Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

102

Gender

Male

Birthday

1942-03-15

Day of Death

2023-06-06 (81 years old)

Place of Birth

Damghan, Semnan, Iran

Also Known As

The Iron Sheik

Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri

حسین خسرو علي وزیری

Col. Mustafa

Hussein Arab

Ali Vasari

Great Hossein Arab

Khosrow Vaziri

Biography

Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri (Persian: حسین خسرو علی وزیری) better known by his ring name The Iron Sheik, is an Iranian retired professional wrestler, amateur wrestler and actor. He is the only Iranian champion in WWE history, having won the WWF World Heavyweight Championship in 1983. His villainous character peaked during the 1980s WWF wrestling boom and his rivalry with Hulk Hogan turned Hogan into one of the greatest television heroes of the decade. He later formed a tag team with Nikolai Volkoff, which won the WWF Tag Team Championship at the inaugural WrestleMania event. In 2005, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. A heel throughout the 1980s, Sheik later gained popularity on Kidd Chris, The Howard Stern Show, and on the internet due to his shoot interviews, vulgar language, and his intense dislike for some of his fellow professional wrestlers, particularly Hulk Hogan.

Known For

Acting

Iron Sheik: The Maim Event

2014

Iron Sheik: The Maim Event

as

WrestleMania

1985

WrestleMania

as

The Iron Sheik

WWE WrestleMania III

1987

WWE WrestleMania III

as

The Iron Sheik

WrestleMania II

1986

WrestleMania II

as

The Iron Sheik

Maz Jobrani: Brown and Friendly

2009

Maz Jobrani: Brown and Friendly

as

The Iron Sheik

The British Bulldogs

1986

The British Bulldogs

as

The Iron Sheik

The Hulkster Hulk Hogan

1985

The Hulkster Hulk Hogan

as

The Iron Sheik

Villains of the Squared Circle

1986

Villains of the Squared Circle

as

The Iron Sheik

Savage

1977

Savage

as

The Iron Sheik

WWE WrestleMania 13

1997

WWE WrestleMania 13

as

Iron Sheik (Manager)

Chris Benoit: The Aftermath

2010

Chris Benoit: The Aftermath

as

Himself

The Wrestling Classic

1985

The Wrestling Classic

as

The Iron Sheik

Southern Discomfort: Wrestling on the Indie Circuit

2002

Southern Discomfort: Wrestling on the Indie Circuit

as

Iron Sheik

WWE SummerSlam 1991

1991

WWE SummerSlam 1991

as

Col. Mustafa

WWE WrestleMania X-Seven

2001

WWE WrestleMania X-Seven

as

The Iron Sheik

WCW The Great American Bash 1990

1990

WCW The Great American Bash 1990

as

The Iron Sheik

Mayday Z

Mayday Z

as

Iron Sheik

Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports

1987

Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports

as

The Iron Sheik

The Sheik

2014

The Sheik

as

Self - The Iron Sheik

WCCW Cotton Bowl Extravaganza '87

1987

WCCW Cotton Bowl Extravaganza '87

as

The Iron Sheik

Grand Masters of Wrestling: First Blood Vol. 1

2006

Grand Masters of Wrestling: First Blood Vol. 1

as

Iron Sheik

WWE: Best of WWE at Madison Square Garden

2013

WWE: Best of WWE at Madison Square Garden

as

Iron Sheik

WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology

2006

WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology

as

The Iron Sheik

Wrestling's Bloopers, Bleeps, & Bodyslams

1985

Wrestling's Bloopers, Bleeps, & Bodyslams

as

The Iron Sheik

WWE: Top 50 Superstars of All Time

2010

WWE: Top 50 Superstars of All Time

as

The Iron Sheik

The Best of the WWF: volume 7

1986

The Best of the WWF: volume 7

as

The Iron Sheik

The Best of the WWF: volume 9

1986

The Best of the WWF: volume 9

as

The Iron Sheik

The Best of the WWF: volume 16 Around the World

1988

The Best of the WWF: volume 16 Around the World

as

The Iron Sheik

Most Unusual Matches

1985

Most Unusual Matches

as

The Iron Sheik

The Old Boys

2015

The Old Boys

as

The Iron Sheik

Andre the Giant

1985

Andre the Giant

as

The Iron Sheik (Archive footage)

WWF Hulkamania 1

1985

WWF Hulkamania 1

as

The Iron Sheik

Wrestling's Biggest, Smallest, Strangest, Strongest!

1985

Wrestling's Biggest, Smallest, Strangest, Strongest!

as

The Iron Sheik

The Life And Times of Paul Boesch

1994

The Life And Times of Paul Boesch

as

The Iron Sheik (archive footage)

WWE Detroit Wrestling '86

1986

WWE Detroit Wrestling '86

as

The Iron Sheik

WWE Houston Wrestling: October '86

1986

WWE Houston Wrestling: October '86

as

The Iron Sheik

WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: September '84

1984

WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: September '84

as

The Iron Sheik

WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: October '84

1984

WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: October '84

as

The Iron Sheik

WWE Houston Wrestling: November '86

1986

WWE Houston Wrestling: November '86

as

The Iron Sheik

WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: October '85

1985

WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: October '85

as

The Iron Sheik

WWE St. Louis Wrestling: September '84

1984

WWE St. Louis Wrestling: September '84

as

The Iron Sheik

WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: October '84

1984

WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: October '84

as

The Iron Sheik

WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: January '87

1987

WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: January '87

as

The Iron Sheik

WWE Survivor Series 1996

1996

WWE Survivor Series 1996

as

The Iron Sheik (Manager)

WWE: The History Of The WWE Championship

2006

WWE: The History Of The WWE Championship

as

Iron Sheik

Andre the Giant

2018

Andre the Giant

as

Self (archive footage)

