Sgt. Slaughter Pays Tribute To The Iron Sheik

In an interview with TMZ, Sgt Slaughter paid tribute to the Iron Sheik, who passed away yesterday at the age of 81. Slaughter and Sheik had an infamous feud which culminated in a Boot Camp match that is still loved by wrestling fans today. Here are highlights:

On meeting Sheik: “I met [Sheik] when he was going through the training camp in Minnesota with Verne Gagne, along with Ric Flair.”

On if Sheik was bothered by fans hating him as a heel: “Never difficult. It fueled the fire. It just fueled the fire. One of the things I used to say in my promos is, ‘Iron Sheik, you spit on the ground of the United States of America every time you speak. You know whose mother is buried in that ground? My mother.’ And boy, it just got the people so irate and he loved every second of it.”

On Sheik’s love for his family: “He was a character. I was a character. But we both had families and we loved our families.”

On his message for Sheik: “God bless him. He’s finally gonna see his daughter that he lost. Love you Sheik. Love you forever.”