Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, better known as the Iron Sheik, passed away today at age 81. In honor of the wrestling legend and WWE Hall-of-Famer, we look back at the best matches of his career.
Of course, being cast as a villain in the wrestling business means that the Iron Sheik’s best matches include ones where he plays his role perfectly to help the good guy rival look even better — something that people in the wrestling business refer to as “getting over.”
Sheik was involved in some of the most memorable matches of the early to mid-1980s, which happens to be the era that gave birth to the one of most popular periods of wrestling entertainment.
On a personal note, having written numerous wrestling articles for We Got This Covered, it was a sad request I received to write this one today because of the reason for it. My father was friends with wrestling legend Lou Albano, who was also at his peak of fame during the same time as the Sheik, albeit as a wrestling manager. I’ve heard many stories of the Sheik, but now let’s take a moment to celebrate his best performances in the wrestling ring.
5. WWF World Tag Team Championship: Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo vs Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff (March 31, 1985)
It was the first ever world tag team match at Wrestlemania and it would end with a result that fans did not expect.
Windham and Rotundo were hugely popular champions, entering the ring to Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” and loved by teenage fans across the country. Yet, the WWF needed a twist for Wrestlemania and they weren’t about to have Hulk Hogan or Wendi Richter lose.
The match was mostly typical, but the end was unforgettable. When the referee was momentarily oblivious to what was happening in the ring, Sheik and Volkoff’s manager — Classy Freddie Blassie — gave his cane to the Iron Sheik, who then struck Barry Windham in the back. The strike actually broke the cane, snapping it in half, and after Windham slumped to the canvas, Volkoff pinned him for the unlikely victory. If you’re fan of wrestling villains, it was beautiful.
4. WWF World Championship: Bob Backlund vs Iron Sheik (Dec 26, 1983)
Iron Sheik built himself up as a worthy challenger to world champion Bob Backlund, a huge fan favorite who held the title for more than five years. When they clashed in Madison Square Garden, the result would stun wrestling fans. Surely, the most hated villain in the WWF couldn’t possibly be crowned the champion? Surely, the fans were wrong.
The WWF’s plan was to have fan favorite Hulk Hogan become their champion. So, they needed a transition titleholder and who better than the Iron Sheik? So it was the Sheik that put Bob Backlund in the Camel Clutch — his feared finishing submission move — and Backlund’s manager threw in the towel. His reign was over. Iron Sheik was now the world champion.
3. WWF World Championship: Iron Sheik vs Hulk Hogan (Jan 23, 1984)
This is the most iconic match that the Iron Sheik was involved in. He was the new champions who was absolutely hated. The atmosphere in Madison Square Garden was electric as fans anticipated that Hulk Hogan, of Rocky III fame, could end the night as champion.
The moment of the match was when the Iron Sheik had Hulk Hogan in the Camel Clutch, which no one ever got out of, at least that’s the story the promoters were selling. Of course, predictably, Hogan got out of it, turned the tide as the crowd went crazy, and finished the champion with a leg drop. All of MSG counted the “one-two-three” pinfall and emphatically cheered the new champion.
It was obvious that the Iron Sheik made himself the perfect character to cheer against.
2. WWF Tag Team Championship: British Bulldogs vs Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff (May 1, 1986)
On a Saturday Night’s Main Event on NBC, the reigning tag team champions, the British Bulldogs, took on the former champions in a best two out of three falls match.
It wasn’t iconic but it was a big showdown on a major broadcast network. Despite the show airing two days later at 11:30pm, it earned a 9.3 rating. It saw the Bulldogs having to resort to cheating tactics to win the match and it also saw Davey Boy Smith submitting to the Iron Sheik and his Camel Clutch in the first fall. It was Sheik, now a former champion and former tag team champion, still proving that he was a key villain in the business.
1. WWF World Championship: Hulk Hogan vs Iron Sheik (May 5, 1984)
Although the most famous match between these two was months earlier when Sheik lost the title (and is number 3 on my list) this one is not only his most overlooked match but also the one I consider his best, for numerous reasons.
Unlike their title rematch in Madison Square Garden, which saw Sheik lose fairly easily via pinball, this one in the Philadelphia Spectrum, was a mini-war that Sheik did not lose. It also felt much more personal.
With the title on the line, Sheik did not allow Hogan his usual celebratory entrance into the ring as he ambushed him immediately. The match lasted over 14 minutes — which is actually a lengthy singles match for the WWF at that time — and the first half of the match was Sheik beating Hogan so badly that he bloodied him in the middle of the ring thanks to resorting to biting the champion’s forehead when his back turned to the ref.
Once Hogan changed the tide, the crowd became extremely invested in the match, hoping to see a bloody Hogan give to the Sheik what he deserved. Hogan resorted to taking off one of the Sheik’s iconic boots, which pointed up on its end in order to injure opponents. When the Sheik went outside the ring for a breather, Hogan followed and leveled him with his own boot, bloodying the challenger.
Hogan wasn’t done. He brought him back in the ring, and smashed Sheik two more times with the villain’s boot. At this point, no one had seen such a vicious Hogan. It was eye-opening and fans were loving it. Then, Hogan began biting Sheik in the forehead, doing to the former champion what Sheik had done to him earlier in the match.
It was a wild affair. Sheik played the role to perfection from beginning to end. Then the referee rang the bell. Did Sheik win by a disqualification? It would’ve been the perfect ending to create another heated match, but it was ruled a double count out, despite their shenanigans outside the ring taking place about a minute earlier.
Hogan retained the title, Sheik retained the unofficial title as the top villain, and the match showed that Hogan could resort to villainous tactics if necessary.
Perhaps some wrestling fans were expecting the boot camp match against Sgt. Slaughter to make the list, but no matter what match we show, it will likely prove that the Iron Sheik was an expert in his craft.