Skandor Akbar

Early life

Wehba was born on September 29, 1934, in Wichita Falls, Texas, and grew up in Vernon, Texas. His father was from Lebanon, and his mother, Mary, was of Syrian descent, though she too was born in Texas. With two older sisters, Jimmy was the baby of the family. As a preteen, he started weightlifting (at one point he reportedly bench pressed 500 pounds) as his cousin had a gym. He also worked as a bouncer.

Professional wrestling career

Wrestler

Wehba started out as a professional wrestler in 1963, under his real name. He adopted the ring name Skandor Akbar (), literally meaning Alexander the Great, 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. He wrestled his last match as a wrestler in 1996.

Manager

Akbar retired from active wrestling in 1977 and became a villainous manager in the Texas area territory. He called his stables "Akbar's Army" in Mid-South Wrestling for Bill Watts before it became UWF and "Devastation, Inc." in World Class Championship Wrestling for Fritz Von Erich and in 1991 appeared in 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. In 2007, he managed Kareem Sadat for All-Ammeircan Championship Wrestling in Oklahoma.

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. He also operated a countertop business.

Personal life

Often billed from Egypt, Lebanon, Syria or Saudi Arabia, his father actually was from Lebanon, and his mother, Mary, was Syrian, though she too was born in Texas. With two older sisters, he was the youngest of the family.

Death

Wehba died on August 19, 2010, in Texas, reportedly due to complications from a fall or after a long battle with prostate cancer.

Championships and accomplishments

• Cauliflower Alley Club

  • Gulf Coast/CAC Honoree (2006)

• Mid-South Sports

  • NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (1 time) with Ox Baker
  • NWA Macon Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Buddy Colt (1 time) and Rocket Monroe (1 time)

• NWA Tri-State

  • NWA Tri-State North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Tri-State version) (2 times) - with Danny Hodge

• Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum

  • Class of 2021

• Southern Wrestling Hall of Fame

  • 2011 inductee

• World Championship Wrestling

  • NWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with George Gouliovas

• Wrecking Ball Wrestling

  • Manager of the Year (2009–2010)

References

References

1. [[Dave Meltzer]], ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'', August 30, 2010
2. Writers, JIMMIE TRAMEL and BILL HAISTEN World Sports. (2008-07-13). "Skandor Akbar: The bad guy with a soft heart".
3. Mac, The Notorious Eddie. (2015-08-20). "Milkamania!".
4. Greg Oliver. (August 20, 2010). "The celebrated career of the late Skandor Akbar". Slam Wrestling.
5. Ojst, Javier. (7 December 2021). "50 Greatest Fans Meeting Wrestlers Stories".
6. (August 20, 2010). "CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - The celebrated career of the late Skandor Akbar". slam.canoe.ca.
7. Pringle, Percy. (August 20, 2010). "God only takes the best...". Percy's Posts.
8. (15 January 2021). "Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2021 Announced". Se Scoops.
9. "Year End Awards". Wrecking Ball Wrestling.
10. (26 November 2010). "Jimmy Saied Wehba, wrestler who ruled the ring as 'Skandor Akbar,' dies at 75". Dallas Morning News.