| Skandor Akbar | |
|---|---|
| Ring name(s) | Jimmy Wehba Skandor Akbar Wildman Wehba |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Billed weight | 232 lb (105 kg) |
| Born | September 29, 1934 Vernon, Texas, United States |
| Died | August 19, 2010 (aged 75)[1] Garland, Texas |
| Trained by | Jimmy Young |
| Debut | 1963 |
| Retired | 2009 |
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.
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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 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 and Mid-South Wrestling. Akbar smoked cigars at ringside, harassed the fans during his proteges' matches, and occasionally threw fireballs at unsuspecting opponents.
In 1995, Akbar briefly managed Kevin Von Erich as a fan favorite. 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.
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 DVDs, released in 2005 and 2007, respectively. Akbar reunited with WCCW Alumni Bill Mercer & Marc Lowrance at IHWE's Supercard on oct 4th 2008 in Fort Worth, Tx. It would be the final reunion of the 3. Akbar was a regular at Wrecking Ball Wrestling. Akbar was inducted into the IHWE Hall of Fame on May 6th 2011 in Fort Worth, texas by former WCCW Official Ric Manning, Akbar's Family was on hand to accept the honor. [3]
On August 19, 2010 it was reported that Wehba had died. The cause of the death is currently unknown. However, fellow wrestling manager Percy Pringle speculates that it may have been prostate cancer.[4][1]