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It was only a few weeks ago that A&E aired a Biography on The Iron Sheik, but perhaps the most surprising part of it was that The Sheik himself, Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, appeared to be interviewed for the actual documentary. Surprising, since he had publicly become a recluse in recent years, an absence from professional wrestling brought on by equal parts health issues, sadness and age.
For fans who grew up of age watching 1980s professional wrestling, The Iron Sheik in his prime was as responsible for their window into what at the time was a crazy, fluorescent fever dream of good vs. evil as anyone else not named Hulk Hogan. Sure, you may have discovered Macho Man Randy Savage or Tito Santana or Ricky Steamboat or Big John Studd, but if there was a “Big Bang” moment that lit the flame of professional wrestling, it was Hulk Hogan wrestling The Iron Sheik inside Madison Square Garden on January 23, 1984.
That was the night Hulkamania became entrenched in professional wrestling forever. Sure, Hogan was already one of the hottest stars around thanks to Rocky III and his AWA and New Japan Pro Wrestling runs, but for him to be super-charged into immortality, he needed something truly special to light the rocket into outer space. That was The Iron Sheik.
With a shiny chrome dome, a legitimate bad-ass aura, a pair of curled toe boots, a pro wrestling pedigree second to none, and an entire generation’s worth of Xenophobia as the engine that ascended The Sheik to his WWF Championship win over Bob Backlund, for young wrestling fans, he was the literal walking embodiment of all that was evil in the world. The Sheik was an intruding malcontent, spitting in the face of everything that is meant to be American, a wedge that dared to split freedom in half, leaving it in tatters.
The same year Red Dawn featured American teenagers fighting off Soviet Invaders in movie theaters, it was the Sheik who walked the aisle in professional wrestling arenas and television screens across the country, antagonizing every single American watching. His finisher, the Camel Clutch, was a feared submission hold, reminding everyone watching of the Iran Hostage Crisis that saw 50 Americans held against their will for several years just by its very existence before them….and he closed 1983 as the reigning WWF Champion, having defeated the All-American Bob Backlund, who very much represented good old fashioned Americana as much as Disneyland’s Main Street does today.
Things couldn’t be more bleak for WWF fans in that era, especially young children, until there was a spark in the darkness. A red and yellow spark in Hulk Hogan, who ascended like the sun to stand tall against evil. Long before Chuck Norris and Sylvester Stallone ascended to cinematic action-junkie Halls of Fame machine-gunning foreign menaces, it was Terry Bollea “Hulking up” to defeat the most iniquitous professional wrestler to ever reign over the WWF title. It was the ultimate in good vs. evil for professional wrestling at the time, a precursor to Wrestlemania III’s Hogan vs. Andre the Giant showdown.
Sure, Roddy Piper ignited Wrestlemania and may have been Hulk Hogan’s ultimate antagonist, but without The Iron Sheik, the foundation for what supported the WWF’s national expansion, the insanity of Hulkamania’s popularity, the Rock N’ Wrestling Connection, Wrestlemania itself, and everything that came after as WWF evolved into WWE and a global entity, would have been far more spotty.
The irony is that the very thing that made Sheik’s push and portrayal so excellent, the anti-American sentiment that boomeranged back at him from wrestling fans with pure rage and fury could never exist today. There would be too much concern about the heat for such a portrayal blowing back on the publicly-traded WWE today. But in 1983, it was all about pissing off red-blooded Americans and getting them to part with their money so that they had the honor of watching the evil Iranian stomped to pieces by their Real American Hero, The Incredible Hulk Hogan.
Without The Iron Sheik playing the devil, Hulk Hogan doesn’t get to be the angel that saves WWF, it’s fans and the WWF Championship, rescuing them from the gates of hell to return them to safety.
