On December 15, 1977, All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) hosted the finals of its inaugural Real World Tag League tournament at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan it was the bloody crescendo at Kuramae when The Funks vs The Sheik and Abdullah the Butcher battled.
In a brutal and bloody battle, Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk defeated the feared tandem of The Sheik and Abdullah the Butcher.
This match is remembered not only for its chaotic violence but also for how it symbolized AJPW’s ability to balance athletic wrestling with wild spectacle.
Fans and historians often rank it among the greatest matches to take place in Japan during the 1970s. But before one can capture the feel of the match and the buildup to it, it was the period of time and the importance of Kuramae Kokugikan, and what it would symbolize.
The Bloody Crescendo at Kuramae: The Funks vs The Sheik and Abdullah the Butcher
In 1977, Giant Baba’s All Japan Pro-Wrestling doubled down on a compelling formula: mix world‑class technicians with larger‑than‑life brawlers, spotlight foreign stars as foils and attractions, and tether it all to a year‑end round‑robin tag league.
The inaugural edition was branded the Open Tag League (the annual would soon become famous under the World’s Strongest Tag Determination League/Real World Tag League banner).
The 1977 field showcased nine teams and a transnational stew of styles: cowboy grit and scientific wrestling from the Funks; unhinged, weapon‑wielding menace from The Sheik and Abdullah the Butcher; cerebral grapplers Billy Robinson and Horst Hoffman; the towering home team axis Giant Baba & Jumbo Tsuruta; and more.
The league structure encouraged urgency—every date mattered, points tallied quickly, and the finale at Kuramae Kokugikan was treated like a civic occasion.
Kuramae, the old Sumo Hall, carried weight: a steep‑seated, atmosphere‑heavy arena where big fights felt bigger, heat rose rapidly from the floor, and camera cranes skimmed seas of heads.
By closing night, the standings perched on a razor’s edge. The Funks had muscled to the front via a blend of stamina and babyface fire, while Sheik & Abby were surging on pure intimidation. Baba & Tsuruta were very much alive, forcing the final pairings to function as nothing less than a pennant race with elbows.
The Build-Up
The Funks vs. Sheik/Abby feud already had teeth by mid‑December: television highlights of Sheik and Abby carving foreheads with spikes and forks; Terry’s vulnerable charisma, the cowboy who bled, stumbled, and roared back, juxtaposed against Dory’s stoic cool and textbook wrestling.
Japanese sports dailies and weeklies of the era often emphasized the spectacle of blood and foreign menace; in that climate, two Texas brothers standing up to a Middle Eastern “Madman” and a hulking butcher made for simple, irresistible storytelling.
As the league tightened, All Japan positioned the match as a referendum on order itself: could the rules hold? Could even a respected official like Joe Higuchi keep control at Kuramae?
The Joe Higuchi Factor
For western eyes raised on over‑officiated wrestling, Joe Higuchi’s approach can look laissez‑faire. In context, it’s a tightrope: keep the heat, protect the workers, and only pull the plug when a line is truly crossed.
That’s what happens here. He allows the early brawling to breathe; he warns through the spike shots; he tries to physically intervene; and when Sheik goes literally at the official, he enforces the rulebook.
The result is a finish that upsets purists who want clean tournament finales, while absolutely amplifying the feud and the Funks’ babyface myth.
Posters and TV cut‑ins framed the viscerality of Terry’s bandaged brow, Abby’s fork, Sheik’s ceremonial accoutrements—while the tournament brackets and point totals gave the chaos a scoreboard.
Terry Funk’s magnetism is the hinge. He is the wounded warrior who throws himself into danger precisely because the crowd needs it—ragged, generous, big‑hearted. Paired with Dory’s stoicism, the contrast forms a complete babyface.
Across the ring, Sheik and Abdullah the Butcher are masterclasses in economy: minimal bumping, maximum menace; slow motion that creates dread; weapons that carry myth.
Kuramae crowds in the 1970s were expert at slow‑boil heat—nervous murmurs that flipped to full‑body shouts the instant a favorite bled or a heel pulled steel. NTV’s cameras often hung close and low, letting the audience see the crimson and hear the burlap crunch of a lariat.
On this night, the production put viewers inside the brawl: ropes shook, bandages unfurled; a white towel became pink, then red.
The images would be run again and again on recap shows, in magazines, in supermarket‑rack weeklies: Terry Funk with his arm shredded; Abby’s fork glinting under the lights; Higuchi diving in, exasperated.
The Match Breakdown
The atmosphere inside the Nippon Budokan was electric, with a near sell-out crowd. As the match began, it was immediately violent. The Sheik and Abdullah used weapons, foreign objects, and sheer intimidation to gain the upper hand.
Abdullah targeted Terry Funk with his fork, causing the younger Funk to bleed early. Terry’s ability to fight back through blood endeared him further to the crowd.
Dory Funk Jr. tried to use his technical wrestling, but the wildness of The Sheik and Abdullah kept neutralizing his strategy. The brawl spilled to the outside, with fans recoiling as chairs and barriers were used.
The match swung when Terry Funk absorbed incredible punishment but refused to stay down. His fiery comeback brought the Budokan alive. The Funk brothers isolated Abdullah, cutting off The Sheik’s interference.
In a dramatic closing stretch, Terry Funk used a series of punches and a desperation maneuver to keep The Sheik from breaking up the pin.
Dory and Terry managed to secure the three-count over Abdullah, winning the inaugural Real World Tag League. The crowd erupted, showering the Funks with cheers and streamers.
Aftermath
The victory cemented the Funk Brothers as enduring legends in Japan. The Sheik and Abdullah, despite losing, further established their reputation as two of wrestling’s most terrifying heels.
The match set the tone for the Real World Tag League’s prestige, turning it into one of AJPW’s most important annual traditions.
Terry Funk, in interviews years later, credited the Japanese fans’ passion as giving him the strength to endure the punishment: “
They cared so much. You could feel it, and it made me fight harder.
Abdullah the Butcher reflected in a shoot interview that teaming with The Sheik against the Funks in Japan was
like a war every night.
The December 15, 1977, Real World Tag League final remains a landmark in professional wrestling history. More than just a violent spectacle, it was a story of resilience, heroism, and the eternal struggle between good and evil inside the squared circle.
For many fans, it was the match that made the Funk Brothers immortal in Japan, and it set the stage for the Real World Tag League to become one of the most respected tag tournaments in the world.
