Blood and Fire: The Unbelievable Real-Life Story of Wrestling’s Original Sheik - BOOK REVIEW
I may be biased, but there are few things better in life than a great wrestling book. The sheer amount of hours that can be spent reviewing the history of the business is a vast undertaking, but for the dedicated, there is so much out there. Many of the best wrestling books are usually the ones written by the talent themselves, the people that were there. Bret Hart’s Hitman still stands tall above the rest in many people’s eyes, myself included. But there are numerous other greats out there, notably those written by Gary Hart, Jim Ross and Chris Jericho. Given their unique position of spending years in the business, you get an unfiltered look at the many facets of the industry, sometimes including the darker side of things. The books that usually don’t succeed as well are first and foremost the ones written under the umbrella of WWE, as there is no way the company would approve of some of the seedier aspects making it out into the wild. Then there are the ones written by third parties, as usually the writers will embellish or make up scenarios that clearly never happened or just don’t have enough information to warrant a full biography.
Enter Brian R. Solomon with his biography of one of the most reclusive and kayfabe protecting stars to maybe ever exist in the business. A multi-year undertaking with perhaps an unheard-of level of research and devotion to accuracy, Solomon has scored big with Blood And Fire. A biography of a man who many modern wrestling fans have never heard of, outside of the fact that he was also the uncle of Sabu, the story of Edward Farhat, a.k.a. The Sheik, is not only incredible in many ways, but is also an important story to tell to fully understand how the business operated in a bygone era.
The book covers Farhat’s life throughout the years, with an obvious emphasis on his entry into the wrestling business, becoming the Sheik and his decision to maintain kayfabe above all other things. His ascent to becoming the owner and booker of Big Time Wrestling, the Detroit-based wrestling promotion that went on a tear through the late 1960s and 70s.
Of course, no good story is complete without a redemption arc, and The Sheik was no different. Following Vince McMahon taking the WWF national and changing the landscape of professional wrestling, Sheik would hit rock bottom, but through both training his nephew Terry, who would become Sabu, and his resurgence in importance thanks to Atsushi Onita and his FMW promotion, The Sheik would get one last run in a modern setting before his mounting health issues and age would finally put him into retirement.
The most astonishing thing about the book is the insane amount of detail covered, given Sheik’s reliance on fully maintaining kayfabe to the point that it affected his personal life. The reluctance of Sheik’s remaining family would also cause a roadblock that would defer most writers from completing the work, but through years of research and poring over the remaining records of the era, Solomon puts together a narrative that is both easy to read and fascinating to discover. Stories from many historians and people in the know jump off the page (or screen if you’re reading digitally as I did). Some things you simply cannot believe, such as Sheik’s booking of himself in a gigantic undefeated streak in Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens over many years, with numerous legends such as Bruno Sammartino and Andre The Giant not even being able to pin the man himself.
As someone who prides himself on reading as many books on the topic as I possibly can, I have no doubt in saying that Blood and Fire is easily the best wrestling book not written by a talent themselves and is easily one of the most fascinating and informative books on the sport ever written. Solomon has positioned himself as a true expert on not only The Sheik himself but the sport and the era itself.
I’ve always said that if you have a hard time putting down a book and want to keep reading, you’ve got yourself a great book. And Blood and Fire is definitely one that you will not want to put down until the final pages have been read.
Final Score: 9/10
Note: This review was completed on the Kindle edition of the book, purchased by the reviewer.