When Hogan escaped The Camel Clutch, it was the heartbeat of America fighting back against doubt. When Hogan dropped the Atomic Legdrop, it was the entirety of America giving the collective middle finger against all who pushed against them. When Hogan hooked the leg and the referee counted three, all was right with the world. Good, no, American greatness reigned supreme over all as Superman had saved the Planet yet again, only this time, it wasn’t in a comic book or a movie screen, but it was right there, in real life, playing out before everyone in Madison Square Garden to cheer on and believe in.
That ten minute segment may be the most important in professional wrestling history. Without it, there certainly would have been sports-entertainment and a WWE growth and expansion, but would it have started out as perfectly as it did? Would it have worked as well without The Sheik? It’s possible, but not probable.
That’s how important The Iron Sheik was that day, and to professional wrestling.
The Sheik’s career was made that day forever, because he’ll always be the man that Hulk Hogan beat to kick off the most important chapter of professional wrestling up until that point in time - and in doing his part to make professional wrestling that vibrant and great that night, he’ll be forever part of the pantheon of the true class of legends that helped re-shape professional wrestling into Vince McMahon’s image.
There are so many chapters and stories to The Iron Sheik’s life and career. Olympic greatness. Migrating to the United States. Training under Verne Gagne. Adventures in Canada as The Great Hossein Arab. Journeys through the territory era. Uniting with Nikolai Volkoff. Sgt. Slaughter brawls. Legendary promos with Gene Mean. Introducing Hacksaw Duggan as the next great patriotic WWF babyface hero. Decimating the rule of kayfabe by getting caught and arrested with Duggan while they were supposed to be feuding.
After his WWF firing, the stories and legends continued, as he took his credibility to WCW and put over Sting before disappearing. Then, there were endless independent appearances for promotions great and small, all of which he gave instant credibility and awareness just by bringing The Iron Sheik to someone's local High School or VFW Hall, where he wrestled, brawled and even did the Macarena once in Yardville, NJ. Return appearances in WWF. His legendary love of medicinal…well…everything.
Equally legendary and silly stories that never stopped being added to The Sheik’s resume and legend. Stories that include Sheik trying to carny his way out of meals in exchange for signed photos. . Winning the Gimmick Battle Royal in his final Wrestlemania match because, allegedly, he couldn’t take the bump out of the ring. His afterlife as a cantankerous, hilarious, bitter guest on Howard Stern, slamming the hell out of Hulk Hogan. Claims of breaking people’s backs and making them humble. Slapping and humbling an unsuspecting Brian Blair at a Wrestling Roast. A WWE biography that was said to be so insane and honest that it couldn’t be published (and to this day, it’s locked away). His legendary WWE Hall of Fame induction - DAN GABLE! ASK KURT ANGLE ABOUT DAN GABLE! - that remains a cherished memory for anyone in attendance that night in Los Angeles. Sheik being featured as a character on NBC's Young Rock.
Even after the real life tragedy of the murder of his daughter, along with the mileage of a life taking bumps, aging and medicating all that he was dealing with, Sheik remained an icon even as he quietly slipped out of sight, but never off the landscape thanks to a Twitter account that was equal parts lovable and insane. The Iron Sheik evolved from Anti-American villain to everyone’s somewhat (OK, really) insane Uncle that we all acknowledged as out of control, but you still had to love him.
There are lots of other stories that have yet to be told. Some will come out now that he’s passed on. Some will never be revealed publicly, either because they are so insane you’ll never believe them or perhaps the statute of limitations has yet to expire.
There is one thing we all know for sure. The passing of The Iron Sheik yesterday pretty much unified the professional wrestling world with equal parts sympathy, sadness and nostalgia. Given his most infamous role in professional wrestling was to create strife and anger among American fans and drive them to hate him for representing standing against everything they held most dear, it’s both ironic and befitting that Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, the man behind one of the most iconic WWE villains of all time, was cheered for what he accomplished in life in a way he never would have wanted while competing in the ring.
Good job Bubba.
May you rest in peace and may your family be always be proud of what you accomplished.
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