Who was The Iron Sheik? WWE Hall of Famer dies at age 81

Who was The Iron Sheik? WWE Hall of Famer dies at age 81 – Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, also known as The Iron Sheik, was an Iranian professional wrestler who died on June 7, 2023, at the age of 81. He held the WWF World Heavyweight Title in 1983, making him the only Iranian champion in WWE history.

The Iron Sheik, who was born on March 15, 1942, shone in WWE throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, holding the WWE World Heavyweight Title and the WWE Tag Team Championship once each before being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.

He began his wrestling career as an amateur and tried to qualify for the 1968 Olympics before going to the United States and working as an assistant coach for the United States wrestling team at the 1972 Olympics.

Sheik debuted in professional wrestling in 1972 with the Minnesota-based AWA, and he got his first chance with WWE in 1979.

He joined WWE full-time in 1983 and defeated Bob Backlund for the WWE Championship on December 26, 1983, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, ending Backlund’s reign of 2,135 days, the second-longest in WWE history.

Though Sheik never won another singles title in WWE, he was a part of the first title change in WrestleMania history when he and Nikolai Volkoff defeated Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo of The US Express for the WWE Tag Team Championships at the first WrestleMania in 1985.

World Wrestling Entertainment issued a statement following his death, saying “WWE is saddened to hear of the passing of WWE Hall of Famer The Iron Sheik, and extends its condolences to his family, friends, and fans.”

Sheik is survived by his wife of 47 years, Caryl, and his three children.

Source: abtc.ng