1 00:00:02,211 --> 00:00:03,591 [dramatic music] 2 00:00:03,712 --> 00:00:05,592 - Introducing the challenger, 3 00:00:05,714 --> 00:00:10,144 the Iron Sheik. 4 00:00:10,219 --> 00:00:11,389 - Wrestling fans believe that 5 00:00:11,512 --> 00:00:14,392 the Iron Sheik was every despicable thing 6 00:00:14,515 --> 00:00:15,935 that he presented himself to be. 7 00:00:16,058 --> 00:00:20,098 - One of the perfect bad guys or heels in wrestling. 8 00:00:20,229 --> 00:00:21,939 - And everybody wanted to come and see him, 9 00:00:22,064 --> 00:00:23,234 hoping that he’d get beat up. 10 00:00:23,357 --> 00:00:24,897 - The Iron Sheik! 11 00:00:25,025 --> 00:00:28,775 Iran! Iran! Iran! 12 00:00:28,904 --> 00:00:29,954 - His work was believable. 13 00:00:30,072 --> 00:00:33,242 The way he talked was believable. 14 00:00:33,367 --> 00:00:34,777 He was very easy to hate. 15 00:00:34,910 --> 00:00:35,950 - Oh, look at that. 16 00:00:36,078 --> 00:00:38,998 Oh, he’s gonna break his back. 17 00:00:39,081 --> 00:00:42,331 - The whole package of being a wrestler in that era 18 00:00:42,417 --> 00:00:44,627 was pretty dark. 19 00:00:44,753 --> 00:00:47,133 - The use of cocaine was prevalent. 20 00:00:47,256 --> 00:00:49,586 - He was developing a very serious drug problem. 21 00:00:49,716 --> 00:00:51,296 - Instead of battling opponents, 22 00:00:51,426 --> 00:00:53,296 they are fighting drug charges. 23 00:00:53,428 --> 00:00:56,178 - This is undoubtedly the most painful part 24 00:00:56,265 --> 00:00:57,975 of the Iron Sheik story. 25 00:00:58,100 --> 00:01:02,310 - He screamed, he howled, he cried. 26 00:01:02,437 --> 00:01:05,817 ♪ ♪ 27 00:01:05,941 --> 00:01:08,861 - I cried for her so much. I miss her so much. 28 00:01:08,944 --> 00:01:10,364 [crowd booing] 29 00:01:10,445 --> 00:01:14,945 - Sheik gave them maybe the highest element of a heel. 30 00:01:15,075 --> 00:01:16,325 - The biggest box office attraction 31 00:01:16,451 --> 00:01:18,501 that the industry had really ever seen. 32 00:01:18,620 --> 00:01:22,250 - Capacity crowd on the case of the Iron Sheik. 33 00:01:22,332 --> 00:01:24,292 [crowd shouting, chanting] 34 00:01:24,418 --> 00:01:25,878 - People were throwing stuff at him, you know. 35 00:01:25,961 --> 00:01:29,341 That’s how much heat--that people just didn’t like him. 36 00:01:29,464 --> 00:01:32,474 - Sheik now going to work. - Oh! 37 00:01:32,593 --> 00:01:34,843 - It was easy to not like him. He was so different. 38 00:01:34,970 --> 00:01:37,390 - The Sheik loved being hated. 39 00:01:37,472 --> 00:01:38,682 - The Hulk’s gotta come out of it. 40 00:01:38,807 --> 00:01:39,677 If not, it’s over. 41 00:01:39,808 --> 00:01:41,888 - Oh! Oh! - OK! 42 00:01:41,977 --> 00:01:44,557 - USA. [hawks, spits] 43 00:01:44,646 --> 00:01:46,726 - Indeed, the Camel Clutch applied 44 00:01:46,815 --> 00:01:48,725 and I’m sure that’s all she wrote. 45 00:01:48,817 --> 00:01:51,527 - Khosrow did the right thing at the right time 46 00:01:51,653 --> 00:01:54,993 and became larger than life. 47 00:01:56,658 --> 00:02:01,958 ♪ ♪ 48 00:02:03,624 --> 00:02:06,384 [soft resonant music] 49 00:02:06,501 --> 00:02:11,211 ♪ ♪ 50 00:02:17,012 --> 00:02:18,892 - Iron Sheik not wasting any time going to work 51 00:02:19,014 --> 00:02:20,564 on that back area. 52 00:02:20,682 --> 00:02:23,022 Look at the pain Backlund’s in. 53 00:02:27,522 --> 00:02:28,732 - He’s now going for the Camel Clutch. 54 00:02:28,857 --> 00:02:30,437 Backlund not so good! 55 00:02:30,525 --> 00:02:32,685 Arnold Skaaland threw something in the ring! 56 00:02:38,867 --> 00:02:42,367 - The new world champion, 57 00:02:42,496 --> 00:02:45,076 the Iron Sheik! 58 00:02:45,207 --> 00:02:52,087 ♪ ♪ 59 00:02:55,050 --> 00:02:58,680 - Khosrow Vaziri was born in Damghan, 60 00:02:58,762 --> 00:03:02,642 which was a town about 215 miles 61 00:03:02,724 --> 00:03:04,734 outside of Tehran, Iran. 62 00:03:04,851 --> 00:03:06,391 [soft determined music] 63 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:10,940 After the family lived in the country for a few years, 64 00:03:11,066 --> 00:03:14,396 they made a decision to move to the city, Tehran. 65 00:03:14,528 --> 00:03:16,778 And what the parents did 66 00:03:16,905 --> 00:03:19,115 was they opened up a wrestling gym. 67 00:03:19,241 --> 00:03:21,951 ♪ ♪ 68 00:03:22,077 --> 00:03:24,447 - Wrestling in Iran was like religion. 69 00:03:24,579 --> 00:03:26,209 If you knew how to wrestle, 70 00:03:26,289 --> 00:03:27,919 that got you in places. 71 00:03:32,921 --> 00:03:37,341 - Wrestling is [speaks Farsi], as they would call it in Farsi. 72 00:03:37,426 --> 00:03:39,046 Iranian men love to wrestle. 73 00:03:39,136 --> 00:03:42,806 And they’re pretty badass at it and good at it. 74 00:03:54,943 --> 00:03:56,823 - He achieved success very quickly. 75 00:03:56,945 --> 00:03:58,485 I mean, he was just so driven. 76 00:03:58,613 --> 00:04:03,243 ♪ ♪ 77 00:04:14,463 --> 00:04:17,473 ♪ ♪ 78 00:04:17,591 --> 00:04:20,681 - Khosrow Vaziri was, legitimately, 79 00:04:20,802 --> 00:04:24,182 the Iranian army champion, which is saying a lot 80 00:04:24,306 --> 00:04:28,476 in a country where everyone is mad for amateur wrestling. 81 00:04:41,656 --> 00:04:46,576 - After the army, Khosrow had a very sweet job. 82 00:04:46,661 --> 00:04:50,711 He was given a job as an assistant cameraman 83 00:04:50,832 --> 00:04:53,042 at Iranian National Television. 84 00:04:53,168 --> 00:04:56,048 And he worked directly for the Shah’s cousin. 85 00:04:56,171 --> 00:04:58,551 - At the time that the Shah was in power, 86 00:04:58,673 --> 00:05:01,723 the Sheik, who was literally a lethal weapon, 87 00:05:01,843 --> 00:05:04,893 was handpicked by the Shah of Iran and his family 88 00:05:05,013 --> 00:05:06,223 to protect him. 89 00:05:06,348 --> 00:05:08,888 - Later on, you’d hear stories about 90 00:05:09,017 --> 00:05:11,557 the Iron Sheik used to be a bodyguard for the Shah 91 00:05:11,686 --> 00:05:13,556 and everyone thought it was wrestling hype. 92 00:05:13,688 --> 00:05:15,478 It wasn’t wrestling hype. It was legit. 93 00:05:15,565 --> 00:05:18,395 [soft dramatic music] 94 00:05:18,527 --> 00:05:20,357 ♪ ♪ 95 00:05:20,487 --> 00:05:21,277 - Above all, 96 00:05:21,363 --> 00:05:23,283 the one guy you can say was 97 00:05:23,365 --> 00:05:26,585 the pinnacle of athletics and wrestling 98 00:05:26,701 --> 00:05:29,411 was Gholamreza Takhti. 99 00:05:29,538 --> 00:05:32,828 He was a multi-time Olympic champion gold medalist 100 00:05:32,916 --> 00:05:36,586 and was the pride and joy of the Iranian people. 101 00:05:36,711 --> 00:05:39,881 ♪ ♪ 102 00:05:40,006 --> 00:05:42,586 So just like all the Iranians growing up, 103 00:05:42,717 --> 00:05:45,217 the Sheik idolized Takhti. 104 00:05:57,732 --> 00:06:00,192 - The Sheik really looked up to Takhti 105 00:06:00,277 --> 00:06:02,777 because Takhti was the kind of wrestler, 106 00:06:02,904 --> 00:06:03,994 the kind of athlete, 107 00:06:04,072 --> 00:06:07,412 the kind of human being he wanted to be. 108 00:06:07,534 --> 00:06:09,624 And at a certain stage, 109 00:06:09,744 --> 00:06:13,624 Takhti began mentoring a young Khosrow Vaziri. 110 00:06:13,748 --> 00:06:16,458 - He was his mentor, he was his idol, 111 00:06:16,585 --> 00:06:19,305 and the Sheik just wanted to be exactly like him. 112 00:06:19,421 --> 00:06:21,961 There was no one else. He had his sights set. 113 00:06:22,090 --> 00:06:24,260 Takhti was the man and Sheik was gonna be 114 00:06:24,384 --> 00:06:25,934 the one to follow in his footsteps. 115 00:06:26,052 --> 00:06:28,972 [soft dramatic music] 116 00:06:29,097 --> 00:06:31,677 ♪ ♪ 117 00:06:31,766 --> 00:06:34,436 - The problem with Takhti was 118 00:06:34,561 --> 00:06:37,481 he was not that deferential to the Shah. 119 00:06:37,606 --> 00:06:41,646 And the Shah was an absolute ruler. 120 00:06:41,776 --> 00:06:43,436 - The Shah was a brutal dictator. 121 00:06:43,570 --> 00:06:46,660 And Takhti was kind of a man of the people, 122 00:06:46,781 --> 00:06:49,331 a very progressive figure. 123 00:06:49,451 --> 00:06:51,831 - One day, there was a massive soccer match. 124 00:06:51,953 --> 00:06:55,333 And the Shah of Iran was sitting in the stands. 125 00:06:55,457 --> 00:06:57,827 And the fans started to get really disgruntled 126 00:06:57,959 --> 00:06:58,709 and boo him. 127 00:06:58,793 --> 00:07:01,213 And Takhti entered the arena 128 00:07:01,296 --> 00:07:03,836 and everyone started cheering him. 129 00:07:03,965 --> 00:07:09,215 - Now in addition to that, Takhti was not afraid 130 00:07:09,304 --> 00:07:15,354 to speak out about flaws he saw in the Iranian government. 131 00:07:15,477 --> 00:07:18,017 And ultimately, I believe 132 00:07:18,146 --> 00:07:21,896 that led to Takhti’s undoing. 133 00:07:36,122 --> 00:07:38,042 - The death of Takhti is still one of 134 00:07:38,166 --> 00:07:40,836 the country of Iran’s most unsolved mysteries. 135 00:07:40,961 --> 00:07:42,751 Some people said that he was killed 136 00:07:42,837 --> 00:07:44,257 for opposing the government, 137 00:07:44,339 --> 00:07:47,929 while others said that he had committed suicide. 138 00:07:48,009 --> 00:07:51,929 - This seemed very curious to a young Khosrow Vaziri 139 00:07:52,013 --> 00:07:57,233 because he knew Takhti and Takhti was not a man 140 00:07:57,352 --> 00:08:00,692 to take his own life 141 00:08:00,772 --> 00:08:05,442 and became convinced that Takhti was not 142 00:08:05,527 --> 00:08:09,737 the victim of suicide, he was the victim of homicide. 143 00:08:09,864 --> 00:08:11,704 And he drew the conclusion, 144 00:08:11,825 --> 00:08:14,295 if the government can kill Takhti, 145 00:08:14,369 --> 00:08:15,909 who knows what can happen to me. 146 00:08:16,037 --> 00:08:17,537 ♪ ♪ 147 00:08:34,556 --> 00:08:37,346 - Here’s a cat that was a bodyguard for the Shah, 148 00:08:37,434 --> 00:08:38,854 that if he hadn’t have gotten out of there, 149 00:08:38,935 --> 00:08:41,555 they’d have killed him, man, chopped him up to pieces. 150 00:08:41,688 --> 00:08:44,268 - At that time, Khosrow had been 151 00:08:44,399 --> 00:08:47,609 Princess Farah’s bodyguard in the royal palace. 152 00:08:47,736 --> 00:08:49,776 And he fled. 153 00:08:49,904 --> 00:08:51,954 And he only knew two words in English, 154 00:08:52,073 --> 00:08:53,953 which were "Alan" and "rice." 155 00:08:54,075 --> 00:08:56,365 And when he landed at Minneapolis Saint Paul 156 00:08:56,453 --> 00:08:57,793 International Airport, 157 00:08:57,912 --> 00:09:00,082 he just kept saying "Alan Rice, Alan Rice," 158 00:09:00,206 --> 00:09:02,996 ’cause no one at the airport spoke Farsi. 159 00:09:03,084 --> 00:09:07,174 And Alan Rice was eventually reached. 160 00:09:07,255 --> 00:09:10,125 [soft dramatic music] 161 00:09:10,258 --> 00:09:11,128 ♪ ♪ 162 00:09:11,259 --> 00:09:13,759 - At the Pan American Games, 163 00:09:13,887 --> 00:09:15,847 Khos had met Alan Rice. 164 00:09:15,930 --> 00:09:18,720 Alan Rice was an American Olympic wrestler 165 00:09:18,808 --> 00:09:23,688 and later the coach of the US Olympic wrestling team. 166 00:09:23,772 --> 00:09:26,152 Alan Rice had made it clear 167 00:09:26,274 --> 00:09:30,364 that he would love for Khos to come to the US 168 00:09:30,445 --> 00:09:33,665 and train with the Minnesota Wrestling Club. 169 00:09:33,782 --> 00:09:39,002 - Mr. Alan Rice was quite a life saver to Khos 170 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:42,670 in the fact that he took him under his wing. 171 00:09:42,791 --> 00:09:46,171 He treated him like his own son. 172 00:09:55,804 --> 00:09:59,024 ♪ ♪ 173 00:09:59,140 --> 00:10:01,520 - He was so skilled and so knowledgeable 174 00:10:01,643 --> 00:10:04,153 that Alan Rice, when he became the coach 175 00:10:04,270 --> 00:10:06,150 of the US Olympic team, 176 00:10:06,272 --> 00:10:09,232 he asked Khos to be his assistant coach. 177 00:10:09,317 --> 00:10:12,647 And in 1972 and 1976, 178 00:10:12,779 --> 00:10:15,319 Khosrow Vaziri was an assistant coach 179 00:10:15,448 --> 00:10:18,528 to the US Olympic team. 180 00:10:18,660 --> 00:10:23,160 And this led to his early character in pro wrestling. 181 00:10:23,289 --> 00:10:26,209 Everyone thought he started out as the Iron Sheik. 182 00:10:26,334 --> 00:10:28,544 No, he started out as, basically, an All-American 183 00:10:28,670 --> 00:10:31,380 who would come to the ring with a singlet 184 00:10:31,506 --> 00:10:33,546 with the Olympic rings around it. 185 00:10:33,675 --> 00:10:37,395 And he was depicted as an American hero. 186 00:10:37,512 --> 00:10:38,932 He had the Iranian accent, 187 00:10:39,013 --> 00:10:40,393 he had a full head of hair; 188 00:10:40,515 --> 00:10:43,065 very different character than we saw later on. 189 00:10:43,184 --> 00:10:45,234 ♪ ♪ 190 00:10:45,353 --> 00:10:46,943 - What a suplex! 191 00:10:47,021 --> 00:10:49,401 - Devastating suplex. 192 00:10:49,524 --> 00:10:52,324 - Oh, well done job by the Sheik. 193 00:10:52,402 --> 00:10:53,492 - Sheik now going to work. 194 00:10:53,570 --> 00:10:57,820 - Iran number one! Iran number one! 195 00:11:01,786 --> 00:11:03,616 [soft serious music] 196 00:11:03,705 --> 00:11:05,465 ♪ ♪ 197 00:11:05,540 --> 00:11:08,250 - Alan Rice was the head of 198 00:11:08,376 --> 00:11:11,336 the US Amateur Wrestling in Minnesota. 199 00:11:11,421 --> 00:11:14,631 And he was the one that met Khosrow Vaziri, 200 00:11:14,716 --> 00:11:16,796 better known as the Iron Sheik. 201 00:11:16,885 --> 00:11:19,475 My father Verne was the sponsor 202 00:11:19,554 --> 00:11:23,474 for the 1972 Olympic wrestling team. 203 00:11:23,558 --> 00:11:25,978 So that’s how him and Alan Rice got together. 204 00:11:26,060 --> 00:11:28,440 And Alan is the one that eventually asked Verne 205 00:11:28,563 --> 00:11:29,983 if he would take Khosrow 206 00:11:30,064 --> 00:11:33,034 and turn him into a professional wrestler. 207 00:11:33,109 --> 00:11:35,649 - At that time, Minneapolis was Verne Gagne’s 208 00:11:35,737 --> 00:11:37,697 AWA headquarters. 209 00:11:37,780 --> 00:11:38,950 He controlled wrestling 210 00:11:39,073 --> 00:11:40,913 all the way from Chicago to the West Coast. 211 00:11:52,086 --> 00:11:55,456 - It was in an old barn out in Chanhassen, Minnesota. 212 00:11:55,590 --> 00:11:57,510 It was pretty-- 213 00:11:57,592 --> 00:12:00,012 [chuckles] It was rough looking. 214 00:12:00,094 --> 00:12:02,894 - Verne Gagne was a little bit on the thrifty side. 215 00:12:02,972 --> 00:12:05,182 They trained in this old barn 216 00:12:05,266 --> 00:12:08,686 under really trying circumstances. 217 00:12:08,770 --> 00:12:11,110 Apparently, it was freezing in the wintertime. 218 00:12:18,279 --> 00:12:21,369 - You know, Verne was not big on 219 00:12:21,449 --> 00:12:23,829 any kind of personal comforts. 220 00:12:23,952 --> 00:12:25,042 - You guys get back in the ring. 221 00:12:25,119 --> 00:12:27,579 Come on, come on, dig, dig, dig, dig! 222 00:12:27,664 --> 00:12:29,544 - It was six days a week. 223 00:12:29,624 --> 00:12:32,174 And it was like almost six hours a day. 224 00:12:32,293 --> 00:12:35,213 - Verne Gagne would beat you and work you like a dog 225 00:12:35,296 --> 00:12:37,916 and stretch you and make you scream in the ring 226 00:12:38,007 --> 00:12:39,377 and make you work on his farm. 227 00:12:39,467 --> 00:12:42,547 - The guys that had been amateur wrestlers 228 00:12:42,637 --> 00:12:45,467 would come in and they could do a really hard workout 229 00:12:45,556 --> 00:12:46,556 that Verne would put them through. 