10 Wrestling Gimmicks Based On LIES!
6. The Iron Sheik
The Iron Sheik's chaotic ramblings were monetised in the post-Attitude Era wrestling wasteland as the shoot interview circuit exploded with various tales of the industry's debauched past, but the former WWE Champion's "f*ckin' bullsh*t" was present long before he became a retired figure of fun.
Beyond being just a foreign menace heel, Sheik carried around a gold medal flexing his credentials as an Olympic wrestler, but Kurt Angle he wasn't.
In real life, he'd gone to the Mexico games in 1968 as part of Iran's team, and coached United states teams in the 1970s, but the closest he came to the top prize was in the Amateur Athletic Union. No mean feat, but nowhere near as impressive in the over-inflated world he was walking into as a pro several years later.
Sheik was at least Iranian, though became an Iranian-American following his move to the country - the hackled spits in the direction of the flag were as legitimate as his mythical Olympic success.