Observer Flashback: Death of The Sheik
Today marks 21 years since the passing of a performer Dave Meltzer calls “one of both the most famous and infamous characters in the history of the business.”
Ed Farhat, known worldwide as The Sheik, passed away on this day 21 years ago. Meltzer’s tribute to his life and career was published in the January 27, 2003 edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The issue is available for subscribers in our archives along with newsletters dating back to 1988.
“If you base being a heel on getting intense, riot causing heat and the ability to draw huge crowds regularly and consistently in the same venue, he was the best there ever was,” Dave Meltzer wrote of The Sheik.
Meltzer continued:
Since the dawn of time, there have been tens of thousands of men who can call themselves professional wrestlers. Of them, not one was more hated. And because of the changing nature of the business, probably no one ever will be.
There have been Sheiks too numerous to count in wrestling, but when you say The Sheik, everyone knows who you are talking about–Ed Farhat. The Sheik was one of both the most famous and infamous characters in the history of the business. If you base being a heel on getting intense, riot causing heat and the ability to draw huge crowds regularly and consistently in the same venue, he was the best there ever was.
The Sheik’s impact on the wrestling industry was so great that Meltzer included him in the original class of the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame in 1996.
Meltzer wrote of The Sheik’s inclusion in the inaugural class:
THE SHEIK – Probably the top heel in wrestling from the mid-60s through mid-70s.
Got tremendous heat doing a Middle Eastern heel and working short blood matches although always limited as a worker.
Still active at the age of 70 although it would be better for all concerned if he wasn’t as he suffered a serious heart attack after wrestling a match in Japan at age 69 and nearly died a few years earlier after escaping too slowly during a fire match which the ring caught on fire.
Promoted Detroit with himself as the major star and drew consistent sellouts for years at Cobo Arena, although also killed the city by continually pushing himself after his run was over and for advertising talent that wasn’t going to appear.
Real named Ed Farhat.
Uncle of Sabu.
The 1996 Class of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is the only class Meltzer picked entirely on his own, with future inductees being voted in by media, active and retired wrestlers, as well as historians. 122 inductees were part of this inaugural class, which was revealed in the August 19, 1996 edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter.