The Iron Sheik

Khosrow Vaziri
File:Isheik.jpg
Born	March 15, 1943 Tehran, Iran
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	The Iron Sheik The Great Hossein Arab Khosrow Vaziri Col. Mustafa
Billed height	183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Billed weight	119 kg (262 lb)
Trained by	Verne Gagne
Debut	1972
Retired	2003

Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri (born on March 15 1943) is a retired Iranian professional wrestler better known by his stage name The Iron Sheik. He is perhaps best known for ending the near six year reign of Bob Backlund. He became the eighth WWE Champion.

Promoters claimed that this onetime bodyguard for the Shah of Iran, Iranian Army veteran and assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic wrestling team was discovered at the 1972 Olympics by AWA promoter Verne Gagne. (Although he was billed as having been a 1968 Olympic medalist, this is untrue.) Known as The Great Hossein Arab , he won his first title, the Canadian Tag Team Championship, with partner the Texas Outlaw.

This victory caught the eye of the WWF where he debuted in 1979 and won the first-ever Battle Royal in Madison Square Garden, earning him a title shot at then-champion Bob Backlund, who pinned him later that night in a 30-minute battle. He later feuded with Chief Jay Strongbow and Bruno Sammartino before leaving in 1980.

He would resurface as The Iron Sheik, and in the NWA territories. Playing off of real-life politcal matters (notably the Iran Hostage Crisis) and the animosity Americans had for the country of Iran, he moved on to the Mid-South and Mid-Atlantic territories, capturing the Mid-Atlantic title from Jim Brunzell before moving to Georgia Championship Wrestling where he had notable matches with Dusty Rhodes, Dick Murdoch and Tommy Rich, and traded the National TV title with Ron Garvin.

Vaziri would return to the WWF in 1983 as the Iron Sheik and challenged Backlund once again, defeating him on December 26, 1983 for the World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Championship.

During his title reign, Vaziri held memorable bouts against Backlund, Chief Jay Strongbow, Pat Patterson, and Tito Santana before dropping the belt just four weeks later to Hulk Hogan. The WWF's owner Vince McMahon, Jr. had wanted to take the WWF in a different direction as part of his plan to turn the WWF from a regional promotion into a national one. Part of his plan involved taking the title off of Backlund (who McMahon felt was too bland) and put it on the charismatic Hogan, who had left the AWA to wrestle for McMahon, in the process making an enemy of the AWA's owner Verne Gagne. Gagne reportedly offered the Sheik $100,000 to break Hogan's leg during the match and take the belt back to the AWA, but he refused the offer and informed Hogan, Pat Patterson, and both Vince McMahon Sr. and his son, current WWE owner Vince McMahon Jr., of the offer after the match. After engaging in a bitter feud with Sgt. Slaughter, to whom he would eventually lose a "Boot Camp Rules" match, the Iron Sheik would go on to team with Nikolai Volkoff as the "Foreign Legion", and under the management of "Classy" Freddie Blassie, won the WWF Tag Team Championship defeating the US Express at WrestleMania I. He was eventually fired from the WWF after he was arrested whilst travelling with fellow wrestler Jim Duggan, and found to be in possession of marijuana and cocaine. Duggan and Sheik happened to be feuding with one another at the time.

In 1987, the Iron Sheik competed in Dallas' World Class Championship Wrestling. He stayed with that organization for only a few months, followed by brief stints with the AWA, where he attacked Sgt. Slaughter during a match and Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council.

In 1989, he had a short stint in the National Wrestling Alliance, when he feuded with Sting over the NWA World Television Championship. However, his age had caught up with him and he didn't have the workrate he once did or what WCW official were expecting. He was turned into a jobber, but he couldn't fill that role to the bookers' expectations, either. About half a year into his stint with the company, despite having a multi-year contract, he was sent home with pay.

He returned to the WWF again in 1991 as Col. Mustafa and was aligned with former enemy Sgt. Slaughter (though it was rarely acknowledged on-camera that Mustafa was in fact the Iron Sheik). Along with General Adnan, the three played Iraqis (or, in Slaughter's case, an Iraqi sympathizer) during the first Gulf War and feuded with Hulk Hogan. Following Slaughter's face turn after SummerSlam 1991, he teamed with General Adnan until the middle of 1992, when he left the promotion again.

