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Irwin " Ernie" Jacob Roth (August 30, 1926 – October 12, 1983), known by the The Grand Wizard of Wrestling and Abdullah Farouk, was an American professional wrestling manager. Not a wrestler himself due to his small stature, he was noted for his flamboyant outfit of jackets, wraparound sunglasses, and a brightly colored turban decorated with jewels and feathers. He was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1995.
Sporting a fez, Farouk took great pains in trying to control his madman protégé. But he also carved a niche for himself as a deceitful, underhanded character who insulted US fans whenever he had a chance. Farouk was a pioneer of "manager interference", as he physically would attempt to alter a match's outcome in the Sheik's favor. This sort of interference was rare at the time.
Almost immediately after arrival in 1971, the Wizard managed Black Jack Mulligan and "Beautiful Bobby" Harmon. He later led Harry Fujiwara and Prof. Toru Tanaka to two reigns with the WWWF World Tag Team Championship. A year later, the Wizard led Stan Stasiak to victory over Pedro Morales for the WWF Championship in Philadelphia on December 1, 1973. The Wizard guided a second protégé, Superstar Billy Graham, to the very same championship on April 30, 1977, when Graham overcame Bruno Sammartino in Baltimore. On February 20, 1978, Bob Backlund dethroned Graham at Madison Square Garden. The Wizard made it his duty to gain revenge on Backlund, sending charges such as Don Muraco, Ken Patera and Greg Valentine after him.
The Wizard managed the 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. Other protégés of the Wizard included "Beautiful Bobby" Harmon, Killer Kowalski, "Crazy Luke" Graham, Sgt. Slaughter, "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd, Ox Baker, "Cowboy" Bob Orton and The Masked Superstar, or Masked Demon from parts unknown.
The Grand Wizard (1971–1983)
Roth began a stint with the WWE (WWWF) in the 1970s, where he became known as The Grand Wizard. Roth, who was Jewish, reportedly took the name "The Grand Wizard" as a snub to the white supremacy organization the Ku Klux Klan, whose leaders were called Grand Wizard.9781434942623, Dorrance Publishing. . ISBN 9781434942623 He also replaced his fez with a turban.
Other media
Roth on many occasions (when out of character and greasepaint mustache) co-hosted the syndicated Big Time Wrestling show with fellow announcer Bob Finnegan until 1969 when the hosting duties went to Lord Athol Layton.
Personal life
Roth was revealed posthumously to be homosexual, although some claim they were aware of his sexual orientation during his lifetime. He was the godfather of protégé Don Muraco's daughter. His parents were Evrum (Edward) Roth and Rizel (Rose) Stern. According to the autobiography of former WWE referee and wrestler Dangerous Danny Davis, Roth was also in charge of helping get the ring to all shows. The position was eventually taken over by Davis himself after Roth's death.
Death
On October 12, 1983, Roth died of a heart attack at his Fort Lauderdale, Florida home at the age of 57. In 1995, Roth was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 1995 by his friend and protégé Sgt. Slaughter.
Awards and accomplishments
See also
External links
Categories: 1926 Births, 1983 Deaths, 20th-century American Jews, 20th-century American Lgbtq People, American Gay Sportsmen, American People Of German Descent, Gay Jews, Jewish American Sportspeople, Jewish Professional Wrestlers, Lgbtq People From Florida, Lgbtq Professional Wrestlers, Sportspeople From Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Professional Wrestling Managers And Valets, Wwe Hall Of Fame Inductees, 20th-century American Sportsmen
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