionary tale. Nonetheless, Abrams was no saint; he betrayed many, including his employees.

Not mentioned in the documentary was his public feud with Dave Meltzer, the publisher/editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Indeed, he was the first promoter to target Meltzer, mainly because Meltzer had given negative reviews to the promotion and Abrams. In retaliation, Herb created a jobber named "Davey Meltzer" to mock him. Eric Bischoff would have been proud of Herb for that move.

The talking heads in the documentary were excellent as well, with Lenny Duge standing out. It was not only his first public discussion about Abrams, but we also gained insight into Herb from a very close friend. Stevie Ray, Mick Foley, Sunny Beach, Brian B. Blair, and Marty Yesberg were also outstanding in this documentary. This episode is a must-see, exemplifying the Dark Side of the Ring.

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