1950. "There was a wrestling school, and he went two or three times a week," his son, Edward Farhat, Jr., said. "He was just a natural." In the '60s and '70s he continually sold out large arenas such as Cobo Hall in Detroit and Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, not to mention myriad other venues. He eventually controlled ownership of the booking office and promotion in Detroit, where his son added: "He was as much of a star as Hulk Hogan or any of the guys today."
The Sheik was been seen by millions of people at hundreds of different arenas all over the world and was extremely popular in Japan, where he wrestled as late as the 1990s when he was nearly 70 years old. He trained hundreds of wrestlers, including his nephew Sabu, his son Eddie, Jr. (who wrestled as Captain Ed George), the notorious Dr. Sam Shepard, and Randy (Savage) Poffo. The Sheik, in his Arab villain persona, battled with Dick the Bruiser, Lord Athol Layton, George (The Animal) Steele, Fred and Bull Curry, Johnny Valentine, Lou Thesz and many, many more. Using fireballs, forks, #2 lead pencils, and his trusty manager Abdullah (The Weasel) Farouk, he managed to retain his United States title for over 20 years. His "Big Time Wrestling" television program found a home for more than a decade in Dayton's Hara Arena, where some of the programs were taped and aired.
The character of The Sheik was deeply embedded in his personality, on or off the mat, his son said. "His grandkids called him Grandpa Sheik," he said. "There will never, ever, be another one like him." Farhat is survived by wife Joyce, sister Eva Brunk, brother Moses Farhat, sons Edward and Thomas, and four grandchildren.
(Our thanks to Michael Pevarnek and Rick Cave for biographical material.)
