"He made it the hottest" - Former champion deserves credit for Hulk Hogan's rise in WWE, according to legend (Exclusive)
Wrestling veteran Bill Apter believes the late Iron Sheik was crucial in making Hulkamania a massive success in WWE.
When discussing some of the most memorable wrestling rivalries, it's hard not to mention the legendary feud between The Iron Sheik and Hulk Hogan. It's no secret that Hogan's match with Sheik on January 23rd, 1984, at the Madison Square Garden, gave a massive boost to the former's glorious babyface run.
The Hulkster winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on the night is still regarded by many as one of the greatest title triumphs in wrestling history.
On Sportskeeda Wrestling's The Wrestling Time Machine podcast hosted by Mac Davis, Bill Apter spoke about just how influential The Iron Sheik was.
He stated that while Hulkamania had begun even before Hogan had defeated Sheik, it blew up once the former dethroned the latter for the gold. Furthermore, Apter mentioned that even The Iron Sheik's later feuds with Sgt. Slaughter and Hacksaw Jim Duggan in WWE were no less memorable.
"Think about his placement in the history of the wrestling business. The guy that made Hulkamania. Even though Hulkamania was hot, he made it the hottest because he was just the perfect foil for Hulk Hogan and then the feud with Sgt. Slaughter and Hacksaw Jim Duggan. It was a whole era and his partnership with Nikolai Volkaff. We could never have that kind of heat from a heel ever again, in my opinion," said Bill Apter. [3:40 - 4:10]
Check out the full video below:
WWE veteran Vince Russo on The Iron Sheik and Hulk Hogan's issues
During the final few years of his life, The Iron Sheik adopted a colorful persona on social media, as he often sent out profane tweets targeted at Hulk Hogan.
On an episode of The Wrestling Outlaws, Vince Russo revealed that the late star might not have any real issues with Hogan but was merely protecting his gimmick.
"I think he's made it his gimmick," Russo stated. "It's part of his gimmick. It's the Cornette-Russo thing, bro. That's Cornette's gimmick and he'll take that to the grave even though we've not crossed paths or anything for God knows how long. I think it was a one thousand percent gimmick."
On January 23, 1984, Hulk Hogan defeated the Iron Sheik to win his first WWF title https://t.co/JSQzYtcXI7
The Hulkster was among the many wrestling legends who had come out to express their grief over the WWE Hall of Famer's passing on June 7th.
Do you have any memories of watching The Iron Sheik and Hulk Hogan's match? Sound off in the comments section below.
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