I just watched "The Sheik" the documentary made recently about the Iron Shiek and it got me really thinking about the guy, his career and how people actually view him.
The doc itself is very well made, a mix of fly on the wall and talking head made by two sons of one of Sheik's childhood friends... so there is some rosetinting at times... but as it is filmed over many years, it does also show his darkside very prominently, almost uncomfortably.
First off, and I am ashamed to admit this... I have often dismissed the guy as just a nutjob who was washed up for most of the run I saw of him... and over exaggerated his career. I was very wrong, this covered a lot of his early life and all the Shah stuff is clearly true, the photos and stuff are there but also that his friend, colleauge and hero was basically murdered because he was more popular than the Shah, the man he was sworn to protect...and Sheik only saw the same in his future was quite bleak stuff... you hear of "refugees" and "Asylum" but you rarely hear good tales of people who overcome that... Sheik did and still became the "hero" he could have been in his homeland, but did so in the US where he was "safe".
What struck me was that the guy was not only in insane shape in that early part of his career, or a talented worker... but he had the look... he could have easily been the guy Vince Sr. picked instead of Billy Graham in 77 or Backlund in 78 or been feuding with Harley Race over the NWA title.
Of course he got his short title reign and his downfall was his own... but there is also some tragedy involved which I had never really heard about. When they get to his daughter's murder it's a very bitter/hard thing to see how it affected him, you see some of the effects play out for real and these two now grown up kids (one of whom became his manager) reconnect with him in a spiral... it's pretty brutal.
They turn it around of course and while they do overstate his importance on Twitter/social media it can't be disputed that "Sheiky-Baby" is one of the few doing it right.
Some parts of the doc are very uncomfortable... that they brought Snuka in to talk about the effect the murder has on parents had me nearly turn off in utter disbelief... some of Sheik's almost "pathetic" behaviours while in the pits of addiction are also hard to watch.
But the whole thing makes me wonder... could or should this guy have been more? Is he actually nuts or is he just a very unique guy with some baggage?
Bizarrely I also saw the George Takei doc and this felt like a mirror to it... two older stars rediscovering careers via social media and it making you reflect on them... do people who follow Sheik or Takei actually bother to watch any of their old stuff? or do they just do it for the crazy "make you humble" rants or "Oh My" humor?
It was a random watch but glad I did... what do you guys think about Shiek?
Is he a true legend? A Could have been, A never was? or simply a loon?
The doc itself is very well made, a mix of fly on the wall and talking head made by two sons of one of Sheik's childhood friends... so there is some rosetinting at times... but as it is filmed over many years, it does also show his darkside very prominently, almost uncomfortably.
First off, and I am ashamed to admit this... I have often dismissed the guy as just a nutjob who was washed up for most of the run I saw of him... and over exaggerated his career. I was very wrong, this covered a lot of his early life and all the Shah stuff is clearly true, the photos and stuff are there but also that his friend, colleauge and hero was basically murdered because he was more popular than the Shah, the man he was sworn to protect...and Sheik only saw the same in his future was quite bleak stuff... you hear of "refugees" and "Asylum" but you rarely hear good tales of people who overcome that... Sheik did and still became the "hero" he could have been in his homeland, but did so in the US where he was "safe".
What struck me was that the guy was not only in insane shape in that early part of his career, or a talented worker... but he had the look... he could have easily been the guy Vince Sr. picked instead of Billy Graham in 77 or Backlund in 78 or been feuding with Harley Race over the NWA title.
Of course he got his short title reign and his downfall was his own... but there is also some tragedy involved which I had never really heard about. When they get to his daughter's murder it's a very bitter/hard thing to see how it affected him, you see some of the effects play out for real and these two now grown up kids (one of whom became his manager) reconnect with him in a spiral... it's pretty brutal.
They turn it around of course and while they do overstate his importance on Twitter/social media it can't be disputed that "Sheiky-Baby" is one of the few doing it right.
Some parts of the doc are very uncomfortable... that they brought Snuka in to talk about the effect the murder has on parents had me nearly turn off in utter disbelief... some of Sheik's almost "pathetic" behaviours while in the pits of addiction are also hard to watch.
But the whole thing makes me wonder... could or should this guy have been more? Is he actually nuts or is he just a very unique guy with some baggage?
Bizarrely I also saw the George Takei doc and this felt like a mirror to it... two older stars rediscovering careers via social media and it making you reflect on them... do people who follow Sheik or Takei actually bother to watch any of their old stuff? or do they just do it for the crazy "make you humble" rants or "Oh My" humor?
It was a random watch but glad I did... what do you guys think about Shiek?
Is he a true legend? A Could have been, A never was? or simply a loon?
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