The Iron Sheik, a former pro wrestler who relished playing a burly, bombastic villain in 1980s battles with some of the sport’s biggest stars and later became a popular Twitter personality, died Wednesday, the WWE said. He was 81.
The wrestling organization posted an article confirming his death, and a statement about his passing also was posted on his Twitter page giving details of his life. Neither statement mentioned a cause of death nor where he died, but the Twitter post said he “departed this world peacefully.”
The mustachioed, barrel-chested brawler often riled up crowds with his anti-American persona and rhetoric, often alongside tag team partner Nikolai Volkoff, who played the part of a Soviet villain. They won the WWF World Tag Team Championship in 1985 at the first WrestleMania, according to the biography posted on the WWE’s internet page.
The Iron Sheik had an early foundation in competitive Greco-Roman wrestling, competing in the Amateur Athletic Union and becoming a gold medalist in 1971, WWE said. In the documentary, he said he once served as a bodyguard for the Shah. As a pro wrestler, he acknowledged taking advantage of anti-Iranian sentiment following the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis.The Iron Sheik’s influence extended to the sport’s biggest stars. Wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who used the term “jabroni” to insult his ring opponents, has credited The Iron Sheik with making it famous in wrestling circles.
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