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.

About the author

Jonathan Carpenter is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda. After obtaining a degree in political science from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, he started writing WWE articles in 2016. Jonathan believes integrity is vital in journalism and ensures his work is high on accuracy. He conducts in-depth research and verifies information from various sources before curating a feature.

Jonathan has engaged in many meaningful conversations with prominent pro wrestling personalities like Drew McIntyre and DDP. He grew up in Memphis, admiring Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan during WWE’s Golden Era in the ‘80s. He has attended many pro wrestling events and credits The Hulkster for making his childhood memorable.

Jonathan, a big fan of Bray Wyatt, would like to see the latter's brother, Bo Dallas, continue his legacy as Uncle Howdy. If he were to work on the storyline, Jonathan would book the return of Erick Rowan as Howdy’s muscle. He thinks it would be a great way to honor the former Universal Champion.

When not writing pro wrestling features, Jonathan likes to collect sports memorabilia and has amassed a large collection of event-used and autographed relics over the years.

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Edited by Staff Editor