Taking A Look At Iron Sheik's Forgotten Stint With WCW

The Iron Sheik had a legendary career in professional wrestling, with his achievements in WWE fondly remembered. His tenure in the company, and feuds with the likes of Sgt. Slaughter, Bob Backlund and Hulk Hogan solidified his place as an all-time great villain in the business, but what some fans may not be aware of is Iron Sheik's short run with WWE rival WCW in the early 1990s.

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Despite coming off a major run in WWE at the time, the former WWE Champion's time in WCW was very disappointing and largely forgettable. His stay - which started in 1989 - would last just a couple of years and see him achieve very little in Ted Turner's organization, before he returned to the company that made him a star in March 1991, just a month after he departed the Atlanta-based promotion.

While there really isn't much to shout home about during Iron Sheik's WCW run, there are a couple of interesting details that are worth sharing, especially for fans who were otherwise unaware of his time in the company.

Iron Sheik Started His Run In WCW Feuding With Sting

While his star power had waned a little in WWE in the years leading up to his departure, with his main event feuds with the likes of Hogan and Backlund taking place several years earlier, Iron Sheik immediately feuded with one of WCW's biggest stars when he arrived in the company, Sting.

The Icon, who was the WCW TV Champion at the time, is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time and became synonymous with WCW during the promotion's run, so having Iron Sheik embark on a program with him, immediately into his time with the company, was a bright start for the now 80-year-old.

Sheik was actually victorious in the pair's first meeting, albeit that meeting was a Persian clubs swinging competition, but it was a victory that eventually led to a WCW Television Championship match at WrestleWar '89 between the two. Unfortunately for the former WWE superstar, he wasn't so successful once the pair faced off inside the squared circle. Sting made quick work of Iron Sheik, beating him by submission in just over two minutes.

That was as close as Iron Sheik got to winning gold in WCW, and by the time the promotion's next pay-per-view event, The Great American Bash, rolled around, he wasn't even featured on the card.

Iron Sheik Briefly Managed Ron Simmons

Shortly after his feud with Sting came to an end, Iron Sheik's run in WCW shifted from inside the ring to outside of it as he aligned himself with Ron Simmons, becoming his manager. The move, intended to help elevate Simmons as a star, saw Sheik accompany him to the ring during his matches, reveal he was training him, and even announce his intention to find the future WCW World Champion a tag team partner.

The partnership was ultimately short-lived, though, and it came to an end almost as soon as it started, as Iron Sheik quickly disappeared off of television, while Simmons would eventually join forces with Butch Reed and form the team, Doom.

A Company Error Ensured Iron Sheik's Contract With WCW Was Extended

Throughout the promotion's history, WCW became known for some of its embarrassing blunders, and there's no finer example of their inaptitude than the way they accidentally allowed Sheik's initial one-year contract to roll over, extending it, despite the fact he had rarely been used in months.

Instead of issuing a contract notice, WCW simply forgot to do so, ensuring Iron Sheik gained an extra year with the promotion, something it's fair to say, they weren't thrilled about giving him.

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After being absent for months, the year extension saw WCW bring Sheik back and at least try to make the most out of him while they had him on the books, but his return saw him lose his very first match back against Mike Rotunda at The Great American Bash '90. After that, the remainder of his time with WCW was spent losing to the likes of Vader, Brad Armstrong, Brian Pillman, and Terry Taylor strictly on house shows, before he wrestled his final match for the promotion in January 1991, losing to Junkyard Dog. Shortly after, WCW made sure they didn't make the same mistake twice, and Sheik's contract with the promotion expired shortly afterwards, seeing him leave just two years after his arrival.