The Iron Sheik, known to many professional wrestling fans as one of the main opponents of the famous Hulk Hogan in the 1980s, has died at the age of 81, his official Twitter account said on Wednesday morning.
The Iranian, whose real name is Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, was one of the most shouted villains in his prime in the arena. A world belt wearer for the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment), he was one of those who embodied the figure of the geopolitical enemy of the United States, while Hogan was a quintessentially American icon and evidently revered by the crowd. Very regularly he landed his national flag in the ring and often developed alongside Nikolai Volkoff, who wished to be a very unsympathetic Soviet figure in the world of WWF.
“Apart from the wrestling character that people knew so well, the Iron Sheik was a dedicated family man. He shared the love and support of his wife Caryl for 47 years; She was by his side throughout his life and offered him her unconditional support. Their strong bond gave him the strength to face whatever challenges life throws at him, the account said in a statement. To his children Tanya, Nikki, Marissa and son-in-law Eddie, he wasn’t just a wrestling icon: he was a loving and devoted father. He instilled in them the values of perseverance and determination, emphasizing the importance of living your dreams.”
Very present in social networks
The Iron Sheikh worked for other federations throughout his career, which began with a job with the Iran Olympic wrestling team at the 1968 Games. From 1996 to 2010, the former WWE wrestler was very present on social networks, in particular on Twitter, where he had more than 64,000 subscribers.
He commented on many current events, whether in sports or in other areas of society, while regularly targeting Hulk Hogan in rather harsh terms. In addition, his last tweet published on Monday was a direct allusion to the wildfires that are hitting Quebec particularly hard.
Fuck the forest fires
– The Iron Sheik (@the_ironsheik) June 7, 2023