In Memoriam: Iron Sheik

Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, the pro wrestler known as the Iron Sheik, has died. His family made the announcement on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, though they did not disclose his cause of death. He was 81 years old.

“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 family wrote on Twitter. “It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of The Iron Sheik, but we also take solace in knowing that he departed this world peacefully, leaving behind a legacy that will endure for generations to come.”

Iron Sheik was one of the greatest villains in pro wrestling. In the 1980s when tensions were high with the Middle East, he provoked wrestling fans with a pro-Iranian, anti-American stance. He had generation defining wrestling matches with patriotic wrestlers like Hulk Hogan and Sgt. Slaughter. In his later years, he established a thriving following on social media.

Vaziri was born on March 15, 1942, in Damghan, Iran where he started wrestling as a child. He moved to the US in the late ‘60s where he became the Amateur Athletic Union Greco-Roman wrestling champion and an assistant coach for the US Olympic wrestling team in ’72.

Shortly after that, his pro wrestling career began at American Wrestling Association where a promotor suggested he become a heel using the name “Sheik.” It was then that Vaziri created his signature look with a bald head, buffo mustache, and boots with the toe curled upward. In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, he bounced around different pro wrestling circuits before landing at World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment).

As the Iron Sheik, he challenged heavy weight champion Bob Backlund, winning the match and the title. He had a big title defense against Hulk Hogan, nearly ending the match with his signature camel clutch before Hogan came back and won the match. That event is considered the beginning of Hogan’s popular Hulkamania run. He also had a bitter rivalry with Sgt. Slaughter, including a brutal “Boot Camp Rules” match.

Further establishing his heel reputation, he joined Nikolai Volkoff (who had a pro-Soviet Union schtick) to become a tag team. During that time, he appeared in Cyndi Lauper’s “Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough” music video and was regularly on the Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling animated series.

In ’87, he was arrested for possession of cocaine in a highly publicized traffic incident. After that, his appearances in WWF matches dwindled to house shows, then he left later that year. He bounced around different pro wrestling circuits, including returns to the WWF for several years after that. Iron Sheik was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 and continued to periodically make appearances as his character.