Eddie Farhat was an innovator and one of the originators of the hardcore style. Specifically, when he debuted in 1950, he was doing wild things that hadn't been done before and paved the ground work for many wrestlers to come after him. Fire, pencils, and chairs were all apart of The Sheik's attack. He had a presence that projected wildness and the audience actually feared him. He was believed to be legitimately dangerous and he went to extensive lengths to protect his character, which increased the perception that he was uncontrollable. Evidence of just how believable Farhat was as a character is that he was over as a star in every territory he wrestled for and drew major heat on a global level. Farhat worked basically every territory in the United States at some point during his career and gained equal fame in Japan as well. All of this was done without The Sheik saying a word because he didn't do promos. When you consider that he was a star for almost five decades without any mic work, it shows just how skilled he was at presenting danger to an audience.