230 00:12:46,641 --> 00:12:47,731 But the other guys, 231 00:12:47,809 --> 00:12:50,059 he would just completely destroy them. 232 00:12:50,144 --> 00:12:56,734 - Two hundred and...thirty. 233 00:12:56,818 --> 00:12:59,238 - That’s kind of how Verne weeded out 234 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:00,990 those who didn’t belong there. 235 00:13:01,072 --> 00:13:04,412 - He had such high expectations 236 00:13:04,492 --> 00:13:06,742 that only the toughest and the strongest 237 00:13:06,828 --> 00:13:10,328 and the most athletic got through his program. 238 00:13:14,252 --> 00:13:16,592 - Remember, falling is basic. You gotta know how to fall. 239 00:13:16,671 --> 00:13:18,801 If you don’t know how to fall, you’re gonna get hurt. 240 00:13:18,881 --> 00:13:19,971 And if you’re hurt, you can’t wrestle. 241 00:13:20,049 --> 00:13:23,179 And if you can’t wrestle, you don’t eat. 242 00:13:23,261 --> 00:13:24,431 It’s that simple. 243 00:13:24,512 --> 00:13:28,142 - My father actually turned out 133 wrestlers 244 00:13:28,224 --> 00:13:29,434 throughout his career. 245 00:13:29,517 --> 00:13:32,977 And only 1% didn’t make it as a main eventer. 246 00:13:33,062 --> 00:13:37,482 - And this was a really blue chip class. 247 00:13:37,567 --> 00:13:39,237 Ric Flair was in the class, 248 00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:40,740 Jumping Jim Brunzell. 249 00:13:40,862 --> 00:13:43,362 - We got Ken Patera from the Olympics 250 00:13:43,448 --> 00:13:45,658 and then Greg and then Khosrow. 251 00:13:45,742 --> 00:13:47,082 - Drop kick by Gagne. 252 00:13:47,201 --> 00:13:49,791 - Uh-oh, hang on, they’re outside the ring. 253 00:13:49,871 --> 00:13:51,291 - Well, look at that. 254 00:13:51,372 --> 00:13:54,252 - Flair chopping TA to down. 255 00:13:54,375 --> 00:13:56,245 - Ric Flair is in the conversation 256 00:13:56,377 --> 00:13:57,997 for greatest of all time, 257 00:13:58,087 --> 00:14:00,757 alongside the Iron Sheik. 258 00:14:00,882 --> 00:14:02,472 It’s an incredible lineup. 259 00:14:02,550 --> 00:14:05,010 [gentle piano music] 260 00:14:05,094 --> 00:14:07,764 - Well, he was a natural, as far as stamina. 261 00:14:07,889 --> 00:14:10,139 He was in great shape. 262 00:14:10,224 --> 00:14:12,354 The hardest thing that Khosrow had to learn 263 00:14:12,435 --> 00:14:15,445 about pro wrestling was 264 00:14:15,563 --> 00:14:18,403 the fact that he had been indoctrinated so long 265 00:14:18,483 --> 00:14:21,363 by the amateur wrestling and rules. 266 00:14:21,444 --> 00:14:25,164 It was hard to, you know, teach somebody a new trick. 267 00:14:39,921 --> 00:14:42,511 - Dive over the arm. Dive over it. 268 00:14:42,590 --> 00:14:45,680 - If you made it through the 14 weeks of training camp, 269 00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:49,310 you earned the right to become a professional wrestler. 270 00:14:49,430 --> 00:14:52,980 And then Verne would come to you personally 271 00:14:53,101 --> 00:14:56,691 and tell you whether you made it or not. 272 00:14:56,771 --> 00:14:59,061 - From that class, the Sheik got a job, 273 00:14:59,148 --> 00:15:02,188 his first job in America, as a professional wrestler. 274 00:15:02,276 --> 00:15:03,776 But not just a professional wrestler, 275 00:15:03,861 --> 00:15:07,321 he had to be the referee first and he had to drive the truck. 276 00:15:07,448 --> 00:15:10,698 - Myself and Khosrow, we were the two that were picked to-- 277 00:15:10,785 --> 00:15:12,625 we had to drive the ring truck around. 278 00:15:30,638 --> 00:15:31,758 - It was hard for him at first 279 00:15:31,848 --> 00:15:33,558 because he had to travel around 280 00:15:33,641 --> 00:15:36,231 to all the small matches around the Midwest. 281 00:15:36,310 --> 00:15:37,600 He had to learn the whole business. 282 00:15:37,687 --> 00:15:39,897 And you know, he’s starting out in his-- 283 00:15:39,981 --> 00:15:41,271 probably his mid-30s. 284 00:15:41,357 --> 00:15:43,067 - I mean, this was a man that was coming from 285 00:15:43,151 --> 00:15:45,951 being the bodyguard of the Shah of Iran 286 00:15:46,028 --> 00:15:48,858 to now living this simpler life 287 00:15:48,990 --> 00:15:51,240 and started from scratch. 288 00:15:51,325 --> 00:15:53,115 He wasn’t the Iron Sheik then. 289 00:15:53,202 --> 00:15:56,212 I mean, this was just Khosrow Vaziri. 290 00:15:56,330 --> 00:15:59,120 [soft emotional music] 291 00:15:59,208 --> 00:16:00,828 ♪ ♪ 292 00:16:00,918 --> 00:16:04,338 - Khosrow Vaziri realized he wasn’t going back to Iran. 293 00:16:04,422 --> 00:16:08,262 And he was enjoying the life of an American. 294 00:16:08,342 --> 00:16:10,142 ♪ ♪ 295 00:16:10,219 --> 00:16:12,219 So he’s living in Minnesota. 296 00:16:12,346 --> 00:16:15,466 Why not go out with a nice, sweet-natured, 297 00:16:15,558 --> 00:16:18,768 pretty Scandinavian girl? And that’s how he met his wife. 298 00:16:18,853 --> 00:16:22,943 - I met my future husband on a nice summer evening. 299 00:16:23,024 --> 00:16:26,034 And we just hit it off immediately 300 00:16:26,110 --> 00:16:29,110 like we’d known each other forever. 301 00:16:29,197 --> 00:16:32,777 - He was living in Minnesota and he had met his wife. 302 00:16:32,867 --> 00:16:35,787 And so every Saturday night, 303 00:16:35,870 --> 00:16:37,790 as soon as we were done wrestling, 304 00:16:37,872 --> 00:16:39,292 he would drive to Minnesota, 305 00:16:39,373 --> 00:16:42,253 no matter where we were, to visit Caryl 306 00:16:42,376 --> 00:16:45,456 and then would come back for the Monday show. 307 00:16:45,546 --> 00:16:47,756 - Khos doesn’t do anything halfway. 308 00:16:47,882 --> 00:16:51,512 We saw each other, if he was in town, every night. 309 00:16:51,594 --> 00:16:54,764 He was quite intense. 310 00:16:54,889 --> 00:17:00,229 We had Marissa in August, 1976. 311 00:17:00,311 --> 00:17:03,651 And it was an easy birth 312 00:17:03,731 --> 00:17:07,861 compared to the later ones that I had. 313 00:17:07,944 --> 00:17:09,704 - He loved his wife and his family. 314 00:17:09,779 --> 00:17:11,489 And he did everything he could 315 00:17:11,572 --> 00:17:14,322 to be Khosrow Vaziri for them. 316 00:17:14,408 --> 00:17:17,328 [determined music] 317 00:17:17,411 --> 00:17:18,661 ♪ ♪ 318 00:17:18,746 --> 00:17:20,156 - My understanding is that when the Sheik 319 00:17:20,248 --> 00:17:22,578 first started professional wrestling, 320 00:17:22,667 --> 00:17:25,877 it was more about his history as an athlete, 321 00:17:25,962 --> 00:17:27,172 his Olympic wrestling. 322 00:17:27,255 --> 00:17:29,175 He wore a singlet. He had hair. 323 00:17:29,257 --> 00:17:31,677 He was handsome. He was in shape. 324 00:17:31,759 --> 00:17:33,509 But he wasn’t getting anywhere. 325 00:17:33,594 --> 00:17:35,894 He wasn’t getting where he wanted to go. 326 00:17:35,972 --> 00:17:37,312 - When the Sheik broke into wrestling, 327 00:17:37,431 --> 00:17:39,391 there was no character. 328 00:17:39,475 --> 00:17:42,595 And his entire game was very dry. 329 00:18:03,457 --> 00:18:05,497 - You know, my mother, we were having dinner. 330 00:18:05,626 --> 00:18:07,376 And that’s when she said, 331 00:18:07,461 --> 00:18:09,591 "A good name for you would be ’The Iron Sheik.’" 332 00:18:09,672 --> 00:18:12,092 - The Iron Sheik completely changed 333 00:18:12,174 --> 00:18:13,764 his physical appearance. 334 00:18:13,843 --> 00:18:16,513 And he became the Iron Sheik. 335 00:18:16,637 --> 00:18:20,677 And it was almost this symbol, this foreign menace 336 00:18:20,808 --> 00:18:24,558 that was what so many Americans feared at the time. 337 00:18:24,645 --> 00:18:26,555 - Right now. it’s all one way, 338 00:18:26,647 --> 00:18:28,897 The Sheik is definitely carrying it to him. 339 00:18:28,983 --> 00:18:32,863 - As he developed and personality came out of him, 340 00:18:32,987 --> 00:18:35,027 all of a sudden, the light went on 341 00:18:35,156 --> 00:18:36,276 and he was the Iron Sheik. 342 00:18:36,365 --> 00:18:40,655 - Introducing the challenger, the Iron Sheik! 343 00:18:44,707 --> 00:18:46,707 - Some 60 Americans are now beginning 344 00:18:46,834 --> 00:18:48,674 their sixth day of captivity 345 00:18:48,794 --> 00:18:52,054 inside the US Embassy in Tehran. 346 00:18:52,173 --> 00:18:55,843 - The Iranian students took Americans hostage 347 00:18:55,968 --> 00:18:57,718 at the American embassy. 348 00:18:57,845 --> 00:18:59,885 Lasted for 444 days. 349 00:19:00,014 --> 00:19:02,434 It was broadcast nightly on television. 350 00:19:02,516 --> 00:19:04,556 - This flag was burned Tuesday evening 351 00:19:04,685 --> 00:19:06,265 outside the embassy’s gates. 352 00:19:06,354 --> 00:19:09,694 - When we had conflict with Iran, 353 00:19:09,815 --> 00:19:13,895 all of a sudden that became, "Well, here’s a heel." 354 00:19:14,028 --> 00:19:16,908 And the rest, you know, as they say, is history. 355 00:19:17,031 --> 00:19:19,581 - The Iron Sheik, along with Freddie Blassie, 356 00:19:19,700 --> 00:19:21,120 and they are thick as thieves. 357 00:19:21,202 --> 00:19:24,292 - All of a sudden, he was the Iron Sheik from Tehran. 358 00:19:24,372 --> 00:19:26,372 And he brought a lot of heat. 359 00:19:26,499 --> 00:19:28,039 - The Iron Sheik! 360 00:19:28,167 --> 00:19:30,917 Iran! Iran! Iran! 361 00:19:31,045 --> 00:19:33,265 - And everybody wanted to come and see him 362 00:19:33,381 --> 00:19:35,761 and hoping that he’d get beat up. [chuckles] 363 00:19:35,883 --> 00:19:37,973 - "Iran number one," that’s what he would say. 364 00:19:38,052 --> 00:19:40,932 - Iran number one! Iran! 365 00:19:41,055 --> 00:19:42,935 - He wanted to find an antagonist 366 00:19:43,057 --> 00:19:45,267 to the American protagonist. 367 00:19:45,393 --> 00:19:48,023 What better antagonist than an Iranian? 368 00:19:48,104 --> 00:19:50,444 - Bunch of stupid American here. 369 00:19:50,564 --> 00:19:51,774 They are terrible. 370 00:19:51,899 --> 00:19:54,109 They are sick people. [audience shouting] 371 00:19:54,235 --> 00:19:56,285 - When the Iron Sheik realized 372 00:19:56,404 --> 00:19:59,454 everybody is against this country, 373 00:19:59,573 --> 00:20:03,583 he ramped it up by 11 374 00:20:03,703 --> 00:20:06,213 and realized that this could make him 375 00:20:06,288 --> 00:20:08,958 the biggest villain in wrestling. 376 00:20:09,083 --> 00:20:11,293 Between the accent and the look... 377 00:20:11,419 --> 00:20:16,299 - [speaking Farsi] 378 00:20:16,424 --> 00:20:19,804 - And the way he looked down on the audience and spit. 379 00:20:19,927 --> 00:20:21,467 - Oh, disgusting! 380 00:20:21,595 --> 00:20:23,005 - And the physicality of the way 381 00:20:23,097 --> 00:20:24,347 he brutalized opponents. 382 00:20:24,432 --> 00:20:27,982 - Ramming down across the back. 383 00:20:28,102 --> 00:20:30,152 - Every territory in the United States 384 00:20:30,271 --> 00:20:32,231 wanted the Iron Sheik to be their top bad guy. 385 00:20:32,314 --> 00:20:35,364 - USA. [hawks, spits] 386 00:20:35,443 --> 00:20:38,113 - He would say, "Iran number one. America." 387 00:20:38,237 --> 00:20:39,487 [hawks, spits] 388 00:20:39,613 --> 00:20:41,823 He acted like he was spitting on America. 389 00:20:41,949 --> 00:20:44,739 And he just-- he knew how to press buttons. 390 00:20:44,827 --> 00:20:47,037 - Now in the ring, we have the Iron Sheik. 391 00:20:47,121 --> 00:20:50,001 [crowd booing] 392 00:20:50,124 --> 00:20:54,174 - Every single night, you could turn on the news 393 00:20:54,295 --> 00:20:58,385 and you saw Americans being paraded blindfolded 394 00:20:58,466 --> 00:21:01,386 by Iranian militants. 395 00:21:01,469 --> 00:21:03,849 - This morning for the first time since the hostages 396 00:21:03,971 --> 00:21:05,181 were put under lock and key, 397 00:21:05,306 --> 00:21:07,176 one of the captives, blindfolded, 398 00:21:07,308 --> 00:21:09,138 was brought out into the open. 399 00:21:09,268 --> 00:21:13,438 - So there was not a lot of love for the Iranian people 400 00:21:13,522 --> 00:21:14,982 in the United States at the time. 401 00:21:15,107 --> 00:21:19,027 Sadly, there was also a lot of racism completely unwarranted. 402 00:21:19,153 --> 00:21:21,203 - Back then, they used to call you "effing Iranian." 403 00:21:21,322 --> 00:21:22,532 That was the thing. 404 00:21:22,656 --> 00:21:23,696 They call you "effing Iranian," they beat you up. 405 00:21:23,824 --> 00:21:25,034 - We were made fun of. 406 00:21:25,159 --> 00:21:27,869 We were even tied to a tree once at school. 407 00:21:27,995 --> 00:21:30,865 - If you said "I’m Iranian" or "I was born in Iran," 408 00:21:30,998 --> 00:21:34,038 you were basically saying, "I’m a hostage taker 409 00:21:34,168 --> 00:21:35,918 "and I support what Iran has done 410 00:21:36,003 --> 00:21:37,343 to your American people." 411 00:21:47,181 --> 00:21:50,931 - So for anyone growing up at that time who was Iranian, 412 00:21:51,018 --> 00:21:54,058 seeing the Sheik on TV was thrilling. 413 00:21:54,188 --> 00:21:59,648 - Here is the winner, the Iron Sheik. 414 00:21:59,735 --> 00:22:03,105 - Though hated and though used as a heel, 415 00:22:03,197 --> 00:22:05,867 it allowed them to have something to cheer for. 416 00:22:18,712 --> 00:22:19,882 - Very, very painful hold. 417 00:22:20,005 --> 00:22:22,255 He’s really pulling back on that man’s skin. 418 00:22:22,383 --> 00:22:25,723 - What made the Sheik such a good villain? 419 00:22:25,845 --> 00:22:27,105 I think it’s real simple. 420 00:22:27,221 --> 00:22:29,561 What you see is what you get. 421 00:22:29,682 --> 00:22:33,692 - He understood the politics of the moment very well. 422 00:22:33,769 --> 00:22:34,979 [crowd chanting] USA! USA! 423 00:22:35,062 --> 00:22:37,272 - Oh, USA. 424 00:22:37,398 --> 00:22:39,728 - In the fans’ eyes, they thought 425 00:22:39,859 --> 00:22:42,239 he was best friends with the Ayatollah. 426 00:22:42,361 --> 00:22:44,361 And in their mind, they could just envision 427 00:22:44,446 --> 00:22:45,816 the Iron Sheik and the Ayatollah 428 00:22:45,906 --> 00:22:48,276 having drinks at the end of the day, right, 429 00:22:48,409 --> 00:22:50,619 and spitting on the American flag. 430 00:22:50,744 --> 00:22:54,124 All of those things helped to solidify 431 00:22:54,248 --> 00:22:57,078 his image of one of the perfect villains, 432 00:22:57,209 --> 00:22:59,999 bad guys, or heels in wrestling. 433 00:23:00,087 --> 00:23:03,127 - So someone sitting at home is going, "Yeah, you know what? 434 00:23:03,257 --> 00:23:05,467 "That guy, he’s probably still working 435 00:23:05,593 --> 00:23:07,093 for those people over there." 436 00:23:07,219 --> 00:23:11,259 And the Iron Sheik played up to everyone’s internal fears 437 00:23:11,390 --> 00:23:14,140 of that foreign menace. 438 00:23:14,268 --> 00:23:16,978 - Wrestling fans believed that the Iron Sheik 439 00:23:17,104 --> 00:23:18,774 was every despicable thing 440 00:23:18,898 --> 00:23:20,438 that he presented himself to be. 441 00:23:20,566 --> 00:23:24,986 [crowd booing] 442 00:23:25,112 --> 00:23:27,992 - One of the rather unusual methods 443 00:23:28,115 --> 00:23:29,825 that you use in your training is 444 00:23:29,950 --> 00:23:31,660 the use of some sort of Persian clubs. 