Igal Hecht is a busy man.
THE SHEIK is the third documentary he has directed over the course of
the last four years, and he has finished yet another documentary that
is awaiting release for 2015. The subject of Hecht's third effort is
the infamous Iranian wrestling legend Hossein Khosrow Vaziri.
Vaziri's story is the classic portrait of a rags-to-riches immigrant
who puts in the arduous hours and does the crucial back-breaking work
it takes to defy the odds and live the American dream. But dreams
are meant to be crushed in most cases, and Vaziri's tumultuous
professional wrestling career (combined with his proclivity towards
danger outside the ring) exemplifies how far the fall from greatness
can be.
Khosrow Vaziri found his
calling at the age of 14, shunning the typical teenage life of
chasing girls in Tehran to become entirely focused on the sport of
wrestling. His determination and dedication led to him joining the
Iranian army at the age of 18, where he would begin a three year
reign as an Army wrestling champion. At a time when Iran's national
obsession was wrestling, the Shah of Iran took notice of his superior
skills and hired Vaziri as his personal bodyguard. Dubious
circumstances around the suicide of his mentor (Olympic gold medalist
and political activist Gholamreza Takhti) and suspicions that the
Shah himself may have been responsible for having Takhti killed, led
Vaziri to eventually flee Iran for safe haven in Minnesota.
For a person living in
America for over 40 years, Vaziri's English is still quite imprecise
and difficult to understand. Subtitles accompany his every bombastic
boast to aid the viewer in comprehending the explanations of his
various exploits. Vaziri's knowledge and wrestling talent (however
proud he may be) were undeniable. An AAU Greco-Roman National
Championship in 1971 and a stint as an assistant coach for the US
Olympic wrestling team were taken notice of by Verne Gagne; a
Minneapolis-based professional wrestler, trainer, promoter and
founder of the American Wrestling Association. His introduction to
the world of pro wrestling included years of grueling labor
throughout the Midwest. Outside of his regular matches, Vaziri was
driving trucks, setting up and tearing down rings and even
refereeing. In 1977, Vaziri grew out his trademark mustache, shaved
his head and donned the curly-toed rasslin' boots to take on the
persona that would become known as the ultimate heel: The Iron Sheik.
Hecht interviews a plethora
of wrestling legends that not only speak to Sheiky's reputation for
being a dominating powerhouse in the ring and backstage party animal;
they also attest to the heat brought upon The Sheik during the
Iranian Hostage Crisis and his struggle to survive violent crowds
(apparently he was stabbed on more than one occasion). The Sheik
played a key role in ushering in the “Hulkamania” era and the
absurd popularity of wrestling in the eighties that followed. Also
absurdly popular in the eighties was cocaine, a drug which The Sheik
was arrested for having possession of in 1987; an incident which led
to his dismissal by the WWF.
The main focus of the
documentary is the darkness that follows the end of his successful
run in the WWF. Vaziri details the horrors of the independent
wrestling circuit, financial ruin, his crippling physical maladies,
crack addiction, family turmoil and a tragedy that profoundly changed
him. Hope comes in the form of an unlikely friendship and the
genesis of a truly unique social media presence that provides a once
destitute and broken man with new and meaningful opportunities. THE SHEIK is an
unflinching look at a former superstar who hits rock bottom and
adeptly tracks his path to redemption. 3 out of 4 stars.
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