WWE legend The Iron Sheik passes away at 81

WWE legend Iron Sheik recently breathed his last at 81, as reported by senior wrestling journalist Bill Apter.

The Hall of Famer was one of the greatest ever to lace up a pair of wrestling boots. He won the World Heavyweight Championship in late 1983 after defeating Bob Backlund. The Iron Sheik went on to have a high-profile match against Hulk Hogan in January 1984 at Madison Square Garden for the gold.

At the show, Hogan defeated Sheik, which is considered the beginning of "Hulkamania," the greatest babyface run in wrestling history. Apart from that, The Iron Sheik also won the WWE Tag Team Championship alongside Nikolai Volkaff.

The Iron Sheik's death was also recently confirmed by his family via his Twitter account. They shared a touching note about the tragic development, revealing just how loved a man Sheik was out of the ring.

"RESPECT THE LEGEND FOREVER," the family tweeted.

Fans came out in droves to mourn his passing in the comments section, with many sharing their memories of watching him perform. Though he seldom made any TV appearances in recent years, his colorful Twitter persona kept the fans entertained.

Sportskeeda Wrestling extends condolences to The Iron Sheik's family and friends in their time of grief.