445 00:23:31,785 --> 00:23:33,825 Correct? - Exactly. 446 00:23:33,954 --> 00:23:35,544 Jamilla, leave me alone. Leave me alone. 447 00:23:35,623 --> 00:23:38,833 [speaking Farsi] 448 00:23:38,959 --> 00:23:40,339 - Now that is very difficult. 449 00:23:40,461 --> 00:23:42,671 - He had these things called the Persian clubs 450 00:23:42,796 --> 00:23:46,836 which looked like two enormous bowling pins or something. 451 00:23:46,967 --> 00:23:49,587 He picked those two Persian clubs up 452 00:23:49,678 --> 00:23:52,178 and he just started twirling them over his head 453 00:23:52,306 --> 00:23:54,016 just so gracefully. 454 00:23:54,141 --> 00:23:57,061 It was as if they weighed ten pounds at the most. 455 00:23:57,144 --> 00:24:00,064 - Lifts those 75-pound clubs 456 00:24:00,147 --> 00:24:01,857 and begins to twirl them about. 457 00:24:01,982 --> 00:24:03,532 - Not to use this term lightly, 458 00:24:03,651 --> 00:24:06,991 but unbelievable strength. 459 00:24:07,112 --> 00:24:10,072 Because he could pick ’em up and twirl ’em 460 00:24:10,157 --> 00:24:12,027 like you would a knife and a fork. 461 00:24:12,159 --> 00:24:13,659 - He’s trying to work ’em. 462 00:24:13,786 --> 00:24:16,156 I would think it’s quite easy to get hurt with those clubs, 463 00:24:16,288 --> 00:24:17,538 Bruno, if you don’t know what you’re doing. 464 00:24:17,665 --> 00:24:20,795 - A lot of big, strong, powerful men couldn’t do ’em. 465 00:24:20,876 --> 00:24:22,456 But the Sheik, man, he could use those clubs 466 00:24:22,544 --> 00:24:23,714 like nobody’s business. 467 00:24:23,837 --> 00:24:27,007 - None of us could do it. We all tried. 468 00:24:27,132 --> 00:24:29,432 The damn things were so heavy. And I tried a couple of times, 469 00:24:29,510 --> 00:24:30,970 I thought I was gonna break my wrist. 470 00:24:31,053 --> 00:24:35,683 - I used to watch Sheik doing them freakin’ clubs 471 00:24:35,808 --> 00:24:37,058 inside the locker room. 472 00:24:37,184 --> 00:24:39,604 And then I could see him go over there 473 00:24:39,687 --> 00:24:41,727 and just start twisting his mustache 474 00:24:41,855 --> 00:24:43,565 and start slapping his chest. 475 00:24:43,691 --> 00:24:46,401 - What the Iron Sheik wanted to do was 476 00:24:46,527 --> 00:24:50,317 make his character bigger. 477 00:24:50,406 --> 00:24:53,406 - As you look at the controversial foot gear. 478 00:24:53,534 --> 00:24:57,084 - And the way to do that was add little touches 479 00:24:57,204 --> 00:24:58,794 to his ring attire. 480 00:24:58,872 --> 00:25:01,922 - Make note of the shoes and notice those hooks. 481 00:25:12,219 --> 00:25:17,429 - These are presumably or ostensibly decorations. 482 00:25:17,558 --> 00:25:20,598 - What he would do is, when times got tough, 483 00:25:20,728 --> 00:25:25,148 he would turn his back to the guy he was wrestling. 484 00:25:25,232 --> 00:25:26,402 - He’s loading that boot up now 485 00:25:26,525 --> 00:25:28,605 as we’ve seen him do so many, many times. 486 00:25:28,736 --> 00:25:31,986 - He’d more or less kick his toe into the mat 487 00:25:32,072 --> 00:25:35,452 and supposedly loaded the toe. 488 00:25:35,576 --> 00:25:38,616 - Ron whips into the foot gear. 489 00:25:38,746 --> 00:25:42,286 - Oh, my. 490 00:25:42,416 --> 00:25:44,996 - No, I was never a victim of the Camel Clutch, 491 00:25:45,085 --> 00:25:47,795 and I’m so friggin’ glad I wasn’t. 492 00:25:47,921 --> 00:25:49,011 - Look at him now, setting it up, 493 00:25:49,089 --> 00:25:50,299 pulling the arms back. 494 00:25:50,424 --> 00:25:52,554 Once he gets him, he sets Brock’s back, 495 00:25:52,634 --> 00:25:54,684 it’s give-up time. [bell ringing] 496 00:25:54,762 --> 00:25:56,472 - He’s got him. Look at him pulling on that neck. 497 00:25:56,597 --> 00:25:59,677 And that is painful. [bell ringing] 498 00:25:59,767 --> 00:26:01,637 - The Camel Clutch. Hmm. 499 00:26:01,769 --> 00:26:04,229 A move that you don’t want to be into. 500 00:26:04,313 --> 00:26:06,983 - Oh, he sits back, goodbye, that’s it. 501 00:26:07,107 --> 00:26:09,647 He’s got him cinched. This is undoubtedly it. 502 00:26:09,777 --> 00:26:11,317 - The dreaded Camel Clutch. 503 00:26:11,445 --> 00:26:13,995 - The only move that I still don’t know 504 00:26:14,114 --> 00:26:15,494 how you can get out of, physically. 505 00:26:15,616 --> 00:26:17,576 - It’s an extremely painful 506 00:26:17,659 --> 00:26:20,999 and somewhat torturous maneuver. 507 00:26:21,121 --> 00:26:22,661 - [groans] - He’s got him. 508 00:26:22,790 --> 00:26:23,710 Look at him pulling on that neck. 509 00:26:23,791 --> 00:26:25,461 - Oh, he’s gonna break his back! 510 00:26:25,584 --> 00:26:28,634 - He just had a way of doing it that it was so infuriating. 511 00:26:30,297 --> 00:26:32,417 - Oh, my. 512 00:26:40,641 --> 00:26:43,851 - And he is really raring back. [bell ringing] 513 00:26:43,977 --> 00:26:47,227 - Camel Clutch, fans, that move hurts. 514 00:26:47,314 --> 00:26:49,404 - Perhaps one of the most sadistic men 515 00:26:49,483 --> 00:26:51,153 in professional wrestling today. 516 00:26:51,276 --> 00:26:55,196 [crowd shouting] 517 00:26:55,322 --> 00:26:58,662 - One of the only matches that I actually got hurt 518 00:26:58,784 --> 00:27:00,874 to the point where I had to have stitches 519 00:27:00,994 --> 00:27:02,204 was with Khosrow. 520 00:27:02,329 --> 00:27:05,709 So Khosrow holds a real dear spot in my heart. 521 00:27:05,833 --> 00:27:08,423 [chuckles] 522 00:27:08,502 --> 00:27:10,382 - A group of folks in the audience 523 00:27:10,504 --> 00:27:11,924 with a large American flag 524 00:27:12,005 --> 00:27:16,545 in retaliation to the flag brought in by the Iron Sheik. 525 00:27:16,677 --> 00:27:19,217 - So at one point, Jerry "The King" Lawler 526 00:27:19,346 --> 00:27:23,556 painted the face of the Ayatollah Khomeini 527 00:27:23,684 --> 00:27:24,774 on the Iranian flag. 528 00:27:24,852 --> 00:27:27,902 - We see the likeness of Ayatollah Khomeini 529 00:27:28,021 --> 00:27:31,521 on the colors of Iran and the Iron Sheik. 530 00:27:31,650 --> 00:27:33,570 - We were just talking in the locker room 531 00:27:33,694 --> 00:27:35,744 and I said something about, 532 00:27:35,863 --> 00:27:37,743 "Hey, Sheik, you know, I’m an artist." 533 00:27:37,865 --> 00:27:40,585 I said, I would just think that it would look great 534 00:27:40,701 --> 00:27:43,041 if in the middle of that just empty white space 535 00:27:43,162 --> 00:27:44,372 of that flag, 536 00:27:44,496 --> 00:27:48,786 if I did a portrait of the Ayatollah. 537 00:27:48,876 --> 00:27:52,246 And I’m telling you, immediately his eyes went... 538 00:27:52,379 --> 00:27:54,339 ♪ ♪ 539 00:27:54,423 --> 00:27:57,803 He said, "Oh, Jerry Lawler, make me famous with this flag." 540 00:28:06,894 --> 00:28:09,654 - He is indeed one of the great 541 00:28:09,730 --> 00:28:11,230 World Wrestling Entertainment athletes. 542 00:28:11,356 --> 00:28:16,146 However, again, a lot of people do not like the Iron Sheik. 543 00:28:16,236 --> 00:28:18,276 - Heat is the power that you have 544 00:28:18,405 --> 00:28:21,445 that’s measured in the way the audience reacts to you. 545 00:28:21,575 --> 00:28:22,995 Heat means they’re booing you. 546 00:28:23,076 --> 00:28:26,116 Heat means that they hate you. 547 00:28:26,246 --> 00:28:29,456 When you really have heat, 548 00:28:29,583 --> 00:28:32,633 people are going to the arena not only wanting you to lose, 549 00:28:32,753 --> 00:28:35,423 but they themselves want to kill you. 550 00:28:35,547 --> 00:28:37,337 That’s the heat that the Iron Sheik had. 551 00:28:37,424 --> 00:28:40,224 - You people shut up. 552 00:28:40,302 --> 00:28:43,472 And don’t cry USA, USA. 553 00:28:43,597 --> 00:28:46,137 USA is a sick country. 554 00:28:46,266 --> 00:28:50,096 - The Sheik had a sense that you go, as a fan, 555 00:28:50,229 --> 00:28:52,979 "I know this guy’s not gonna play fair." 556 00:28:53,106 --> 00:28:55,816 And that type of heat is lasting. 557 00:28:55,943 --> 00:28:59,493 - Go back to your country! 558 00:28:59,613 --> 00:29:02,373 - The heat that the Sheik had, 559 00:29:02,449 --> 00:29:04,829 the word I like to use is blistering. 560 00:29:04,952 --> 00:29:07,002 - Walking out to the ring, the fans started booing him. 561 00:29:07,120 --> 00:29:08,830 He didn’t even have to do anything. 562 00:29:08,956 --> 00:29:10,286 [crowd changing] Iran sucks! 563 00:29:10,415 --> 00:29:11,825 - I know what they’re saying, but I’m not saying it. 564 00:29:11,959 --> 00:29:16,499 - Capacity crowd on the case of the Iron Sheik. 565 00:29:16,630 --> 00:29:18,510 - People were throwing stuff at him, you know. 566 00:29:18,632 --> 00:29:21,472 That’s how much heat--that people just didn’t like him. 567 00:29:28,267 --> 00:29:30,517 - The Iron Sheik! 568 00:29:30,644 --> 00:29:33,354 - Because he was so brash and bold and braggadocio, 569 00:29:33,480 --> 00:29:34,860 it was opposite our views, 570 00:29:34,982 --> 00:29:37,862 it was easy to not like him. He was so different. 571 00:29:37,985 --> 00:29:40,245 - The Sheik loved being hated. 572 00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:42,200 - Camel Clutch. - Oh, look at that! 573 00:29:42,322 --> 00:29:44,532 Oh, he’s gonna break his back! 574 00:29:44,658 --> 00:29:47,158 - And loved doing whatever he could do 575 00:29:47,286 --> 00:29:49,866 to tap into you to get you to hate him. 576 00:29:49,997 --> 00:29:51,207 - Got to release that. 577 00:29:51,331 --> 00:29:52,961 Oh, he’s gonna break his back right in two. 578 00:29:57,045 --> 00:29:59,505 - From Iran, 579 00:29:59,589 --> 00:30:02,929 the Iron Sheik. 580 00:30:03,010 --> 00:30:04,930 - Ooh, devastating suplex. 581 00:30:05,012 --> 00:30:07,102 - Prior to the early 1980s, 582 00:30:07,180 --> 00:30:10,600 wrestling was not a national thing. 583 00:30:10,684 --> 00:30:12,564 It was divided up into territories. 584 00:30:12,686 --> 00:30:16,266 There was no one singular base. 585 00:30:16,356 --> 00:30:19,936 - The country was split up into regional territories. 586 00:30:20,027 --> 00:30:25,947 And the means of distribution were local TV stations. 587 00:30:26,033 --> 00:30:27,453 That’s prior to cable television 588 00:30:27,534 --> 00:30:31,004 and prior to Vince McMahon’s national expansion. 589 00:30:31,079 --> 00:30:35,119 - When Vince Jr. purchased WWE from his father, 590 00:30:35,208 --> 00:30:39,208 he decided that he wanted to take that company national. 591 00:30:39,296 --> 00:30:42,126 - Hello, everyone, welcome to Championship Wrestling. 592 00:30:42,215 --> 00:30:43,965 This is Vince McMahon here at ringside 593 00:30:44,051 --> 00:30:45,551 standing next to wrestling’s living legend, 594 00:30:45,635 --> 00:30:46,965 Bruno Sammartino. 595 00:30:47,054 --> 00:30:49,394 - Vince McMahon came along and had a vision 596 00:30:49,473 --> 00:30:51,313 that I’m gonna go into these local markets 597 00:30:51,391 --> 00:30:53,311 and I’m gonna pay these television stations 598 00:30:53,393 --> 00:30:54,773 to be on the air. 599 00:30:54,895 --> 00:30:57,775 That was the transition, from a business perspective, 600 00:30:57,898 --> 00:31:01,478 that took the WWE from a regional northeast promotion 601 00:31:01,568 --> 00:31:02,988 to a national promotion. 602 00:31:03,070 --> 00:31:05,360 - So we shall return here with the festivities beginning 603 00:31:05,447 --> 00:31:07,117 in just a few moments. 604 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:09,580 - I think that when Vince McMahon decided 605 00:31:09,659 --> 00:31:13,409 to take WWE national, he knew he wanted a product 606 00:31:13,497 --> 00:31:14,997 that would penetrate pop culture. 607 00:31:15,082 --> 00:31:18,002 And he knew he wanted to show that it was about 608 00:31:18,085 --> 00:31:22,215 these over-the-top, marketable characters. 609 00:31:22,297 --> 00:31:23,337 - The ultimate in sports entertainment, 610 00:31:23,423 --> 00:31:25,883 it’s "Saturday Night’s Main Event." 611 00:31:25,967 --> 00:31:28,637 - That was the vision that transitioned 612 00:31:28,762 --> 00:31:31,222 from professional wrestling to sports entertainment. 613 00:31:31,306 --> 00:31:33,596 And Sheik was a huge part of that. 614 00:31:33,683 --> 00:31:37,193 [crowd booing] 615 00:31:37,270 --> 00:31:39,020 - When Vince took over and 616 00:31:39,106 --> 00:31:41,856 made the WWE what it is today, 617 00:31:41,942 --> 00:31:45,902 he decided that Bob was no longer to be the champion. 618 00:31:55,455 --> 00:31:57,705 - Well, the place needed to be shaken up. 619 00:31:57,791 --> 00:32:01,041 And you had five years of plain white milk toast. 620 00:32:01,128 --> 00:32:02,748 You know, Backlund’s a great wrestler, 621 00:32:02,838 --> 00:32:03,708 but not an attraction. 622 00:32:03,797 --> 00:32:05,377 - By golly, one way or another, 623 00:32:05,465 --> 00:32:06,875 whether he beats me or not, 624 00:32:06,967 --> 00:32:09,717 I’m gonna go in there and fight to the last end. 625 00:32:09,803 --> 00:32:12,473 - Bob was an incredible amateur wrestler. 626 00:32:12,556 --> 00:32:14,846 But Bob didn’t have a whole lot of color. 627 00:32:14,975 --> 00:32:17,565 He didn’t have a character that was very colorful. 628 00:32:17,644 --> 00:32:20,234 - Apparently, Bob Backlund doesn’t think 629 00:32:20,313 --> 00:32:23,443 that certain people should be able to beat him. 630 00:32:23,525 --> 00:32:25,575 And if he was gonna lose a match, 631 00:32:25,652 --> 00:32:28,572 he thought it was important that he lost a match 632 00:32:28,655 --> 00:32:32,575 to somebody that could legitimately beat him. 633 00:32:32,659 --> 00:32:36,619 - Introducing first, to my left, the challenger, 634 00:32:36,705 --> 00:32:40,925 the Iron Sheik. [crowd booing] 635 00:32:41,001 --> 00:32:43,381 - He knew he had the title match. 636 00:32:43,503 --> 00:32:47,803 And he didn’t know how it was gonna end. 637 00:32:59,352 --> 00:33:01,312 - Iron Sheik not wasting any time 638 00:33:01,396 --> 00:33:03,226 going to work on that back area. 639 00:33:03,356 --> 00:33:05,776 This match is underway. 640 00:33:05,859 --> 00:33:08,279 - Bob came into the ring and it was obvious to me 641 00:33:08,361 --> 00:33:10,451 that he was favoring his left arm. 642 00:33:10,530 --> 00:33:12,450 - I was in the crowd at the Garden 643 00:33:12,532 --> 00:33:14,582 the night the Iron Sheik defeated Bob Backlund. 644 00:33:14,701 --> 00:33:16,741 And it was just stunning. 645 00:33:16,870 --> 00:33:20,920 Because Bob Backlund had held the WWE title for five years. 646 00:33:21,041 --> 00:33:23,291 - And he rips him. Look at the pain Backlund’s in. 647 00:33:23,376 --> 00:33:26,796 - Come on! Come on! Sheik! 648 00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:29,670 - You don’t think you’re going to see the title 649 00:33:29,758 --> 00:33:32,588 change hands at the Garden. - Oh! 650 00:33:32,719 --> 00:33:34,799 - Going for the roll up. He got him with the roll up. 651 00:33:34,888 --> 00:33:36,138 There’s the bridge. 652 00:33:36,223 --> 00:33:38,643 Sheik now going for the Camel Clutch. 