WWE Hall of Famer The Iron Sheik, Iranian-Born Wrestling Legend and Rival of Hulk Hogan, Dead at 81

The Iron Sheik played a villainous anti-American character and won the WWF Championship in 1983 before losing it to Hulk Hogan.
He was born in Iran as Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri and came to the U.S.as an Olympic wrestling coach before becoming a pro wrestler.
The Iron Sheik is considered one of the greatest heels, or villains, in wrestling history and helped popularize terms like "jabroni."
He struggled with substance abuse issues and the murder of his daughter but overcame them and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
The Iron Sheik amassed over 600,000 followers on Twitter, where he continued to portray his bombastic heel persona even after retiring from wrestling.