WWE Hallof Famer and former WWF World Champion the Iron Sheik passed away at 81. “WWE is saddened to hear of the passing of WWE Hall of Famer The Iron Sheik, and extends its condolences to his family, friends, and fans.”
Post via Instagram/WWE
The Iron Sheik whose real name was Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri was born in Iran in 1942 and regarded as one of the biggest heels in pro wrestling and played intrical part of the berth of sports entertainment in the 1980’s with his historic battles inside the squared circle.
The Iron Sheik won the prestigious WWF World Heavyweight Championship against Bob Backlund in December 1983 then lost to Hulk Hogan in front of 20,000+ fans at the world famous Madison Square Garden in New York City in January 1984. The Hulkster escaped the Camel Clutch and dropped the big leg to win the historic title and Hulkamania ran wild worldwide! Check out the video with commentary from the late great Gorilla Monsoon.
The Iron Sheik’s rep and family announced the sad news via Twitter where he often unleashed his anger on the world and was known to call people Jabroni’s and drop the S and F Bombs! In true SHEIKY fashion just 15 hours before his death his account run by his managers Jian and Page Magen tweeted “F— THE WILDFIRES” in reference to all the smoke that has filled the skies from forest fires.
“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. 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.”
https://twitter.com/the_ironsheik/status/1666462933604265990?s=20
As a tag team partner with Nikolai Volkoff, with manager “Classy” Freddie Blassie, they won the WWF (World) Tag Team Championship from The U.S. Express (Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo) at the first WrestleMania at Madison Square Garden. Part of the tag tagteam’s regular entrance consisted of waving the flags of Iran and the Soviet Union, then demanding that the crowd be quiet and “show respect” while Volkoff sang a rough version of the Soviet national anthem, a demand that usually only attracted boos from the usually pro-American crowds. Sheik then usually grabbed the mic and would say “Iran number 1, Russia number 1, USA (and Canada) followed by him spitting on the ground.
Check out the video with Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse The Body Ventura.
RIP Iron Sheik
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