653 00:33:38,725 --> 00:33:43,475 - People bought tickets to watch the Iron Sheik get beat. 654 00:33:43,563 --> 00:33:47,443 Nothing could upset them more than buying a ticket 655 00:33:47,567 --> 00:33:50,817 to see the Iron Sheik win 656 00:33:50,904 --> 00:33:53,994 the biggest match conceivable, 657 00:33:54,074 --> 00:33:56,334 the WWE Championship match. 658 00:33:56,409 --> 00:33:58,159 [dramatic music] 659 00:33:58,245 --> 00:33:59,205 - Now he’s got it. 660 00:33:59,287 --> 00:34:00,497 He hooked Backlund back. 661 00:34:00,580 --> 00:34:01,710 He’s right in the center of the ring. 662 00:34:01,790 --> 00:34:03,330 - And Backlund’s got a bad neck. 663 00:34:03,416 --> 00:34:04,786 - Pull on it! - Whoa! 664 00:34:04,918 --> 00:34:05,668 - Pull on it! - Whoa! 665 00:34:05,752 --> 00:34:07,172 Backlund not so good! 666 00:34:07,254 --> 00:34:09,844 Arnold Skaaland threw something in the ring! 667 00:34:09,923 --> 00:34:15,723 [yelling] 668 00:34:15,804 --> 00:34:18,184 - If I’m correct, it’s the same as a sedition. 669 00:34:18,265 --> 00:34:22,195 We have a new champion in the World Wrestling Federation. 670 00:34:22,269 --> 00:34:24,849 - When the Iron Sheik won the title, 671 00:34:24,938 --> 00:34:27,608 I mean, it rocked the wrestling world. 672 00:34:27,691 --> 00:34:31,741 - Threw the towel in-- I can’t believe it. 673 00:34:31,820 --> 00:34:34,200 - I’m sure Backlund didn’t say a word. 674 00:34:34,281 --> 00:34:35,871 - I was sitting in the front row. 675 00:34:35,949 --> 00:34:40,329 And they said that he won and he put the hand in the air 676 00:34:40,453 --> 00:34:42,543 and I was numb. 677 00:34:42,622 --> 00:34:45,712 I was like, "No way." 678 00:34:45,792 --> 00:34:51,052 - And the new World Wrestling Entertainment 679 00:34:51,131 --> 00:34:53,171 Heavyweight Champion, 680 00:34:53,300 --> 00:34:56,390 the Iron Sheik! 681 00:34:56,469 --> 00:34:59,889 - It’s theater and drama at its highest. 682 00:34:59,973 --> 00:35:01,643 Shakespeare would have been proud. 683 00:35:01,725 --> 00:35:03,525 - It was stunning. Like, I kept thinking 684 00:35:03,643 --> 00:35:05,103 there was gonna be some type of reversal. 685 00:35:05,186 --> 00:35:08,226 - Iran number one! Iran! 686 00:35:08,315 --> 00:35:10,615 - And Sheik walked out of there with that title. 687 00:35:10,692 --> 00:35:13,692 And we basically ushered in a new era. 688 00:35:13,820 --> 00:35:17,160 [crowd booing] 689 00:35:29,169 --> 00:35:32,049 - The Iron Sheik from Tehran, Iran, 690 00:35:32,172 --> 00:35:35,342 currently wears the gold. 691 00:35:35,425 --> 00:35:40,145 - Sheik really had a recipe of what makes a great heel. 692 00:35:40,221 --> 00:35:41,431 - Oh, what a boot. 693 00:35:41,514 --> 00:35:43,104 - There was nothing really to like 694 00:35:43,183 --> 00:35:45,063 about the Sheik in his prime. 695 00:35:45,185 --> 00:35:47,655 He was a really, really good heel. 696 00:35:47,729 --> 00:35:49,269 - Everything was believable about him. 697 00:35:49,356 --> 00:35:51,686 His look was believable, 698 00:35:51,775 --> 00:35:53,445 the way he talked was believable, 699 00:35:53,526 --> 00:35:56,606 and so he was very easy to hate. 700 00:35:56,696 --> 00:35:58,776 - Indeed, the Camel Clutch applied, 701 00:35:58,865 --> 00:36:01,405 and I’m sure that’s all she wrote. 702 00:36:01,534 --> 00:36:05,294 - The fans who loved to hate him 703 00:36:05,372 --> 00:36:07,292 would also love to hurt him. 704 00:36:07,374 --> 00:36:10,464 - Iran number one! Iran number one! 705 00:36:10,543 --> 00:36:14,013 - They’re asking somebody to bear the brunt of this 706 00:36:14,089 --> 00:36:18,799 and actually, you know, risk their life. 707 00:36:18,885 --> 00:36:21,175 - I knew there were problems because 708 00:36:21,262 --> 00:36:24,102 I was good friends with the Iron Sheik’s wife. 709 00:36:24,224 --> 00:36:26,314 You know, the mail would come and, 710 00:36:26,393 --> 00:36:28,313 "Oh, my gosh, there’s another death threat." 711 00:36:28,395 --> 00:36:30,065 And I was like, "Oh, my God, you gotta be kidding me." 712 00:36:44,744 --> 00:36:47,294 - I mean, the guy had to be escorted by police. 713 00:36:47,414 --> 00:36:50,334 He had to go into the trunks of cars to leave the buildings. 714 00:36:50,417 --> 00:36:54,297 - The fans were really out of control sometimes. 715 00:36:54,421 --> 00:36:57,671 Sometimes he’d even be stabbed in the arm. 716 00:36:57,757 --> 00:37:00,677 - I’m sure he’s been cut. We’ve all been cut. 717 00:37:00,760 --> 00:37:03,680 That’s sort of your baptism of fire 718 00:37:03,763 --> 00:37:05,973 when somebody cut you. 719 00:37:06,099 --> 00:37:08,309 - No guy had bigger cojones than him. 720 00:37:08,435 --> 00:37:10,485 He was walking around 721 00:37:10,603 --> 00:37:12,863 at the height of people hating Iranians 722 00:37:12,939 --> 00:37:15,189 and walking into stadiums, 723 00:37:15,275 --> 00:37:18,865 stadiums with 70,000 people that all wanted to kill him. 724 00:37:18,945 --> 00:37:20,565 I mean, you don’t have bigger balls than that. 725 00:37:20,655 --> 00:37:24,695 ♪ ♪ 726 00:37:24,784 --> 00:37:28,374 - When the Iron Sheik won the WWE Championship, 727 00:37:28,455 --> 00:37:31,005 I think fans didn’t realize 728 00:37:31,124 --> 00:37:33,714 that they were seeing the end of an era. 729 00:37:33,793 --> 00:37:37,093 ♪ ♪ 730 00:37:37,172 --> 00:37:39,052 - If you want to make a great hero 731 00:37:39,132 --> 00:37:41,182 and you’re looking for a new hero 732 00:37:41,301 --> 00:37:43,011 to lead your company, 733 00:37:43,136 --> 00:37:45,216 he has to overcome something big. 734 00:37:45,305 --> 00:37:48,395 And to beat someone like Bob Backlund 735 00:37:48,475 --> 00:37:51,275 that had been a fan favorite for many years, 736 00:37:51,352 --> 00:37:53,102 that’s not a way to make a hero. 737 00:37:53,188 --> 00:37:54,728 Because you’re beating a hero doing that. 738 00:37:54,814 --> 00:37:58,694 However, if you have an evil menace like the Iron Sheik 739 00:37:58,818 --> 00:38:01,068 come in and beat your All-American hero 740 00:38:01,154 --> 00:38:04,284 and make him throw in the towel, 741 00:38:04,365 --> 00:38:06,575 then you need a larger-than-life hero 742 00:38:06,659 --> 00:38:08,699 to come in and overtake that nemesis. 743 00:38:08,828 --> 00:38:10,288 - What happened to Bob Backlund? 744 00:38:10,371 --> 00:38:13,581 What happened to his arm? What happened to his shoulder? 745 00:38:13,666 --> 00:38:15,746 Now they’re billing the Hulk Hogan, 746 00:38:15,835 --> 00:38:18,875 the biggest American animal. 747 00:38:19,005 --> 00:38:22,005 - When the Iron Sheik won the WWE Championship, 748 00:38:22,091 --> 00:38:24,971 it signaled a change in how the business 749 00:38:25,053 --> 00:38:26,763 would be presented. 750 00:38:26,846 --> 00:38:28,306 The Iron Sheik was a supervillain. 751 00:38:28,389 --> 00:38:32,599 He would go on to be defeated by a superhero, Hulk Hogan. 752 00:38:32,685 --> 00:38:34,765 And the Hulkamania era would begin. 753 00:38:34,854 --> 00:38:36,904 - There he is, Hulkamania. 754 00:38:37,023 --> 00:38:40,153 [crowd cheering] 755 00:38:40,235 --> 00:38:42,325 - Take a look at this. 756 00:38:48,743 --> 00:38:50,083 - Back here at Madison Square Gardens, 757 00:38:50,203 --> 00:38:52,293 history has just been made for the first time in five years, 758 00:38:52,372 --> 00:38:55,422 the World Heavyweight Champion, or should I say ex-World 759 00:38:55,542 --> 00:38:56,792 Heavyweight Champion, Bob Backlund 760 00:38:56,876 --> 00:38:59,046 dethroned by the Iron Sheik. 761 00:38:59,170 --> 00:39:00,920 - So I’m hanging out in this bar 762 00:39:01,047 --> 00:39:03,757 after the match at Madison Square Garden 763 00:39:03,883 --> 00:39:06,093 and fans are speculating 764 00:39:06,219 --> 00:39:08,049 about what might happen next. 765 00:39:08,179 --> 00:39:10,929 And one guy who’s standing at the bar says, 766 00:39:11,057 --> 00:39:13,427 "I heard that Hulk Hogan is gonna come in 767 00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:15,020 and win the title." 768 00:39:15,103 --> 00:39:17,443 And I look at my friend and I go, 769 00:39:17,564 --> 00:39:19,114 "Where’s this guy getting his information? 770 00:39:19,232 --> 00:39:21,902 "Hulk Hogan’s working for Verne Gagne in Minnesota. 771 00:39:22,026 --> 00:39:24,146 Never would happen in a million years." 772 00:39:24,237 --> 00:39:27,317 - Vince’s vision of taking a company national, 773 00:39:27,407 --> 00:39:29,487 he had to have a hood ornament. 774 00:39:29,576 --> 00:39:30,786 He had to have a centerpiece. 775 00:39:30,910 --> 00:39:34,460 - Wrestling, when it’s at its best, 776 00:39:34,581 --> 00:39:36,791 has a good guy and a bad guy. 777 00:39:36,916 --> 00:39:40,496 - Place hold that, my beautiful Iranian flag. 778 00:39:40,587 --> 00:39:44,467 - To set that protagonist up, the equal antagonist 779 00:39:44,591 --> 00:39:47,471 with the equal protagonist, Hulk versus Sheik, 780 00:39:47,594 --> 00:39:48,974 it was a match made in heaven. 781 00:39:49,095 --> 00:39:53,845 - You gonna bring that animal Hulk Hogan for no reason. 782 00:39:53,933 --> 00:39:56,733 Because I don’t know the guy. I never met the guy. 783 00:39:56,811 --> 00:39:58,651 - It doesn’t get any better than that. 784 00:39:58,771 --> 00:40:01,481 I mean, that’s the perfect storyline, 785 00:40:01,608 --> 00:40:03,438 the perfect reality-based storyline. 786 00:40:03,568 --> 00:40:05,818 And it wasn’t something a writer wrote. 787 00:40:05,945 --> 00:40:07,355 It was really happening. 788 00:40:07,447 --> 00:40:11,157 - Verne Gagne, in particular, was very resentful of this. 789 00:40:11,284 --> 00:40:13,664 Because until very recently, 790 00:40:13,786 --> 00:40:15,996 Hulk Hogan had been working for him. 791 00:40:16,122 --> 00:40:18,372 - So the story that the Iron Sheik has told, 792 00:40:18,458 --> 00:40:22,748 that Verne Gagne called him and said, "Sheiky baby, 793 00:40:22,837 --> 00:40:25,667 "do not lose the title to Hogan. 794 00:40:25,798 --> 00:40:28,378 "Go out there, break his leg, 795 00:40:28,468 --> 00:40:31,348 "and bring the title back to Minnesota. 796 00:40:31,471 --> 00:40:32,851 I’ll give you $100,000." 797 00:40:43,191 --> 00:40:46,321 - Now, he had trained Khosrow Vaziri. 798 00:40:46,444 --> 00:40:50,534 His wife had given Khosrow the Iron Sheik name. 799 00:40:50,657 --> 00:40:52,577 And so there was this mentality that 800 00:40:52,659 --> 00:40:54,579 the Iron Sheik owes us a favor. 801 00:40:54,661 --> 00:40:56,081 - Verne got to him and said, 802 00:40:56,162 --> 00:40:58,792 "If you break Hulk Hogan’s leg, I’ll give you 100 grand." 803 00:41:00,458 --> 00:41:04,038 - This is the main event. 804 00:41:04,170 --> 00:41:07,090 It is for the World Wrestling Entertainment 805 00:41:07,173 --> 00:41:08,513 Heavyweight Championship. 806 00:41:08,633 --> 00:41:11,433 - Well, the reaction was insane. 807 00:41:11,511 --> 00:41:14,721 I came out spinning and turning in 20 different directions. 808 00:41:14,847 --> 00:41:17,097 And got up on the apron and I pointed at the Sheik. 809 00:41:17,183 --> 00:41:18,233 The roof blew off the building. 810 00:41:18,351 --> 00:41:20,391 And I came and I ripped the shirt off. 811 00:41:20,520 --> 00:41:21,560 It was already there. 812 00:41:21,688 --> 00:41:24,898 - Introducing first, the challenger, 813 00:41:25,024 --> 00:41:28,744 from Venice Beach, California, 814 00:41:28,861 --> 00:41:33,621 the Incredible Hulk Hogan! 815 00:41:35,660 --> 00:41:37,910 - As I’m going through this, I’m going, "Oh, my gosh, 816 00:41:38,037 --> 00:41:42,627 this is gonna be a huge lightning bolt to ride." 817 00:41:42,709 --> 00:41:47,209 - As Hulkamania definitely has hit the Big Apple. 818 00:41:47,338 --> 00:41:50,258 - Look how powerful that Hulk Hogan is. 819 00:41:50,383 --> 00:41:53,263 - Into the ropes and he nails him right on the chin. 820 00:41:53,386 --> 00:41:56,596 Look at him go, into the corner, nobody home. 821 00:41:56,723 --> 00:41:58,433 Sheik now going to work. 822 00:41:58,558 --> 00:41:59,928 - The Hulk’s gotta come out of it. 823 00:42:00,059 --> 00:42:01,439 If not, it’s over for the Hulk. 824 00:42:01,561 --> 00:42:02,771 - It had been so established, 825 00:42:02,895 --> 00:42:04,395 the Camel Clutch with the Iron Sheik, 826 00:42:04,522 --> 00:42:07,272 that once he put it on you, nobody got out of it. 827 00:42:07,400 --> 00:42:08,940 - He’s got him. 828 00:42:09,068 --> 00:42:11,028 No one has been able to escape it. 829 00:42:11,112 --> 00:42:14,452 - I knew if I broke the hold, the place would erupt. 830 00:42:14,574 --> 00:42:15,574 And it was already over. 831 00:42:15,700 --> 00:42:16,950 Once I got out of the Camel Clutch 832 00:42:17,076 --> 00:42:18,486 and backed him into the turnbuckle, 833 00:42:18,578 --> 00:42:19,998 the only thing left to do was drop the leg on him. 834 00:42:20,079 --> 00:42:21,459 - Look at, he’s powering his way up. 835 00:42:21,581 --> 00:42:24,421 Hulk Hogan now stands up with the Sheik 836 00:42:24,542 --> 00:42:29,882 and rams him into the corner turnbuckle. 837 00:42:29,964 --> 00:42:32,804 And Hulk Hogan, he drops the big leg on him. 838 00:42:32,925 --> 00:42:34,255 He’s down for the count after the leg. 839 00:42:34,385 --> 00:42:36,215 One, two. He got him! 840 00:42:36,304 --> 00:42:38,184 [crowd cheering] 841 00:42:38,264 --> 00:42:42,104 [bell ringing] 842 00:42:42,226 --> 00:42:44,806 - You couldn’t have had a better person 843 00:42:44,937 --> 00:42:49,017 to take the strap off of Bob and then give it to Hulk. 844 00:42:49,108 --> 00:42:51,648 - It changed the wrestling world, without a doubt. 845 00:42:51,778 --> 00:42:54,528 I mean, it exploded. It just went wild. 846 00:42:54,614 --> 00:42:56,124 - You have arrived, Hulk Hogan. 847 00:42:56,240 --> 00:42:58,660 - I’ve never seen anything as beautiful as this, Mean Gene. 848 00:42:58,785 --> 00:43:00,205 This belt is part yours, too. 849 00:43:00,286 --> 00:43:03,326 - The fact that he had to lose the belt to Hulk Hogan, 850 00:43:03,456 --> 00:43:07,666 it was like hemorrhaging a blood vessel. 851 00:43:07,794 --> 00:43:09,214 It was so painful. 852 00:43:16,636 --> 00:43:21,716 - The Iron Sheik was that key in transitioning 853 00:43:21,808 --> 00:43:24,688 from the quote, unquote "real athlete" 854 00:43:24,811 --> 00:43:27,151 to the quote, unquote "real superhero." 855 00:43:27,271 --> 00:43:30,191 And part of that was because the Iron Sheik was both. 856 00:43:39,158 --> 00:43:41,538 Hulk Hogan, I’m not done with you. 857 00:43:41,661 --> 00:43:44,871 I touch you tonight from one of your people 858 00:43:44,997 --> 00:43:48,037 and I’m gonna make him suffer so bad. 859 00:43:48,167 --> 00:43:50,707 - You can say he passed the baton off to Hogan. 860 00:43:50,837 --> 00:43:52,297 But it was a brand new baton 861 00:43:52,380 --> 00:43:54,880 because our industry was about to go down a road 862 00:43:55,007 --> 00:43:56,257 that had never been done before. 863 00:43:56,342 --> 00:43:59,762 And the Sheik and the Hulk were your headliners, 864 00:43:59,846 --> 00:44:01,886 the biggest box office attraction that the industry 865 00:44:02,014 --> 00:44:03,604 had really ever seen. 866 00:44:03,683 --> 00:44:05,523 - Fans, I’m telling you-- 867 00:44:06,853 --> 00:44:11,573 - People were so happy that that son of a bitch 868 00:44:11,691 --> 00:44:14,741 no longer had that world title. 