The Iron Sheik Gets High and Destroys Kayfabe

What would happen if one of the biggest heroes and one of the biggest villains in professional wrestling got arrested for smoking a joint together?

Just ask babyface "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan and legendary heel The Iron Sheik.

In 1987, that very fate befell two of the WWF's biggest stars. The aftermath of those shocking arrests not only changed the trajectory of both their lives forever, it also forever transformed pro wrestling in ways the sport is still grappling with.

Also in this episode, we learn how the Iron Sheik fled his homeland of Iran in fear that the Shah—who came to power thanks to a CIA-back coup—was about to assassinate him.

And we chart how a first-generation viral video attacking Seinfeld star Michael Richards for racist comments gave the Iron Sheik a third act as an online heel and a Howard Stern show favorite.

For more on The Iron Sheik’s amazing life, check out the documentary The Sheik and Jim Duggan's autobiography Hacksaw.

PATREON

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