Ring Roasts I: A Comedic Tribute to The Iron Sheik

2008

Ring Roasts I: A Comedic Tribute to The Iron Sheik

as

The Iron Sheik

YouShoot: The Iron Sheik

YouShoot: The Iron Sheik

as

Himself

RFVideo Face Off Vol. 2: When Worlds Collide

RFVideo Face Off Vol. 2: When Worlds Collide

as

Himself

Grand Masters of Wrestling: Volume 1

2006

Grand Masters of Wrestling: Volume 1

as

Iron Sheik

Grand Masters of Wrestling: Volume 2

2006

Grand Masters of Wrestling: Volume 2

as

Iron Sheik

WWE: Legends of Wrestling - Andre the Giant and Iron Sheik

2010

WWE: Legends of Wrestling - Andre the Giant and Iron Sheik

as

WWF: Best of Hulkamania

1992

WWF: Best of Hulkamania

as

Iron Sheik

We Will Rock You

2011

We Will Rock You

as

Abdul Hassan Omar Kassan Margud

WWE: The Best of Saturday Night's Main Event

2009

WWE: The Best of Saturday Night's Main Event

as

Iron Sheik

WWE: 150 Best Pay-Per-View Matches, Vol 1

2014

WWE: 150 Best Pay-Per-View Matches, Vol 1

as

Colonel Mustafa

WWE: Allied Powers - The World's Greatest Tag Teams

2009

WWE: Allied Powers - The World's Greatest Tag Teams

as

Iron Sheik

WWE Hall of Fame 2005

2005

WWE Hall of Fame 2005

as

Iron Sheik

The WWF's Even More Unusual Matches

1987

The WWF's Even More Unusual Matches

as

The Iron Sheik

Tag Team Champions

1986

Tag Team Champions

as

The Iron Sheik

Alabama Outlaws - Wrestling on the Indie Circuit

2002

Alabama Outlaws - Wrestling on the Indie Circuit

as

Himself

1987

WCCW Christmas Star Wars '87

as

The Iron Sheik

Heroes of Wrestling

1999

Heroes of Wrestling

as

The Iron Sheik

NWA Clash of The Champions VI: Ragin' Cajun

1989

NWA Clash of The Champions VI: Ragin' Cajun

as

The Iron Sheik

WWC Aniversario '88: A Hot Night in Bayamón

1988

WWC Aniversario '88: A Hot Night in Bayamón

as

The Iron Sheik

WWE The Brawl to End it All

1984

WWE The Brawl to End it All

as

The Iron Sheik

WCW WrestleWar 1989

1989

WCW WrestleWar 1989

as

The Iron Sheik

WWE SummerSlam Spectacular '91

1991

WWE SummerSlam Spectacular '91

as

Col. Mustafa (Ringside)

WWE Survivor Series 1991

1991

WWE Survivor Series 1991

as

Col. Mustafa

WWE Royal Rumble 1992

1992

WWE Royal Rumble 1992

as

Col. Mustafa

WWE UK Rampage

1992

WWE UK Rampage

as

Col. Mustafa

WWE In Your House 14: Revenge of the Taker

1997

WWE In Your House 14: Revenge of the Taker

as

Manager

WWE UK Rampage '92

1992

WWE UK Rampage '92

as

Col. Mustafa

WrestleMania 2

1986

WrestleMania 2

as

The Iron Sheik

WrestleMania III

1987

WrestleMania III

as

The Iron Sheik

NWA WrestleWar 1989

1989

NWA WrestleWar 1989

as

The Iron Sheik

WWE Bashed in the USA

1993

WWE Bashed in the USA

as

Col. Mustafa

The WWF's Amazing Managers

1985

The WWF's Amazing Managers

as

The Iron Sheik

Hulkamania 6

1991

Hulkamania 6

as

Colonel Mustafa

WWE World Tour 1992

1992

WWE World Tour 1992

as

Col. Mustafa

The Greatest Stars of the 80's

2005

The Greatest Stars of the 80's

as

Self

Hogan Knows Best

Hogan Knows Best

as

WWF Prime Time Wrestling

WWF Prime Time Wrestling

as

The Eric Andre Show

The Eric Andre Show

as

Self

Naked News

Naked News

as

Raw

Raw

as

The Iron Sheik

WWF Wrestling Challenge

WWF Wrestling Challenge

as

The Iron Sheik

Biography: WWE Legends

Biography: WWE Legends

as

Saturday Night's Main Event

Saturday Night's Main Event

as

The Iron Sheik

WWF All-Star Wrestling

WWF All-Star Wrestling

as

The Great Hussein Arab

World Class Championship Wrestling

World Class Championship Wrestling

as

The Iron Sheik

WWE Old School

WWE Old School

as

The Iron Sheik

WWE Old School

WWE Old School

as

Iron Sheik

WWE Old School

WWE Old School

as

Colonel Mustafa

Mid-South Wrestling

Mid-South Wrestling

as

The Iron Sheik

WWF Prime Time Wrestling

WWF Prime Time Wrestling

as

The Iron Sheik

Saturday Night's Main Event

Saturday Night's Main Event

as

Colonel Mustafa

Tuesday Night Titans

Tuesday Night Titans

as

The Iron Sheik

WWF Championship Wrestling

WWF Championship Wrestling

as

Great Hossein Arab

NWA World Championship Wrestling

NWA World Championship Wrestling

as

The Iron Sheik

WWE Hall of Fame

WWE Hall of Fame

as

Self - Inductee (as The Iron Sheik)

WWF All-Star Wrestling

WWF All-Star Wrestling

as

The Iron Sheik

Production

Crew

Directing