10 Pro Wrestlers With Olympic Backgrounds

#2 IRON SHEIK

The Iron Sheik, proudly representing Iran in the 1968 Olympics.

The Iron Sheik was a critical component in the evolution of what we now know as the "Hulkamania" era. Had it not been for Sheik dropping the title to Hogan, which kick-started the big Hogan run, things would've likely been drastically different.

In fact, Sheik has gone on record to say that he was offered a lot of money to shoot on Hogan and bring the belt to Minnesota and the AWA.

Before becoming a professional wrestler, Iron Sheik was a member of the Iranian Olympic team in the 1968 Summer Olympic Games, where he competed in Greco-Roman wrestling. Sheik would eventually move to the United States and become a coach for the U.S. Olympic wrestling team in 1972.