Ernie Roth (born June 7, 1929 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, died October 12, 1983), best known as The Grand Wizard of Wrestling, also well known as Abdullah Farouk, was a professional wrestling manager of many infamous heels. Not a wrestler himself due to his small stature, he was noted for his flamboyant outfit of sequined jackets, wraparound sunglasses, and a brightly-colored turban decorated with jewels and feathers. June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Fort Lauderdale, known as the Venice of America, is a city located in Broward County, Florida. ... October 12 is the 285th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (286th in leap years). ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Nickname: Venice of America Location of Fort Lauderdale in Broward County, Florida. ... October 12 is the 285th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (286th in leap years). ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Professional wrestling is a form of performance art in which the performers act out a scripted wrestling match. ... In professional wrestling, a manager is a character who is paired with a wrestler. ... In professional wrestling, a heel is a character who is portrayed as behaving in an immoral manner; sometimes they are humourously referred to as evil. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are often bad guys in professional wrestling storylines. ... Sequins on a hip-cloth Sequins are disk shaped beads used for decorative purposes. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A Sikh man wearing a turban The turban (Arabic: ‎, ‘imāmä; Turkish: tülbent; Persian: دلبنت, dulband) is a headdress, of Asian origin, consisting of a long scarf wound round the head or an inner hat. ...

Career

Ernie Roth got his start in the entertainment business as a disc jockey, and became involved in professional wrestling as a manager in the 1960s in Detroit-based territories. Roth first worked under the names "Mr. Clean" and "J. Wellington Radcliffe", but more famously, he also portrayed "Abdullah Farouk", a man from the Middle East who was sent by The Sheik's wealthy "family" to handle their son's affairs in the US. Edward George Farhat (June 7, 1924 – January 18, 2003) was a professional wrestler best known as The Sheik (or The Original Sheik to distinguish him from the wrestler the Iron Sheik of the 1980s). ...

Sporting a turban, Farouk took great pains in trying to control his madman protege. But he also carved a niche for himself as a deceitful, underhanded character who insulted US fans whenever he had a chance, laying a template for heels for years to come. Farouk was a pioneer of "manager interference", as he physically would attempt to alter a match's outcome in the Sheik's favor whenever he could (inciting a full-scale riot on one occasion). By the early 1970s, after establishing himself as one of the most hated managers in the wrestling business, Ernie Roth parted with the "Abdullah Farouk" character and began a stint with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (now known today as the WWE), where he became The Grand Wizard of Wrestling.

The Grand Wizard of Wrestling, playing the "heel manager" role to the absolute hilt, had an instant impact in the WWWF. Almost immediately after arrival, the Wizard managed Stan Stasiak to defeat Pedro Morales for the WWWF Championship in Philadelphia on December 1, 1973. Stasiak lost the title just nine days later to the "Living Legend" Bruno Sammartino, but the Wizard's reputation was still pristine. In fact, the Wizard guided a second protege, the flamboyant and chiselled Superstar Billy Graham, to the very same Championship on April 30, 1977, when Graham overcame Sammartino in Baltimore. Graham is now seen as the virtual prototype for later Superstars like Hulk Hogan, Jesse Ventura and "HBK" Shawn Michaels, and with the Wizard as his manager was seemingly unstoppable. Graham and the Wizard were arguably the first performers to be cheered without requiring a "push" as a babyface, once again laying a template for superstars to come. Stan Stasiak (born George Stipich on April 13, 1937 - June 12, 1997). ... Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino (born October 6, 1935), is a former professional wrestler, best known for being the longest-running champion of the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), holding the title across two reigns for over 12 years in total, as well as the longest world championship reign in professional... Superstar Billy Graham Eldridge Wayne Coleman, better known by his stage name Superstar Billy Graham (born September 10, 1943), is an American professional wrestler. ... Terry Gene Bollea (born on August 11, 1953), is an American actor and professional wrestler better known as Hulk Hogan. ... Jesse Ventura (born 15 July 1951, as James George Janos), also known as The Body, The Star, The Mind, and Governor Body, is an American politician, Navy UDT, professional wrestler, actor, and radio talk show host. ... Shawn Banana Michaels(born on July 22, 1965) is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Shawn Michaels. ...