869 00:44:14,861 --> 00:44:17,281 Taking it from the Sheik, 870 00:44:17,363 --> 00:44:18,573 that was huge. 871 00:44:18,698 --> 00:44:23,408 ♪ ♪ 872 00:44:23,536 --> 00:44:26,286 - Had the Iron Sheik not been generous enough 873 00:44:26,372 --> 00:44:27,922 and passed the torch, 874 00:44:28,040 --> 00:44:32,840 WWE may have never become the juggernaut we know today. 875 00:44:32,920 --> 00:44:36,260 - Now the Iron Sheik’s bleeding profusely. 876 00:44:36,382 --> 00:44:38,472 - With all the heat and mad feelings 877 00:44:38,551 --> 00:44:40,591 that the fans had for the Iron Sheik, 878 00:44:40,720 --> 00:44:44,100 that just made that win by Hulk Hogan even greater. 879 00:44:44,223 --> 00:44:46,063 And that’s how great of a villain he was 880 00:44:46,184 --> 00:44:47,984 that he could pass that torch right on 881 00:44:48,060 --> 00:44:49,980 in a way that it made Hulk Hogan 882 00:44:50,062 --> 00:44:51,942 the biggest name in wrestling. 883 00:44:52,064 --> 00:44:53,944 - Hulkamania is here! 884 00:44:54,066 --> 00:44:58,276 ♪ ♪ 885 00:44:58,404 --> 00:45:04,164 - I think Sheik gave them maybe the highest element of a heel. 886 00:45:04,243 --> 00:45:05,623 - The fans are giving it to him. 887 00:45:05,745 --> 00:45:09,625 - And Hulk gave them the highest element of a baby face 888 00:45:09,749 --> 00:45:12,129 at a time where that really worked. 889 00:45:12,251 --> 00:45:14,921 - The big leg drop! 890 00:45:15,046 --> 00:45:17,296 Look out, Hulk! 891 00:45:17,423 --> 00:45:20,133 - I think the Iron Sheik fit right in 892 00:45:20,259 --> 00:45:23,469 with what the WWE had planned for its brand. 893 00:45:23,596 --> 00:45:26,386 Was he gonna remain in the main event forever? 894 00:45:26,474 --> 00:45:27,814 No. 895 00:45:27,934 --> 00:45:30,984 But I think that WWE had long-term plans 896 00:45:31,103 --> 00:45:33,813 to keep the Iron Sheik character 897 00:45:33,940 --> 00:45:35,770 as part of their catalog. 898 00:45:35,900 --> 00:45:38,070 - Now ladies and gentlemen, there it is, 899 00:45:38,152 --> 00:45:40,862 the submission of the Camel Clutch. 900 00:45:40,947 --> 00:45:42,317 [bell dinging] And enough is enough. 901 00:45:42,448 --> 00:45:45,368 - Khosrow did the right thing at the right time 902 00:45:45,451 --> 00:45:48,701 and became larger than life. 903 00:45:50,456 --> 00:45:52,326 - Iran number one! 904 00:45:52,458 --> 00:45:55,168 Look at USA. [hawks, spits] 905 00:45:55,294 --> 00:45:57,254 - He spit. Oh, God, wait a minute! 906 00:45:57,338 --> 00:45:59,758 - Hold on! Hold on! - Wait a minute! Wait a minute! 907 00:45:59,840 --> 00:46:02,050 Sergeant Slaughter just came in! 908 00:46:02,134 --> 00:46:05,224 Sergeant Slaughter, oh, he-- - Oh! 909 00:46:05,304 --> 00:46:08,224 - Iron Sheik, 910 00:46:08,307 --> 00:46:10,477 I declare war on you. 911 00:46:10,601 --> 00:46:12,601 - Oh, my word. 912 00:46:12,687 --> 00:46:13,937 - War! 913 00:46:17,858 --> 00:46:18,608 [crowd cheering] 914 00:46:18,693 --> 00:46:20,573 - And we have a new champion! 915 00:46:20,653 --> 00:46:23,743 History made in Madison Square Garden 916 00:46:23,823 --> 00:46:26,413 as Hulkamania has taken over. 917 00:46:26,492 --> 00:46:29,082 - The thing that made the Sheik so unique 918 00:46:29,161 --> 00:46:31,791 is that a loss in a big match 919 00:46:31,872 --> 00:46:34,422 wasn’t gonna take away his heat. 920 00:46:34,500 --> 00:46:37,250 - OK, the Iron Sheik, 921 00:46:37,336 --> 00:46:39,086 he’ll head back to the dressing room 922 00:46:39,171 --> 00:46:41,591 after taking another vicious pounding. 923 00:46:41,674 --> 00:46:44,474 - After losing the title to Hulk Hogan, 924 00:46:44,552 --> 00:46:49,432 while yes, he doesn’t maintain in the WWE title picture, 925 00:46:49,515 --> 00:46:53,095 that doesn’t mean another American hero can’t come along. 926 00:46:53,185 --> 00:46:56,185 - After the Sheik loses the title to Hulk Hogan, 927 00:46:56,272 --> 00:46:59,112 he’s immediately put into another rivalry 928 00:46:59,191 --> 00:47:00,441 with Sergeant Slaughter. 929 00:47:00,526 --> 00:47:04,486 It’s natural, Sergeant Slaughter is a US Marine. 930 00:47:04,572 --> 00:47:05,952 That’s his character. 931 00:47:06,032 --> 00:47:08,952 And the Iron Sheik is an Iranian terrorist. 932 00:47:09,035 --> 00:47:10,955 That’s the gimmick that he’s portraying. 933 00:47:11,037 --> 00:47:13,497 - Do I look like a Gomer Pyle? 934 00:47:13,581 --> 00:47:16,291 I can’t hear you, maggot. 935 00:47:16,375 --> 00:47:19,245 - Sergeant Slaughter was not, like, a good guy. 936 00:47:19,378 --> 00:47:20,628 He was a bad guy, Sergeant Slaughter. 937 00:47:20,713 --> 00:47:22,803 He did a lot of bad things to other good wrestlers. 938 00:47:32,058 --> 00:47:34,268 - People loved Sergeant Slaughter. 939 00:47:34,393 --> 00:47:36,563 He was GI Joe. 940 00:47:36,687 --> 00:47:38,477 And then the Iron Sheik’s this evil bastard 941 00:47:38,564 --> 00:47:40,654 that has to be beaten. 942 00:47:40,733 --> 00:47:43,363 - Listen to them chanting, "We want Slaughter." 943 00:47:43,444 --> 00:47:46,494 - Everyone wants him but the Iron Sheik. 944 00:47:46,572 --> 00:47:48,912 - Vince McMahon Senior invited me out for dinner. 945 00:47:48,991 --> 00:47:51,791 So I started telling him, "Why don’t you let 946 00:47:51,911 --> 00:47:56,831 Sergeant Slaughter declare war on the Iron Sheik?" 947 00:47:56,916 --> 00:48:00,286 - Sergeant Slaughter just came in. 948 00:48:00,419 --> 00:48:04,719 - And the people were so happy to see 949 00:48:04,799 --> 00:48:07,839 Sergeant Slaughter go against the Iron Sheik. 950 00:48:07,927 --> 00:48:10,887 Iron Sheik, 951 00:48:10,971 --> 00:48:13,141 I declare war on you! 952 00:48:13,265 --> 00:48:15,225 [crowd cheering] 953 00:48:15,309 --> 00:48:18,309 War! 954 00:48:18,437 --> 00:48:22,017 So I declared war on him and off to the races we went. 955 00:48:22,108 --> 00:48:24,318 ♪ ♪ 956 00:48:24,443 --> 00:48:27,363 - In a return bout, it will be what they’re calling 957 00:48:27,446 --> 00:48:29,906 a boot camp match. 958 00:48:29,990 --> 00:48:35,000 - Everyone on their feet. USA, everyone. 959 00:48:35,121 --> 00:48:38,371 - Now they’re having highly emotional matches. 960 00:48:38,457 --> 00:48:41,457 They put the Iron Sheik and Sergeant Slaughter 961 00:48:41,544 --> 00:48:44,094 in the main event in Madison Square Garden. 962 00:48:44,171 --> 00:48:46,011 They have this very bloody match 963 00:48:46,132 --> 00:48:48,722 called a boot camp match. 964 00:48:48,801 --> 00:48:51,551 - Look out, Sergeant’s gonna explode. 965 00:48:51,637 --> 00:48:56,057 - Oh! Oh! - OK! 966 00:48:56,142 --> 00:48:59,392 Oh, he rammed his head right into that pointed boot. 967 00:48:59,478 --> 00:49:02,558 Sarge is bleeding profusely! - Oh! 968 00:49:02,648 --> 00:49:04,018 Oh, no. 969 00:49:04,150 --> 00:49:05,940 - I’ll never forget watching that boot camp match 970 00:49:06,026 --> 00:49:07,896 between the Sheik and Slaughter. 971 00:49:07,987 --> 00:49:10,947 As a kid, I had never seen blood like that. 972 00:49:11,031 --> 00:49:12,781 - Suplex! 973 00:49:12,867 --> 00:49:15,157 Look at the Sheik fighting now. 974 00:49:25,379 --> 00:49:29,719 - Oh, a big uppercut sends the Iranian down to the canvas. 975 00:49:29,842 --> 00:49:32,392 - The Sheik didn’t need to win to win. 976 00:49:32,511 --> 00:49:34,971 He did his job and he created a feeling. 977 00:49:35,055 --> 00:49:37,595 ♪ ♪ 978 00:49:37,683 --> 00:49:40,603 That’s the best win is when you get a reaction. 979 00:49:40,686 --> 00:49:42,976 And it doesn’t matter who comes out on top. 980 00:49:43,063 --> 00:49:46,573 - This bout a double disqualification. 981 00:49:46,692 --> 00:49:48,442 [crowd booing] 982 00:49:48,527 --> 00:49:52,947 - Because of the rivalry with Sergeant Slaughter, 983 00:49:53,032 --> 00:49:55,952 the Iron Sheik was main eventing. 984 00:49:56,035 --> 00:49:58,665 People wanted the Iron Sheik on every card. 985 00:49:58,746 --> 00:50:01,616 So the Iron Sheik lost nothing 986 00:50:01,707 --> 00:50:04,747 in sacrificing the title to Hulk Hogan. 987 00:50:04,877 --> 00:50:08,087 - I’m gonna spit to your fat body, American. 988 00:50:08,214 --> 00:50:10,594 [hawks, spits] Soldier! 989 00:50:10,716 --> 00:50:11,966 - [speaks Farsi] 990 00:50:12,051 --> 00:50:14,471 - Sheik obviously embraced his heritage. 991 00:50:14,553 --> 00:50:17,853 And that made him nothing but money. 992 00:50:17,932 --> 00:50:21,482 But it made him money because of his opponents 993 00:50:21,560 --> 00:50:23,650 that were red, white, and blue 994 00:50:23,729 --> 00:50:27,189 or stood for everything right in this world. 995 00:50:27,274 --> 00:50:29,484 And Sheik didn’t mind standing 996 00:50:29,568 --> 00:50:31,818 for everything wrong in this world. 997 00:50:31,904 --> 00:50:35,664 - Oh, he just drove a knee right in the midsection. 998 00:50:35,741 --> 00:50:37,701 Incredible. 999 00:50:37,785 --> 00:50:40,005 ♪ ♪ 1000 00:50:40,079 --> 00:50:42,659 - At this point in time, the Sheik, financially, 1001 00:50:42,748 --> 00:50:46,668 had to be doing better than he ever thought he would do. 1002 00:50:46,752 --> 00:50:48,342 - I can’t help it if you’re too dumb 1003 00:50:48,420 --> 00:50:49,670 to watch where you’re going. 1004 00:50:49,755 --> 00:50:50,875 - That’s it. 1005 00:50:50,965 --> 00:50:53,515 That is straw that camel cannot carry. 1006 00:50:53,592 --> 00:50:55,342 From now on, I am through with you. 1007 00:50:55,427 --> 00:50:57,217 Pa-tooey. 1008 00:50:57,304 --> 00:51:00,854 - That cartoon, we thought was so cool. 1009 00:51:00,933 --> 00:51:04,693 I mean, we were really, really enamored by the cartoon. 1010 00:51:04,770 --> 00:51:08,320 - The cartoon made all us superheroes. 1011 00:51:08,440 --> 00:51:12,030 The cartoon just put extra gas on the fire. 1012 00:51:12,111 --> 00:51:15,321 - Anything that had Hulk Hogan or Sergeant Slaughter on it 1013 00:51:15,447 --> 00:51:17,237 would have to have the Iron Sheik on it. 1014 00:51:17,324 --> 00:51:20,334 The Iron Sheik became a household name. 1015 00:51:20,452 --> 00:51:22,542 - Oh, you make me sick. 1016 00:51:22,621 --> 00:51:24,411 Are you the Hulk Hogan? - [laughing] 1017 00:51:24,498 --> 00:51:25,538 - Are you really? - Stay here. 1018 00:51:25,624 --> 00:51:27,044 - You want to be like the Sheik? 1019 00:51:27,126 --> 00:51:30,046 - Get up you coward, you. [laughing] 1020 00:51:30,129 --> 00:51:32,549 - Khosrow made a lot of money on that action figure. 1021 00:51:32,631 --> 00:51:35,221 The very first dolls that came out, 1022 00:51:35,301 --> 00:51:38,221 one quarter he made $87,000. 1023 00:51:38,304 --> 00:51:41,064 - I remember he got his check in the dressing room. 1024 00:51:41,140 --> 00:51:43,430 I believe it was $100,000 check. 1025 00:51:43,517 --> 00:51:46,227 And I remember he thought it was $10,000. 1026 00:51:46,312 --> 00:51:50,442 - Thumb wrestle anywhere with Hulk and the Iron Sheik. 1027 00:51:50,524 --> 00:51:53,364 - OK, kids, back to class. [children yelling] 1028 00:51:53,485 --> 00:51:54,735 - Wrestle anywhere with 1029 00:51:54,820 --> 00:51:56,490 Wrestling Superstars Thumbwrestlers. 1030 00:52:04,330 --> 00:52:06,410 - The rewards were great. 1031 00:52:06,498 --> 00:52:09,578 But the sacrifices sometimes were even greater. 1032 00:52:09,668 --> 00:52:15,258 ♪ ♪ 1033 00:52:15,341 --> 00:52:18,681 It can be a very glamorous life. 1034 00:52:18,761 --> 00:52:22,261 But it can also be a very lonely and painful life. 1035 00:52:22,348 --> 00:52:25,098 - I think one of the hardest things to be 1036 00:52:25,184 --> 00:52:26,814 is a professional wrestler. 1037 00:52:26,894 --> 00:52:31,114 You’re gonna miss birthdays, big holidays, and all that. 1038 00:52:31,190 --> 00:52:32,110 - You’re away from your family. 1039 00:52:32,191 --> 00:52:33,651 You’re with other wrestlers 1040 00:52:33,734 --> 00:52:36,824 more than you are your children or your wife. 1041 00:52:36,904 --> 00:52:41,664 - My husband was usually gone like a month or two at a time. 1042 00:52:41,742 --> 00:52:43,242 - You know, when he got home, 1043 00:52:43,369 --> 00:52:45,699 he didn’t want to go out or be much in the public. 1044 00:52:45,788 --> 00:52:47,788 And he was with us all the time. 1045 00:52:47,873 --> 00:52:49,623 - When he came home, 1046 00:52:49,708 --> 00:52:51,958 they would run and hug and kiss him. 1047 00:52:52,044 --> 00:52:53,464 They adored their dad. 1048 00:52:53,545 --> 00:52:56,165 Nobody could touch their dad. 1049 00:52:56,256 --> 00:52:58,966 - He was such a great role model and father. 1050 00:52:59,051 --> 00:53:00,511 And all he wanted to do was 1051 00:53:00,594 --> 00:53:02,474 teach us how to be good people. 1052 00:53:02,554 --> 00:53:05,274 - As a father, he adores his kids. 1053 00:53:05,391 --> 00:53:07,101 He’d give ’em anything, 1054 00:53:07,226 --> 00:53:09,386 anything in his power that he could. 1055 00:53:19,738 --> 00:53:21,028 - The Iron Sheik’s family 1056 00:53:21,115 --> 00:53:23,495 suffered like everybody else’s family, 1057 00:53:23,575 --> 00:53:25,655 except he also was developing 1058 00:53:25,744 --> 00:53:27,664 a very serious drug problem. 1059 00:53:27,746 --> 00:53:29,656 So in some ways, it can be argued 1060 00:53:29,748 --> 00:53:31,118 that they even suffered more. 1061 00:53:31,250 --> 00:53:37,010 [crowd booing] 1062 00:53:37,089 --> 00:53:39,339 - The whole package of being a wrestler 1063 00:53:39,425 --> 00:53:42,475 in that era was pretty dark. 1064 00:53:42,594 --> 00:53:44,474 Outside of the 15 minutes you are in the match 1065 00:53:44,596 --> 00:53:45,846 and in the ring, 1066 00:53:45,931 --> 00:53:48,641 you have to live a very lonely life. 1067 00:53:48,767 --> 00:53:51,187 - I have the number one man right here. 1068 00:53:51,270 --> 00:53:54,190 - At times, the industry is our own worst enemy. 1069 00:53:54,273 --> 00:53:58,193 There is that transition from the high of the match 1070 00:53:58,277 --> 00:54:00,487 to coming back down. 1071 00:54:00,612 --> 00:54:03,702 And when the adrenaline wears off, 1072 00:54:03,782 --> 00:54:05,872 the pain steps in. 1073 00:54:05,951 --> 00:54:10,911 And the crutch enters the equation. 1074 00:54:10,998 --> 00:54:14,378 And it is a pathway to death. 1075 00:54:18,255 --> 00:54:21,215 [crowd shouting] 1076 00:54:21,300 --> 00:54:23,930 - Ladies and gentlemen, this is a tag team match 1077 00:54:24,011 --> 00:54:26,221 scheduled for one fall. 1078 00:54:26,305 --> 00:54:28,185 - You know, when I think about the combination 1079 00:54:28,307 --> 00:54:32,727 of the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff, oh, my gosh. 1080 00:54:32,811 --> 00:54:35,901 We hated Iranians. We hated the country of Iran. 1081 00:54:35,981 --> 00:54:40,571 - From Tehran, Iran, the Iron Sheik! 1082 00:54:40,652 --> 00:54:43,572 - And then Nikolai Volkoff, we’ve always hated Russia. 1083 00:54:43,655 --> 00:54:45,565 How could you pile on any more heat? 1084 00:54:45,657 --> 00:54:50,577 - From the Soviet Union, Nikolai Volkoff! 