Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri (حسین خسرو وزیری), born September 13, 1942, in Tehran, Iran, is a retired Iranian professional wrestler better known by his ring name The Iron Sheik. He is known for ending the near six year World Wrestling Federation Championship reign of Bob Backlund and for being the man Hulk Hogan defeated for his first WWF Championship, setting off the Golden Age of professional wrestling. He was also a bodyguard for the Shah of Iran's family several years while they still lived in Iran.

Career

Although he was billed as having been a 1968 Olympic medalist, Sheik was actually eliminated during his country’s trials. He was the 1971 AAU Greco-Roman Wrestling champion at 180.5 pounds. Vaziri also was the assistant coach of two US Olympic squads in the 1970s.

World Wrestling Federation (1979-1987)

After moving to other territories, Vaziri was turned into a heel and would do a few things that would complete his signature look. First, he grew a traditional "buffo" style mustache, added wrestling boots with the toe curled up (a nod to his ethnic background which, according to Vaziri, was Jimmy Snuka's idea), and shaved his head bald. In addition to adding the Persian clubs and challenging wrestlers to do as many or more swings than him as part of his gimmick (a sport in his native Iran), he would also change his ring name. Now known as The Great Hossein Arab, he won his first title, the Canadian Tag Team Championship, with partner the Texas Outlaw. He caught the eye of the WWF where he debuted in 1979 and won the first-ever Battle Royal in Madison Square Garden. This earned him a title shot at then-champion Bob Backlund, who pinned him later that night in a 30-minute battle. He later feuded with Chief Jay Strongbow and Bruno Sammartino before leaving in 1980.

He would resurface as The Iron Sheik in the NWA territories. Playing off of real-life political matters (notably the Iran hostage crisis) and the animosity Americans had for the country of Iran, he moved on to the Mid-South and Mid-Atlantic territories, capturing the Mid-Atlantic title from Jim Brunzell before moving to Georgia Championship Wrestling. There, he had notable matches with Dusty Rhodes, Dick Murdoch, and Tommy Rich, and traded the National TV title with Ron Garvin.

Vaziri would return to the WWF in 1983 as the Iron Sheik and challenged Backlund once again; he defeated him on December 26, 1983 at Madison Square Garden in New York City for the World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Championship. Sheik also injured Bob Backlund during a Persian club challenge prior to this title match.

During his title reign, Vaziri held memorable bouts against Backlund, Chief Jay Strongbow, Pat Patterson, and Tito Santana before dropping the belt just four weeks later to Hulk Hogan. The WWF's owner Vince McMahon, Jr. had wanted to take the WWF in a different direction as part of his plan to turn the WWF from a regional promotion into a national one. Part of his plan involved taking the title off of Backlund and putting it on the charismatic Hogan, who had left the AWA to wrestle for McMahon, (in the process making an enemy of the AWA's owner Verne Gagne). He would then engage in a bitter feud with Sgt. Slaughter, to whom he would eventually lose a "Boot Camp Rules" match. The Iron Sheik would go on to team with Nikolai Volkoff as the "Foreign Legion", and under the management of "Classy" Freddie Blassie, won the WWF Tag Team Championship from the US Express at WrestleMania.

WCCW, AWA, WWC, NWA, and WCW (1987-1990)

In 1987, the Iron Sheik competed in Dallas' World Class Championship Wrestling. He stayed with that organization for only a few months, followed by brief stints with the AWA, where he attacked Sgt. Slaughter during a match, and Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council. In addition to re-igniting his feud with Slaughter and teaming with Col. Debeers, his main opponent during this time period was Tony Atlas, who he feuded with in both WCCW and WWC.

In 1989, he had a short stint in the National Wrestling Alliance, where he feuded with Sting over the NWA World Television Championship. He left after about half a year into his stint with the company.

World Wresting Federation (1991-1992)

He returned to the WWF again in 1991 as Col. Mustafa and was aligned with former enemy Sgt. Slaughter. Along with General Adnan, the three played Iraqis (or, in Slaughter's case, an Iraqi sympathizer) during the first Gulf War and feuded with Hulk Hogan. Following Slaughter's face turn after SummerSlam 1991, he teamed with General Adnan until the middle of 1992, when he left the promotion again.

Wrestling tours (1993-1994)

The Iron Sheik wrestled independently afterwards, and went on a wrestling tour to Nigeria in 1994, promoted by Chris Adams and co-sponsored by Pepsi, and featuring former WWF stars Jimmy Snuka, Greg Valentine, Demolition Ax, and World Class wrestler/owner Kevin Von Erich.

