The Iron Sheik
Titles Won:
- WWF Heavyweight Championship
- WWF Tag Team Championship – with Nikolai Volkoff
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2005)
He is an Iranian American former professional wrestler, amateur wrestler and actor better known by his ring name The Iron Sheik. Vaziri is a one-time world champion, having won the WWF World Heavyweight Championship in 1983. He was what is referred to as a transitional champion, which saw him end the nearly six-year reign of Bob Backlund as champion only to lose the belt four weeks later to Hulk Hogan, who began a four-plus year reign himself.
He would later form a tag team with Nikolai Volkoff, with whom he won the WWF (World) Tag Team Championship at the inaugural WrestleMania event. Coming off the Iranian hostage crisis, The Iron Sheik, an Iranian citizen who praised his home country and bashed the USA is considered to be one of the greatest heels of all time. His villainous character peaked during the 1980s WWF wrestling boom and his rivalry with Hulk Hogan turned Hogan into one of the greatest television heroes of the decade.
In 2005, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. A heel throughout the 1980s, he later gained popularity on Kidd Chris, The Howard Stern Show, and on the internet due to his shoot interviews, vulgar language, and his lack of respect for other professional wrestlers.
Notable Feuds: vs. Chief Jay Strongbow, Bruno Sammartino, Sgt. Slaughter, Matt Borne, Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior
Other Notable Achievements
ACCW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
CWA Heavyweight Championship
George Tragos / Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2016
NWA National Television Championship
IAW Heavyweight Championship
IAW Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Brian Costello
IWA United States Heavyweight Championship
NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship (Toronto version) (2 times)
NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship
NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version) – with The Texas Outlaw
NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2008)
NWA New Zealand British Commonwealth Championship
NWA 2000 American Heritage Championship
NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship – with Bull Ramos
