Skandor Akbar

Skandor Akbar
Birth name Jimmy Saied Wehba
Born (1934-09-29)September 29, 1934
Vernon, Texas
Died August 19, 2010(2010-08-19) (aged 75)[1]
Garland, Texas
Cause of death Prostate cancer
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Jimmy Wehba
Skandor Akbar
Wildman Wehba
Billed height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Billed weight 232 lb (105 kg)
Trained by Jimmy Young
Debut 1963
Retired 1983

Jimmy Saied Wehba[2] (September 29, 1934 – August 19, 2010)[1] was a professional wrestler and manager better known by his ring name Skandor Akbar, which translates as "Alexander the Great". Akbar led the villainous stable Devastation, Inc. in Bill Watts's Universal Wrestling Federation during the promotion's heyday in the 1980s, as well as other regional territories, including World Class Championship Wrestling and the Global Wrestling Federation.

Professional wrestling career

Singles wrestler

Akbar started out as a professional wrestler in 1963 as Jimmy Wehba. He changed his name to Skandor Akbar at the suggestion of Fritz Von Erich in 1966 in order to sound more Arabic. Akbar teamed with Danny Hodge and eventually turned on him, starting a feud. Akbar joined the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) for a brief run in the late 1970s and was managed by Freddie Blassie.

Akbar also worked as a face in the Australian World Championship Wrestling territory for a season in the mid 1970s feuding mainly with The Great Mephisto.

Manager

Akbar retired from active wrestling in 1977 and became a villainous manager in the Texas area. He always called his stable "Devastation, Inc." He spent most of his time in World Class Championship Wrestling, Mid-South Wrestling and in 1991 the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico. Akbar smoked cigars at ringside, harassed the fans during his protégés' matches, and occasionally threw fireballs at unsuspecting opponents.

In 1994, Akbar briefly managed Kevin Von Erich as a fan favorite in the Global Wrestling Federation. Eventually, though, he turned on Von Erich only weeks before Von Erich decided to retire for good. Akbar also managed Toni Adams for a short time in the GWF.

Retirement

After his semi-retirement, Akbar still made frequent appearances on the independent circuit, while also training wrestlers. He appeared on both the Heroes of World Class and Triumph and Tragedies of World Class retrospective documentaries, released in 2005 and 2007, respectively.

From 2008 to 2010, he appeared as a manager in the Dallas-based Wrecking Ball Wrestling promotion.

Personal life

Often billed from Lebanon, Syria or Saudi Arabia, his father actually was from Lebanon, and his mother, Mary, had Arab roots as well, though she too was born in Texas. With two older sisters, he was the youngest of the family.[3] On August 19, 2010 it was reported that Wehba had died from prostate cancer.[1][4] Wehba was Catholic.[5]

In wrestling

Championships and accomplishments

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Caldwell, James (2010-08-20). "Other News: Legendary wrestling manager Skandor Akbar dies at age 75". PWTorch.com. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
  2. ↑ Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter, August 30, 2010
  3. ↑ "CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - The celebrated career of the late Skandor Akbar". slam.canoe.ca. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  4. ↑ Pringle, Percy. "God only takes the best...".
  5. ↑ Simnacher, Jim (2010-11-10). "Jimmy Saied Wehba, wrestler who ruled the ring as 'Skandor Akbar,' dies at 75". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2015-05-18.
  6. ↑ "Year End Awards". Wrecking Ball Wrestling. Retrieved 2013-09-26.

References

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