Tributes to the late Iron Sheik are pouring in from around the wrestling world.
Perhaps Sheik's greatest rivalry took place in 1984 when he was pitted against Sgt. Slaughter. The feud culminated in a Boot Camp match on June 16, 1984 from Madison Square Garden. The match was awarded a rating of four and a half stars from our own Dave Meltzer.
"I love you, Sheik. I love you forever," Slaughter told TMZ Sports.
"He just had so much love for wrestling, not only the amateur style that he learned, that was his survival in Iran."
"Whether people know this or not, he loved you, he loved his fans. He just loved to perform and he loved children, he loved young children. But once he went through that locker room toward the ring, he was all business, he was The Iron Sheik. As I was, and as most are but he was exceptionally that way because he just loved the business that he was in."
When Slaughter became the Iraqi sympathizer during the Gulf War in 1990, Sheik was added to his Triangle of Terror as Colonel Mustafa. They were joined with another of Slaughter's old enemies, Sheik Adnan El Kaissey, who went by General Adnan.
"He was a character. I was a character. But we both had families and we loved our families," Slaughter continued.
Kurt Angle, Karrion Kross, Arn Anderson, Natalya, Lex Luger and many others have paid tribute to Sheik online in the wake of his passing.
"I was sad to hear @the_ironsheik passed away. He had an amazing impact on many throughout the world. Sheik and I enjoyed blasting eachother publicly. All in fun. He was a man with an incredible personality. Gonna miss you Sheiky Baby! #itstrue," wrote Kurt Angle.
"Iron Sheik played a pivotal role in the development of imagination in my childhood as a kid. I grew up and watched him with educated eyes, he was incredibly fun to watch and at times brilliant with the live audience. And that’s how I’ll always remember him," wrote Karrion Kross.
"The NWA is saddened to hear of the passing of one of the sports great legends, Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, 'The Iron Sheik.' We send our condolences to all of his family, friends and fans," the NWA posted on Wednesday.
"So sad to lose another member of our wrestling family.Sheiky baby was the ultimate heel of his era. He was so good in his role that anyone who worked with him became a bigger star. For those of us who got to share a locker room with him he was nonstop entertainment.Prayers go out to his family. There will never be another like him," wrote Arn Anderson.
"NOTHING BUT LOVE AND RESPECT to the Iron Sheik. The wrestling world has lost an icon and a very special person," wrote Natalya.
"Massive respect for the life and Wrestling career of the one and only Iron Sheik.Thank you. You will be greatly missed," wrote Lex Luger.
"RIP Iron Sheik. Very sad news. An integral part of the success of the 80’s wrestling boom and an extraordinary talent and incredible “bad guy” I have a lot of Sheik stories and many great memories. Thank you for all you gave to our industry. Godspeed sir," wrote Frankie Kazarian.
“Love you forever Bubba” Rest in Power to the Mighty Iron Sheik. My sincerest condolences to his family," wrote Samoa Joe.
Our own Dave Meltzer addressed Sheik's passing on Wrestling Observer Radio
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