| Name |
Iron Sheik |
| Height |
6 ft |
| Naionality |
Iranian |
| Date of Birth |
15-March-1943 |
| Place of Birth |
Tehran, Iran |
| Famous for |
Wrestler |
Iron Sheik is a semi-retired Iranian professional wrestler and actor 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. A heel throughout the 1980s, he later gained popularity on Opie and Anthony, Kidd Chris, The Howard Stern Show, and on the Internet due to his shoot interviews and outbursts on the wrestling industry and the hatred he expressed for various wrestlers.
In 1972, Khosrow was invited to become a professional wrestler by promoter Verne Gagne. Khosrow trained at Gagne's wrestling camp under trainer Billy Robinson (in the same class as Ric Flair) and then wrestled for Gagne's American Wrestling Association. He also worked as a trainer, teaching Ricky Steamboat, Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell. Khosrow first wrestled as a face in preliminary matches before a promoter suggested that he adopt a heel gimmick similar to that of the notorious Sheik. Khosrow obliged and adopted what came to be his signature look: he shaved his head bald, grew a traditional "buffo" style mustache, added wrestling boots with the toe curled up. He also introduced the Persian clubs, a sport in his native Iran, and challenged wrestlers to do as many swings as him. His Iranian gimmick received attention due the events of the Iranian revolution. Khosrow 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 for the WWF World championship. Sheik had supposedly injured Backlund during a "Persian club challenge" prior to this title match.
During his brief title reign, The Iron Sheik wrestled against Backlund, Chief Jay Strongbow, Pat Patterson, and Tito Santana before dropping the belt just four weeks later to Hulk Hogan. He would then engage in a bitter feud with Sgt. Slaughter, to whom he would eventually lose a "Boot Camp Rules" match. As a tag team partner with Nikolai Volkoff, and under the management of "Classy" Freddie Blassie, the newly-dubbed "Foreign Legion" won the WWF World tag team title from the U.S. Express at the first WrestleMania.
