The wrestling world lost one of its most colorful characters when The Iron Sheik died on June 7th, 2021 at the age of 81.

Born Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri in 1942 in Iran, The Iron Sheik was known for his intense personality, dirty tactics, and heat-generating - and sometimes incoherent - promos.

Before entering the world of professional wrestling, the Iron Sheik was an accomplished amateur wrestler. He competed for the Iranian national team and won a gold medal in the freestyle wrestling event at the 1968 Olympics.

In the mid-1970s he turned pro and achieved his greatest successes with Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation (now WWE).

THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS ARENA

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Madison Square Garden has hosted the WWE hundreds of times, and some of their most memorable moments have occurred there. As great of a villain as The Iron Sheik was in the '80s, it's no surprise that he would be a part of more than a few of those.

Let's take a look below at some of the more noteworthy appearances of the Iron Sheik at Madison Square Garden:

THE IRON SHEIK VS. BOB BACKLUND • WWF CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH • DECEMBER 26, 1983

The Iron Sheik did the unthinkable when he won the WWF World Heavyweight Championship from Bob Backlund, who had been the titleholder for nearly six years. It was billed as a conflict of patriotic ideologies, a traditional "good guy vs. bad guy" story that fans of the era could really sink their teeth into.

After The Iron Sheik put Backlund in his signature move, the Camel Clutch, Backlund's manager Arnold Skaaland threw in the towel, thereby signifying Backlund's surrender. A new champion was crowned... but it didn't last long.

THE IRON SHEIK VS. HULK HOGAN • WWF CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH • JANUARY 23, 1984

McMahon knew he wanted to position Hulk Hogan as the new face of the company, but rather than have the popular Hogan beat the also-popular Backlund, they needed a villainous "transitional champion" for Hogan to conquer. Unfortunately The Iron Sheik filled that role perfectly. In the Sheik's only world title defense, he lost decisively to the beloved Hulkster, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

The Iron Sheik held the title for less than a month.

THE IRON SHEIK VS. SGT. SLAUGHTER • BOOT CAMP MATCH • JUNE 16, 1984

After his feud with Hogan, The Iron Sheik found a new nemesis in the American military-portraying hero of Sgt. Slaughter. In June of 1984, they collided in what was billed as a "Boot Camp Match."

The Boot Camp Match was a unique stipulation that aimed to simulate the military training environment. The match format incorporated elements such as the use of weaponry and an overall brutal environment.

In the end Sgt. Slaughter emerged victorious, once again sending the fans home happy.

THE IRON SHEIK VS. HULK HOGAN • CHAMPIONSHIP REMATCH • DECEMBER 28, 1984

In this lesser-known encounter, The Iron Sheik found himself in the main event at Madison Square Garden in a championship rematch against Hulk Hogan. Unfortunately for the Sheik, the result wasn't much different than their first, with Hogan putting Sheik away in short order.

Still, to be in the main event at New York's most famous arena is nothing to sneeze at.

COLONEL MUSTAFA & SGT. SLAUGHTER VS. HULK HOGAN & THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR • SUMMERSLAM • AUGUST 26, 1991

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In the early '90s, the WWF landscape -- and the entire country -- looked much different than it did in the '80s. The U.S. was embroiled in a very real conflict with the Middle East, and McMahon decided to sprinkle some of those elements into his fictional wrestling universe. The character of Sgt. Slaughter was turned into an Iraqi sympathizer, and coming along for the ride was The Iron Sheik, now repackaged as "Colonel Mustafa."

Along with their manager General Adnan, the trio was billed as the "Triangle of Terror" as they faced off against Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior in the main event of SummerSlam 1991. Despite having a clear 3-on-2 advantage, it is wrestling after all, and "Hogan must pose, pal!" The noble duo beat the dastardly trio after Hogan pinned Slaughter.

(Fun fact: The Ultimate Warrior was fired immediately following this match.)

(HONORABLE MENTION) $50,000 TAG TEAM BATTLE ROYAL • OCTOBER, 1986

Here's one I threw in just because I didn't know it existed: a rare "tag team battle royal" from 1986. In a normal battle royal, if you're thrown over the top rope to the floor, you're eliminated. In a tag team battle royal, if just one member of the team is eliminated, the other half must willfully exit as well. Kind of an interesting concept you didn't see all the time.

The Iron Sheik was involved, along with his partner Nikolai Volkoff, but unfortunately they did not emerge victorious.

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The Iron Sheik's over-the-top presence in the world of professional wrestling will be surely missed. RIP Sheiky Baby!

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