Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri (
Persian: حسین خسرو علی وزیری, romanized: Hossein Xosrô 'Ali Vaziri; March 15, 1942 – June 7, 2023), better known by his
ring name the Iron Sheik, was an Iranian-American
professional wrestler,
amateur wrestler, and
actor. He was the first, and thus far only, Iranian champion in WWE history, having won the
WWF World Heavyweight Championship in 1983.This villainous character peaked during the
1980s WWF wrestling boom and his rivalry with
Hulk Hogan turned Hogan into one of the greatest television heroes of the decade. He later formed a tag team with
Nikolai Volkoff, which won the
WWF Tag Team Championship at the inaugural
WrestleMania event. In 2005, he was inducted into the
WWE Hall of Fame.A heel throughout the 1980s, Sheik later gained popularity on
Kidd Chris,
The Howard Stern Show, and the Internet due to his
shoot interviews, vulgar language, and apparent intense dislike for some of his fellow professional wrestlers, particularly Hogan and
Brian Blair; however, the true nature of his relationship with Hogan has been a subject of debate.
In 1972, Khosrow was invited to become a professional wrestler by promoter
Verne Gagne. Khosrow trained in the same class as
Ric Flair at Gagne's wrestling camp under trainer Billy Robinson and then wrestled for Gagne's
American Wrestling Association (AWA). He also worked as a trainer, teaching
Ricky Steamboat,
Greg Gagne and
Jim Brunzell.
The Iron Sheik returned to the WWF in 1983 and challenged
Bob Backlund for
WWF World Heavyweight Championship again. Backlund accepted, and on the December 24 episode of
All- American Wrestling, also accepted Sheik's weekly
Persian club challenge. He was successful in his third attempt to swing the clubs, and the Sheik immediately attacked him from behind, injuring his neck in a work. In the December 26 title bout at Madison Square Garden, Backlund attempted to roll Sheik into a bridge pin, but this aggravated his work-weakened neck. Sheik capitalized by applying his Camel Clutch chin lock finisher. Backlund didn't submit, but his concerned manager
Arnold Skaaland threw in the towel and forfeited the championship in a work in order to transition to Hulk Hogan without Hogan having to face a babyface champion. The Iron Sheik was scheduled to rematch Backlund, who was replaced by
Hulk Hogan. Five minutes in, Sheik had Hogan locked in the Camel Clutch. Hogan powered to his feet with Sheik still on his back, rammed him backward into the turnbuckles, and hit his Atomic Legdrop for the pin and the championship. According to The Iron Sheik, Gagne had offered him $100,000 to break Hogan's leg during the match and return to the AWA with the WWF title.
Despite promising to repair his family, Vaziri was unable to successfully quit drugs following Marissa's death. Vaziri was reported to have been extremely angered after his daughter's death to the point where he considered retaliation against her killer. In 2005, the family believed Vaziri was a danger to himself and others and forced him to enter rehabilitation; an employee allegedly snuck in cocaine for him.
The Iron Sheik made his film debut in
The Tale of the 3 Mohammads in 2005. He then appeared alongside
Daniel Baldwin and
Corey Feldman in
Operation Belvis Bash in 2011. Sheik also made an appearance on the
Canadian show
Kenny vs. Spenny on the "Who is a better pro wrestler?" episode where he attempted to sodomize a naked Spenny with a beer bottle. He also appeared in
Maz Jobrani's 2009
stand-up comedy special
Brown & Friendly. The Sheik made an appearance as himself in
Robot Chicken, as well as
The Eric André Show on
Cartoon Network's
Adult Swim. In 2014, The Iron Sheik acted in a documentary about his life titled "The Sheik."