Iron Sheik

[10.0] "iron sheik was one of the most unique and entertaining wrestlers of all time. the guy wasn't just a wrestler, he was a full-on character. from his thick accent to his wild promos, everything about him screamed "larger than life." in an era where wrestling was all about big personalities, he stood out even among the biggest names. first off, his wrestling skills were legit. before he became the iron sheik, he was an actual wrestler in iran and even competed for a spot in the olympics. so, unlike a lot of guys back then who were just big dudes pretending to fight, sheik actually knew how to wrestle. his moves looked painful, and when he put someone in the camel clutch, you believed they were done for. that move was no joke, and he sold it like it was breaking backs for real. but let's be real, it wasn't just his in-ring skills that made him famous. it was his personality. the dude was a natural heel. in the 80s, when the u.s. was all about patriotism, here comes iron sheik waving the iranian flag and telling americans they suck. instant heat. he played the bad guy so well that people legit hated him. back then, wrestling fans took things seriously, and sheik made sure they had someone to boo every time he stepped in the ring. teaming up with nikolai volkoff and doing the whole anti-american act? genius. people ate it up, and he became one of the most hated (and popular) wrestlers in the business. then there's his biggest moment--beating bob backlund for the wwf championship in 1983. backlund was a clean-cut, all-american champ who held the belt for years. and then here comes sheik, using the camel clutch to make him submit. it was shocking at the time. of course, his title reign didn't last long because hulk hogan came in and took the belt off him, but that match was historic. if sheik hadn't been champion, we might not have gotten the whole "hulkamania" explosion that changed wrestling forever. so, in a way, sheik played a big part in wrestling history. outside the ring, though, things got messy. like a lot of wrestlers from that era, he got caught up in drugs and personal issues. there was the infamous arrest with jim duggan, where a bad guy and a good guy got busted together, breaking kayfabe. that was a huge deal back then. his career never really got back to the top after that, but he still made appearances here and there. what's crazy is how he became a social media legend later in life. the iron sheik on twitter? absolutely insane. the man never stopped talking trash. he'd go off on wrestlers, celebrities, politicians--didn't matter who. if he didn't like you, he'd call you a jabroni and tell you to go f*** yourself. people loved it. he stayed relevant just by being himself, which is rare for old-school wrestlers. in the end, iron sheik was more than just a wrestler. he was a personality, a villain, a real athlete, and later, an internet icon. his impact on wrestling is undeniable. he gave fans someone to hate, put over some of the biggest names in history, and even in his later years, he kept people entertained. not many wrestlers can say they did all that. absolute legend."

[8.0] "Iron Sheik is one of the greatest heels of all time, without a doubt, super legendary and heavily influential. He was the foreigner bad guy that the world of wrestling needed in the 80s, and his character work on his prime was so good that he didn't became a cartoon or a joke, he was dead serious, a total threat, a disrespectful guy that would do everything to tear down his enemies. Sheik probably isn't the most revolutionary guy in the ring, but he did the simple with mastery, the matches were based on heat and the dynamics were always very clear, every wrestler that wants to be a villain should study his heel antics. He wasn't always great, but he sure have great moments, the match against Backlund in '79 is one of the best matches of the decade, the feud with Sgt. Slaughter is one of the best ever (the Boot Camp match as well), and he even had a nice run teaming with Sarge and Adnan in the early 90s. He's a good tag team wrestler too, has some interesting matches with Volkoff."

[9.0] "One of the greatest heels, if not the greatest, to have ever stepped in a wrestling ring. With a broken English he delivered some of the most entertaining promos ever and if not for the contribution of Sheikh, Hogan may have never reached the stardom he had in the 80s."

[8.0] "You can't help but love the Iron Sheik at the end of the day, even if the majority of his matches that most people have seen are from past his prime, he was a one of a kind character, and a one of a kind person. The worst you can say about him was being involved in one of the worst matches of all time and he had one hell of a twitter account. Rest easy, Sheik."

[8.0] "Sheik was an amazing heel. He was a good singles wrestler but once he put over Hogan he moved on to being one of the best tag wrestlers of his era with Volkoff. He was an absolute heat magnet on the mic and played the gimmick amazingly. Later in life he was hilarious on twitter."

[7.0] "He is probably the best foreign heel ever who also had some longevity. Up until 1985 he was a vicious heel and a great athlete to boot. Once the mileage caught up to him his matches suffered. Although he did have a decent feud with Sting in the spring of 1989 that was basically the last time he looked decent."

