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One of WWE's most controversial characters, The Iron Sheik, recently passed away at the age of 81. Former WWE writer Vince Russo believes the company is too afraid to create a character like Sheik in 2023.
In the 1980s, Sheik was one of the biggest villains in the wrestling business. The Iranian-American's on-screen persona despised everything about the United States, especially the country's leading wrestling star Hulk Hogan.
On Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Outlaws show, Russo said WWE does not have enough courage to tell another anti-American story. He also referenced how the company largely ignored COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter in 2020:
"They're pansies," Russo stated. "Bro, you had The Hurt Business right smack in the middle of Black Lives Matter. Are you kidding me? Because they're sissy Marys. They're pansies – that's why, bro. They got no balls. It's that simple, bro. We were going through so many things – COVID, bro – they completely ignored COVID. Completely ignored it, bro. No balls." [6:08 – 6:38]
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The Hurt Business consisted of four black wrestlers: Bobby Lashley, Cedric Alexander, MVP, and Shelton Benjamin. The group formed at a time when Black Lives Matter was gaining worldwide attention. However, the social movement was never a focal point of the faction's storylines.
Watch the video above to hear Dr. Chris Featherstone, Vince Russo, and former WWE Superstar EC3 question whether The Iron Sheik really disliked Hulk Hogan.
Vince Russo explains why The Iron Sheik was so hated
Modern-day wrestling villains often receive criticism for failing to fully embrace their bad-guy personas. The Iron Sheik, by contrast, stayed true to his character even after retiring. In the final years of his life, he even continued to take shots at Hulk Hogan via Twitter.
Vince Russo believes The Iron Sheik's approach to the business is not something that modern wrestlers are willing to replicate:
"Think about the balls Sheik had. You know how many death threats this dude must have gotten, bro? Oh my God. You know how many bottles were probably thrown at his head? Think about the balls to see something like that through." [6:46 – 7:06]
The highlight of Sheik's career came in December 1983 when he defeated Bob Backlund to win the WWE Championship. A month later, Hogan beat his arch-rival to capture the title for the first time in his career.
Do you agree with Vince Russo? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Outlaws and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.
