Does any one knows about the carier of IRON sheikh wrestling champion before becoming wrestling champion?

Answer 1

Promoters claimed that this one time bodyguard for the Shah of Iran, Iranian Army veteran and assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic wrestling team was discovered at the 1972 Olympics by AWA promoter Verne Gagne. Although he was billed as having been a 1968 Olympic medalist, this is untrue. While Sheik had widely bragged about competing in the 1968 Olympics, he was actually eliminated during his country’s trials.] He emigrated after the Olympics. People often believed his story because he wound up in Minnesota. Upon landing, he continually asked airport officials for Olympic coach Alan Rice (he didn't know English at the time), who was summoned to pick him up from the airport. He won the 1971 U.S. AAU Greco-Roman nationals at 181 pounds. Because he had yet to establish citizenship, he was ineligible for the 1972 Olympics, but ended up going to Munich as an assistant coach for the U.S. Greco-roman team, and followed up with the same position in 1976 in Montreal.

Verne Gagne went to Munich as well, looking to recruit people into pro wrestling, most notably heavyweight boxer Duane Bobick [who turned him down], Ken Patera and 420-pound bronze medal-winning wrestler Chris Taylor. Also at the camp, which included Ric Flair, was Vaziri, who debuted as a muscular 200 pounder. He was stuck in prelims because of his size, and because of that and him being a legit amateur, was cast as a babyface. In addition, he also helped Gagne train future wrestlers, such as Ricky Steamboat and Jim Brunzell.

Answer 2

what ever the guy who answered first said lol =p

Answer 3

Promoters claimed that this one time bodyguard for the Shah of Iran, Iranian Army veteran and assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic wrestling team was discovered at the 1972 Olympics by AWA promoter Verne Gagne. Although he was billed as having been a 1968 Olympic medalist, this is untrue. While Sheik had widely bragged about competing in the 1968 Olympics, he was actually eliminated during his country’s trials. [1] He emigrated after the Olympics. People often believed his story because he wound up in Minnesota. Upon landing, he continually asked airport officials for Olympic coach Alan Rice (he didn't know English at the time), who was summoned to pick him up from the airport. He won the 1971 U.S. AAU Greco-Roman nationals at 181 pounds. Because he had yet to establish citizenship, he was ineligible for the 1972 Olympics, but ended up going to Munich as an assistant coach for the U.S. Greco-roman team, and followed up with the same position in 1976 in Montreal.

Verne Gagne went to Munich as well, looking to recruit people into pro wrestling, most notably heavyweight boxer Duane Bobick [who turned him down], Ken Patera and 420-pound bronze medal-winning wrestler Chris Taylor. Also at the camp, which included Ric Flair, was Vaziri, who debuted as a muscular 200 pounder. He was stuck in prelims because of his size, and because of that and him being a legit amateur, was cast as a babyface. In addition, he also helped Gagne train future wrestlers, such as Ricky Steamboat and Jim Brunzell.


[edit] WWWF/World Wrestling Federation: The First Stint (1979-1986)
After moving to other territories, Vaziri was turned into a heel and would do a few things that would complete his signature look. First, he grew a handlebar mustache, added wrestling boots with the toe curled up (a nod to his ethnic background), and shaved his head bald. In addition to adding the Persian clubs and challenging wrestlers to do as many or more than him as part of his gimmick (a sport in his native Iran), he would also change his ring name. Now known as The Great Hossein Arab , he won his first title, the Canadian Tag Team Championship, with partner the Texas Outlaw. He caught the eye of the WWF where he debuted in 1979 and won the first-ever Battle Royal in Madison Square Garden, earning him a title shot at then-champion Bob Backlund, who pinned him later that night in a 30-minute battle. He later feuded with Chief Jay Strongbow and Bruno Sammartino before leaving in 1980.

He would resurface as The Iron Sheik, and in the NWA territories. Playing off of real-life political matters (notably the Iran hostage crisis) and the animosity Americans had for the country of Iran, he moved on to the Mid-South and Mid-Atlantic territories, capturing the Mid-Atlantic title from Jim Brunzell before moving to Georgia Championship Wrestling where he had notable matches with Dusty Rhodes, Dick Murdoch and Tommy Rich, and traded the National TV title with Ron Garvin.

Vaziri would return to the WWF in 1983 as the Iron Sheik and challenged Backlund once again, defeating him on December 26, 1983 for the World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Championship.

