10 Wrestlers Legitimately More Unhinged Than Dean Ambrose

6. The (Original) Sheik

Cactus Jack barbed wire baseball bat
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The Iron Sheik is crazy enough. Fond of threatening to break your back, make you humble and then f*ck you in the ass, one cursory look at his infamously entertaining Twitter account is enough to raise the alarm. It's probably not legit, but this is wrestling - we should be allowed to believe in it. Sample tweet: DJ KHALED INTELLIGENT JEW #BETAwards.

The original 'noble exalted' Sheik - Ed Farhat - was, as his son described him following his death, 'hardcore before there was hardcore'. Credited with inventing the hardcore style - he would often rearrange the faces of, erm, faces with a hidden pencil - Sheik with his forked forehead and cries of 'aloo aloo!' was one of wrestling's all-time greatest villains and innovators.

So feared and loathed was he in his pomp that riots would follow him everywhere. Evidently fearless, he would infuriate promotors by brawling all over buildings, damaging them in the process. And, in a segregated 'United' States, he once did his bit for the Civil Rights movement by climbing up a balcony and ripping down the chicken wire behind which African American fans were grouped together and forced to sit.

Simply being a hardcore wrestler is berserk in itself - having the mind to invent it is altogether different kind of crazy.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!