On February 20, 1978, former amateur wrestling standout Bob Backlund took on Superstar Billy Graham for the WWWF Championship at Madison Square Garden, and managed to dethrone the champion. The Wizard made it his duty to gain revenge on Backlund, sending charges such as Don Muraco, Ken Patera and Greg Valentine after the champion. The Wizard never managed a world champion again, however he did manage the very first Intercontinental Champion Pat Patterson, and later Patera (who defeated Patterson for the title in April 1980 after the Wizard and Patterson parted ways) and Muraco to the same championship. Robert Louis Backlund (born August 14, 1949) is a former American professional wrestler and minor politician. ... Superstar Billy Graham Eldridge Wayne Coleman, better known by his stage name Superstar Billy Graham (born September 10, 1943), is an American professional wrestler. ... Don Muraco (Born Don Morrow on September 10, 1949), also known as The Magnificent Muraco was a Hawaiian professional wrestler in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. ... Ken Patera is a former professional wrestler and weightlifter. ... John Anthony Wisniski Jr. ... Pierre Clemont (born January 19, 1941 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian former professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Pat Patterson. ...

Other proteges of the Wizard included Killer Kowalski, "Crazy" Luke Graham, Sgt. Slaughter, "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd, Ox Baker, and Cowboy Bob Orton. In the 1970s, the Wizard was also known as one third of WWF's "Evil Trinity" of managers, the other two-thirds being Capt. Lou Albano and "Classy" Freddie Blassie. They were a loose conglomerate of heel managers that conspired to make life for babyfaces difficult. Wladek Kowalski Wladek (Walter) Killer Kowalski was a professional wrestler. ... Robert Remus (born on August 27, 1948) is an American WWE employee, and semi-retired professional wrestler better known by the ring name Sgt. ... Big Cat Ernie Ladd (born November 28th 1938) was an American college and professional football player and a professional wrestler. ... Douglas A. Baker (April 19, 1934-)better known professionally as Ox Baker, was an American professional wrestler, best known for a finishing hold called the Heart Punch. ... Robert Keith Orton, Jr. ... Louis Albano (born July 29, 1933 in Carmel, New York), better known as Captain Lou, is an American professional wrestler and manager. ... Fred Blassie (February 8, 1918 – June 2, 2003) was an American professional wrestler born in St. ...

On October 12, 1983, Roth, a heavy smoker, died of a heart attack at the age of 54. In 1995, the Federation inducted Roth into their World Wrestling Federation Hall of Fame. A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ...

Personal life

Many people close to Roth have stated that he was a homosexual. He was the godfather of protege Don Muraco's daughter. His parents were Evrum Roth and Rizel Stern. [1] Don Muraco (Born Don Morrow on September 10, 1949), also known as The Magnificent Muraco was a Hawaiian professional wrestler in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. ...

Accomplishments/Awards

• Member of WWE Hall of Fame (inducted in 1995) posthumously
• Roth won the Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) Manager of the Year Award in 1973 & 1977. He also was awarded the 1983 PWI Editor's Award after his death.

WWE Hall of Fame logo, 2004-present. ... Hulk Hogan on the cover of the November 1994 issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated. ...

Famous Grand Wizard quotes

• (after Superstar Graham beat Bruno Sammartino to become WWWF Champion): "The flags at Mama Leone's are flying at half-staff today!"

• "I should not only be Manager of the Year, but I should also be the Manager of the Generation!"

• (after losing the 1977 Manager of the Year honors): "That's the greatest robbery since the Brinks job! You'll hear from my attorneys on this!"

• (when asked by Vince McMahon why he and protege Luke Graham hear boos whenever they appear in an arena): "I think it's the BOOZE in the fans that make them BOO us!"

• (in an interview conducted by former protege Pat Patterson): "Oh, I didn't recognize you, Patterson! Usually you're laid out (on your back), while the referee counts one, two, three!"

• "It's hard to be humble when you're great!"

• "The fans of the Long Island area will be treated to a visual feast, when they witness the man with a million and one muscles: Superstar Billy Graham!"

• (to Vince McMahon during a typical interview): "Talking to you is like trying to feed strawberries to a pig!"

• "Well, McMahon, once again, it's pleasure time! Your pleasure to have yours truly to add some much needed class and dignity to this otherwise plebeian broadcast!"

Wrestlers managed

• The Sheik
• Magnificent Maurice
• Johnny Berend
• Killer Kowalski
• Crazy Luke Graham
• Sgt. Slaughter
• Ernie Ladd
• Ox Baker
• Cowboy Bob Orton
• Don Muraco
• Ken Patera
• Greg Valentine
• Pat Patterson
• Stan Stasiak
• Superstar Billy Graham
• Ivan Koloff
• The Masked Superstar
• Kamala
• Prof Toru Tanaka
• Mr Fuji
• Black jack Mulligan
• Pampero Firpo
• Handsome Jimmy Valiant
• Bobby Duncum Sr.