Wrestling: The Iron Sheik has passed away

2023-06-07 16:22:01

Known to many professional wrestling fans as one of the famous Hulk Hogan’s main opponents in the 1980s, The Iron Sheik died at the age of 81, his official Twitter account said Wednesday morning.

Real name Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, the Iranian was one of the most shouted down villains during his best years in the arena. Having held the world belt of 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 represented a symbol typically American and obviously adored by the crowd. Very regularly, he landed in the ring with his national flag and often evolved alongside Nikolai Volkoff, who wanted to be a very unsympathetic Soviet character in the world of the WWF.

“Beyond the wrestling figure people came to know so well, The Iron Sheik was a dedicated family man. He shared the love and support of his wife Caryl for 47 years; throughout his life, she was by his side offering him her unconditional support. Their strong bonds have given him the strength to face the challenges life throws at him, the account said in a statement. To his children Tanya, Nikki, Marissa and son-in-law Eddie, he was not just a wrestling icon: he was a loving and dedicated father. He instilled in them the values of perseverance and determination by insisting on the importance of living their dreams.”

Very present on social networks

The Iron Sheik worked for other federations during his career, which began with a job with the Iranian Olympic wrestling team at the 1968 Games. WWE from 1996 to 2010, the ex-wrestler was very present on social networks, particularly on Twitter, where he had more than 64,000 subscribers.

Thus, he commented on many current events, whether in sports or in other spheres of society, while regularly targeting Hulk Hogan in rather crude terms. In addition, his last tweet published on Monday was a direct allusion to the forest fires hitting Quebec particularly hard.