WWE Hall of Famer and professional wrestling legend The Iron Sheik has died at the age of 81, according to a statement posted on his Twitter account on Wednesday.
In the statement, The Iron Sheik was called a "cultural phenomenon" and "pop culture icon" who transcended the world of pro wrestling
The Iron Sheik starred in WWE throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s, holding the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and WWE Tag Team Championship one time each before getting inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.
Born in Iran in 1942 as Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, Sheik trained as an amateur wrestler and attempted to qualify for the 1968 Olympics before moving to the United States and serving as an assistant coach for the United States wrestling team at the 1972 Olympics.
Sheik broke into the world of professional wrestling in 1972 in the Minnesota-based AWA, and he received his first opportunity with WWE in 1979.
In 1983, Sheik joined WWE on a full-time basis and beat Bob Backlund for the WWE Championship on Dec. 26, 1983, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, ending Backlund's reign of 2,135 days, which is the second-longest in the history of the WWE title.
Just 28 days later, Sheik dropped the WWE Championship to Hulk Hogan, marking the beginning of Hulkamania and one of the most success eras in WWE's history.
While Sheik would never win another singles title in WWE, he was involved in the first title change in WrestleMania history, as he and Nikolai Volkoff beat Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo of The U.S. Express for the WWE Tag Team Championships at the inaugural WrestleMania in 1985.
After departing WWE near the end of the decade, Sheik returned in 1991 under the name Colonel Mustafa, forming an alliance with General Adnan and Sgt. Slaughter, who had recently turned heel due to his storyline sympathy for Iraq during the Gulf War.
Slaughter held the WWE Championship during that time before dropping it to Hogan at WrestleMania 7. A few months later at SummerSlam 1991, Sheik teamed with Slaughter and Adnan in a losing effort against Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior in the main event.
Sheik left WWE again in 1992, and his in-ring career began to wind down considerably. However, in what would prove to be one of his final matches, he won the Gimmick Battle Royal at WrestleMania 17 in 2001.
In more recent years, Sheik became known for his social media presence, as his Twitter account garnered over 600,000 followers.
Sheik's account became an internet sensation due to its unique musings, profane language and disdain for Hogan, the man who beat him for the WWE Championship.