Adnan Al-Kaissie - American Wrestling Association

American Wrestling Association

In 1981, with tensions between the US and Middle East running high, he debuted in the American Wrestling Association as "Sheik Adnan El Kaissey," where his stated goal was to win the AWA title from champion Nick Bockwinkel. He failed at that task, so he then enlisted Jerry Blackwell, now wearing a Sheik's outfit and renamed Sheik Ayatollah Jerry Blackwell, to team with him to try to win the AWA tag team titles. That failed, too, so Adnan bought Ken Patera from manager Bobby Heenan to team with Blackwell, and Adnan would act as Blackwell and Patera's manager. The team of Blackwell and Patera captured the AWA tag team titles from Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell. Adnan had to quit wrestling when he was injured, which is the real reason Patera was brought in to team with Blackwell, in 1982 at the AWA SuperSunday he teamed with blackwell in a tag team match against Vern Gagne and Mad Dog Vachon and they lost it, in 1986 at the AWA WrestleRock he lost to Vern Gagne in a steel cage, the sheik teamed with Boris Zuchov in tag team match against the The Midnight Rockers (Marty Jannetty & Shawn Michaels), he stayed in the AWA until the late 1990 as the top heel manager. Among the other wrestlers he managed after Blackwell and Patera were King Kong Brody, Nord The Barbarian, Boris Zuchov, Kokina, King Tonga, and The Mongolian Stomper.