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Mike Iles reflects on General Skandar Akbar

Posted: Aug 23rd 2010 By: mikeiles

I normally don't do a lot of the original writing here at Oklafan. I usually leave that for Burnham. Aside from an occasional show recap, I usually just find the tidbits you see in The Scoop. But after the recent passing of Skandar Akbar, I felt the need to express my fondness for The General.

I grew up watching Mid-South Wrestling (later the Universal Wrestling Federation) because they were on local TV. When my family got cable, I started watching World Class Championship Wrestling and the National Wrestling Alliance. I didn't like the World Wrestling Federation because they only showed "squash matches" and their wrestlers were a little too cartoony. Of course then WWF wrestlers were actually a Saturday morning cartoon, but I am veering off subject. Mid-South and World Class were my early favorites.

I remember guys in Mid-South like Bob Sweetan, Ted DiBiase, Hercules Hernandez, Steve Williams, The Rock-N-Roll Express, Buddy Landel, Jim Duggan, Butch Reed, and so many more. In WCCW, it was the Von Erichs, Chris Adams, Gino Hernandez, Jake Roberts, The Fabulous Freebirds, Iceman King Parsons, and the list could go on and on. But one manager stuck out the most to me in both of these feds, General Skandar Akbar.

Akbar called his stable Devastation, Inc. A motley group of bad guys. Guys like King Kong Bundy, The Super Destroyers, Kamala the Ugandan Giant, The Missing Link, and a lot more. He waged war on the Von Erichs. He waged war on Hacksaw Jim Duggan. He was one of the most hated individuals in wrestling. Watching wrestling back in those days, you cheered the good guys. Back then, it was rare you came across a wrestling fan that liked the bad guys. But Skandar Akbar intrigued me. Sure there were other managers like Gary Hart or Jim Cornette. But Akbar was the main guy in my book.

I attended a local wrestling show at a hotel in Tulsa and Akbar was on the card. The other guys I remember being on the card were Tom Jones and J. J. Mustang. I was excited to see one of the guys I grew up watching up close. I remember as he left the ringside area I said "Hey Akbar, your camel is double parked" and without hesitation he replied "Yeah, and George Bush is milking him". Simply awesome.

I got to meet Akbar on November 10, 2007 at the very last All American Championship Wrestling event, which was held at Farmer's Market in Oklahoma City. At the time, I was the commissioner of Impact Zone Wrestling, but I had promised AACW promoter Damien Strange that I would be at the show. When I walked into the locker room there was Akbar sitting on a chair. I blew right past all the other wrestlers in the locker room and made a beeline to Akbar. I introduced myself to him saying "Mr. Akbar it's a pleasure to meet you sir. You scared the crap out of me when I was a kid". He chuckled and asked why. I told him it was because he was able to throw fire. I sat down on the couch next to him and listened to his stories about his career. At one point he mentioned that he and Danny Hodge had sold out the local auditorium in a town in Arkansas just weeks earlier. I said "Well dang Ak, you and Danny have been feuding for 50 years. I think you have it down pat". He laughed and said "You're right Big Mike". That just made my whole day. He called me Big Mike.

On February 2, 2008 I had finished a show with IZW and headed over to Sooner World Class Wrestling's Underground Arena to pick up the results of their show for Oklafan and to say hello to some people. I walked in and saw Koko B. Ware and Kamala sitting backstage waiting to leave. I said hello and started looking around for someone that could get me the results. Kevin James Sanchez was helping me out when in walked Akbar. He said "Well there he is. Where ya been Big Mike?" Again, that made my day. He remembered our conversation we had a few months back. We talked again and I told him it was good seeing him again before I left.

I was very saddened to hear that Akbar had passed away. He died at the age of 75. He lived a full life. Although he never worked for Vince McMahon and the WWF or Ted Turner and WCW or ECW and he wasn't a part of the Monday Night Wars, he was one of the most revered managers pro wrestling has ever seen. He also touched so many lives in and around Oklahoma and Texas. He helped train former NWA Oklahoma Heavyweight Champions Spoiler 2000 and Slam Shady, former NWA Universal Tag Team Champions The Bounty Hunter and Bash, and NWA Oklahoma Tag Team Champion American Anarchy.

I have a picture of me and Akbar from the night I met him. He is growling and has the riding crop cocked back while I am grinning ear to ear. My wife jokes with me that he "should have had his head thing on" but I don't care. To me Skandar Akbar is always going to be the despised villain that could throw fire and scare me to death.

Rest in peace General.