RIP The Iron Sheik
Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2023 11:00 am
The Iron Sheik, Iconic Pro-Wrestling Heel, Dead at 81
THE IRON SHEIK, the notorious pro-wrestling villain who warred with Hulk Hogan in the 1980s and whose gimmick capitalized on U.S. tensions with Iran, has died at 81. The Sheik’s death was announced Wednesday via his popular yet polarizing Twitter account, which helped turn the sports-entertainment cult figure into an online presence.
“Today, we gather with heavy hearts to bid farewell to a true legend, a force of nature, and an iconic figure who left an incredible mark on the world of professional wrestling,” the post read. “We also take great solace in knowing that he departed this world peacefully, leaving behind a legacy that will endure for generations to come.”
Born Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri in Damghan, Iran, in 1942, the Iron Sheik began his wrestling career in the Greco-Roman style and competed to represent his country in the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. From there, he emigrated to the United States and discovered the outsized world of professional wrestling, making his debut in the WWF (now called the WWE) in 1979 before floating around regional promotions until rejoining the organization in 1983. That year, he defeated Bob Backlund for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship belt after putting Backlund in the Sheik’s signature finisher, the Camel Clutch.
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/cu ... LUhoh5VVhI
THE IRON SHEIK, the notorious pro-wrestling villain who warred with Hulk Hogan in the 1980s and whose gimmick capitalized on U.S. tensions with Iran, has died at 81. The Sheik’s death was announced Wednesday via his popular yet polarizing Twitter account, which helped turn the sports-entertainment cult figure into an online presence.
“Today, we gather with heavy hearts to bid farewell to a true legend, a force of nature, and an iconic figure who left an incredible mark on the world of professional wrestling,” the post read. “We also take great solace in knowing that he departed this world peacefully, leaving behind a legacy that will endure for generations to come.”
Born Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri in Damghan, Iran, in 1942, the Iron Sheik began his wrestling career in the Greco-Roman style and competed to represent his country in the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. From there, he emigrated to the United States and discovered the outsized world of professional wrestling, making his debut in the WWF (now called the WWE) in 1979 before floating around regional promotions until rejoining the organization in 1983. That year, he defeated Bob Backlund for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship belt after putting Backlund in the Sheik’s signature finisher, the Camel Clutch.
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/cu ... LUhoh5VVhI