Terror. Mayhem. Hatred. Three words not generally associated with a professional wrestling entrance. Very few people in the history of grappling have been able to elicit as much pure emotion as Ed Farhat. As The Original Sheik, Farhat wreaked havok across the world as one of the grandfathers of hardcore wrestling. Don’t be fooled by the era that he performed in either. He was violent. Period. He stabbed, gouged, gigged and threw fire from one arena to another, long before anyone else had even thought about bringing something mundane as a chair into a match.
While not able to pin an exact date on his start in the business, it’s estimated to be during the latter part of the 1940’s. Seen here, The Sheik is wrestling using his original gimmick of The Sheik of Araby. While not quite as blatantly violent, there are traits that would be seen later in his career. The Camel Walk, the refusal to release holds (costs his team the second fall) and general demeanor are all displayed.