1085 00:54:50,662 --> 00:54:53,122 - The thing about heat in wrestling is that 1086 00:54:53,207 --> 00:54:55,497 you really have to balance it. 1087 00:54:55,834 --> 00:54:57,094 And the Iron Sheik was at this place 1088 00:54:57,169 --> 00:54:59,419 where it was maybe time to freshen it up a little bit. 1089 00:54:59,505 --> 00:55:02,765 The Iran hostage crisis was over. 1090 00:55:02,841 --> 00:55:06,301 So what can we do to get the audience mad 1091 00:55:06,386 --> 00:55:07,926 at the Iron Sheik again? 1092 00:55:08,013 --> 00:55:09,313 Well, what about the Cold War? 1093 00:55:09,389 --> 00:55:11,929 - Look at this power display by the big Russian. 1094 00:55:12,017 --> 00:55:13,437 - One-armed choke! 1095 00:55:13,519 --> 00:55:16,439 - Look at that awesome back breaker. 1096 00:55:16,522 --> 00:55:23,282 - What if Russia and Iran combined forces? 1097 00:55:23,362 --> 00:55:24,652 How much would you hate that? 1098 00:55:24,738 --> 00:55:28,778 And the answer that the WWE fans gave is "a lot." 1099 00:55:28,867 --> 00:55:33,497 - Now you people shut up and don’t say "USA." 1100 00:55:33,580 --> 00:55:36,120 Iran number one! 1101 00:55:36,208 --> 00:55:38,288 Russia number one! 1102 00:55:38,377 --> 00:55:41,207 USA, Canada-- [hawks, spits] 1103 00:55:48,428 --> 00:55:50,758 - Naturally, anybody that they thought 1104 00:55:50,889 --> 00:55:52,519 could wave the American flag in the face 1105 00:55:52,599 --> 00:55:54,809 of Nikolai Volkoff and the Iron Sheik, 1106 00:55:54,893 --> 00:55:57,193 the fans would go crazy for. 1107 00:55:57,271 --> 00:55:58,941 - They wanted Nikolai to come out and go, 1108 00:55:59,064 --> 00:56:01,574 "Sheiky, baby, I’m gonna sing the Russian national anthem," 1109 00:56:01,650 --> 00:56:03,860 [vocalizing], whatever. 1110 00:56:03,944 --> 00:56:08,414 - [singing in Russian] 1111 00:56:15,455 --> 00:56:18,035 - He came in and sang the Russian national anthem, 1112 00:56:18,125 --> 00:56:20,135 that actually wasn’t the Russian national anthem, 1113 00:56:20,252 --> 00:56:24,012 but that’s OK. No one knew that. 1114 00:56:24,089 --> 00:56:25,339 Can you sing the Russian national anthem? 1115 00:56:25,424 --> 00:56:26,674 No. Neither can I, 1116 00:56:26,758 --> 00:56:29,508 but by God, I can sing Nikolai Volkoff’s version 1117 00:56:29,595 --> 00:56:30,855 of whatever it was he was singing. 1118 00:56:30,929 --> 00:56:34,599 - [singing in Russian] 1119 00:56:36,810 --> 00:56:40,360 - Those two equaled the ultimate heat. 1120 00:56:40,439 --> 00:56:43,529 - You take these two foreign, evil wrestlers, 1121 00:56:43,609 --> 00:56:45,149 put them in a team together, 1122 00:56:45,277 --> 00:56:47,487 you know that people are gonna come to see those guys. 1123 00:56:47,613 --> 00:56:49,703 - What a match up this is gonna be. 1124 00:56:49,781 --> 00:56:53,411 WrestleMania delivering everything it promised to be. 1125 00:56:53,493 --> 00:56:56,703 - WrestleMania I was the biggest wrestling show 1126 00:56:56,788 --> 00:56:58,538 that the United States had ever seen. 1127 00:56:58,624 --> 00:57:00,794 It was before pay-per-view existed. 1128 00:57:09,801 --> 00:57:11,721 - And Mike Rotunda picks him up, 1129 00:57:11,803 --> 00:57:13,723 holds him up and a big body slam. 1130 00:57:13,805 --> 00:57:14,885 - Now he’s going into the Sheik’s boot. 1131 00:57:14,973 --> 00:57:16,853 - Oh! 1132 00:57:16,975 --> 00:57:20,225 - Windham off the top with the big elbow. 1133 00:57:20,312 --> 00:57:23,272 Nikolai Volkoff dropped by the Iron Sheik! 1134 00:57:23,357 --> 00:57:24,687 - Both of those guys worked on top. 1135 00:57:24,816 --> 00:57:27,186 So now you put ’em together, and you get 1136 00:57:27,319 --> 00:57:30,409 a whole ’nother way to market the heat. 1137 00:57:30,489 --> 00:57:32,909 - And the champions are in trouble. 1138 00:57:32,991 --> 00:57:34,741 - Oh, sunset flip over the top. 1139 00:57:34,826 --> 00:57:36,906 Got the big guy! - Look it! 1140 00:57:36,995 --> 00:57:38,905 Big right hand by Windham, another right, another right, 1141 00:57:38,997 --> 00:57:41,577 a series of left and rights to the body. 1142 00:57:41,667 --> 00:57:43,417 He’s going for the Bulldog. 1143 00:57:43,502 --> 00:57:45,592 - Oh, he nailed him with it! 1144 00:57:45,671 --> 00:57:48,051 This could be it. And oh, the Sheik comes in. 1145 00:57:48,173 --> 00:57:50,263 - This is another notch for the Sheik. 1146 00:57:50,342 --> 00:57:52,932 Of all these unique moments that he’s been in, 1147 00:57:53,011 --> 00:57:55,141 that proves that you’re important in the business 1148 00:57:55,222 --> 00:57:56,602 when you win the title, 1149 00:57:56,682 --> 00:57:58,102 especially back then 1150 00:57:58,183 --> 00:57:59,643 when there’s only a handful of titles in the business. 1151 00:57:59,726 --> 00:58:02,266 - Referee now just admonishing Mike Rotunda. 1152 00:58:02,354 --> 00:58:05,904 Look at this! Oh, he nailed him with a cane! 1153 00:58:06,024 --> 00:58:08,444 The Iron Sheik got ahold of Blassie’s cane. 1154 00:58:08,527 --> 00:58:10,607 He’s gonna get counted out here, gents. 1155 00:58:10,696 --> 00:58:15,196 And new champions. New champions of the world. 1156 00:58:15,283 --> 00:58:19,953 - To hold a world title or a tag team world title, 1157 00:58:20,038 --> 00:58:21,828 you know, it had to make him feel like 1158 00:58:21,915 --> 00:58:23,625 all this was worth it. 1159 00:58:23,709 --> 00:58:25,419 - Iron Sheik, you finally have done it. 1160 00:58:25,544 --> 00:58:26,754 You’re now World Wrestling Entertainment 1161 00:58:26,878 --> 00:58:28,878 tag team champions. - You know, Gene Mean, 1162 00:58:28,964 --> 00:58:30,134 our country is the best. 1163 00:58:30,215 --> 00:58:33,295 We come to the America to prove it. 1164 00:58:33,385 --> 00:58:35,805 Look at us! - Number one! Number one! 1165 00:58:35,887 --> 00:58:37,637 [all shouting at once] 1166 00:58:37,723 --> 00:58:40,733 - Those two guys would argue with each other 1167 00:58:40,809 --> 00:58:43,849 so much before and after a match, it was unbelievable. 1168 00:58:43,937 --> 00:58:46,647 It was amazing that they could still remain 1169 00:58:46,732 --> 00:58:48,982 tag team partners because they were saying, 1170 00:58:49,067 --> 00:58:51,147 "You dumb son of a gun." And, "You’re dumb." 1171 00:58:51,236 --> 00:58:53,146 - They were always butting heads. 1172 00:58:53,238 --> 00:58:55,528 And if something happened in the ring, 1173 00:58:55,615 --> 00:58:58,195 they’d blame each other and it was hilarious. 1174 00:58:59,578 --> 00:59:01,658 - They’re all on their feet, I guarantee you that, 1175 00:59:01,747 --> 00:59:04,037 all 93,000. 1176 00:59:04,124 --> 00:59:06,504 - WrestleMania I was a huge success. 1177 00:59:06,585 --> 00:59:10,845 And public awareness for WWE only grew and grew and grew. 1178 00:59:10,922 --> 00:59:13,552 And the biggest example of that is probably 1179 00:59:13,633 --> 00:59:16,343 two years after the first WrestleMania, 1180 00:59:16,428 --> 00:59:22,058 when WrestleMania III happens in front of 93,000 people 1181 00:59:22,142 --> 00:59:24,692 in Pontiac, Michigan, 1182 00:59:24,770 --> 00:59:27,980 for a show like nobody in wrestling has seen before. 1183 00:59:28,106 --> 00:59:29,016 - Number one! 1184 00:59:29,107 --> 00:59:33,897 - Here are the Killer Bees! 1185 00:59:33,987 --> 00:59:37,657 - [singing in Russian] 1186 00:59:37,783 --> 00:59:40,703 - WrestleMania III was nothing more than 1187 00:59:40,786 --> 00:59:43,656 a background for the debut of Hacksaw Jim Duggan. 1188 00:59:43,789 --> 00:59:47,419 - Hacksaw Jim Duggan and his 2x4 enter into the ring. 1189 00:59:47,501 --> 00:59:50,551 - You’re not singing that Russian national anthem 1190 00:59:50,629 --> 00:59:53,839 because this is the land of the free 1191 00:59:53,965 --> 00:59:57,585 and the home of the brave! 1192 00:59:57,677 --> 01:00:01,097 - The finish of our match incorporated 1193 01:00:01,181 --> 01:00:03,271 a young Jim Duggan. 1194 01:00:03,350 --> 01:00:05,560 Jim Duggan comes running in 1195 01:00:05,644 --> 01:00:07,734 and takes his 2x4 1196 01:00:07,813 --> 01:00:10,443 and he’s wailing on Khosrow. 1197 01:00:10,524 --> 01:00:13,784 And we get disqualified. 1198 01:00:13,860 --> 01:00:15,650 - This match is over right now. 1199 01:00:15,737 --> 01:00:19,907 - Needless to say, that spun a program 1200 01:00:19,991 --> 01:00:22,241 between Jim Duggan and Khosrow. 1201 01:00:22,327 --> 01:00:28,627 - USA! USA! USA! USA! 1202 01:00:28,708 --> 01:00:31,248 - You can only imagine, a relatively young guy, 1203 01:00:31,336 --> 01:00:32,916 I got my 2x4 with a flag on it. 1204 01:00:33,004 --> 01:00:34,094 I go running out. 1205 01:00:34,172 --> 01:00:35,552 Whack, I hit Nikolai. 1206 01:00:35,674 --> 01:00:36,804 Whack, I hit the Sheik. 1207 01:00:36,883 --> 01:00:38,473 I chase everybody out of the ring. 1208 01:00:38,552 --> 01:00:40,762 I’m standing in front of 93,000 people 1209 01:00:40,846 --> 01:00:42,886 with a flag and 2x4 overhead. 1210 01:00:43,014 --> 01:00:45,274 Hair’s standing up now, brother, 1211 01:00:45,350 --> 01:00:47,270 it’s a moment I’ll remember my whole life, 1212 01:00:47,352 --> 01:00:48,142 it really was. 1213 01:00:48,228 --> 01:00:50,268 - Slams him down to the canvas. 1214 01:00:50,355 --> 01:00:52,895 Hacksaw coming off and rams the knee 1215 01:00:53,024 --> 01:00:55,284 right into the midsection. 1216 01:00:55,360 --> 01:00:57,820 - [shouts] 1217 01:01:00,198 --> 01:01:02,698 - At this time in the ’80s, 1218 01:01:02,784 --> 01:01:05,294 the use of cocaine was prevalent 1219 01:01:05,370 --> 01:01:08,790 in all areas of our society. 1220 01:01:08,874 --> 01:01:12,254 Entertainers, athletes, you name it. 1221 01:01:12,377 --> 01:01:14,337 - It’s a rock-and-roll lifestyle, brother. 1222 01:01:14,421 --> 01:01:17,511 I mean, there’s a lot of drugs and a lot of women. 1223 01:01:17,591 --> 01:01:19,681 A lot of people got caught up in that lifestyle. 1224 01:01:19,759 --> 01:01:21,549 And I can’t throw no stones. 1225 01:01:21,636 --> 01:01:22,966 - The number of people snorting cocaine 1226 01:01:23,054 --> 01:01:25,854 is rising steadily despite the steep price. 1227 01:01:25,932 --> 01:01:27,982 It is also increasingly popular with adults, 1228 01:01:28,059 --> 01:01:29,849 especially among the Sheik. 1229 01:01:29,936 --> 01:01:34,066 - Apparently, the Sheik liked his medicine, 1230 01:01:34,149 --> 01:01:39,859 and it was wrestling, drinking, drugs, wrestling. 1231 01:01:39,946 --> 01:01:42,366 - He was devout Muslim 1232 01:01:42,449 --> 01:01:44,869 when he was first, you know, in amateur wrestling. 1233 01:01:44,951 --> 01:01:47,411 And he didn’t drink, he didn’t smoke. 1234 01:01:47,495 --> 01:01:50,705 But the problem is that pro wrestling 1235 01:01:50,790 --> 01:01:54,170 offered so many doggone things to him that he-- 1236 01:01:54,252 --> 01:01:55,802 you know, he got lost. 1237 01:01:55,921 --> 01:01:58,091 - Vince came in one day and said, 1238 01:01:58,173 --> 01:01:59,973 "Sheik, I need to talk to you." 1239 01:02:00,091 --> 01:02:01,381 He said, "You took the drug test, right?" 1240 01:02:01,468 --> 01:02:04,298 "Oh, yes, boss, I took the drug test. I took it." 1241 01:02:04,429 --> 01:02:05,599 He said, "Well, you came back positive." 1242 01:02:05,680 --> 01:02:06,970 "Oh, yes, sir. 1243 01:02:07,098 --> 01:02:09,558 I’m positive, boss. I’m always positive." 1244 01:02:09,643 --> 01:02:11,733 - You know, he tested positive for substances. 1245 01:02:11,811 --> 01:02:14,191 "Oh, I can’t believe. Very good, right? Right?" 1246 01:02:14,272 --> 01:02:15,572 I said, "No, bro, you tested positive. 1247 01:02:15,649 --> 01:02:16,689 That is very bad." 1248 01:02:16,775 --> 01:02:19,285 - You know, Sheik made headlines 1249 01:02:19,361 --> 01:02:21,491 for a lot of the right reasons through his career. 1250 01:02:21,613 --> 01:02:23,323 And then there were times during his career 1251 01:02:23,448 --> 01:02:25,158 he made them for the wrong reason. 1252 01:02:25,283 --> 01:02:26,703 - They are known to wrestling fans 1253 01:02:26,785 --> 01:02:28,875 as the Iron Sheik and Hacksaw. 1254 01:02:28,954 --> 01:02:31,214 Now, instead of battling opponents, 1255 01:02:31,289 --> 01:02:33,539 they are fighting drug charges together. 1256 01:02:37,462 --> 01:02:38,552 - I’m here to tell you right now. 1257 01:02:38,630 --> 01:02:42,720 I’m holding that Iranian Sheik hostage. 1258 01:02:42,801 --> 01:02:44,051 - So right around this time, 1259 01:02:44,135 --> 01:02:48,305 the Iron Sheik’s new American hero foe 1260 01:02:48,390 --> 01:02:50,310 is Hacksaw Jim Duggan. 1261 01:02:50,392 --> 01:02:53,022 - Everything, I’m on top of the world. 1262 01:02:53,144 --> 01:02:55,904 Things are going so good for me, I cannot believe it. 1263 01:02:55,981 --> 01:02:57,691 You know, and now we’re-- I’m getting ready, 1264 01:02:57,816 --> 01:03:00,736 we’re wrestling in Asbury Park, New Jersey. 1265 01:03:00,819 --> 01:03:03,149 - And the Iron Sheik and Hacksaw fly into 1266 01:03:03,238 --> 01:03:04,408 Newark Airport. 1267 01:03:04,489 --> 01:03:07,029 And the Iron Sheik sees Hacksaw there 1268 01:03:07,158 --> 01:03:09,238 and he says, "If you’re gonna rent a car, 1269 01:03:09,327 --> 01:03:10,907 why don’t I ride to the show with you?" 1270 01:03:19,546 --> 01:03:22,586 - The Sheik and Duggan were supposed to hate each other. 1271 01:03:22,674 --> 01:03:25,974 One guy is the flag-waving All-American, 1272 01:03:26,052 --> 01:03:28,932 the other one is the Iranian terrorist. 1273 01:03:29,014 --> 01:03:31,974 And here they were in a car together 1274 01:03:32,058 --> 01:03:33,768 doing illegal things. 1275 01:03:33,852 --> 01:03:35,602 - The worst thing about it is, 1276 01:03:35,687 --> 01:03:37,937 they were gonna wrestle each other that night. 1277 01:03:38,023 --> 01:03:41,783 So any way you looked at it, it wasn’t good. 1278 01:03:41,860 --> 01:03:43,570 - Hacksaw Jim Duggan and the Iron Sheik 1279 01:03:43,695 --> 01:03:45,285 get in the car together. 1280 01:03:45,363 --> 01:03:48,123 They stop at a liquor store along the way. 1281 01:03:48,199 --> 01:03:50,409 They get some beers for the road. 1282 01:03:50,535 --> 01:03:53,575 They keep driving. They get pulled over. 1283 01:03:53,705 --> 01:03:58,045 They’ve got drugs along with the alcohol in the car. 1284 01:03:58,126 --> 01:03:59,956 - They got the Sheik out and he carried a purse. 1285 01:04:00,045 --> 01:04:01,965 And they opened up the purse, boom, 1286 01:04:02,047 --> 01:04:03,627 right on top, a gram of cocaine. 1287 01:04:03,715 --> 01:04:05,305 Now they got the Sheik hooked up. 1288 01:04:05,383 --> 01:04:06,473 Now the police car, vroom, vroom, 1289 01:04:06,551 --> 01:04:08,641 there’s eight or ten police cars. 1290 01:04:08,720 --> 01:04:10,010 People are driving by, they’re going, 1291 01:04:10,096 --> 01:04:13,306 "Hey, there’s Hacksaw Jim and the Iron Sheik?" 1292 01:04:13,391 --> 01:04:15,141 - They got out of jail, by the way, 1293 01:04:15,226 --> 01:04:16,436 in time to make the show 1294 01:04:16,561 --> 01:04:18,981 and still wrestle each other that night. 1295 01:04:19,064 --> 01:04:20,944 - We worked together that night in Asbury Park. 1296 01:04:21,066 --> 01:04:22,146 We didn’t tell anybody. 1297 01:04:22,233 --> 01:04:23,483 So we got to the hotel that night. 