The Iron Sheik was one of the most notorious old school heels in WWE history. Using his ethnicity and background to his advantage, Sheik used the political climate of the time to become a white-hot foreign menace that the audience loved to despise. However, Sheiks WWE career would come to an abrupt end. He was arrested along with archrival Hacksaw Jim Duggan for being under the influence of drugs, a story that reached national headlines. Incredibly, WWE officials were more concerned that a babyface and a heel who were supposed to feuding at the time were found sharing a car than they were about all the drugs they were taking. Hacksaw and Sheik were both released from WWE, and Sheik only ended up making part-time appearances for the company thereafter. In recent years Sheik found a new way to stay relevant: social media. Sheiks regular use of F-bombs and other offensive language has made him an internet celebrity, which has been amplified thanks to his barmy Twitter account. These days, Sheik can be found touring around the United States and Canada promoting his documentary, which will help pay for extensive knee surgery. From personal experience, I can tell you that, even though his in-ring career ended a long time ago, he still draws in huge crowds wherever he goes.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