The Iron Sheik wrestled independently afterwards, and went on a wrestling tour to Nigeria in 1994, promoted by Chris Adams and co-sponsored by Pepsi, and featuring former WWF stars Jimmy Snuka, Greg Valentine, Demolition Ax and World Class wrestler/owner Kevin Von Erich.

In 1997, he returned to the WWF, making an appearance at Wrestlemania 13, managing The Sultan along with former rival, Bob Backlund.

He went on to wrestle in various independent promotions to age 60, and is now retired.

In 2001, at WrestleMania X-Seven The Iron Sheik was the victor of the Gimmick Battle Royal a match between several other popular wrestlers from the 1980s and 90s. Rather than being booed for winning, he was cheered as a fan favorite.

In 2005, the Iron Sheik was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his old rival, Sgt. Slaughter.

Odds and Ends

The Iron Sheik made an appearance on The Jerry Springer Show. He was introduced under his stage name, The Iron Sheik. During the segment, he came out wearing his trademark pointy boots. The audience broke out numerous times into spontaneous chants of "Sheik! Sheik! Sheik!".

WWE 24/7 chose the Iron Sheik as their featured Hall of Fame wrestler for October 2005. Selections from the video-on-demand service included a biography on his life and career, an episode of All-Star Wrestling in which the Sheik assaulted Bob Backlund with his "Persian clubs," singles matches against Sgt. Slaughter and Tito Santana, and his Tag Team Title victory with Nikolai Volkoff at WrestleMania. Volkoff and the Sheik were good friends in real-life until their friendship reportedly ended over $2. [1]

The Iron Sheik's favorite quote was "USA hack-ptooey."

Sheik is often seen wearing an American flag bandana and either a Kurt Angle shirt or a WWE Hall of Fame 2005 shirt.

During the mid-1980's, he made a pass at WWE Women's Champion Wendi Richter, but was turned down. In retaliation, he told everyone in the locker room she was a lesbian.

In 1987, the Iron Sheik was arrested for marijuana and cocaine possession in New Jersey when he was pulled over riding in a car with fellow wrestler Jim Duggan. This came as a huge shock at the time to a public where many were still under the impression that the two were enemies. Duggan was charged with possession of marijuana and drinking alcohol while driving, and Sheik was charged with possession of marijuana and cocaine. Duggan received a conditional discharge and Sheik received one year probation for the incident.

He once cut liners for the Opie and Anthony show. He also mispronounced "Opie" as "Opium."

Despite his heel (villain/antagonist) status for most of his professional career, The Iron Sheik has, in later years, often spoken kindly of "smart" fans, who he refers to as "intelligent wrestling fans" — apparently a Sheik transliteration from wrestling industry slang into proper English of the wrestling term "smart mark".

In 1994, the Sheik tried his hand at strong style professional wrestling in the UWFi in Japan. He lost by tap-out to Yoji Anjoh in about 5:30 (the in-ring action of the UWFi, though tailored to resemble an actual competitive bout, was in fact made up of predetermined outcomes).

The Iron Sheik actually wrestled as a babyface for Insane Clown Posse's Juggalo Championshit Wrestling promotion, and appears on JCW's first DVD release.

In an August 2005 interview with Dan Maloni of the Millennium Wrestling Federation, the Sheik revealed that he was formerly illiterate. He later claimed that he hates Maloni because he did not take care of him, calling him "a lowlife".

In a June 1, 2006 with wrestling website In Your Head (inyourheadonline.com), the Sheik was asked about allegations that he held someone hostage in a car. He angrily responded with a profanity laced tirade, mentioning he was a 5-time AAU wrestling champion and is an American citizen (and has been for a number of years), and telling the hosts to "take a fucking walk" before hanging up. The show ended shortly after this.

Shortly after appearing on In Your Head, Sheiky guested on Dr Keith Lipinski's Dr. Keith Show to promote his appearance on a Totally Tool event alongside promoter Joey Ryan. Shiek had a several minute long coughing fit.

