There is perhaps no wrestler who epitomizes the colorful era of 80's wrestling quite like Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, better known as The Iron Sheik. Acting as one of the top heels for WWF in the 1980s, Sheik's anti-American persona made him the perfect opponent for the likes of Hulk Hogan, making him the go-to template for foreign heels in the future.
Shades of Sheik's influence can still be seen in characters like Rusev, and his devastating 'Camel Clutch' submission move is one of the most recognizable holds in all of wrestling. There is no shortage of stories about the antics of The Iron Sheik, who might very well be just as famous for his life outside of the ring as he is for his time inside the squared circle.
10 Legendary Feud With Hulk Hogan
With the Iron Sheik being the ultimate bad-guy of his time, he was destined for success in the Golden Age of the WWF. His persona catapulted him to the top of the card after defeating Bob Backlund for the WWF title in 1983.
Just a few short months later, Sheik lost the title to Hulk Hogan in what many consider to be the birth of 'Hulkamania.' Things could have gone quite differently for the Hulkster, as Sheik was now infamously offered a six-figure bounty by rival promoter Verne Gagne, who sought revenge against Hulk Hogan following his departure from Gagne's AWA. Sheik refused the offer and worked the match as planned. While Sheik proved he had honor within the ring, his distaste for Hogan would not be contained outside of the squared circle, as he has now become famous for his expletive-ridden rants on the Hulkster.
9 Fighting A Football Team With Bruno Sammartino
The Iron Sheik and Bruno Sammartino proved just how tough wrestlers are when they took on half a dozen football players in an unexpected backstage brawl. The story goes that Sammartino, who was in his 50s at the time, was backstage at a WWF show working as an agent. Sammartino had been retired for some time but remained involved with the company, including a stint managing his son David.
When Sammartino was approached by ex-CFL player Dave Flemming, the exchange quickly turned violent. Flemming, who was flanked by five other teammates, took exception to Sammartino's request to clear out of the backstage area, and the Italian legend quickly found himself outnumbered. That was until The Iron Sheik intervened, helping to even the odds and, as Sammartino has since put it in interviews, "clean house."
8 Breaking Kayfabe With Jim Duggan
While The Iron Sheik only enjoyed a brief run as champion, his success in the ring continued well into the '80s. One of his main rivals became Hacksaw Jim Duggan, another all-American babyface who sported the American flag on his way to the ring.
This was quite the contrast to the former Iranian soldier, whose anti-American ways were the trademark of his success as a heel. The two shared a friendship outside of the ring and regularly rode together from town to town, but were unfortunately arrested for the possession of drugs while traveling together in 1987. Legal trouble was bad enough, but the two rivals being spotted together in public was an even worse offense in the eyes of WWF management. Breaking kayfabe in the 80s was strictly forbidden, as the public still largely bought into the idea of wrestling as being real. Sheik was dismissed from the WWF as a result of this incident.
7 Trouble At The Border
Another incident involved Sheik, who was traveling across the Canadian border with his tag team partner Nikolai Volkoff, as well as Rene Goulet and 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper. Piper, who was no stranger at causing trouble, detailed the story on his podcast, where he explained that the group of wrestlers was stopped by border patrolmen while they were in possession of illegal drugs, including marijuana.
Thankfully for the four wrestlers, law enforcement never found anything suspicious But Sheik's unwillingness to cooperate, combined with his over-the-top personality did not make for a pleasant situation. As Piper pointed out in his podcast, this incident came during a time of national crisis, as the United States was locked in a heated hostage crisis with Sheik's native Iran. One unlucky move and three Hall of Famers could have easily found themselves in a world full of trouble.
6 Altercation With Brian Blair
The Iron Sheik may be the only wrestler who is more famous for his feuds outside of the ring rather than the ones in-between the ropes. One such occasion occurred when Sheik famously attacked Brian Blair of The Killer Bees, a tag team from the same era as Sheik.
Sheik's bad luck with handshakes continued the following year. After Blair greeted Sheik with a handshake at a 2008 convention, he was greeted back with a slap to the face. Sheik, citing past issues between the two as his reasoning for the attack, gave a famous shoot interview detailing his hatred for Blair and others in 2004. Both events were caught on camera and can still be seen today, much to many wrestling fans' pleasure.
5 Past Issues With Drugs
As has been mentioned, The Iron Sheik's affinity for the occasional illegal substance has caused the wrestler to face a number of issues in the past. One of the more infamous incidents involved independent wrestler RJ Skinner, who blogged about his experience with Sheik here.
Sheik, having been heavily intoxicated the night before, sought the aid of 'magic mushrooms' to cure him of his hangover. Naturally, Sheik was unable to make his appearance after ingesting the psychedelic fungus. His no-show incited a riot out of the crowd, who stormed the parking lot and refused to let the former WWF Champion get away with his transgressions. Sheik had to be escorted back to his hotel by police.
4 Trolling On Twitter
While The Iron Sheik is certainly known for his feuds against fellow legends like Hulk Hogan and Sgt. Slaughter, he has gained a whole new following in modern fans through his infamous Twitter feuds and tirades. Sheik is known for a level of obscene randomness that could only come from someone as crazy as The Sheik.
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At least, that's what many people think. It turns out that these legendary tweets are actually the product of a Toronto-based writing team, who pump out the vulgar messages in an effort to boost the Iranian's stock as an internet comedy sensation.
3 The Ultimate Challenge: Rob Ford VS The Iron Sheik
Speaking of Toronto, you can add the former mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, to Sheik's list of rivals. The late Ford, who died in March of 2016, had a history of substance abuse that proved to be a major disruption to his political career. After video footage emerged of Ford smoking crack-cocaine, his time in the political spotlight began to come to an end.
That was not before he was visited by the WWE Hall of Famer, who arrived at Toronto's City Hall in November of 2013. His goal? To defeat Rob Ford in an arm-wrestling match, who had defeated Hulk Hogan in a publicity stunt of sorts a few months prior. Sheik's challenge was snubbed by the Toronto mayor.
2 A Four-Decade Long Career
Though it's impossible to ignore the slew of incidents outside the ring, The Iron Sheik's in-ring accomplishments should not go unnoticed. He was the first and only Iranian to ever win the WWF Championship and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.
It wasn't until 2010 that The Iron Sheik wrestled his final professional match for the independent promotion MWF, though he has still remained active as a manager. Sheik began his professional career in 1972, training for Verne Gagne's AWA. Having wrestled for just short of 40 years, it goes without saying that Sheik carries with him a lifetime of experience.
1 The Invention Of The Word 'Jabroni'
In what may be The Iron Sheik's greatest contribution, the Iranian legend is credited by The Rock as being the inventor of the term 'jabroni.' One of the most well-known wrestling slang terms, this word made its way into the mainstream thanks to the popularity of The Rock, but it was Sheik that first started using the term.
In fact, jabroni was just recently added by Dictionary.com, gaining official dictionary status in the site's recent September update. When you are literally altering the English language, you know that your impact on the world is real. Jabroni making its way to the dictionary is just another bullet-point on Sheik's Hall of Fame resume.