"He would make your day" - WWE Hall of Famer pays tribute to The Iron Sheik
A WWE Hall of Famer has paid tribute to The Iron Sheik following his passing.
The Iron Sheik is a legend of professional wrestling and is considered to be one of the best to ever lace up a pair of boots. He captured the World Heavyweight Championship in 1983 by defeating Bob Backlund and had a legendary rivalry against WWE icon Hulk Hogan.
Hall of Famer Teddy Long recently paid tribute to The Iron Sheik on the Road Trip "After Hours" podcast alongside Mac Davis.
"With me and The Iron Sheik, it was more than just a friendship, man. We were real good friends. I got a chance to really know him, to ride with him, and everything back in the day when I was breaking in," said Teddy Long. [From 01:22 - 01:34]
Teddy disclosed that The Iron Sheik would light up a locker room whenever he walked in.
"Back in the day man, you drove 200-300 miles every night trying to get to a town. There next day you are there and you've got stress on you. It is really bad sometimes. You could see Sheik and he would come in that locker room and he would light it right up with some big joke or something funny to say to somebody. Everybody would start laughing, he would make your day," said Teddy Long. [From 02:57 - 03:22]
You can check out the full video below:
WWE legend Teddy Long on The Iron Sheik's family training at his wrestling school
Teddy Long discussed a time when Sheik was able to watch his grandson training to become a wrestler.
During the most recent edition of Road Trip "After Hours", WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long discussed the Face 2 Face Wrestling School in Georgia and Sheik watching his family train at the facility.
"I was affiliated with a wrestling school there in Georgia called Face 2 Face. We started training The Sheik's grandson. His son-in-law, his daughter, and stuff, they came out and watched Sheik's grandson train. Finally, they were able to get Sheik to come out and I did post that picture on my Facebook that we had a chance to sit there and talk. I watched them watch his grandson train, and you could just see the expression on his face. That was like a million bucks to him," said Teddy Long.
Referee Teddy Long awards the NWA United States Tag Team Championships to The Iron Sheik and Butch Reed after they defeated Eddie Gilbert and Rick Steiner in New Haven,CT back on April 8,1989.the decision was reversed shortly after due to Sheik hitting Gilbert with his flag pole https://t.co/MlwTIkUiEh
The Iron Sheik may no longer be with us, but the memories he created for wrestling fans will live forever. Several WWE stars paid tribute to the legend following his passing, and his influence on the product is still felt to this day.
What are some of your favorite memories of Sheik's career? Let us know in the comments section below.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Road Trip "After Hours" with a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.