The Iron Sheik, Villainous Pro Wrestler From Iran, Dies at 81

Iranian-born wrestler Hossein Khosrow Vaziri built a career as one of the most despised ring villains of his era.

His signature move was a back-breaking “Camel Clutch” submission hold.

As more than 60 Americans were being held hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran starting in November 1979, the Sheik went all in, waving an Iranian flag and singing his country’s national anthem in the ring, spitting on the floor during interviews and proclaiming “Iran No. 1.” “It was just the right time to establish my character or my gimmick to be the real baddest, baddest wrestler on the Earth,” he recalled in the 2014 documentaryDuring the 1990-91 Gulf War, his character was repackaged as Iraqi sympathizer Col. Mustafa and teamed with the American turncoat Sgt. Slaughter and General Adnan , a high school classmate of Iraq president Saddam Hussein back in the day.

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