Happy Birthday, Iron Sheik

the Iron Sheik From Larry Stoy: The man born as Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri – later known more famously as the Iron Sheik – celeb...

the Iron Sheik

From Larry Stoy:

The man born as Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri – later known more famously as the Iron Sheik – celebrates his 74th birthday today. Vaziri has wrestled many of the top names throughout his pro career which began in the early 1970s after training with legendary AWA owner and champion Verne Gagne. Also in the same class of Vaziri’s was another of the biggest names in the business, “Nature Boy” Ric Flair. I had the pleasure of seeing these two compete early in their caress during a card at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in April 1973. Vaziri won this contest by a disqualification.

Born just outside of Tehran, Iran, Vaziri was a highly successful amateur wrestler who also spent time as a bodyguard for the Shah of Iran. During the 1960s, Vaziri set a goal to become part of the Olympic wrestling team, but despite the popular urban legend he did not compete in the 1968 games held in Mexico. After moving to the United States, he did work as an assistant coach of the U.S. Olympic wrestling teams in 1972 and 1976. He had also moved to Minnesota and continued his amateur career, competing in the AAU Greco Roman division. He won silver medals 1969 and 1970, and the gold in 1971.

Khosrow Vaziri

Vaziri’s dedication to the true spirit of amateur wrestling had his views challenged during his training with Gagne in the early 1970s. Gagne finally revealed to his students that although pro wrestling was a highly athletic competition, the matches were predetermined. The wrestlers were there to basically entertain the fans in these contests. Vaziri wasn’t very happy in learning this well-kept secret, but accepted it as he began his long run in the business. This acceptance would be the first concession that Vaziri would make of the way life was in professional wrestling, but not the one that had the most affect on his life both personally and professionally.

After graduating from Gagne’s school, Vaziri wrestled in the AWA for many years and also spent some time in Canada before being brought into the WWF in 1979, where he worked under the name of Hossein Arab. He won what was the first ever battle royal held at Madison Square Garden in June of 1979 to earn a title match against WWF Champion Bob Backlund. I was lucky enough to be in attendance for this card and it was a memorable one indeed. Backlund and Hossein battled for nearly thirty minutes before the champ gained the hard-fought victory to retain his title. These two would meet again some 4 ½ years later as Vaziri – wrestling as the Iron Sheik – would end Backlund’s reign as WWF champion, which lasted more than five years.

Hossien Arab

Following his initial run in the WWF, Vaziri left the company in 1980 to compete in the Mid-South territory and later went to Jim Crockett’s Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. He also spent much of 1983 wrestling for Georgia Championship Wrestling. Vaziri’s most notable feuds during his run in the south came against Dusty Rhodes, Dick Murdoch, and “Wildfire” Tommy Rich. Also, he and Ronnie Garvin traded the National TV Title back and forth a few times before Vaziri returned to the WWF.

It was in December of 1983 that he won the WWF World Title when Backlund’s manager, Arnold Skaaland – former manager to long-time WWF Champion Bruno Sammartino – threw in the towel as Sheik had Bob locked in his Camel Clutch. The finish to this match has been long disputed as to why Skaaland did what he did, with Arnold’s explanation was that he was concerned for Bob’s back that had – or had not – been recently injured. Regardless, Sheik was the new champ, and he defended the belt several times before dropping it to Hulk Hogan on January 23, 1984, beginning a completely new era of professional wrestling.

Vaziri’s next program was a bitter and violent feud against Sgt. Slaughter that culminated with a series of Boot Camp Matches that saw Slaughter victorious. Vaziri was then paired with Nikolai Volkoff in a tag team known as the Foreign Legion, managed by longtime wrestling legend Freddie Blassie. The pair made a big splash at the inaugural WrestleMania as they captured to WWF Tag Team Title from the U.S. Express (Mike Rotundo and Barry Windham) and held the belts until June when the Express recaptured the straps. It was during their championship reign that Vaziri started using his trademark phrase “Iran Number 1, Russia Number 1, America ACK-PHOOEY”, punctuated by a spitting motion.

the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff

Vaziri stayed in the WWF for another couple of years before the well-publicized incident of being caught with drugs while traveling with his on air rival, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, which led to Vaziri’s release from the company. Vaziri did have a brief return to the northeast, but mostly wrestled in WCCW – feuding with Matt Borne for the WCWA Texas Heavyweight Title – as well as the AWA and the WWC in Puerto Rico. In 1989 he went back to work for Crockett for a two-year run, including a series of matches with Sting for the World Television Title. Back in the WWF, a 1991 run saw Vaziri actually teaming with former foe Sgt. Slaughter, who had turned heel and was being managed by General Adnan, who became Vaziri’s tag team partner before he left the company in mid-1992.

Vaziri wrestled for a few more Independent promotions and had a very short-lived stint in the UWFi in Japan. He also participated in a tour of Nigeria in 1994 with a group that included several other WWF wrestlers Jimmy Snuka, Greg Valentine, Demolition Axe, and Kevin Von Erich. In late 1996, Vaziri was again part of the WWF, this time as a manager of the Sultan (Rikishi) and was aligned with previous opponent Bob Backlund. On April 1, 2001, Sheik participated in and won a Gimmick Battle Royal. Despite his previous character being a heel, the fans actually cheered him. In 2005, Vaziri was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his enemy Sgt. Slaughter. The former WWF World Champion made a few more appearances for the WWE, the most recent came in 2010.

the Iron Sheik

He had more than a few run-ins with the law over his drug addiction, and at one point his family had to sign papers to declare that Vaziri was a danger to himself and others. This was the catalyst for Vaziri going into rehab for treatment. Although the objective was to get him clean, this didn’t happen, as an employee was sneaking eight balls of cocaine into the facility and giving them to Vaziri.

It was in May of 2003 that a huge tragedy befell Vaziri and his family. While he was in the hospital for a knee replacement operation, one of his three daughters was brutally strangled by her boyfriend and died. This had such a profound effect on Vaziri that during the trial he made a plan to get revenge against the man that committed this heinous crime. Before he entered the court room, he used an old wrestling trick by sliding a razor blade in his cheek so he could slit the throat of this criminal. However, his wife told the judge that her husband was suffering from a deep depression and had been having suicidal tendencies.

With his family now surrounding him to try to prevent him from carrying out his plan, one of his other daughters pleaded with her father by telling him that he can’t be sent to prison, and she had already lost her sibling and could not take losing her dad as well. Vaziri was so touched by his family’s actions and words that he didn’t attempt anything, and made a promise to get help, quit doing drugs, and bring his family back together. Still, in 2007 his wife left him due to the inability to get past losing their daughter. After a two-year separation, the couple reconciled and tried to get their lives back on track. Vaziri recently admitted that he still drinks beer, but has not ingested any form of cocaine, and they still struggle to keep his demons under control.

Vaziri currently resides in Georgia. In 2013, two longtime wrestling fans raised over $40,000 to make a documentary about his life entitled Iranian Legend: the Iron Sheik Story, with the proceeds from the film to be used to help pay medical expenses for a double knee and ankle surgery.