MVP Believes The Iron Sheik Is The Most Memorable Heel In WWE History

WWE Hall of Famer The Iron Sheik passed away earlier this month. The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion — who made his pro wrestling debut in 1972 — became an iconic villain and key rival for Hulk Hogan in the 1980s. Current WWE talent MVP recently discussed the impact Sheik's career had on him. 

"In honor of Sheiky baby, I went down the YouTube rabbit hole," MVP said on the "Cheap Heat" podcast. "And I was watching some of his old, old stuff when he was Khosrow Ali or when he still had hair. And he was, like, I'd say maybe 215 pounds, 220. Shredded ... He was a babyface in that particular match and the crowd was popping for him because of his athleticism. He was doing cartwheels [and] suplexes. And, you know, watching wrestling from that time, and watching him wrestle that way at that time, it just kind of made me smile and remember why I used to think wrestling was real because he was real. 

"But, it was kind of funny, he, a lot like The Bushwhackers in their earlier days, they weren't scary dudes [or] dangerous people. But the most money they ever made was being, you know, all caricatures of bad guys or whatever the case may be. And when you ask me about the all-time great heels, you know, I was born in '73, so I remember the Iran hostage crisis and the Ayatollah Khomeini, and, you know, that was a part of my childhood. So when, you know, Iron Sheik came on the scene and lost to Hulk Hogan and later on was teaming up with Nikolai Volkoff ... This is iconic. This is legendary. We've never forgotten this.

"So in the pantheon of all-time great WWF/WWE bad guys, I mean he's got to be right up there at the top. You know, it's subjective, but certainly for me, if you ask me, he is the most memorable all-time WWF bad guy."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Cheap Heat" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.