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The late Iron Sheik gets listed among the all-time best villains in WWE history. A larger-than-life figure in the professional wrestling industry, The Iron Sheik was one of the earliest attractions for WWE's Golden Era during the 1980s Wrestling Boom period, getting over as the stereotypical anti-American pro-Iranian heel during that time. Despite being a big name in the professional wrestling industry, Iron Sheik returned to WWE in 1991 under a new ring name, Colonel Mustafa, as his third run in WWE was much shorter and less successful than his previous stint. Colonel Mustafa's WWE run was there for the purpose of WWE using the real-life Gulf War as part of an angle.
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The Iron Sheik's Successful Run As A Stereotypical Pro-Iranian Heel
When it comes to the cast of colorful characters of the 1980s, no one forgets the lovable yet hated heel, The Iron Sheik. A former successful freestyle wrestler and legitimate badass, The Iron Sheik came a long way to achieve stardom in the sports entertainment business.
Born in Iran as Hossein Vaziri, The Iron Shiek's Iranian heritage became part of his on-screen character after debuting in 1972. And although he wrestled for more than a decade before having the run of his life during his second WWE stint, during that time frame, he perfected the stereotypical foreign heel that would later transition into his second WWE run.
The Iron Sheik returned to WWE in 1983 and instantly established himself among WWE's top attractions during the company's Golden Era. Not long after his comeback, The Iron Sheik won his first WWE Championship, putting him on top of the professional wrestling world. Anyone that defeated The Iron Sheik as WWE Champion would be skyrocketed to main-event stardom.
Soon after winning the WWE Championship, arguably one of the most infamous matches in WWE history was the 1984 MSG bout of Iron Shiek defending his WWE Championship against the red-hot All-American babyface Hulk Hogan. After Hulk Hogan won the belt from The Iron Sheik and became the franchise player for WWE during the 1980s and early 1990s. Because The Iron Sheik was such an effective heel, he deserves much of the credit for putting Hulk Hogan on the map.
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The Iron Sheik Becomes An Iraqi Sympathizer Named Colonel Mustafa
Because The Iron Sheik was a natural heel and portrayed the stereotypical Middle-eastern villain to perfection, The Iron Sheik got repackaged as an Iraqi sympathizer upon his return to WWE in 1991, as WWE was using the real-life Gulf War for an on-screen angle. Despite The Iron Sheik being Iranian and portraying an Iranian nationalist as his on-screen character, The Iron Sheik becoming an Iraqi sympathizer because he was Middle-eastern. It showcased the level of the wackiness of some stereotypical characters in the professional wrestling industry.
Furthermore, The Iron Sheik got a new ring name upon his sudden repackaging, as he'd go by Colonel Mustafa moving forward. As Colonel Mustafa, he'd align himself with General Adnan and the newly-turned-heel Sgt. Slaughter. All three men were Iraqi sympathizers and supported Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, as this unexpected alliance would generate nuclear heat.
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Even though Colonel Mustafa would achieve nowhere near the same level of success as he did in his previous WWE run as The Iron Sheik, Colonel Mustafa's Iraqi sympathizer gimmick was among the top heel acts in the company, especially as his ally Sgt. Slaughter defended the WWE Championship against Hulk Hogan at the main event of WrestleMania 7. The biggest match of Colonel Mustafa's run was challenging The Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan in a Handicap match at Summerslam 1991, teaming with Sgt. Slaughter and General Adnan as The Triangle of Terror.
After losing the Handicap match at SummerSlam 1991 and Sgt. Slaughter turning face, Colonel Mustafa's WWE run was on its last legs as he didn't last in the company for much longer. Although he got involved in the 1992 Royal Rumble match for the WWE Championship, Colonel Mustafa once again departed from WWE in mid-1992 after wrestling his final match against Reno Riggins. The "Colonel Mustafa" character would be no more in the process, as The Iron Sheik would wrestle his final WWE match a decade later under his usual pro-Iranian persona, winning a Battle Royale at WrestleMania 17.
