The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: Heroes & Icons (Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame series) by Steven Johnson & Greg Oliver & Mike Mooneyham & J. J. Dillon

Author:Steven Johnson & Greg Oliver & Mike Mooneyham & J. J. Dillon [Johnson, Steven]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: ECW Press
Published: 2012-10-01T04:00:00+00:00

Dubbed “Honest Abe,” Jacobs was well-liked and respected by his peers.

“Abe was an excellent athlete and a very skilled mat wrestler,” said Les Thatcher. “Easy to travel with and a guy who could have a good match with anyone. I always felt he should have been pushed more. The only things he may have loved as much as wrestling would be his golf game and his horse.”

In his latter years in the business, Jacobs was used primarily in the role of the aging veteran who would put over the younger stars and help teach them the ropes. He was a young Ric Flair’s first opponent when the future “Nature Boy” first hit the Carolinas in the spring of 1974. “Green as grass” is how Jacobs remembers Flair’s first match in Charlotte, a win for the newcomer.

“Abe treated me like a million bucks when I was young and new to the business,” said Charlie Fulton. “He always took care of me and took me to school in the ring and never hurt me. He taught me a lot of things on the go and it was like on-the-job training.” Fulton was a ring rookie when Jacobs told him to execute a relatively simple kip-up as he held Fulton in an arm bar. Fulton had never done a kip-up, and was reluctant to try it until Jacobs gracefully lifted him up and completed the spot.

Jacobs, who was once billed as the “Jewish heavyweight champion,” was named one of the “Top Ten New Zealand–Born Wrestlers” by Fight Times Magazine. He was inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Hall of Fame in 2008. His status in the Chatham Islands was celebrated when his likeness graced its commemorative special edition Millennium ten-dollar bill in 2000 and 2001.

Jacobs served as an instructor at Ricky Steamboat’s gym in Charlotte for eleven years after retiring from the ring, and still keeps in tip-top shape. He still lives in the Charlotte area with his wife, Evelyn, and shuttles cars for Avis four days a week.

Jacobs’ exact age remains a running joke among his friends and colleagues.

“I can’t tell for sure, but he looks and gets around a hell of a lot younger than he is,” laughed Paul Jones. “You really can’t put your finger on how old he is. It’s a mystery to all of us.”

Jacobs supports a number of charitable organizations in the area, taking part in numerous golf tournaments to raise money for various causes.

“The only thing that exceeds Abe’s incredible wrestling ability is his tremendous heart,” said Bill Murdock, executive director of the western North Carolina–based Eblen Charities, an organization that assists children, adults, and families in times of need. “Since retiring from the ring, Abe has been involved in innumerable charitable endeavors including being instrumental in the beginning of the Eblen Charities. If Abe Jacobs isn’t in a class by himself, it certainly doesn’t take long to call the roll.”

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