[6.0] "A tale of two careers here. The first half of his career, he was one of the trailblazers for the foreign heel gimmick. He looked great, very entertaining promos and a credible threat to main event faces. Then he lost to Hogan and it started to go downhill. His workrate died a death, becoming immobile very quickly. He even made his tag partner, Nikolai Volkoff, look like a spring chicken by comparison! His activities outside the ring certainly didn't help either, turning him into a parody of himself. Dispute the post Col. Mustafa side of his career, I still hold a soft spot for Sheik and enjoy seeing him from time to time."

[7.0] "Minor Edits & a score raise, he had also passed away since my previous write up.: In his earlier career he was far more subdued, which works for me because he was just this "suplex master" and that always goes over well I think. The '84 feud with Sgt. Slaughter was nuclear hot. I rather enjoy that team of his with Nikolai Volkoff, I could watch pretty much all of their matches with anyone and enjoy myself. However, after the Volkoff split his in ring work went down hill soooo fast. Some really terrible and hard to watch material. Seemed lost everywhere. His return as Colonel Mustafa especially absolutely STUNK. He was barely mobile but I think it was laziness long before it was injuries catching up to him. Basically avoid everything after 1987. Negatives are extremely bad but the teaming of Nikolai and his wide variety of excellent looking suplexes carry him to a higher place. Camera man zoom in, look at me... 6.75"

"One of the most influential of all time. The greatest evil foreigner persona and the definition of someone who lived the gimmick."

[8.0] "Sheik's rating is awfully low, even disrespectful even postmortem. He was a legendary heel who had already traversed the world once he arrived in the WWF. Master at getting heat anywhere he went, and he should've held the title for longer than a month before dropping it to Hogan. And albeit heavily noted, yes, his Twitter gag was hilarious. RIP to one of the best heels to ever live."

[10.0] "Sheiks rating even before his death was somewhat disrespectful in my eyes. He was far past his prime once he arrived in the WWF. At his peak, he was a fantastic wrestler with a great character. His Twitter work alone gives him a 10 in my book."

[8.0] "FLY HIGH IN HEAVEN SHEIKY BABY, MAKE GOD HUMBLE BUBBA PUT HIM IN THE CAMEL CLUTCH AND FUCK THE HULK HOGAN. In all seriousness, he was a very influential performer who served as the template for the classic foreign heel character that WWE have gone back to time and again. A capable old-school brawler, and a incredibly funny guy who never failed to bring joy to wrestling fans. You will be missed, Sheiky baby."

[7.0] "The Iron Sheik was a mixed bag as a talent. He had a handful of good matches and could draw heat like nobody's business. His feud with Sgt. Slaughter excellent, but his career seemed to decline in the late '80s after his run with Nikolai Volkoff was done. When the WWF brought him in as Col. Mustafa, it made no sense due to his history with Slaughter and because they refused to call him The Iron Sheik, like we didn't know who he was. FUCK THE VINCE MCMAHON, JABRONI. Listening to Bruce Prichard's podcast, I've learned that by 2001, he couldn't take bumps, which is the only reason he won the gimmick battle royal at Wrestlemania X-7. I miss these types of wrestlers who knew how to be a heel and get heat without trying to be cool. Sheiky Baby was da best."

[6.0] "A solid wrestler in the 80's, but by even 87, his shtick was getting old and so was he. By 89 he was having trouble moving around and like Nikolai, his era passed with the 80's. Still, you couldn't ask for a better foreign heel than Sheiky!"

[9.0] "Why is the Sheik's rating so low, you Jabronies? An all-time great heel who was the perfect foil for Hogan. The Sheik certainly has a huge heart, who always respected his fans and shot straight from the hip. So, he seems a bit crazy... but it's likely somewhat by design for his social media at this point. The Sheik was everything a heel from the time should be, and he put over countless lesser talents in that role through his career."

[8.0] "With the right gimmick, Sheik could have been something special, unfortunately when he was in the WWF, it just boiled down to an Anti-America gimmick, he was a good wrestler too."

[10.0] "This man is a legend and a great heel. His promos are incredible. And remember, without Iron Sheik, no Hulkamania!"

[8.0] "A man who quickly became a meme as the Internet Wrestling Community grew in the 2000s, let? s not forget that Sheiky Baby was more than someone who will break Hogan? s ass at any given opportunity. He was a solid technical wrestler who was a Suplex Master in his hayday, as well as being a constant heat magnet. His prime was short however due to repeated hip problems from 1985 onwards."