The Sheik has become a regular (or "friend of the show" as they like to call it) on the Kidd Chris show on Philadelphia's 94.1 FREE FM WYSP and one of the running gags is a recording from an interview that The Sheik did with show personality "Open" Mike of The Sheik spouting off his "Pleasure for me..." phrase. In another segment constantly played between the two, "Open" Mike simply asks Sheik if he knows where Natalee Holloway is, where Sheik simply replies "Natalee Holloway?" And the interview ends right there. Both segments are very popular with the show's listeners. (http://www.kiddshow.com)

The B. Brian Blair Conflict

The Sheik has displayed hatred towards former wrestler B. Brian Blair, once a member of the tag team the "Killer Bees" with partner Jim Brunzell. During an interview conducted in 2005 with Dan Maloni of the Boston, Massachusetts based Millennium Wrestling Federation, the Sheik was asked about his appearance at WrestleMania III, where he teamed with Nikolai Volkoff against the Killer Bees. When offering his recollections about the event, Iron Sheik expressed very high praise towards Brunzell (who he also helped train for pro wrestling) for his athletic and high-jumping prowess, but displayed contempt and hatred towards Blair, referring to him as "another faggot son of a bitch", "a no good low life", "punk little gay" and a "fag", comparing him with Michael Jackson and Hulk Hogan, and expressing his desire to break Blair's back and then sodomize him.[2] The Sheik clearly views the sodomization of Blair as a means to the ends of making him a humble man. Other times, the Sheik has referred to the sodomization of Blair as giving it to him "the old country way" or, bluntly, by stating that he shall "break his back and then fuck his ass, make him humble." Why he did not "break [Blair's] back and then fuck his ass" at WrestleMania is the subject of much discussion and perhaps rests on the critical intervention of Jim Duggan, though Iron Sheik claims he did not sodomize Blair out of respect for his sport because he is a professional and "for God and Jesus and Mr. McMahon". Recently, when asked why he hates Blair, Sheik blurted out, "Because he's a faggot!"

His situation with Brian Blair has not been resolved, as indicated by another outburst about Blair from an autograph signing in the spring of 2006.[3] At a recent convention in New York City, Sheik went off on another tirade about Brian Blair, claiming Blair "sucks Hulk Hogan's penis", as well as ripping up a Photoshopped picture of him and Blair together. Sheik also badmouthed his partner Nikolai Volkoff, who was standing right next to him, calling him a "cheap Jew son-of-a-bitch" (Volkoff isn't Jewish). [4]

Finishing Moves

• Camel Clutch
• Iranian Drop (Top rope two handed chokeslam)

Championships and accomplishments

• National Wrestling Alliance

• 1-Time NWA National Television Champion
• 1-Time NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion
• 1-Time NWA 2000 American Heritage Champion

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated

• PWI ranked him # 134 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003. He was also ranked # 96 of the best tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Nikolai Volkoff.

• World Wrestling Entertainment

• 1-Time WWF World Heavyweight Champion
• 1-Time WWF World Tag Team Champion (with Nikolai Volkoff)
• WWE Hall of Famer (Class 2005)

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter

• 1980 Most Underrated Wrestler

• Other Titles

• 1-Time New Zealand British Commonwealth Champion
• 1-Time NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Champion (with Bull Ramos)
• 2-Time NWA Canadian Heavyweight Champion
• 1-Time WWS Tag Team Champion (with The Sheik)
• 1-Time Can-Am Heavyweight Champion
• 3-Time IAW Tag Team Champion (with Brian Costello)
• 1-Time IAW Heavyweight Champion
• 1-Time NWA Canadian Tag Team Champion
• 1-Time World Maccabiah Heavyweight Champion

Further reading

• Flair, Ric & Greenberg, Keith Elliot. Ric Flair: To be the Man. New York: Pocket Books, 2004.
• Meltzer, Dave. The Wrestling Observer's Who's Who in Pro Wrestling. Turlock: Pro Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 1986.
• "Greatest Wrestling Stars of the 1980's" WWE Home Video, 2005.

External links

• IronSheikOnline.com - Official Iron Sheik Website
• The Iron Sheik at WWE.com
• ObsessedWithWrestling.com - Wrestling Profiles: Iron Sheik
• Iron Sheik Vows to Kill Ethanol Mandate By Dennis York
• The Accelerator's Wrestling Rollercoaster - The Iron Sheik
• Iron Sheik at CoolDudesandHotBabes.com
• Interview with ISPW
• Iron Sheik's controversal WMF 2006 interview (note: contains adult language)
• Iron Sheik still in the game by Greg Oliver (SLAM! Wrestling)
• The Iron Sheik by Mike Rickard II
• Enemy of the Month October 2003 - The Iron Sheik
• The Iron Sheik's Appearance on The Jerry Springer Show
• Trained Indian Wrestler Killer Khalsa Singh