1298 01:04:23,568 --> 01:04:25,358 I called my wife, I’m like, "Honey," 1299 01:04:25,445 --> 01:04:26,865 I said, "We got popped 1300 01:04:26,946 --> 01:04:29,946 but nobody knows about it." 1301 01:04:30,075 --> 01:04:32,125 She calls me about 5:30 the next morning-- 1302 01:04:32,243 --> 01:04:34,503 everybody knows! 1303 01:04:34,579 --> 01:04:37,329 - Police say marijuana was found in the ashtray 1304 01:04:37,415 --> 01:04:40,665 and they also found cocaine in some luggage. 1305 01:04:40,752 --> 01:04:42,302 By the way, Duggan and the Iron Sheik 1306 01:04:42,420 --> 01:04:44,090 are supposed to be bitter rivals. 1307 01:04:44,172 --> 01:04:45,722 - We went to our parents 1308 01:04:45,799 --> 01:04:49,339 and we’re like, "Mom, did you see this?" 1309 01:04:49,427 --> 01:04:51,217 And she was like, "I can’t believe it. 1310 01:04:51,304 --> 01:04:52,184 I’m so disgusted." 1311 01:04:52,263 --> 01:04:53,763 And we’re like, "Us too. 1312 01:04:53,848 --> 01:04:56,678 What were they doing together in the same car, Mom?" 1313 01:04:56,768 --> 01:04:59,898 - So the arrest of Sheik and Duggan 1314 01:04:59,979 --> 01:05:02,189 pulled the curtain back on our industry 1315 01:05:02,273 --> 01:05:05,153 in a way that had never really been pulled back. 1316 01:05:05,276 --> 01:05:08,066 [crowd cheering] 1317 01:05:08,154 --> 01:05:11,534 - Weighing 275 pounds, 1318 01:05:11,616 --> 01:05:15,866 Hacksaw Jim Duggan! - Hooo! 1319 01:05:15,954 --> 01:05:21,134 - Up until this stage, even fans who knew 1320 01:05:21,209 --> 01:05:25,549 that things were predetermined could live in denial. 1321 01:05:25,630 --> 01:05:29,840 Once these mortal enemies were arrested 1322 01:05:29,968 --> 01:05:31,468 in each other’s company, 1323 01:05:31,553 --> 01:05:35,603 it was pretty hard to delude yourself like that. 1324 01:05:35,682 --> 01:05:36,852 - It killed kayfabe. 1325 01:05:36,975 --> 01:05:40,565 Kayfabe is the good guy versus bad guy. 1326 01:05:40,645 --> 01:05:42,555 It was always never supposed to be together. 1327 01:05:42,647 --> 01:05:43,897 You’re never supposed to ride together. 1328 01:05:43,982 --> 01:05:46,862 - That’s the first no-no in the wrestling business. 1329 01:05:46,985 --> 01:05:49,035 The good guys don’t ride with the bad guys. 1330 01:05:49,154 --> 01:05:50,914 - You can’t have the Ninja Turtles 1331 01:05:50,989 --> 01:05:52,909 and Shredder in the same car 1332 01:05:52,991 --> 01:05:54,911 driving to the show together. 1333 01:05:54,993 --> 01:05:56,913 - Turn on the TV set 1334 01:05:56,995 --> 01:05:59,005 and all I see is this Iranian over here, 1335 01:05:59,080 --> 01:06:00,540 this Russian over here, 1336 01:06:00,665 --> 01:06:02,075 yelling and jawing at the mouth. 1337 01:06:02,167 --> 01:06:07,627 Well, Hacksaw Jim Duggan’s here to take on any man, one on one. 1338 01:06:08,631 --> 01:06:10,721 - Great American hero, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, 1339 01:06:10,842 --> 01:06:12,972 who swore that he would defeat his enemy, 1340 01:06:13,052 --> 01:06:14,932 that Iranian Iron Sheik, 1341 01:06:15,013 --> 01:06:18,143 but yet they’re really friends in real life? 1342 01:06:18,224 --> 01:06:20,434 - Kind of-- the curtain was pulled back. 1343 01:06:20,518 --> 01:06:23,808 Well, I’ll say this, I think the curtain was yanked back. 1344 01:06:23,897 --> 01:06:27,437 - And now everybody knew it was all a show. 1345 01:06:27,525 --> 01:06:34,525 [crowd chanting] USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! 1346 01:06:34,616 --> 01:06:36,656 - All of a sudden, that’s when it became entertainment. 1347 01:06:36,743 --> 01:06:38,623 And it really became bigger since that happened. 1348 01:06:38,703 --> 01:06:40,293 We told everybody, "Hey, it’s entertainment," 1349 01:06:40,371 --> 01:06:41,461 you know? 1350 01:06:41,539 --> 01:06:43,079 That old story, for those who believe, 1351 01:06:43,208 --> 01:06:45,498 no explanation is necessary, you know what I mean? 1352 01:06:45,585 --> 01:06:47,215 - And news today that professional wrestler 1353 01:06:47,295 --> 01:06:50,805 Iron Sheik has escaped the hold of some recent drug charges. 1354 01:06:50,882 --> 01:06:53,302 The judge in Freehold yesterday dropped the charges, 1355 01:06:53,384 --> 01:06:55,474 providing he complete a year’s probation 1356 01:06:55,553 --> 01:06:58,143 and submit to drug testing in the future. 1357 01:06:58,223 --> 01:07:02,023 - You know, I think the WWE still valued the Iron Sheik 1358 01:07:02,101 --> 01:07:04,521 and more importantly valued him as a human being. 1359 01:07:04,604 --> 01:07:07,314 So they did send him to rehab at this point. 1360 01:07:07,398 --> 01:07:09,478 - We know it was a pretty low period for him. 1361 01:07:09,567 --> 01:07:13,817 He really didn’t have much going on in terms of bookings. 1362 01:07:13,905 --> 01:07:16,995 And he would just take whatever he could. 1363 01:07:17,075 --> 01:07:18,875 - He lost his job. 1364 01:07:18,952 --> 01:07:20,832 He came home. 1365 01:07:20,912 --> 01:07:23,122 He was miserable and sulking. 1366 01:07:23,248 --> 01:07:29,168 And he started working for independent promoters. 1367 01:07:29,254 --> 01:07:31,884 - The Sheik ended up going to WCW. 1368 01:07:31,965 --> 01:07:34,975 But he never really picked up traction over there. 1369 01:07:35,093 --> 01:07:36,723 He was a long way from headlining 1370 01:07:36,803 --> 01:07:38,853 Madison Square Garden and it was a little sad. 1371 01:07:38,930 --> 01:07:41,220 - USA! - Hey, Madison Park. 1372 01:07:41,307 --> 01:07:44,097 [vocalizing] 1373 01:07:49,148 --> 01:07:51,688 - Well, he may be an Iranian champion, 1374 01:07:51,776 --> 01:07:54,566 but he’s not too smart. And we’ll be right back. 1375 01:07:54,654 --> 01:07:56,034 - For whatever reason, 1376 01:07:56,114 --> 01:07:59,204 Vince McMahon always had a soft spot for the Iron Sheik. 1377 01:07:59,284 --> 01:08:01,414 - I wanna show something to the people. 1378 01:08:01,494 --> 01:08:04,714 - In comes the Iron Sheik-- another chance. 1379 01:08:04,789 --> 01:08:08,039 Because Vince just had a soft spot for the Iron Sheik, 1380 01:08:08,126 --> 01:08:11,876 and that Iron Sheik didn’t take Verne Gagne’s blood money, 1381 01:08:11,963 --> 01:08:14,053 if you will, and break Hulk Hogan’s leg. 1382 01:08:14,132 --> 01:08:16,932 And there was a loyalty there. 1383 01:08:17,010 --> 01:08:20,390 - What was going on then was the Gulf War. 1384 01:08:20,471 --> 01:08:23,221 So we don’t need an Iranian sympathizer anymore. 1385 01:08:23,308 --> 01:08:26,558 We need an Iraqi sympathizer. 1386 01:08:26,644 --> 01:08:29,564 And that’s where Sergeant Slaughter, of all people, 1387 01:08:29,647 --> 01:08:31,857 comes back into the story. 1388 01:08:31,983 --> 01:08:35,533 - We took the All-American hero, Sergeant Slaughter, 1389 01:08:35,653 --> 01:08:39,743 and made Sergeant Slaughter an Iraqi sympathizer. 1390 01:08:39,824 --> 01:08:43,794 - Got a little snake bit. [laughing] 1391 01:08:43,870 --> 01:08:47,410 - He had a manager named Colonel Adnan. 1392 01:08:47,498 --> 01:08:49,288 And then the Iron Sheik would be brought back in, 1393 01:08:49,375 --> 01:08:52,415 but this time as Colonel Mustafa, 1394 01:08:52,503 --> 01:08:55,213 who would be part of Sergeant Slaughter’s faction, 1395 01:08:55,340 --> 01:08:57,090 the Triangle of Terror. 1396 01:08:57,175 --> 01:09:00,265 - Twirl that mustache. Get everything looking pretty. 1397 01:09:00,345 --> 01:09:02,645 - I don’t know what it is about this guy that’s so revolting. 1398 01:09:02,722 --> 01:09:05,432 But let’s look at him in action there. 1399 01:09:05,516 --> 01:09:07,476 - He was the thimble there. 1400 01:09:07,560 --> 01:09:09,440 He kind of helped put it all together. 1401 01:09:09,520 --> 01:09:13,980 The Triangle of Terror was really a great entity. 1402 01:09:14,067 --> 01:09:16,187 - When we did that, 1403 01:09:16,277 --> 01:09:20,107 it was the emergence of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. 1404 01:09:20,198 --> 01:09:23,948 This was before we declared war on Iraq. 1405 01:09:24,035 --> 01:09:26,125 - When we actually went to war, 1406 01:09:26,204 --> 01:09:28,334 the WWE was too deep into the story 1407 01:09:28,414 --> 01:09:29,754 to kind of turn back. 1408 01:09:29,874 --> 01:09:32,294 So we actually had somebody on television 1409 01:09:32,377 --> 01:09:34,747 sympathizing with the enemy’s side in a war 1410 01:09:34,879 --> 01:09:36,839 that we were actively in, 1411 01:09:36,923 --> 01:09:41,433 creating what I would call nuclear heat. 1412 01:09:41,552 --> 01:09:44,142 - And now the Colonel goes to work. 1413 01:09:44,222 --> 01:09:47,222 - He may be even dirtier than Sergeant Slaughter. 1414 01:09:47,308 --> 01:09:50,478 - [hawks, spits] 1415 01:09:50,561 --> 01:09:53,441 - And so we’re shooting for SummerSlam ’91. 1416 01:09:53,564 --> 01:09:56,114 Gonna be Hulk Hogan, the Ultimate Warrior, 1417 01:09:56,234 --> 01:09:57,824 against the Triangle of Terror. 1418 01:09:57,902 --> 01:10:02,162 - SummerSlam is going to be 1419 01:10:02,240 --> 01:10:07,620 a match made in hell. 1420 01:10:07,745 --> 01:10:09,745 - We go back to Madison Square Garden, 1421 01:10:09,831 --> 01:10:13,831 and WWE puts on SummerSlam 1991. 1422 01:10:13,918 --> 01:10:16,168 - We’re ready to go here. The bell has sounded. 1423 01:10:16,254 --> 01:10:17,424 We’re underway. 1424 01:10:17,505 --> 01:10:19,345 - Slaughter is a traitor. 1425 01:10:19,424 --> 01:10:21,344 And he can’t get enough tonight, in my mind. 1426 01:10:21,426 --> 01:10:23,676 - Oh, reversal! 1427 01:10:23,761 --> 01:10:26,971 - Oh! - Oh! 1428 01:10:27,098 --> 01:10:29,848 - It was Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior, 1429 01:10:29,934 --> 01:10:33,904 at that time, two iconic heroes in WWE, 1430 01:10:33,980 --> 01:10:37,860 facing the entire Triangle of Terror. 1431 01:10:37,942 --> 01:10:41,032 - Warrior chasing Adnan and Mustafa 1432 01:10:41,112 --> 01:10:43,452 all the way back to the locker room. 1433 01:10:43,531 --> 01:10:46,201 - What did Hogan use there? One time and the count-- 1434 01:10:46,284 --> 01:10:49,204 - A little bit of powder and a one, two, three. 1435 01:10:49,287 --> 01:10:50,367 [bell ringing] And it’s all over. 1436 01:10:54,417 --> 01:10:56,787 - Remember, Allah always help Khosrow Vaziri. 1437 01:11:04,010 --> 01:11:06,550 - In the mid ’90s, Vince McMahon 1438 01:11:06,637 --> 01:11:09,387 once again finds it in his heart 1439 01:11:09,474 --> 01:11:12,144 to bring the Iron Sheik back. 1440 01:11:12,226 --> 01:11:13,386 This time he’s not being brought in 1441 01:11:13,478 --> 01:11:16,558 as a wrestler anymore, those days are over. 1442 01:11:16,647 --> 01:11:19,067 He’s brought in as a co-manager 1443 01:11:19,150 --> 01:11:21,740 with his old enemy, Bob Backlund. 1444 01:11:21,819 --> 01:11:26,069 The two managed a new not-quite-discernible 1445 01:11:26,157 --> 01:11:28,237 foreign menace named the Sultan. 1446 01:11:28,326 --> 01:11:31,246 - Camel Clutch! - Pull, Sheik, pull! 1447 01:11:31,329 --> 01:11:33,539 - The Sultan doesn’t resonate with crowds. 1448 01:11:33,664 --> 01:11:35,584 - The Sheik is begging for mercy. 1449 01:11:35,666 --> 01:11:37,536 - Fan attention goes elsewhere 1450 01:11:37,668 --> 01:11:39,248 and the Sheik doesn’t last that long. 1451 01:11:39,337 --> 01:11:41,337 - Booyah! 1452 01:11:42,673 --> 01:11:45,593 [resonant music] 1453 01:11:45,676 --> 01:11:50,426 ♪ ♪ 1454 01:11:50,515 --> 01:11:52,525 - The Sheik is really down and out at this point. 1455 01:11:52,600 --> 01:11:55,770 And he’s struggling financially. 1456 01:11:55,853 --> 01:12:00,443 ♪ ♪ 1457 01:12:00,525 --> 01:12:02,825 - He wasn’t making money, and it was rough. 1458 01:12:02,902 --> 01:12:06,612 And we lost our house, we lost our condo. 1459 01:12:06,697 --> 01:12:08,817 - And at one point, he’s on the road, 1460 01:12:08,908 --> 01:12:12,118 working in some small building. 1461 01:12:12,203 --> 01:12:15,293 And someone turns him onto crack cocaine. 1462 01:12:15,373 --> 01:12:19,133 And this commences a very sad stage 1463 01:12:19,210 --> 01:12:21,800 in the Iron Sheik’s life. 1464 01:12:21,879 --> 01:12:23,419 - He would go on a binge 1465 01:12:23,548 --> 01:12:26,378 for like five, six days, not sleep. 1466 01:12:26,467 --> 01:12:29,137 - He would go on binges for nights upon nights. 1467 01:12:29,220 --> 01:12:31,220 And he wouldn’t return home. 1468 01:12:31,305 --> 01:12:34,305 His family was in the crossfires of this era. 1469 01:12:34,392 --> 01:12:37,232 And the Sheik really-- he wasn’t himself. 1470 01:12:37,311 --> 01:12:39,311 He wasn’t the guy that he was proud of. 1471 01:12:39,397 --> 01:12:41,977 - His drug use was a real problem. 1472 01:12:42,066 --> 01:12:43,476 It was a real issue. 1473 01:12:43,568 --> 01:12:48,448 ♪ ♪ 1474 01:12:48,573 --> 01:12:50,873 - The next time I ran into 1475 01:12:50,950 --> 01:12:52,700 Khosrow was at 1476 01:12:52,785 --> 01:12:54,325 the Gimmick Battle Royal 1477 01:12:54,412 --> 01:12:56,002 in Houston, Texas. 1478 01:12:56,080 --> 01:12:59,330 ♪ ♪ 1479 01:12:59,417 --> 01:13:00,537 - It was a big moment for him 1480 01:13:00,626 --> 01:13:03,336 because he was really feeling down. 1481 01:13:03,421 --> 01:13:05,511 He was in a really dark period. 1482 01:13:05,590 --> 01:13:08,840 And that match kind of gave him a boost. 1483 01:13:08,926 --> 01:13:11,006 ♪ ♪ 1484 01:13:11,095 --> 01:13:14,305 - WrestleMania X-Seven, the Gimmick Battle Royal, 1485 01:13:14,432 --> 01:13:18,192 they bring all of their best gimmicks back 1486 01:13:18,269 --> 01:13:19,519 and put them all in the ring 1487 01:13:19,604 --> 01:13:21,694 for an over-the-top rope contest. 1488 01:13:21,772 --> 01:13:23,522 ♪ ♪ 1489 01:13:23,608 --> 01:13:25,858 - We had Khosrow introduced early 1490 01:13:25,943 --> 01:13:30,323 because it was a long walk down to the ring. 1491 01:13:30,448 --> 01:13:35,288 - It was probably about a 70-yard walk to the ring. 1492 01:13:35,369 --> 01:13:38,579 And it took Sheik forever. 1493 01:13:38,664 --> 01:13:42,044 And so Bobby Heenan made the comment, he goes-- 1494 01:13:42,126 --> 01:13:43,666 - By the time the Iron Sheik gets to the ring, 1495 01:13:43,794 --> 01:13:45,674 it’ll be WrestleMania 38. 1496 01:13:45,796 --> 01:13:49,716 - Just as I was to go out, I got grabbed. 1497 01:13:49,800 --> 01:13:51,760 And Vince McMahon said to me, 1498 01:13:51,844 --> 01:13:54,434 "Uh, we got a little problem." 1499 01:13:54,513 --> 01:13:56,433 - The Sheik had put on an awful lot of weight 1500 01:13:56,515 --> 01:13:59,435 and was very fragile. 1501 01:13:59,518 --> 01:14:01,558 So it was like, well, who the hell’s gonna get him 1502 01:14:01,646 --> 01:14:03,226 up over the top rope? 1503 01:14:03,314 --> 01:14:05,234 ♪ ♪ 1504 01:14:05,316 --> 01:14:08,066 And then if they do, what’s that gonna look like? 1505 01:14:08,152 --> 01:14:12,242 And it was decided upon that Sheik would win the thing. 