Jimmy Saied Wehba (September 29, 1934 – August 19, 2010) was an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

and

professional wrestling manager In professional wrestling, a manager is a supporting character paired with a wrestler (or wrestlers) for a variety of reasons. A woman accompanying, or "seconding", a male wrestler to a match is sometimes referred to as a valet. Performers who ...

better known by his

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...

Skandor Akbar (which translates as "

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

"). Akbar led the villainous stable Devastation, Inc. in

Bill Watts William F. Watts Jr. (born May 5, 1939), better known under the ring name Bill Watts, is a retired American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, promoter and former American football player. Watts garnered fame under his "Cowboy" Glos ...

's Universal Wrestling Federation during the promotion's heyday in the 1980s, as well as other regional territories, including

World Class Championship Wrestling World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), later known as the World Class Wrestling Association (WCWA), was an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. Originally owned by promoter Ed McLemore, by ...

and the

Global Wrestling Federation Global Wrestling Federation was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Dallas, Texas. It started in June 1991 and folded in September 1994. At one time its shows were presented on the ESPN television network. Often the promotion p ...

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 Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine and Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend ...

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

, at the suggestion of

Fritz Von Erich Jack Barton Adkisson Sr. (August 16, 1929 – September 10, 1997), better known by his ring name Fritz Von Erich, was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, wrestling promoter, and the patriarch of the Von Erich family. He was ...

in 1966 in order to sound more Arabic. Akbar teamed with

Danny Hodge Dan Allen Hodge (May 13, 1932 – December 24, 2020) was an American amateur and professional wrestler, who also had a brief professional boxing career. He is in both the U.S. amateur wrestling Hall of Fame, for his three NCAA titles and Ol ...

and eventually turned on him, starting a

feud A feud , also known in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, private war, or mob war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially family, families or clans. Feuds begin ...

. Akbar joined the

World Wide Wrestling Federation Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC) was an American sports promotion company. Run by Vincent J. McMahon from the 1950s until the 1980s, the company was originally a professional wrestling and boxing promotion and later became the holding company ...

(WWWF) for a brief run in the late 1970s and was managed by

Freddie Blassie Frederick Kenneth Blassie (February 8, 1918 – June 2, 2003) was an American professional wrestler and manager, known by the ring name "Classy" Freddie Blassie. Renowned as "The Hollywood Fashion Plate","Classy" Freddie Blassie with Keith Ellio ...

. 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 Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

area territory. He called his

stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...

s "Akbar's Army" in

Mid-South Wrestling The Universal Wrestling Federation was a 1986 re-branding of wrestler-turned-owner Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling promotion. Watts' goal was to elevate his promotion from a relatively smaller, regional-level business, to a national-level riv ...

for

before it became UWF and "Devastation, Inc." in

for

and in 1991 appeared in the

World Wrestling Council The World Wrestling Council (WWC; Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha") is a professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón, Victor Jovica, and Goril ...

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 Kevin Ross Adkisson (born May 15, 1957) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kevin Von Erich. A member of the Von Erich family, Adkisson is best known for his appearances with Fritz Von Erich, his father' ...

as a

fan favorite In professional wrestling, a face (babyface) is a heroic, "good guy", "good-doer", or "fan favorite" wrestler, booked (scripted) by the promotion with the aim of being cheered by fans. They are portrayed as heroes relative to the heel wrestler ...

in the

. Eventually, though, he turned on Von Erich only weeks before Von Erich decided to retire for good. Akbar also managed

Toni Adams Toni Lea Adams (née Collins) (August 19, 1964 – June 24, 2010) was an American professional wrestling valet who appeared in several North American regional promotions during the 1980s including the Universal Wrestling Federation and the Un ...

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 In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...

, 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 Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

, 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.

Death

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

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is the neoplasm, uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system below the bladder. Abnormal growth of the prostate tissue is usually detected through Screening (medicine), screening tests, ...

Championships and accomplishments

Cauliflower Alley Club The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America. Established in 1965 by Mike Mazurki and Art Ab ...

**Gulf Coast/CAC Honoree (

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

) *

Mid-South Sports Georgia Championship Wrestling is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Atlanta, Georgia. The promotion was affiliated with what had been the world's top sanctioning body of championship titles for decades before, the National W ...

NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship The NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship was the top tag team championship (professional wrestling), championship in Georgia Championship Wrestling from 1968 to 1980, when it was replaced with the NWA National Tag Team Championship. The title was r ...

( 1 time) with

Ox Baker Douglas Baker (April 19, 1934 – October 20, 2014), known professionally as Ox Baker, was an American professional wrestler and actor. He was famous for his distinctive eyebrows and finishing move, the Professional wrestling attacks#Heart punch ...

NWA Macon Tag Team Championship The NWA Macon Tag Team Championship was a tag team professional wrestling championship in Georgia Championship Wrestling, defended exclusively on events held at the Macon City Auditorium and Macon Coliseum in Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), offi ...

(

2 times "2 Times" is the debut single of English singer Ann Lee. It was released in Italy in December 1998 by X-Energy as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999), and was issued worldwide the following year. The single peaked at number tw ...

) - with

Buddy Colt Ron Read (January 13, 1936 – March 3, 2021), known professionally as Buddy Colt, Ty Colt and "Cowboy" Ron Read, was an American professional wrestler who worked in NWA promotions including the St. Louis Wrestling Club, Championship Wrestlin ...

(1 time) and Rocket Monroe (1 time) *

NWA Tri-State The Universal Wrestling Federation was a 1986 re-branding of wrestler-turned-owner Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling promotion. Watts' goal was to elevate his promotion from a relatively smaller, regional-level business, to a national-level riv ...

** NWA Tri-State North American Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) ** NWA United States Tag Team Championship ''(Tri-State version)'' (

) - with

Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (PWHF) and Museum was an American professional wrestling hall of fame and museum located in Wichita Falls, Texas; following the postponement of its 19th induction ceremony, planned for May 2020, and an annou ...

**Class of 2021 *

Southern Wrestling Hall of Fame The Southern Wrestling Hall of Fame (originally the Texas Wrestling Hall of Fame) is a professional wrestling hall of fame maintained by Iconic Heroes of Wrestling Excellence (IHWE). Established in 2009 to honor select wrestling personalities, indu ...

**2011 inductee *

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...

NWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight Championship The NWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight Championship was the top singles professional wrestling title in the Australian World Championship Wrestling promotion from 1972 until the promotion's 1978 closure. WCW had joined the National Wrestling Alliance ...

( 1 time) **

NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Championship The NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Championship was the top tag team professional wrestling title in the Australian World Championship Wrestling promotion from 1972 through the promotion's 1978 closure. WCW joined the National Wrestling Alliance in A ...

( 1 time) - with George Gouliovas *Wrecking Ball Wrestling **Manager of the Year (2009–2010)

References

External links

Championship wrestling from Florida: Skandor Akbar
a collection of flyers between Sept. 21 – Oct. 8, 1971. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Akbar, Skandor 1934 births 2010 deaths 20th-century male professional wrestlers 20th-century American professional wrestlers American Eastern Catholics American people of Syrian descent American people of Lebanese descent American male professional wrestlers People from Garland, Texas People from Wichita Falls, Texas Professional wrestlers from Texas Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum Professional wrestling managers and valets American professional wrestling trainers Professional wrestling promoters Sportspeople of Syrian descent Sportspeople of Lebanese descent NWA Austra-Asian Heavyweight Champions NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Champions NWA Macon Tag Team Champions NWA Georgia Tag Team Champions