We Lost A True Legend Today: The Iron Sheik Passes Away At The Age Of 81
Damn man this is a sad one. Wrestling is one of those places where the biggest personalities transcend the sport and infiltrate pop culture. The Iron Sheik was one of the first to make that crossover and arguably the man with the greatest staying power once he arrived. There are millions of people 35 and under who know the Sheik for his shit talking Tweets but have never seen a single highlight of him wrestling.
As a very little kid I remember the Sheik as a heel I hated most. He was always getting into it with Sgt. Slaughter, Hulk Hogan or any number of the other guys I loved. He played his role perfectly and had a unique way of riling up a crowd before, during, and after a match.
And if you were a red-blooded American kid then probably went nuts when the Hulkster became the first ever person to escape the Camel Clutch. It's just one of those iconic wrestling moments.
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These days the Sheik was more well known for flaming people on Twitter than in the ring. If there was a big moment in pop culture or sports the Sheik was on top of it, waiting to take a 280 character flame thrower to someone. And it always got the people going.
It didn't matter if it was Hulk Hogan, Wendy's, Logan Paul, or Elon Musk the Sheik brought the heat to the very end. At 80+ years old, when most grandpas are being helped to and from the car and don't have a clue what Instagram or Twitter are, the Sheik was still roasting people left and right.
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But this wasn't just a recent phenomenon. The Sheik is a Twitter OG and has produced some of the most hilarious and memorable Tweets to ever hit a timeline.
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I mean where else can you find social commentary like that? The answer is nowhere. Especially now that one of the greatest shit talkers of all time is headed to the big wrestling ring in the sky.
The Iron Sheik, whose real name was Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, is survived by his wife Caryl and four children. Rest in peace, bubba. You will truly be missed.