Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, an Iranian-born athlete who rose to fame within the Nineteen Seventies and ’80s, has died on Wednesday on the age of 81.
Referred to as the “Iron Sheik”, Vaziri made a reputation for himself within the theatrical world of United States skilled wrestling earlier than changing into a social media fixture later in life. His most notable outings got here as a part of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which later grew to become the World Wrestling Leisure (WWE).
A press release asserting Vaziri’s demise, posted to his Twitter page, mentioned the wrestler “transcended the realm of sports activities leisure” with “his larger-than-life persona, unbelievable charisma and unparalleled in-ring abilities”.
Longtime followers and media observers additionally recalled a legacy outlined by contradiction. Typically seen carrying a standard ghutrah headdress and pointed-toe boots, Vaziri represented a mishmash of Center Japanese stereotypes in his function as a heel — or villain — on the wrestling circuit.
Critics have commented that his performances mirrored the geopolitical tensions of the time, if not outright mainstream xenophobia. At occasions, he even wielded an historical Persian membership.
However regardless of the over-the-top theatrics of televised skilled wrestling, these stereotypes might transcend right into a type of illustration, mentioned William Lafi Youmans, affiliate professor of media and public affairs at George Washington College.
“He was all the time prepared to be the villain within the cultural second and form of exploit the politics of xenophobia,” Youmans informed Al Jazeera, pointing to when Vaziri assumed the moniker “Colonel Mustafa” throughout the 1990-91 Gulf Conflict.
WWE is saddened to study that Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, identified the world over as WWE Corridor of Famer The Iron Sheik, handed away on Wednesday, June 7, at age 81.
WWE extends its condolences to The Iron Sheik’s household, mates and followers.https://t.co/FGE0yKeuWA pic.twitter.com/yVLpLObxFA
— WWE (@WWE) June 7, 2023
Vaziri had first entered skilled wrestling because the maybe much more crassly named “The Nice Hossein Arab” earlier than deciding on his moniker, the Iron Sheik. His profession flourished within the wake of the 1979 Iranian revolution and the US hostage disaster in Tehran, when he typically confronted off towards the “All American” wrestler Hulk Hogan.
However, in a time when US common tradition was outlined by cardboard cutouts of Center Japanese and Russian baddies, the Iron Sheik’s charisma and extra developed again story had its personal beguiling enchantment, mentioned Youmans.
“It’s not so simple as: There’s a unfavorable stereotype after which I’m going to be crushed by that,” Youmans defined, reflecting on what the Iron Sheik meant to him personally.
“As a younger Arab American, the unfavorable stereotypes are throughout us. So you’ll be able to sort of battle again in some methods via who you select to assist. So I used to be a fan of the Iron Sheik as a villain.”
Born in Damghan, Iran, to a working-class household, Vaziri gained native prominence as an beginner Greco-Roman wrestler and competed nationally. He later served as a bodyguard for the final shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Vaziri informed Yahoo Sports activities in 2013 that he fled Iran within the late Nineteen Sixties after the demise of the well-known wrestler Gholamreza Takhti. Vaziri maintained that Takhti was murdered for his anti-government views, though the federal government maintained it was suicide.
Within the early Nineteen Seventies, Vaziri served as an assistant coach to the US Olympic wrestling group, earlier than breaking into televised US skilled wrestling, initially for the American Wrestling Affiliation after which the WWF.
Embodying the geopolitical camp of the time, he would spit when “USA” was mentioned aloud. He typically chanted “Russia primary! Iran primary!” when teaming up with wrestler Nikolai Volkoff, a heel wrapped in Soviet Union stereotype.
RESPECT THE LEGEND FOREVER 😢 pic.twitter.com/Cr6CC9pXSO
— The Iron Sheik (@the_ironsheik) June 7, 2023
Seeing Iran-US tensions play out within the WWF ring — and outdoors of bleak information cycles — supplied one thing of launch to viewers, mentioned Niki Akhavan, chair of the division of media and communication research at The Catholic College of America.
“It’s weird to say it, but it surely was a reduction to see it in that context, since you might nonetheless root for him however not be seen as form of anti-American. As a result of it was all sort of in enjoyable. Like, you knew that it was a joke,” Akhavan informed Al Jazeera. “I really feel like he embraced being the heel. For me, as an Iranian, I simply love that.”
Akhavan defined that Vaziri’s wrestling character represented “a distinct approach of being an Iranian in American tradition, the place you usually have to decide on an ‘both/or’. You’re both the terrorist Iranian otherwise you’re the Iranian who’s calling for sanctions and conflict by yourself nation.”
“He’s sort of this advanced, contradictory man who doesn’t fall into any of it … or does fall into all of it,” she mentioned.
Inducted into the WWE Corridor of Fame in 2005, Vaziri skilled a form of renaissance in his later years as he took his caustic one-liners to social media. On the similar time, he contended with private tragedy, together with the 2003 homicide of his daughter in a home violence incident.
In his ultimate Twitter put up, simply 15 hours earlier than the assertion about his demise, he cursed the wildfires ravaging Canada.
On this solemn event, Hulk Hogan is trending solely due to how a lot the Iron Sheik hated him.😂
RIP, Sheik. You’re the legend ceaselessly.🙏🏼🙌 pic.twitter.com/nHjbnIgaOv
— Huckster Finn 🐬 (@FinnHuckster) June 7, 2023
His demise introduced loads to thoughts for Josh Hamzehee, whose play Burnt Metropolis: A Dystopian Bilingual One-Persian Present explores questions of biracial identification, masculinity and the playwright’s personal relationship along with his Iranian father.
At occasions within the present, Hamzehee embodies the Iron Sheik, a determine he grew up “not essentially idolising” however who however performed a “massive think about how I understood my very own Iranian heritage”.
“It’s been attention-grabbing attempting to get into what that mindset is, of somebody who has to repeatedly be a villain and see their very own heritage as a villain and attempt to embrace that,” Hamzehee mentioned. “It’s a lens that has allowed me to know myself loads. However it’s understanding myself via my Iranian heritage — via how perhaps the West has put it out for me.”
For Hamzehee, that battle was maybe greatest embodied within the notorious 1984 match between the Iron Sheik and Hulk Hogan.
“On the finish of it, you suppose he’s going to win as a result of he has Hogan in his ending maintain, however then Hogan breaks out of it and leg drops him,” he mentioned. “I feel that’s the in-between area I all the time discover myself at after I take into consideration him.”
