Herbert Charles Abrams (July 9, 1955 – July 23, 1996), also known by the nickname Mr. Electricity, was an American

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

promoter from

Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long Is ...

, who founded the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) in 1990.

Early life

Herbert Charles Abrams was born on July 9, 1955, in

, the oldest child of Sonia (née Hoffman) and Abram Abrams. His father was a contract salesman of women's dresses who employed 42 workers at his

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...

office as of 1949. He attended

William Cullen Bryant High School William Cullen Bryant High School, or William C. Bryant High School, and W.C. Bryant High School, or Bryant High School for short, is a secondary school in Queens, New York City, United States serving grades 9 through 12. Name It is named in hon ...

Long Island City, New York Long Island City (LIC) is a residential and commercial neighborhood on the extreme western tip of Queens, a borough in New York City. It is bordered by Astoria to the north; the East River to the west; New Calvary Cemetery in Sunnyside to the ...

Career

In 1976, Abrams approached photographer Bill Apter while he was shooting

Superstar Billy Graham Eldridge Wayne Coleman (born June 7, 1943), better known by his ring name "Superstar" Billy Graham, is an American former professional wrestler. He gained recognition for his tenure as the WWWF Heavyweight Champion in 1977–1978. He is a three ...

on the streets of New York. He told Apter to spread word that any wrestlers who made an appearance at his father's clothing store in

Flushing, Queens Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial and retail area, and th ...

, would be allowed to take dresses for their wives as compensation. Abrams moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

and started his first business, Network '9' Limited in 1983. Abrams later started a chain of plus-size clothing stores for women called I'm a Big Girl Now in 1988.Brody, Howard. ''Swimming with Piranhas: Surviving the Politics of Professional Wrestling''. ECW Press, 2009, p. 163. Abrams was married in 1989, and his father died that same year at the age of 64. Abrams founded the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) in 1990, receiving $1 million from SportsChannel America to produce the weekly television program '' UWF Fury Hour''. In August 1990, during a press conference announcing the UWF's launch, Abrams was asked how he expected to succeed in the wrestling business with no prior experience in it. Abrams responded: "What they're looking for, I have, and that's the Hollywood glitz".Foley, Mick (1999). '' Have a Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks''. ReganBooks. . p. 183 Abrams ran his first television tapings at Reseda Country Club in

Reseda, California Reseda is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1912, and its central business district started developing in 1915. The neighborhood was devoted to agriculture for many years. Earthquakes ...

, that fall; the venue's owners would later sue Abrams for money owed. Abrams soon gained a reputation for chronically failing to pay venue owners, and even his own wrestlers. As the UWF's head booker, Abrams was often criticized for the promotion's inconsistent storylines, and matches that lacked clean-cut finishes. For the first 11 episodes of '' Fury Hour'' he was an on-screen commentator alongside

Bruno Sammartino Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino (October 6, 1935 – April 18, 2018) was an Italian-born American professional wrestler, best known for his work with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, now WWE). There, he held the WWWF World Heavyw ...

, for which the readers of

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four W ...

voted him Worst Television Announcer of 1990. Prior to earning that dubious distinction, Abrams had used a jobber on ''Fury Hour'' named "Davey Meltzer"—an obvious jab at journalist

Dave Meltzer David Allen Meltzer (born October 24, 1959) is an American journalist who reports on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Since 1983, he has been the publisher and editor of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON''). He has als ...

editor-in-chief and publisher. Abrams was replaced on commentary by Craig DeGeorge, but stayed on-screen as an interviewer. After the UWF's SportsChannel America deal expired without extension in September 1991, Abrams' live show schedule went from regular, to sporadic. In 1994, coming off a divorce, Abrams made one final, grand attempt to make an impact in professional wrestling: the television special UWF Blackjack Brawl, broadcast live from

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

's MGM Grand Arena. While the MGM Grand Arena seated approximately 17,000, Abrams sold only approximately 300 tickets, making the event an enormous commercial failure. Abrams moved back to New York City soon afterward to care for his ailing mother, and never promoted another UWF event.

Death

Abrams died on July 23, 1996, at St. Vincent's Hospital in

Manhattan, New York Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. stat ...

of a heart attack while in police custody.Williams, Steve (2007). ''Steve Williams: How Dr. Death Became Dr. Life''. Sports Publishing LLC. . p. 155 Before his death, police had found Abrams in his Manhattan office naked and covered in

baby oil Baby oil is, in general terms, an inert oil for the purpose of keeping skin soft and supple. It is often used on babies for the purpose of maintaining "baby-soft" skin, but it is also often used by adults for skincare and massage. The skin of a ...

, destroying furniture with a baseball bat.Meltzer, Dave. ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter''. August 5, 1996. Abrams' autopsy showed he had

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Am ...

and

valium Diazepam, first marketed as Valium, is a medicine of the benzodiazepine family that acts as an anxiolytic. It is commonly used to treat a range of conditions, including anxiety, seizures, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, muscle spasms, insomnia, ...

in his system when he died. He was buried in New Montefiore Cemetery in West Babylon, New York. Abrams' ex-girlfriend said that during the last few years of his life, he had experienced paranoia when high on cocaine. Allegedly, Abrams owed various people money, and insisted on destroying furniture to find non-existent "bugging devices" he believed were secretly recording him.

Legacy

Dark Side of the Ring ''Dark Side of the Ring'' is a Canadian Documentary series, documentary television series produced by Vice Media, Vice Studios. The series focuses on controversial subjects and events within the realm of professional wrestling. Series overview ...

'' aired an episode focused on the life of Abrams titled "Cocaine & Cowboy Boots: The Herb Abrams Story" in May 2020. It was the third-highest rated episode in the show's then 14 episode history. Jonathan Plombon released a

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...

on Abrams titled ''Tortured Ambition: The Story of Herb Abrams and the UWF '' in September 2021.

Awards and accomplishments

* Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards ** Worst Television Announcer (1990) ** Most Obnoxious (1991)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abrams, Herb 1955 births 1996 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American Jews Burials at New Montefiore Cemetery Cocaine-related deaths in New York (state) Death conspiracy theories Professional wrestling announcers Professional wrestling promoters Sportspeople from Queens, New York Universal Wrestling Federation (Herb Abrams) Drug-related deaths in New York City