by Stephen Von Slagle
Perhaps no other wrestler is more responsible for influencing the genre of hardcore wrestling than the one and only Arabian madman known as The Sheik. Famous worldwide for being the most unpredictable, violent, bloodthirsty competitor in pro wrestling, The Sheik was “hardcore” decades before anyone had come up with a term to describe his style. Simply put, if The Sheik was wrestling, fans of the day knew, without any question, that they were going to see a bloodbath. His maniacal persona, not to mention his penchant for participating in overly gruesome, ultra-violent matches, set a standard that hardcore wrestlers are still trying to equal, some 70 years after his debut.
Despite the fact that bloodletting, not acquiring championships, was his primary goal as a wrestler, The Sheik was nevertheless a winner and he collected more than his fair share of title belts. He was known primarily as the perennial United States Heavyweight champion (Detroit version) by virtue of his twelve separate U.S. title victories, which The Sheik acquired between 1965-1980. However, he also wore the WWWF, Central States, Maple Leaf Wrestling and I.C.W. versions of United States title as well. In 1969, he defeated archrival Bobo Brazil for the NWA Americas Heavyweight title, only to lose it to another of his many bitter rivals, “Classy” Fred Blassie. The Sheik regained the strap from Blassie, but held it for a relatively short time before losing to the legendary luchador, Mil Mascaras. Internationally, he defeated Seiji Sakaguchi for the prestigious United National Heavyweight championship on September 6, 1972, in Tokyo.
On January 18, 2003, Edward “The Sheik” Farhat passed away due to heart failure at the age of 76.