[6.0] "He was a great heel for his time. He was absolutely hated being that he is Iranian and went against the likes of top American babyfaces like Hulk Hogan, Bob Backlund, Barry Windham, Mike Rotundo & etc. He was perfect for the era that he was in. But in today's day and age it might be a little tougher for him because the vitriol in public life has grown and some fans are a little bit more cynical."

[6.0] "A long career but he was good only for a short time. Probably because he started wrestling at 31. He was good in the early '80s, but his hip condition made him way way worse. I won't think about his later career and will give him credit for his early years"

"THE FUCKING GOAT OF THE WRESTLING, BREAK JABRONI HOGAN'S HEAD WITH A CAMEL CLUTH. HE IS, AND WILL BE, THE BEST WRESTLER IN HISTORY"

"TRUE GOAT OF WRESTLING, BREAK JABROINI HOGAN'S BACK AND MAKE HUMBLE, PUT HIM IN CAMEL CLUTCH SHIEKY BABY"

[10.0] "THE REAL GOD AND GOAT, THE MASTER OF JABRONI. HULK HOGAN U ARE A JABRONI BUBBA. LIKE THE MUSTACHE OF THE IRON MASTER OF SUPLEX AND CAMEL CLUTCH"

[10.0] "One of the best heels of all time. Great at generating heat, great matches, tough as nails and hilarious."

[8.0] "SHIEKY BABY PUT THE HULK HOGAN IN THE CAMEL CLUTCH, MAKE HIM HUMBLE BROTHER. ARE YOU A JABRONI OR ARE YOU THE REAL?"

[6.0] "Not the best. But certainly a character. He is his own biggest fan. His mental ramblings on the internet are just something you cant look away from. His best in ring work is around 1980. From 1985 onwards he was awful on the ring."

[10.0] "Let me tell you something gene mean hahaha. I seriously cannot fathom the masses of jabronis who take the wrestling so seriously that they can? t enjoy the iron sheik. I mean seriously if your gonna write a comment regarding the iron sheik and disregard his promos or even worse act like they don? t exist at all, then maybe the iron sheik needs to put you in the camel clutch and make you humble. He? s had a great wrestling career in and out of the ring and is a great example, to people like me who were not alive for sheiks prime, of just how extreme some of the characters were back in day. Do yourself a favor and Check out his Twitter. ps. fuck the Monday."

[8.0] "Sheik in his prime was actually rather accomplished as a wrestler (his professional background in actual shoot wrestling helped a lot with that) and for the standards of the time, he was far from average. What really put Sheik beyond a lot of his peers was that he was a heel magnet: his gimmick and look helped a lot, but he was also very capable of getting crowds to hate his guts through his heel actions in the ring and consistent trash talk. In the territory days, he was a solid draw that people loved to see get knocked around the ring, and was really one of the first to rely on character more so than actual in ring wrestling. What puts him back however is that most of his wrestling history is full of rather poor matches (likely due to injury and Sheik's age) and the fact that he was nearly incomprehensible promo wise."

[9.0] "Sheiky baby, he was the Iranian bomb. And he had the best mustache in wrestling history. Invented the "camel clutch" and played Col Mustafa, speaking Arabic and Persian. The probable inspiration for the "Karnov" video game character."

[10.0] "Absolute Legend, a great gimmick and pretty good technician at the time, not to mention uber charismatic and a great heat magnet."

[9.0] "Iron Sheik was a pioneer when the character based persona was really starting to skyrocket. Not only was Sheik an intriguing heel character and memorable face, but he was very accomplished in the ring, as he is a former olympian & the image of him twirling the hammers (I'm not sure if it has a proper name) is iconic.. His promos were out of control where you could hardly grasp what he was yelling about. But one thing's for sure: you knew he meant business. He didn't invent the Camel Clutch, but he did popularize it & it worked for his character well. His match with Hogan the night that Hulkamania was born did not go more than 10 minutes, but the crowd had sustained excitement for every second of it. He made for a great heel for Hulk to best. Sheik worked as a great villain for Slaughter."

