Was The Iron Sheik an Iranian or American? Know his real ethnicity

The Iron Sheik is one of the most memorable and unique superstars to ever wrestle in WWE. However, he is best remembered by most fans for his gimmick and character, which is not very far from who he really is.

For those unaware, The Iron Sheik is of Iranian descent. His real name is Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, and was born in Damghan, Iran. Sheik represented his country in the Summer Olympics in 1968, where he competed for a spot on Iran's Greco-Roman wrestling team in Mexico City.

Sheik was best known for his match with Hulk Hogan in 1984, which is still discussed up to this day on social media. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.

The Iron Sheik achieved a major WWE record as an Iranian

The WWE Hall of Famer is many things and has achieved numerous championships across different promotions. In the Stamford-based promotion alone, he is a former World Heavyweight and Tag Team Champion. However, something else about this accomplishment makes it more memorable.

As of this writing, he is the only Iranian-born WWE Champion in the company's history. In late 1983, he successfully challenged Bob Backlund for the title. To make the victory even more impressive, he took the championship that Backlund had held for more than six years. Unfortunately for the Iranian wrestler, the title was taken by Hulk Hogan in less than a month.

Did The Iron Sheik really get an offer to break Hulk Hogan's legs in 1984?

Aside from Hogan winning the WWF Championship from Sheik, one of the most notable moments that stemmed from the iconic match at Madison Square Garden was the Iranian's claims. He shared that AWA owner, Verne Gagne, offered to pay him to injure Hulk.

Greg Gagne, Verne's son, has since disputed the claims. He shared that the Hall of Famer invented it. Greg even shared that it was his family who gave The Iron Sheik his name, and they sent him to Vince McMahon.

“No. Sheik made that thing up. A couple of months ago, my brother and I, he said, ‘You gotta watch this thing on YouTube.’ I never knew he said it. So when he [my brother] had told me, I said, ‘That was never said. Verne never did that.' (...) My mom gave him the name The Iron Sheik, and then the Iranian thing was going on. Vince [McMahon] wanted somebody and Verne sent him up there [to WWE].”

The WWE Hall of Famer recently passed at the age of 81. He has left a legacy that will be hard to forget.

Sportskeeda Wrestling extends condolences to the wrestling legend's family and friends in their time of grief.