The Iron Sheik is one of the most notorious performers in the history of pro wrestling. Like a lot of the men from his generation, he has a big personality that more often than not led to conflicts backstage.
The Sheik doesn't hesitate to let people know that he doesn't like them. He'll proclaim his dislike to anyone willing to hear, including the people who follow him on Twitter. Though he has his fair share of grudges, the Sheik also has some good friends in the wrestling world. Here's a list of five from each side.
10 DISLIKES: Jake Roberts
The animosity between the Sheik and Jake Roberts stems from a pretty bizarre story. Sheik claims that Roberts asked him to smuggle an 8-ball of cocaine across the Canadian border for him. Sheik did it and then claimed that Roberts didn’t share as much of the loot as Sheik thought he would.
Since no one is likely to get a one-hundred-percent truthful answer to what exactly went down, Sheik’s version of events at least explains why he holds personal disdain for the Snake.
9 LIKES: Mustafa Ali
Mustafa Ali is a current WWE superstar, though he hasn’t been on TV since October 2021. Nonetheless, the Sheik is very fond of Mustafa Ali and has voiced his support for him since Mustafa came into the WWE. Mustafa, in turn, occasionally puts opponents like Mansoor in the Camel Clutch as a tribute to the Sheik. The Sheik is very appreciative of this homage.
8 DISLIKES: Hulk Hogan
If you follow the Sheik on Twitter, you’re probably aware of his absolute hatred of Hulk Hogan. There are two main narratives as to how this hatred came about. The first says that when Sheik dropped the WWF title to Hogan, Hogan promised to return the favor down the road. Sheik likely expected a big-money feud with Hogan, but that storyline never came to be. Sheik, understandably, felt a bit betrayed.
The second story says that in the mid-'90s, the Sheik needed a job and called Hogan to get him into WCW. Hogan never called him back, and Sheik allegedly holds it against him to this day.
7 LIKES: Sargent Slaughter
The Iron Sheik and Sargent Slaughter were two-thirds of the Triangle of Terror alongside General Adnan. Though the trio broke up in the '90s, Sheik and Sarge still have a lot of respect for each other, and consider each other good friends. The two have known each other since Sarge was training under Verne Gagne. The Sheik worked as one of Sarge’s trainers, and the two of them worked together on the side for a roofing company owned by Sarge’s father.
6 DISLIKES: Brian Blair
Brian Blair, one-half of the Killer Bees, had a knack for getting under the Sheik’s skin. Sheik hates him, but the reason why depends on who you ask. Blair claims that he got the better of the Sheik during a grappling bout, and the Sheik held it against him ever since. The Iron Sheik, on the other hand, says that Blair claimed he was a better amateur wrestler than him. This understandably bothered the Sheik, who won an Olympic gold medal for Greco-Roman-style wrestling. The exact reason, though, will likely remain unclear.
5 LIKES: Nikolai Volkoff
The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff were an intimidating heel tag team in the 1980s. The pair capitalized on the WWF fans’ disdain for Iran and the Soviet Union and used their nationalities to anger people across America. The Iron Sheik calls Nikolai his best friend, even after Nikolai’s passing in 2018. The Sheik’s tag team partner was certainly not just a kayfabe friend, but a real-life brother to him.
4 DISLIKES: The Ultimate Warrior
The major incident that showed disdain between these two personalities took place at an autograph signing in New Jersey, back in 2007. The Iron Sheik’s manager, Eric Simms, apparently brought Sheik over to Warrior for a photo opportunity. This was a mistake on his part.
Both the manager and Sheik himself weren’t aware that they had heat with Warrior, but he did. The Iron Sheik offered a handshake to Warrior, which was rejected. The Iron Sheik felt disrespected and challenged Warrior to a fight before spitting on the floor and leaving.
3 LIKES: Bret Hart
While Bret Hart and the Sheik have more than their fair share of gripes within the wrestling world, the two of them actually seem on good terms. The Sheik occasionally takes a break from yelling about his hatred of Hulk Hogan on Twitter to tweet about how much he likes Bret Hart. The most recent of these tweets without any profanity was posted in 2016. He wrote, “BRET HART I LOVE YOU FOREVER.”
The Iron Sheik on Twitter: "BRET HART I LOVE YOU FOREVER" / Twitter
2 DISLIKES: Andre The Giant
Andre the Giant, as fondly as he’s remembered, wasn’t always a perfect fit into the “gentle giant” trope. In a documentary by HBO about Andre, Hulk Hogan explained that wrestlers who tried to be tough guys in the locker room usually became a target of Andre’s stiff shots in the ring. Sheik himself had a habit of being stiff in the ring and wanted to make it clear who was in control. After a match between the two, Sheik was angry about being stiffed by the massive Frenchman. Sheik also claims that Andre was rude to a fan who asked for an autograph, which made Sheik even angrier with the giant.
1 LIKES: The Rock
The Rock, perhaps the biggest star to come out of the wrestling world, cites the Sheik as one of his biggest influences. Though a lot of fans tend to give The Rock credit for popularizing the word “jabroni,” he’s asserted that he actually got it from the Sheik. The Iron Sheik was one of the WWF’s biggest stars when The Rock’s dad, Rocky Johnson, was in the company. The Sheik and The Rock have a mutual fondness for each other that stems back to the very beginning of The Rock’s wrestling career.