The Sheik was the first champion of "Boston Bad Boy" Tony Rumble's Century Wrestling Alliance, dropping the championship to Vic Steamboat on October 23rd, 1993 in Wakefield, MA.

In 1994, the Sheik tried his hand at strong style professional wrestling in the UWFi in Japan. He lost by tap-out to Yoji Anjoh in about 5:30 (the in-ring action of the UWFi, though tailored to resemble an actual competitive bout, was in fact made up of predetermined outcomes).

Sporadic wrestling appearances (1996-present)

In late 1996 Sheik would team up with his old nemesis Bob Backlund to manage WWF wrestler The Sultan, who was doing a Middle Eastern gimmick, until the Sultan was taken off TV in mid 1997. In 2001, at WrestleMania X-Seven, the Iron Sheik was the victor of the Gimmick Battle Royal, a match between other popular wrestlers from the 1980s and 1990s. Rather than being booed for winning, he was cheered as a fan favorite. He went on to wrestle in various independent promotions to age 60.

In 2005, the Iron Sheik was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his old rival, Sgt. Slaughter.

On the June 18, 2007 episode of WWE Monday Night RAW, the Iron Sheik approached Jonathan Coachman about having his own interview show (like Piper's Pit) to show on RAW. Coach replied saying, "I like the idea and I will really take some time to consider it."

On August 13, 2007 the Iron Sheik appeared on an episode of WWE RAW held at Madison Square Garden for a WWE version of American Idol. Sheik came out with Nikolai Volkoff while Volkoff sang the Soviet national anthem. After Volkoff was told he was no good by William Regal, Sheik took the mic and insulted Regal about being the first member of the Vince McMahon "Kiss My Ass Club." Sheik and Volkoff were then escorted off the stage by security. The day before the event, The Sheik went missing prior to being picked up in a limo, causing WWE's Howard Finkel and Sheik's agent Eric Simms to panic.

Personal life

In 1987, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan and Vasiri were pulled over by New Jersey police after a WWF event, suspecting Duggan of driving under the influence. After a search of the vehicle and the persons, police discovered that Duggan was under the influence of marijuana and alcohol, while the Sheik was high on cocaine. Small amounts of cocaine were also found in the vehicle. Duggan received a conditional release while the Sheik was placed on probation for a year. The mini-scandal that erupted after two in-ring enemies were found drinking and doing drugs together led to the end of the angle, the Sheik's release, and Duggan's temporary departure from WWE.

On May 5, 2003 Iron Sheik's 27 year old daughter, Marissa Jeanne Vaziri, was found strangled to death in her apartment. Marissa's live-in boyfriend, Charles Warren Reynolds, 38, confessed to the crime and was charged with murder.

In his October 15, 2007, appearance on the Howard Stern show, the Sheik admitted to using cocaine throughout his career. The Sheik stated that being a wrestler required a demanding schedule, and that the cocaine would help him stay awake and wrestle. The Sheik said while he was still wrestling he would spend as much as $10,000-20,000 a week on his cocaine addiction. After the Stern Show appearance, Howard 100 News interviewed the Sheik's nephew who stated that he had seen his uncle take enough illegal drugs to kill a bear or a cougar. The Sheik's nephew expressed concern over his uncle's health and poor financial situation.

Conflicts

Throughout the last few years, the Iron Sheik has expressed intense dislike for many wrestlers, wrestling promoters, and celebrity figures, including Brian Blair, Nikolai Volkoff, the Ultimate Warrior, Hulk Hogan, Michael Richards, and a slew of others. During his infamous studio shoot interview conducted in 2004 with Dan Mirade of the Boston, Massachusetts based Millennium Wrestling Federation, the Sheik was asked about his appearance at WrestleMania III, where he teamed with Nikolai Volkoff against the Killer Bees, Brian Blair and Jim Brunzell. When offering his recollections about the event, Iron Sheik expressed high praise for Brunzell owing to his athletic and high-jumping prowess, but displayed contempt for Blair, referring to him as a "lowlife," a "fag," and a "punk." He gave no specific reason for his dislike of Blair, only remarking that he "didn't like his attitude." He then expressed his desire to make Blair humble by suplexing him, putting him in his camel clutch submission, breaking his back, and sodomizing him.