[8.0] "Iron Sheik was what he was... and he turned 40 in 1982. he was past his prime the entire time most of us saw him working in wwe and well past his prime by the time he moved on from there. the gimmick... was a great gimmick. he was a heat magnet. he didnt need to make sense in his interviews because that was the gimmick. it worked sheik was given the wwf title because it would boost hogans popularity to do the all-American gimmick. slaughter reached the height of his popularity because sheik was such a heat magnet on the bad guy side. wwf decided to put sheik in tag teams for most his run because he was getting older and I guess his stamina was going on him. as a tag team wrestler he was right at the top of that division until he got into his drug problem. all in all... I dont like comparing 45 year old wrestlers to 25 year olds? so I know a lot of rankers here want to give all their ratings based on what a spot monkey a guy is... how many spins he can twist his body while flying over the ropes... fine... whatever sheik is probably one of the top 20 names a casual person will remember from the 1980s. he was a guy you would easily put in the top 2-3 matches on any major card and know hes selling you some tickets. he is what wrestling was all about in its glory days"

[10.0] "Real wrestling fans know that Iron Sheik never lose to Hollywood blonde jabroni unless he let him win."

[8.0] "A fascinating wrestler. This day I can't tell if he's insane or just refuses to break character. A great heel but loses points for rarely winning most of his major matches. He's physically imposing but despite always being billed as a top performer he rarely ever won on TV."

[10.0] "Best heel wrestler ever! Had the charisma, the tactics and knew how to piss someone off. What helped him succeed in wrestling was being in the Olympics. His moves were fantastic to watch. Camel Clutch best submission hold. Never should be a babyface."

[9.0] "he is one of the most underrated wrestlers ever. Not good at speaking English but that was the reason he was so funny. I can say that he was the best heel WWE has ever had. I remember there was a battle royal but I don't know the time, which the crowd was dead and when he came out, people started to boo the shit out of him. that proves that he is the best heel ever"

[7.0] "Doesn't get enough credit as a worker. Sheik wasn't a great mic man but his lack of good English made him that much more fun to watch. Oozed charisma, oozed villainy and is bar none the most entertaining guy I can think of to interview. He was and still is a captivating personality."

[8.0] "A great heel, with a good variety of moves. He was good at selling, and was genuinely crazy as hell. He served the important purpose of bridging the Bruno and Hogan eras, and doesn't get nearly enough credit for his contributions."

[10.0] "Classic heel. Held both belts, back when the tag team meant something. Had high impact suplex arsenal. Could sell his bumps well. Worked the crowd up to generate heat. Good run in the tag team ranks. Classic interviews "Gene Mean" lol. Escalated feuds with Hogan, Backlund, Duggan and of course Slaughter. Excellent longevity. An underrated builder of his era and of course the next generation of Hulkamania."

[10.0] "You all very intelligent German and American commenters, but you misunderstand something very important. Iron Sheik, Khosrow Vaziri, greatest wrestler ever to live! Without Iron Sheik, there is no Hulkamania! Without Iron Sheik, there is no WrestleMania! Without Iron Sheik, there is no Vince McMahon! Iran number 1!"

[5.0] "He wasnt that great of a wrestler and his move set lacked quite a bit. He did have a few good matches and feuds but nothing absolutely extraordinary. I liked his partnership with Nikolai Volkov. I felt that was a great tag team. Overall he is about average. He was never really athletic and never could do much but he was a true pioneer."

[10.0] "does he deserve a 10? nope. but this guy is awesome and completely out of his mind. will fuck your ass and make you humble. may accuse you of sucking Hulk Hogan dick. does not like cheap jew Nikolai Volkoff. Has not broken kayfabe in over 30 years, genuinely hates many guys in the industry, thus creating real life feuds. his interviews are always entertaining because he may turn violent at any second for any reason."

[10.0] "Iron Sheik is the reel number 1 in the world and everybody know without iron sheik there is no hulkamania ! Seriously though he was genuinly a good heel in the ring, his amateur background made his work be more realistiy and his opponent really looked like in a dangerous position. Some of his promos are actually really good and if you put them back in context you really get drawn into the story he wants to tell. Despite of being a shooter, he always did the job because he didn't let his ego take over the bigger picture of pro wrestling so he gets a 10 for all these reasons !"

[10.0] "this guy is awesome. his promos are great and funny. he was a great worker and good finisher and was the man who made Hulk Hogan, Hulk Hogan. Hulk would be nobody if it wasn't for Iron Sheikh"

[10.0] "I'm giving him a 10, just because of those extremely entertaining shoot interviews that he'd do. He was a good worker in his prime, but sadly immobile as he aged. Helped to train a great deal of talented guys including Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair."

[6.0] "Good wrestler who was hampered by drug problems which affected his in-ring style in later years. At his peak he was a great heel but as the years went on his schtick became repetitive and his body got a lot worse. Sad case of what could have been."