# @wrestlingnewsco on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DX28U2dgOgR
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/65164933-wrestlingnewsco-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/2cc4d19f92.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-05-03T01:42:53.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Wrestling News - WWE, AEW (@wrestlingnewsco) — https://gondola.cc/wrestlingnewsco

## Caption

Tommy Rich appeared on Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw and shared the full story of his Atlanta debut against Abdullah the Butcher — including the moment Tony Atlas got his name during the same match.

"He beat me in 30 seconds. Bust my head, made me bleed everywhere. My mama was crying. My brother was, I don't know what they was doing. I thought I just get out of here, live, I'll be okay."

Tony Atlas had been wrestling masked as Black Atmosphere when Ole Anderson sent him out to break things up.

"Tony hits the ring, and he's hitting him. Abdullah went to do something, hit the mask. The mask flew off Tony's head. That's when they started calling him Tony Atlas."

After the loss, Abdullah quietly approached Rich in the locker room with a promise.

"Right before that, Abdullah come by. He said, hey, thank you, kid. I'll give it back to you one day. I'm thinking to myself, yeah, right."

Two years later on Thanksgiving night at the Atlanta Civic Auditorium, Wahoo McDaniel didn't show up for his main event with Abdullah. Ole Anderson handed the spot to Rich. Abdullah took him into the crowd, told him to slam him, and turned Rich into a Georgia headliner.

"As big as he was, that whole ring sunk and bounced back up. The people, I had never heard it since. I get goosebumps still."

#TommyRich #AbdullahTheButcher #TonyAtlas #NWA #ProWrestling

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 815
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- **Comments:** 10

## Tags

tonyatlas, prowrestling, nwa, abdullahthebutcher, tommyrich

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