At a 2005 wrestling convention (after his inexplicable feud with Blair became common knowledge), a fan showed Sheik a photoshopped picture of Sheik shaking hands with Blair, which prompted Sheik to fly into a rage and destroy the picture. Once again, the Sheik repeatedly called Blair a "faggot," and claimed he wanted to break Blair's back and "fuck [his] ass." At this same convention, Sheik recounted an incident with Nikolai Volkoff (who was sitting next to him at the same table) in which Volkoff refused to loan the Sheik two dollars to give as a tip to a wheelchair man, calling Volkoff a "cheap Jew son of a bitch," even though Volkoff is not Jewish.

On May 6, 2007 while appearing at a sports convention, an amateur videographer caught the Iron Sheik on videotape as he launched into an obscenity-laced tirade at another former wrestler, Jim Hellwig (the Ultimate Warrior), who legally changed his name to Warrior in 1993. The camera caught the Iron Sheik distancing himself from Hellwig and shouting at him, not always coherently; apparently, Hellwig refused to shake his hand and told him to get out of his face. Shortly after, the Iron Sheik struck his personal aide in the chest for allegedly suggesting to the Sheik that he go and say hello to Hellwig.

Iron Sheik strikes his agent in the chest.

The video, which was subsequently posted on YouTube, also shows the Sheik shouting more obscenities as he walks through the building. Later a more composed Iron Sheik is seen at his table signing autographs and memorabilia. The Sheik did not appear to be drunk or otherwise impaired, but did mention something about being insulted by Hellwig.

It should be noted that while the Sheik has expressed harsh words toward many different figures in and out of the wrestling world, he has also, on other occasions, expressed high praise for these same people, including Hulk Hogan and Nikolai Volkoff. This has lead some to speculate that the man who plays The Iron Sheik does not really hate these people but is instead in character.

Media appearances

He was injured and allegedly hospitalized twice in recent months. In December, the Sheik was poisoned after filming his second Millennium Wrestling Federation Studio Shoot Interview with Dan Mirade in Melrose, Mass. This was actually recorded on a cell phone and aired on the January 2007 edition of MWF Ultra. The Sheik was the third victim of the MWF "stalker."

In winter 2007, the Sheik was hospitalized after making several appearances in Toronto at a Wal-Mart, sports bar, and independent wrestling show for his friend's sons. The Sheik claims he was to be paid $12,000 for the appearances but was only given $1,000. On his way to the airport, his driver stole his $1,000. The Sheik was able to get the man's driver's license and bring it to the police in the airport. The police called an ambulance for the Sheik, as it appeared he was going to have a heart attack. The Sheik spoke about the incident on the February MWF Xtra.

Later on in 2007, the Sheik conducted a shoot interview with Rob Feinstein of RF Video. During the interview, the Sheik appeared highly intoxicated and could be seen drinking beer and repeatedly (yet unsuccessfully) attempting to purchase marijuana and crack over the phone from a local drug dealer.

Howard Stern Appearance and The Sheik Show

Beginning in July 2007, the comments made by Sheik regarding Brian Blair became a regular topic of discussion on Howard Stern's show. The staff spent time almost daily talking about the Iron Sheik, and each day contained Artie Lange's impression of The Sheik. The Sheik appeared on the Stern Show on August 2, 2007. Bubba challenged the Sheik's Gold Medal as fake, although it is a valid 1971 AAU National Championship Medal. Comments made during Iron Sheik's appearance on Stern regarding financial compensation have led to rumors that the bit was staged for publicity. Guests on The Howard Stern Show are not paid; however, Iron Sheik alluded that he would receive $10,000 from Howard Stern, and actually won $2,500 in a contest referred to as "Anal Ring Toss."

Prior to the contest, the Iron Sheik was involved in a shouting match with the Ultimate Warrior, Randy Savage, and Killer Bees look-alikes (portrayed by Stern staff members Richard Christy and Sal "the Stockbroker" Governale), who both appeared via satellite in the studio to "insult" the Sheik. Artie Lange also wore a costume, including a fake beard, and performed his impression, calling himself the new WWE wrestler "The Real Iron Sheik" (even though he was firstly alluded by Stern as being the "Iron Sheik Jr.").

The Sheik has since gone on to make appearances with The Killers of Comedy alongside several Stern regular comedians including Christy and Governale.

On October 15th, 2007, The Sheik made his debut on Howard 101 with Shuli Egar, hosting the one hour The Iron Sheik Show.