1506 01:14:12,323 --> 01:14:14,623 - The reason that the Iron Sheik was declared 1507 01:14:14,700 --> 01:14:16,910 the victor of the match 1508 01:14:16,994 --> 01:14:19,084 was because his knees were shot 1509 01:14:19,163 --> 01:14:22,793 and so he couldn’t take an over-the-top rope fall. 1510 01:14:22,875 --> 01:14:24,585 So in order to avoid throwing the Iron Sheik 1511 01:14:24,669 --> 01:14:25,589 over the top rope, 1512 01:14:25,670 --> 01:14:27,340 they just had him win. 1513 01:14:27,421 --> 01:14:29,091 - Watch this! Watch this! 1514 01:14:29,173 --> 01:14:31,803 The Iron Sheik wins it! The Iron Sheik wins it! 1515 01:14:34,053 --> 01:14:38,723 - They were kind enough to let him win. 1516 01:14:38,849 --> 01:14:42,189 It meant the world to him. 1517 01:14:43,396 --> 01:14:46,816 - My life had many turn, 1518 01:14:46,899 --> 01:14:50,279 some good, some bad. 1519 01:14:51,070 --> 01:14:54,110 - There is no moment more impactful on the Sheik’s life 1520 01:14:54,198 --> 01:14:57,328 than the loss of his daughter, Marissa. 1521 01:14:58,327 --> 01:15:00,657 - This is undoubtedly the most painful part 1522 01:15:00,746 --> 01:15:03,326 of the Iron Sheik story. 1523 01:15:03,416 --> 01:15:05,286 He had three daughters, 1524 01:15:05,376 --> 01:15:07,456 Tanya, Nikki, and Marissa. 1525 01:15:07,545 --> 01:15:11,135 Marissa was a beautiful 27-year-old woman. 1526 01:15:11,215 --> 01:15:12,795 Somewhere along the line, 1527 01:15:12,883 --> 01:15:15,593 Marissa had found a boyfriend 1528 01:15:15,720 --> 01:15:18,140 who, from what I heard, 1529 01:15:18,222 --> 01:15:20,602 was taking more than he was giving. 1530 01:15:20,725 --> 01:15:21,935 - We weren’t impressed. 1531 01:15:22,059 --> 01:15:24,309 We thought, "Marissa, you’re so beautiful. 1532 01:15:24,395 --> 01:15:25,905 What are you doing with this guy?" 1533 01:15:25,980 --> 01:15:28,650 [somber music] 1534 01:15:28,733 --> 01:15:32,493 - And she was resolved to end the relationship. 1535 01:15:32,570 --> 01:15:36,320 And apparently, when she informed him of this, 1536 01:15:36,407 --> 01:15:38,447 he strangled her to death. 1537 01:15:38,576 --> 01:15:41,946 - Marissa was strangulated 1538 01:15:42,079 --> 01:15:46,959 by this gentleman, Charles Reynolds. 1539 01:15:47,084 --> 01:15:50,884 - And then he put her body underneath a blanket 1540 01:15:50,963 --> 01:15:54,303 and brought the covers up to her chin 1541 01:15:54,425 --> 01:15:56,645 and called his minister 1542 01:15:56,761 --> 01:15:58,681 and admitted his crime. 1543 01:15:58,763 --> 01:16:00,143 ♪ ♪ 1544 01:16:00,264 --> 01:16:04,394 - Khos went crazy when he found out. 1545 01:16:04,477 --> 01:16:07,017 He screamed. 1546 01:16:07,104 --> 01:16:08,024 He howled. 1547 01:16:08,105 --> 01:16:10,355 He cried. 1548 01:16:10,441 --> 01:16:13,901 It was just the worst time of our life. 1549 01:16:22,787 --> 01:16:25,117 - It was like, why would God do this? 1550 01:16:26,957 --> 01:16:30,747 And we really don’t know why 1551 01:16:30,836 --> 01:16:33,546 this guy crossed into her life. 1552 01:16:33,631 --> 01:16:37,341 I mean, after two weeks. 1553 01:16:37,468 --> 01:16:39,548 It was crazy. 1554 01:16:39,637 --> 01:16:42,557 [somber music] 1555 01:16:42,640 --> 01:16:48,060 ♪ ♪ 1556 01:16:48,145 --> 01:16:50,555 - This is a man in severe pain 1557 01:16:50,648 --> 01:16:54,398 who also blamed himself largely 1558 01:16:54,485 --> 01:16:57,285 for what happened to his daughter. 1559 01:16:57,363 --> 01:17:01,243 Because he felt that if he’d been a better role model, 1560 01:17:01,325 --> 01:17:04,405 his daughter might have made better choices. 1561 01:17:04,495 --> 01:17:07,585 And all he was doing was punishing himself. 1562 01:17:07,665 --> 01:17:10,255 ♪ ♪ 1563 01:17:10,334 --> 01:17:12,594 - This was his biggest loss. 1564 01:17:12,670 --> 01:17:14,840 And there was nothing he could do about it. 1565 01:17:14,922 --> 01:17:17,302 And that was the most frustrating thing for him. 1566 01:17:17,383 --> 01:17:19,513 And so he kept on going to a darker place 1567 01:17:19,593 --> 01:17:21,093 through this era. 1568 01:17:21,178 --> 01:17:23,428 - There was an incident where the daughter’s killer 1569 01:17:23,514 --> 01:17:25,474 was in court. 1570 01:17:25,558 --> 01:17:29,558 And the Sheik put a razor blade in his mouth 1571 01:17:29,687 --> 01:17:33,267 and he was planning to go up to the front of the courtroom 1572 01:17:33,357 --> 01:17:35,937 and cut the man’s throat. 1573 01:17:45,870 --> 01:17:49,210 - He was ready to go to prison for the rest of his life 1574 01:17:49,290 --> 01:17:50,960 to get revenge. 1575 01:17:51,041 --> 01:17:52,291 And fortunately, his family 1576 01:17:52,376 --> 01:17:55,166 physically leaned their bodies against him 1577 01:17:55,254 --> 01:17:56,554 to prevent him from doing that. 1578 01:17:56,630 --> 01:17:59,010 - They said, "No, Daddy, I can’t lose you, 1579 01:17:59,091 --> 01:18:03,431 I just lost my sister. I can’t lose my dad." 1580 01:18:03,554 --> 01:18:05,604 - I think that that resonated with him. 1581 01:18:05,723 --> 01:18:09,813 And that’s why he didn’t, at that moment, 1582 01:18:09,894 --> 01:18:12,194 you know, come at him. 1583 01:18:12,271 --> 01:18:15,151 - The man was not attacked. He went back to his cell. 1584 01:18:15,232 --> 01:18:16,862 And the Sheik’s surviving children 1585 01:18:16,942 --> 01:18:17,982 still had their father. 1586 01:18:18,068 --> 01:18:21,858 ♪ ♪ 1587 01:18:26,452 --> 01:18:29,412 [soft tense music] 1588 01:18:29,496 --> 01:18:31,786 - After the Iron Sheik’s daughter died, 1589 01:18:31,916 --> 01:18:34,996 there wasn’t much positivity in the Iron Sheik’s life. 1590 01:18:35,085 --> 01:18:37,495 He really was a lost soul. 1591 01:18:37,588 --> 01:18:40,168 And he didn’t have a lot to look forward to. 1592 01:18:40,257 --> 01:18:43,797 And then 2005, WWE decides 1593 01:18:43,928 --> 01:18:47,508 to induct the major stars of WrestleMania I 1594 01:18:47,598 --> 01:18:50,178 into the Hall of Fame, including the Iron Sheik. 1595 01:18:50,267 --> 01:18:54,687 - I can stand up here for many, many hours 1596 01:18:54,772 --> 01:18:56,062 talking about the Iron Sheik. 1597 01:18:56,148 --> 01:18:59,688 - It’s a real life. It’s a real life story. 1598 01:18:59,777 --> 01:19:02,527 And the Hall of Fame means everything to us 1599 01:19:02,613 --> 01:19:05,033 because it means we’re recognized 1600 01:19:05,115 --> 01:19:07,195 by our business and by our peers. 1601 01:19:18,128 --> 01:19:22,878 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 1602 01:19:22,967 --> 01:19:24,377 - It really meant a lot to him. 1603 01:19:24,468 --> 01:19:25,588 And even to this day, 1604 01:19:25,678 --> 01:19:27,388 that is something he absolutely cherishes. 1605 01:19:27,471 --> 01:19:29,891 - Like, I think that that was the highlight of his life. 1606 01:19:29,974 --> 01:19:31,274 And he just let everything out 1607 01:19:31,350 --> 01:19:34,560 on all the hardships he had endured over the years 1608 01:19:34,645 --> 01:19:36,065 to get to that point. 1609 01:19:36,146 --> 01:19:38,396 - I used to drive the truck, 1610 01:19:38,482 --> 01:19:41,612 put on the ring, pick up the ring--yeah! 1611 01:19:41,694 --> 01:19:45,574 And I was referee. I paid my dues! 1612 01:19:45,656 --> 01:19:47,776 - You know, it was Sheik’s moment in the sun. 1613 01:19:47,866 --> 01:19:50,486 And Sheik got exactly what he deserved. 1614 01:19:50,577 --> 01:19:52,407 - I mean, he stole the show that night. 1615 01:19:52,496 --> 01:19:54,616 - I was 180 pound, 1616 01:19:54,707 --> 01:19:59,247 but I was so much fall in love with wrestling. 1617 01:19:59,336 --> 01:20:01,916 - He tells a story. He stops. 1618 01:20:02,006 --> 01:20:04,376 He starts again. Everyone applauds. 1619 01:20:04,508 --> 01:20:07,178 - I made it to the Hall of Fame! 1620 01:20:07,261 --> 01:20:08,931 Yeah! 1621 01:20:09,013 --> 01:20:10,683 - They think his story is over. 1622 01:20:10,764 --> 01:20:12,104 He tells another story. 1623 01:20:12,182 --> 01:20:15,392 He thanks everybody. Everyone applauds. 1624 01:20:15,519 --> 01:20:16,729 And then he tells another story. 1625 01:20:16,854 --> 01:20:20,114 - So I want to say again-- [crowd laughing] 1626 01:20:20,190 --> 01:20:22,110 I want to say again-- 1627 01:20:22,192 --> 01:20:24,282 - It’s probably one of the greatest 1628 01:20:24,361 --> 01:20:26,951 induction speeches of all time. 1629 01:20:27,031 --> 01:20:31,661 - And a special thanks to Mr. Sergeant Slaughter 1630 01:20:31,744 --> 01:20:34,504 and all WWE. 1631 01:20:34,580 --> 01:20:37,790 - It meant the world to him. Why wouldn’t it? 1632 01:20:37,875 --> 01:20:40,845 My God, man, you sacrificed your whole life 1633 01:20:40,919 --> 01:20:44,799 and your family to get a friggin’ ring? 1634 01:20:44,882 --> 01:20:47,972 Hell, that’s not it. 1635 01:20:48,052 --> 01:20:52,142 It’s the fact that I got one and you don’t. 1636 01:20:52,222 --> 01:20:56,482 God bless you guys. [speaking Farsi] 1637 01:20:56,560 --> 01:20:58,600 Peace! Yeah! 1638 01:20:58,729 --> 01:21:00,149 - Sheik, you got a telephone call. 1639 01:21:00,230 --> 01:21:04,650 [cheers and applause] 1640 01:21:04,735 --> 01:21:08,155 - After years of watching the Iron Sheik struggle, 1641 01:21:08,238 --> 01:21:10,658 after years of financial insecurity, 1642 01:21:10,741 --> 01:21:12,871 after heartbreak, 1643 01:21:12,951 --> 01:21:15,621 after one rehab stint after another, 1644 01:21:15,746 --> 01:21:18,156 his wife Caryl just had to leave him. 1645 01:21:18,248 --> 01:21:19,878 She was just fed up. 1646 01:21:19,958 --> 01:21:23,208 - I found out he was using crack cocaine 1647 01:21:23,295 --> 01:21:28,045 with another one of his fellow wrestlers 1648 01:21:28,133 --> 01:21:31,643 and got to the point where we couldn’t stand him around. 1649 01:21:31,762 --> 01:21:34,392 We never knew what kind of personality he would have. 1650 01:21:34,473 --> 01:21:36,473 - You say the Iron Sheik is a heavy drug addict? 1651 01:21:36,600 --> 01:21:37,680 - At--at home. 1652 01:21:37,768 --> 01:21:39,808 Here, when he’s with me, he’s perfect. 1653 01:21:39,937 --> 01:21:41,347 - Right. What’s going on, Sheik? 1654 01:21:41,438 --> 01:21:42,148 I’m worried about you. 1655 01:21:42,272 --> 01:21:43,692 - I don’t like to hear. 1656 01:21:43,774 --> 01:21:47,034 Come tell me I spent the money for the crack 1657 01:21:47,111 --> 01:21:48,861 or coke or marijuana. 1658 01:21:48,946 --> 01:21:50,026 - Are we lying? - [bleep] 1659 01:21:50,114 --> 01:21:51,164 - Are we lying? - Is he doing coke? 1660 01:21:51,281 --> 01:21:52,321 - You’re lying! - I’m not lying. 1661 01:21:52,449 --> 01:21:54,029 - Who lying? Me? 1662 01:21:54,118 --> 01:21:55,368 - I remember thinking at the time 1663 01:21:55,452 --> 01:21:57,662 I didn’t feel like there was any way he would come back 1664 01:21:57,788 --> 01:21:59,078 from where he had gone to, 1665 01:21:59,164 --> 01:22:02,714 as far as how far gone he had gone on the drugs. 1666 01:22:02,793 --> 01:22:05,503 - The best thing to ever happen was my mom leaving him. 1667 01:22:05,629 --> 01:22:08,549 [soft emotional music] 1668 01:22:08,632 --> 01:22:09,472 ♪ ♪ 1669 01:22:09,550 --> 01:22:12,970 - When I finally left him, 1670 01:22:13,053 --> 01:22:15,723 that’s when he stopped drinking, smoking, 1671 01:22:15,806 --> 01:22:18,386 all drugs, everything. 1672 01:22:18,475 --> 01:22:21,895 ♪ ♪ 1673 01:22:21,979 --> 01:22:24,399 - Despite many trips to rehab, 1674 01:22:24,481 --> 01:22:27,611 it was that woman that cleaned him up. 1675 01:22:27,693 --> 01:22:29,783 And he did it for her and his kids. 1676 01:22:29,862 --> 01:22:33,372 And it brought back the dad we knew as little girls, 1677 01:22:33,490 --> 01:22:36,120 the sweet, drug-free, alcohol-free man 1678 01:22:36,201 --> 01:22:39,751 who loved and worshiped his wife and daughters. 1679 01:22:39,830 --> 01:22:42,580 ♪ ♪ 1680 01:22:42,666 --> 01:22:46,496 - He went back to being the man he was meant to be, 1681 01:22:46,587 --> 01:22:50,917 the man who his parents named Khosrow of the Immortal Soul. 1682 01:22:51,008 --> 01:22:52,628 ♪ ♪ 1683 01:22:52,718 --> 01:22:54,928 - From Tehran, Iran, 1684 01:22:55,012 --> 01:22:57,972 the Iron Sheik. 1685 01:22:58,056 --> 01:23:01,936 - Devastating suplex. Oh, and a boot. 1686 01:23:02,019 --> 01:23:05,439 - Sheik’s legacy, an icon, a legend. 1687 01:23:05,522 --> 01:23:07,482 - It’s like a book of fiction. 1688 01:23:07,566 --> 01:23:10,776 The odds of a kid from Iran 1689 01:23:10,861 --> 01:23:14,821 being a household name in American pop culture. 1690 01:23:14,907 --> 01:23:18,197 It’s really hard to wrap your head around that. 1691 01:23:27,711 --> 01:23:31,801 And you people shut up and don’t come USA! 1692 01:23:31,882 --> 01:23:35,052 USA is a sick country! 1693 01:23:35,135 --> 01:23:36,295 - I’ve always felt like 1694 01:23:36,386 --> 01:23:39,636 he completely defines the American dream. 1695 01:23:39,723 --> 01:23:43,813 - As far as Iranians and Iranian Americans 1696 01:23:43,894 --> 01:23:47,444 and how the diaspora of Iranians in this country 1697 01:23:47,564 --> 01:23:49,574 have found their way, 1698 01:23:49,650 --> 01:23:53,490 part of that gateway was the Iron Sheik. 1699 01:23:53,570 --> 01:23:55,660 - [groans] - Perhaps one of the most 1700 01:23:55,739 --> 01:23:58,029 sadistic men in professional wrestling today. 1701 01:23:58,116 --> 01:23:59,826 - He nailed him with a cane. 1702 01:23:59,910 --> 01:24:03,410 - To this day, he’s probably one of the biggest heroes 1703 01:24:03,497 --> 01:24:04,367 in our business. 1704 01:24:04,456 --> 01:24:06,166 - You gonna bring that animal, 1705 01:24:06,250 --> 01:24:09,090 Hulk Hogan, for no reason. 1706 01:24:09,169 --> 01:24:12,049 - You could make the argument, and I would, 1707 01:24:12,130 --> 01:24:14,170 that without the Iron Sheik, 1708 01:24:14,258 --> 01:24:17,048 Hulk Hogan’s Hulkamania launch 1709 01:24:17,135 --> 01:24:19,095 would not have been as effective. 1710 01:24:19,179 --> 01:24:21,389 - He’s got him! 1711 01:24:21,473 --> 01:24:23,683 - And if it hadn’t been as effective, 1712 01:24:23,767 --> 01:24:27,847 who knows if WWE or pro wrestling as we know it 1713 01:24:27,938 --> 01:24:31,688 would look anything like it does today? 1714 01:24:31,775 --> 01:24:33,645 - I think he’s made his mark in history 1715 01:24:33,777 --> 01:24:36,027 as one of the innovators, 1716 01:24:36,113 --> 01:24:39,663 one of the legit bad guys that people love to hate. 1717 01:24:39,783 --> 01:24:44,043 - Capacity crowd on the case of the Iron Sheik. 1718 01:24:44,121 --> 01:24:45,711 - He was one of the best 1719 01:24:45,789 --> 01:24:47,709 and again, one of the top heels ever. 1720 01:24:47,791 --> 01:24:49,211 - Man, he embodies what it means 1721 01:24:49,293 --> 01:24:51,253 to be like a perfect villain. 1722 01:24:51,336 --> 01:24:54,296 - I’m gonna spit to your fat body, you American. 1723 01:24:54,381 --> 01:24:57,051 [hawks, spits] 1724 01:24:57,134 --> 01:24:58,554 - Oh, disgusting. 1725 01:24:58,635 --> 01:25:01,755 - He’s a bad guy, but I love him. 1726 01:25:01,847 --> 01:25:03,557 ♪ ♪ 1727 01:25:03,640 --> 01:25:05,730 There’s a lot of you out there that do, too. 1728 01:25:05,809 --> 01:25:07,729 - Like, all of us love him. 1729 01:25:07,811 --> 01:25:10,731 And now, today, he’s so respected. 1730 01:25:10,814 --> 01:25:12,734 - To this day, you see the Iron Sheik, 1731 01:25:12,816 --> 01:25:13,936 and there’s no one like him. 1732 01:25:14,026 --> 01:25:15,936 Yeah, he was iconic. 1733 01:25:16,028 --> 01:25:20,238 - Here is the winner, the Iron Sheik! 1734 01:25:27,998 --> 01:25:32,458 ♪ ♪