Professional wrestling said goodbye to one is most colorful performers of all-time, The Iron Sheik, who passed away at the age of 81.
Born Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri in Iran, The Iron Sheik became a decorated amateur wrestler in his native country. Moving to the United States in 1971, he was later a coach on the U.S. Olympic Greco Roman Wrestling Team.
In 1972, he trained under AWA World Heavyweight Champion, Verne Gagne, and embarked in a career as a pro wrestler, but it was not until the end of the decade before he became a star. Now with a shaved head and distinct moustache, Sheik leaned into the anti-Iranian sentiment that stemmed from the Iranian Revolution and subsequent Hostage Crisis. He was the perfect anti-American heel, and would have success in the WWWF, Florida, Mid-South, Georgia and the Carolinas.
Returning to the WWF in 1983, The Iron Sheik shocked the wrestling world by ending Bob Backlund’s five-year-plus reign as the WWF World Heavyweight Champion. It was short-lived, as he dropped the title to Hulk Hogan a month later, but he remained a top heel in the WWF over the next few years, feuding with stars like Sgt. Slaughter and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, and would win the World Tag Team Titles with Nikolai Volkoff.
The Iron Sheik was fired from the WWF in 1987 when he was caught with drugs while travelling with his rival, Jim Duggan, though he would briefly a return a year later. After a failed run in the NWA, he had one more high-profile return in 1991, this time as Col. Mustapha. He would later appear on WWF programming as the manager of the Sultan in 1997, and would win the Gimmick Battle Royal at Wrestlemania 17.
In 2005, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, but achieved additional notoriety for his chaotic appearances in shoot interviews and the Howard Stern show. Vaziri, who had long since battled addictions to drugs and alcohol, would become clean later in life, and would entertain millions with his appearances and twitter activity.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the fans, friends, and family of The Iron Sheik.
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