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. During Sabu's match with
Mr. JL at
Halloween Havoc, The Sheik's leg was broken by the wrestlers during a spot he was previously unaware of, forcing him to finally leave the wrestling business. On December 11, 1998, the night before the
ECW/FMW Supershow, Atsushi Onita held a retirement ceremony for The Sheik in
Korakuen Hall, during which The Sheik, in his final public appearance, officially retired from professional wrestling at age 72. ==Personal life==