The Iron Sheik, famous throughout the 1980s, can be credited with setting the template for the character of the monster foreign heel. Playing on real political matters like the Iranian hostage crisis, he crafted the figure of a Middle Eastern monster with real animosity for the West. He, along with tag team partner Nikolai Volkoff, was a master of getting cheap heat from wrestling crowds. The Sheik is best known for ending Bob Backlund's reign as WWF Champion, which had lasted almost six years. He was also the man who Hulk Hogan pinned for his first WWF Championship, kick-starting Hulkamania. A lot of the techniques used by the Sheik are now present in Rusev. He and Lana use love for Russia and Vladimir Putin to get a huge and spirited reaction from the patriotic WWE Universe. Rusev's submission finisher, the Accolade, is also a modified version of The Iron Sheik's "Camel Clutch". The legacy of The Iron Sheik is still alive in WWE.
Freelance film journalist and fan of professional wrestling. Usually found in a darkened screening room looking for an aisle seat and telling people to put away their mobile phones. Also known to do a bit of stand-up comedy, so I'm used to the occasional heckle.