During his title reign, Vaziri held memorable bouts against Backlund, Chief Jay Strongbow, Pat Patterson, and Tito Santana before dropping the belt just four weeks later to Hulk Hogan. The WWF's owner Vince McMahon, Jr. had wanted to take the WWF in a different direction as part of his plan to turn the WWF from a regional promotion into a national one. Part of his plan involved taking the title off of Backlund (who McMahon felt was too bland) and put it on the charismatic Hogan, who had left the AWA to wrestle for McMahon, in the process making an enemy of the AWA's owner Verne Gagne. Gagne reportedly offered the Sheik $100,000 to break Hogan's leg during the match and take the belt back to the AWA, but he refused the offer and informed Hogan, Pat Patterson, and both Vince McMahon Sr. and his son, current WWE owner Vince McMahon Jr., of the offer after the match. After engaging in a bitter feud with Sgt. Slaughter, to whom he would eventually lose a "Boot Camp Rules" match, the Iron Sheik would go on to team with Nikolai Volkoff as the "Foreign Legion", and under the management of "Classy" Freddie Blassie, won the WWF Tag Team Championship defeating the US Express at WrestleMania I.

He was eventually fired from the WWF in 1987 after he was arrested whilst travelling with fellow wrestler Jim Duggan on the New Jersey Turnpike. This came as a huge shock at the time to a public where many were still under the impression that the two were enemies, and led to national headlines. The WWF even acknowledged the incident happened on TV, and announced the Sheik had been fired before showing his last match, a six-man tag team match with Nikolai Volkoff and Butch Reed against 3 jobbers. Duggan was charged with possession of marijuana and drinking alcohol while driving, and received a conditional discharge, while Sheik was charged with possession of marijuana and cocaine, and received one year probation for the incident.


[edit] WCCW, AWA, and WWC (1987)
In 1987, the Iron Sheik competed in Dallas' World Class Championship Wrestling. He stayed with that organization for only a few months, followed by brief stints with the AWA, where he attacked Sgt. Slaughter during a match and Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council. In addition to re-igniting his feud with Slaughter and teaming with Col. Debeers, his main opponent during this time period was Tony Atlas, who he feuded with in both WCCW and WWC.


[edit] NWA & WCW (1989-1990)
In 1989, he had a short stint in the National Wrestling Alliance, when he feuded with Sting over the NWA World Television Championship. However, his age had caught up with him and he didn't have the workrate he once did or what WCW official were expecting. He was turned into a jobber, but he couldn't fill that role to the bookers' expectations, either. About half a year into his stint with the company, despite having a multi-year contract, he was sent home with pay.


[edit] World Wresting Federation: The Second Stint (1991-1992)
He returned to the WWF again in 1991 as Col. Mustafa and was aligned with former enemy Sgt. Slaughter (though it was rarely acknowledged on-camera that Mustafa was in fact the Iron Sheik). Along with General Adnan, the three played Iraqis (or, in Slaughter's case, an Iraqi sympathizer) during the first Gulf War and feuded with Hulk Hogan. Following Slaughter's face turn after SummerSlam 1991, he teamed with General Adnan until the middle of 1992, when he left the promotion again. The Sheik has said that he does not like Adnan and did not like teaming with him due to political animosities between their native countries.


[edit] Wrestling Tours (1994)
The Iron Sheik wrestled independently afterwards, and went on a wrestling tour to Nigeria in 1994, promoted by Chris Adams and co-sponsored by Pepsi, and featuring former WWF stars Jimmy Snuka, Greg Valentine, Demolition Ax and World Class wrestler/owner Kevin Von Erich.

In 1994, the Sheik tried his hand at strong style professional wrestling in the UWFi in Japan. He lost by tap-out to Yoji Anjoh in about 5:30 (the in-ring action of the UWFi, though tailored to resemble an actual competitive bout, was in fact made up of predetermined outcomes).


[edit] Independent Promotions (97-03), Brief WWF Return (2001), & Retirement (2003)
In 2001, at WrestleMania X-Seven The Iron Sheik was the victor of the Gimmick Battle Royal a match between several other popular wrestlers from the 1980s and 90s. Rather than being booed for winning, he was cheered as a fan favorite. Reportedly, bookers selected the Iron Sheik to be the winner because Battle Royal eliminations occur when a wrestler is ejected over the top rope, and the Sheik was the only wrestler in the match who was physically unable to do the move. He went on to wrestle in various independent promotions to age 60, and is now retired.

On May 5, 2003 Iron Sheik's daughter, Marissa Jeanne Vaziri age 27, was found strangled to death, in her apartment. Marissa's live-in boyfriend, Charles Warren Reynolds, 38, confessed to the crime and was charged with murder.(http://www.wsbtv.com/news/2182493/detail.html) Sheik has said he cried in anger when Reynolds was sentenced to life in prison, because he cannot get his revenge on him.

In 2005, the Iron Sheik was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his old rival, Sgt. Slaughter.