Real Name: Hossein Khosrow Vaziri, The Iron Sheik — a wrestler who was actually born in Iran, served in the Iranian Army for two years and won the '68 Olympic gold medal for his country in Greco-Roman wrestling — had seized the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) title from long-time champion Bob Backlund less than two months before his fabled match with the Hulkster in the 1980's[See Photos] [View Video]

Call it the golden age of professional wrestling. In January 1984, thousands of people packed into Madison Square Garden in New York to see a blond-haired muscleman named Hulk Hogan take on one of the most universally despised "bad guy" wrestlers ever created.

Considering the volatile political climate between Iran and the United States at the time, the Sheik's wrestling persona was designed to draw a chorus of boos from the crowd. He'd often appear wearing huge metal spikes on his shoes, carrying an Iranian flag in one hand and leading a harnessed camel with the other.

For his finishing move, he forced his opponents to submit with the dreaded Camel Clutch. "Hulk Hogan was 275 pounds, and I was only 220, "says the Iron Sheik, reflecting on one of the biggest matches of his professional wrestling career. The Sheik still wrestles professionally, with frequent appearances on televised pay-per-view events, but also makes appearances for a number of smaller wrestling organizations. He'll be at the Montgomery Middle School Gymnasium on Nov. 20 for a match organized by the West Paterson-based Independent Superstars of Professional Wrestling (ISPW).