WWE History Vol. 4: The Olympians

#2 The Iron Sheik

The Iron Sheik

"Iran number one! USA, ach-tooey!" If you were a fan of WWE during their classic era, you probably remember that line coming from perennial wrestling villain Iron Sheik.

But, a lot of people don't know that the Iron Sheik was a decorated amateur wrestler prior to his professional days. In fact, he was an Olympian.

During the 1968 Mexico Olympic games, he represented his native Iran in amateur wrestling, though he failed to medal. A few years later, Sheik emigrated to the United States, where his experience landed him a spot as the assistant coach to Team USA in 1972.

After his Olympic coaching career ended, Sheik became involved in pro wrestling. Since he was an Iran native, promoters often pushed him as a terrible villain, even though in real life Sheik is known to be one of the funniest and most personable wrestlers to ever lace up the boots.

He defeated long-reigning champion Bob Backlund for the WWE Championship, only to lose it a few weeks later to a guy you may have heard of named Hulk Hogan.

As far as controversies go, the Sheik is never far off. His social media profile screams of profanity and he holds no punches back.