Ernie Roth

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the American professional wrestling manager billed in the WWF as The Grand Wizard. For the later similarly ring-named WWF manager "The Wizard", see King Curtis Iaukea.

Ernie Roth
Roth as "The Grand Wizard", 1982
Birth nameIrwin Roth
Born(1926-08-30)August 30, 1926[1][2]
Canton, Ohio, U.S.
DiedOctober 12, 1983(1983-10-12) (aged 57)
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Cause of deathHeart Attack
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)The Grand Wizard of Wrestling
The Grand Wizard
J. Wellington Radcliffe
Mr. Clean
Abdullah Farouk
Armstrong K.
Billed height5 ft 7 in (170 cm)[3]
Billed weight130 lb (59 kg)[1]
Billed fromFort Lauderdale, Florida[3]
Debut1958

Irwin "Ernie" Jacob Roth (August 30, 1926 – October 12, 1983), known by the

class of 1995
.

Professional wrestling career

Abdullah Farouk (1958-1974)

Ernie Roth got his start in the entertainment business as a disc jockey.

The Sheik.[3]
He frequently appeared on the Toronto and Detroit wrestling circuit, where local announcer Lord Athol Layton would usually refer to him as "The weasel, Abdullah Farouk".

Sporting a turban, Farouk took great pains in trying to control his madman protégé.[1] But he also carved a niche for himself as a deceitful, underhanded character who insulted US fans whenever he had a chance.[1] Farouk was a pioneer of "manager interference", as he physically would attempt to alter a match's outcome in the Sheik's favor.[3] This sort of interference was rare at the time.[2]

The Grand Wizard (1971-1983)

Roth began a stint with the

Jewish,[2] 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.[7]

Almost immediately after arrival in 1971, the Wizard managed Black Jack Mulligan and "Beautiful Bobby" Harmon. He later led

Superstar Billy Graham, to the very same championship on April 30, 1977, when Graham overcame Bruno Sammartino in Baltimore.[3][1] 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 Grand Wizard in 1982

The Wizard managed the first

"Cowboy" Bob Orton[3] and The Masked Superstar.[12]

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 and death

Roth was revealed posthumously to be homosexual, although some claim they were aware of his sexual orientation during his lifetime.[13][14] He was the godfather of protégé Don Muraco's daughter. His parents were Evrum (Edward) Roth and Rizel (Rose) Stern.[15] 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.

On October 12, 1983, Roth died of a

class of 1995 by his friend and protégé Sgt. Slaughter.[3]

Awards and accomplishments

See also
  • List of Jewish professional wrestlers

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Slagle, Steve. "The Grand Wizard". Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on January 25, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  2. ^
    ISBN 9781451604504
    – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "The Grand Wizard bio". WWE. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  4. ISBN 978-1-4766-6728-7
    .
  5. ^ "WrestlingClassics.com Message Board: Ernie Roth". wrestlingclassics.com. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  6. ISBN 978-0-7434-6316-4
    .
  7. ISBN 9781434942623
    – via Google Books.
  8. ^ "Beautiful Bobby Harmon". Obsessed with Wrestling.com. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  9. ISBN 978-0-7440-3510-0
    .
  10. ISBN 978-1-61321-696-5
    .
  11. ^ "Ernie Ladd". WWE. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  12. ISBN 978-0-86547-903-6
    .
  13. ISBN 978-1-55490-299-6
    .
  14. ^ Oliver, Greg (June 19, 2006). "Managers DVD frustrating but entertaining". Canoe.ca. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  15. ^ "Jon-Roth - User Trees - Genealogy.com". familytreemaker.genealogy.com.
  16. ^ "PWI Awards". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Kappa Publishing Group. Archived from the original on January 21, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2017.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ernie Roth.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ernie_Roth&oldid=1227694459"