The Sheik of Baghdad: Tales of Celebrity and Terror from Pro Wrestling's General

Saddam Hussein used a boyhood friend of his as a smoke screen when he was grabbing control of Iraq in the 1960s. Knowing that the country was enamored with wrestling, Hussein forced his former classmate, Adnan Al-Kaissy, to wrestle in giant spectacles that the public loved. Much like the gladiator matches staged by Roman Caesars, Hussein's wrestling matches featured Al-Kaissy were intended to entertain and appease the masses while Hussein became dictator.