Ed Farhat

Early life Edward George Farhat was born on June 7, 1926, to a Lebanese family in Lansing, Michigan. He was one of eleven children; unlike most of his older brothers, Edward did not attend college, though some sources erroneously report that he did. The confusion is likely the result of his similarly named older brother Edmund having attended college. Edward quit school in the eighth grade and worked odd jobs during the Great Depression. His family would find jobs in Michigan metal foundries and auto plants. After his family's employment background led to Army brass assuming Farhat to be a candidate for tank duty, Farhat was assigned to the 93rd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron of the 13th Armored Division.

Professional wrestling career

Early career and cementing The Sheik gimmick (1947–1965) After completing his service in the U.S. Army, Farhat competed in his first professional wrestling match in January 1947, wrestling as the clean-cut babyface "Eddie Farhat". Within a few years of his debut, Farhat would develop his "Sheik" gimmick, under which he would gain international fame. Farhat first started wrestling as The Sheik of Araby in the Chicago area, with the gimmick initially being that of a privileged son of a wealthy, aristocratic Middle Eastern family. As the Sheik of Araby, Farhat formed a tag team with Gypsy Joe, with the duo capturing the NWA Midwestern Tag Team Championship in 1954, before eventually moving to Texas. During this period, The Sheik received the biggest match of his career up to that point, when he was booked to face NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz in Chicago for his title. Thesz, regarded in wrestling as a legitimate shooter, had a reputation for embarrassing "gimmick wrestlers" so The Sheik left the ring during the course of the match and hid under a bus in the parking lot. The incident received much coverage in local media and helped to push The Sheik character to a more prominent level.

By the early 1960s, The Sheik's wrestling was centered on his character of an Arab wild man from Syria. Clad with his keffiyeh, before each match, he would use stalling tactics as he would kneel on a prayer rug to perform an Islamic prayer to Allah (in real life Farhat was a Maronite Christian). Sheik's other signature illegal move was his fireball that he threw into his opponents' faces, sometimes burning their faces severely. At the start of his career, his wife Joyce played the part of his valet Princess Saleema who would burn incense in the ring. Joyce would go on to play Princess Saleema for many years and, as a result of his gimmick requiring him not to not know the English language, also frequently accompany The Sheik to autograph signings, where she would speak to the fans on The Sheik's behalf and provide the autograph signatures. He had three different male managers during his career to cut promos on his behalf. His first manager was Abdullah Farouk but when Farouk moved full-time to the World Wide Wrestling Federation, Eddy Creatchman became his manager. When Creatchman was unable to work with him later in his career, The Sheik was managed by Supermouth Dave Drason, his final manager.

World Wide Wrestling Federation (1965–1972)

In 1965, The Sheik made his return to the New York City area, competing for the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). On September 25, 1967, he wrestled former world champion Édouard Carpentier to a 20-minute draw. In 1968, he was back brought into the WWWF for title matches with then-WWWF World Heavyweight champion Bruno Sammartino.

In 1972, The Sheik ventured to Japan for the first time, competing for the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance (JWA). His JWA run was successful, but the promotion was struggling financially, so when the company went bankrupt, Sheik jumped to Giant Baba's All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). He then jumped a year later to Antonio Inoki's New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but had a falling out with Inoki due to having to leave a Japanese tour early to deal with a "coup attempt" in his Big Time Wrestling promotion. He returned to AJPW in 1977, teaming, and then feuding, with Abdullah the Butcher. On May 5, 1995, at the FMW 6th Anniversary Show, The Sheik defeated Damián 666 in front of 58,250 fans; this ended up being his last match. Following the match, he suffered his first heart attack while attempting to board a taxi.

When Sabu joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1995, The Sheik accompanied him as his manager. His oldest son Ed wrestled for years as "Captain Ed George." However, he never hinted in his wrestling gimmick that he was related to The Sheik, and the fact that he was Farhat's real-life son was largely not known to wrestling fans during his career. He is also credited with training Scott Steiner

As a promoter, Farhat developed a reputation for short-changing wrestlers and employees on pay. However, he would additionally become known as a benefactor to friends in need; according to Harley Race, after his wife died in an automobile accident and he was forced to take time off early in his career, The Sheik mailed him a check every week for a year until he could return to work. World's Strongest Tag Determination League Exciting Award (1981) – with Mark Lewin Big Time Wrestling NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Detroit version) (12 times) Great Lakes Wrestling Association GLWA United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time) International Championship Wrestling ICW United States Heavyweight Championship (2 times, inaugural) International Wrestling Association (Montreal) IWA International Heavyweight Championship (3 times) Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance NWA United National Championship (1 time) Maple Leaf Wrestling NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Toronto version) (4 times) National Wrestling Alliance NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2010) Tri-State Wrestling Alliance NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Detroit splinter version) (1 time, inaugural) Western States Sports NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Amarillo version) (1 time) World Class Championship Wrestling NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Texas version) (1 time) NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship (2 times) WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2007) Midwest Heavyweight Championship (1 time) Southern Heavyweight Championship (Louisiana/Mississippi version) (1 time)