When we think of villains in the WWE, Randy Orton, Vince McMahon, and Triple H spring to mind immediately. But the early WWE fans will spring another name when asked about a villain. Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri aka The Iron Sheik. One of the original villains from the WWE, then WWF, franchise. The fans revered his rivalry with Hulk Hogan during his time at WWE and was one of the most iconic rivalries in the franchise. Even after retiring from the ring, The Iron Sheik would appear in the WWE, often in a comedic fashion. But sadly, he will never return to the WWE ever again.

WWE Star and legend Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, more commonly known as, The Iron Sheik, passed away early Wednesday morning. After the heart-wrenching news of his death, stars and fans alike took to Twitter to pay their respects. Pat McAfee and stars from the WWE share their messages and wishes on Twitter as they mourn the loss of a legend of the sport. The famous rivalry between Hulk Hogan and The Iron Sheik always springs to mind when talking about the Iranian wrestler.

Fans pay their respects to The Iron Sheik

When one has had a career as decorated as the Iron Sheik, they always attract fans and comrades. The Iron Sheik has had a historic career defeating many opponents along the way. Some of his historic honors include WWF World Heavyweight Championship, WWF tag team Championship alongside Nikolai Volkoff and the IWA United States Heavyweight Championship among many others. The Iranian wrestler brought with him a hatred for America in his performances as he would often spit after saying ‘USA’. This made it easy for the fans to dislike him, as his villainous character would suggest. This was elevated when he won the World Championship title in WWF.

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One of his famous victories came against Bob Backlund. Having lost to him back in 1979, Ali Vaziri got his chance at redemption in 1983. After bludgeoning him before the match even began, The Iron Sheik’s ferocity forced Backlund’s coach to throw in the towel. The brutality and power he displayed scared many and infested fear in the rest. But there was one he could not scare or fear.

One man he could not defeat in his time was Hulk Hogan. Despite his glamour and prowess, Hogan was one guy he could not get by. The Iron Sheik praised Hogan in a previous interview, “That guy was a beast, dude. In real life, he was an elite athlete, elite wrestler.” They shared an iconic rivalry over the years and embodied the USA vs Iran stance ably.

Beyond the ring, and WWE, the Iron Sheik earned many fans for his time as a wrestler. As the world mourned his passing, fans paid tributes to the great wrestler and among them was sports analyst Pac McAfee.

Pat McAfee reflects on the time when he met the legend

To meet a legend of any sport is once in a lifetime opportunity. To meet the legend of your industry is a whole different ballgame. That’s exactly what happened when Pat McAfee met the Iron Sheik back in August 2022. The former Colts punter sat down with the WWE legend and The Iron Sheik posted on Twitter about it.

The post by The Iron Sheik captioned, “RESPECT THE @patmcafeeshow HE KNOW WHO IS THE LEGEND OF THE EARTH. HE IMPRESS ME BIG TIME BUBBA”. The post by the Sheik showered admiration on the wrestling commentator, as Pat McAfee can be seen crouching to take a picture with the seated legend.

After the shocking demise of the wrestling legend, Pat McAfee shared a post by the Iron Sheik as a homage message captioned, “RIP to the legend… It was an honor to get to meet you.”

Pat McAfee, the fans, the WWE industry, and everyone who ever had the chance to see him wrestle. Everyone will feel the pain of his loss as they continue to push without him. With the respects and condolences shared, McAfee and others will try to remember him through the ages and cherish the memories.

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