The Iron Sheik's career high came in the early 1980s, when his anti-American character led to a brief run as WWE Champion. While elements of Sheik's gimmick may have been seen as controversial, the "evil foreigner" trope in pro wrestling is as old as the sport itself - the true career-making controversy of The Iron Sheik has come in the years since his retirement. In 2004, MWF Studios released a shoot interview with The Iron Sheik that exposed the former world champion as deeply in need of help. In the interview, an intoxicated-sounding Sheik confessed to years of drug addiction while simultaneously running down his contemporaries in colorful fashion. Quotes from the interview became regular parts of wrestling-speak, and the whole thing led to repeated radio and Internet show appearances for the former grappler. Today - after years as a recurring guest on The Howard Stern Show - fans are starting to learn more about The Iron Sheik. Last year, a documentary release simply titled The Sheik showed the world the man behind the outrageous outbursts and used interviews with fellow pro wrestlers to detail his fascinating and tragic life. With the acclaimed film having humanized him, The Iron Sheik may now in the prime of his career.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
