Eric Bischoff Comments On The Passing Of The Iron Sheik

The Iron Sheik passed away last week and tributes continue to pour out from all corners of the professional wrestling community to honor the legacy he left behind. Several people including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, "Young Rock" star Brett Azar — who played a young Sheik on the show, and arguably his greatest rival Hulk Hogan, shared their memories of him. 

But the late strongman's reach didn't just affect those who knew him personally. Aside from his legion of fans, he left an indelible mark on Eric Bischoff as well.

While they ran in similar circles, "Easy E" revealed on "Strictly Business" that he never really got to know Iron Sheik whenever their paths crossed in WWE and WCW. Bischoff said he regretted it because the legend was "universally loved [and] well-respected."

"The Iron Sheik lived such an amazing life [and] experienced some amazing things," he said. "He's a walking, talking book of history. Not only in wrestling, but if you think about where he came from, how he got to the United States, and what he became in a period of time when Iran was universally looked upon as the ultimate enemy in this country, Sheik was able to become an American hero in a way. An American icon for sure, if not an American Hero, and I think that's amazing in and of itself ... What an amazing career," lauded the Hall of Famer.

"What an amazing guy, love him or hate him, [but] hopefully hated him because that's what he was making his money from," said Bischoff.

Before offering his condolences to fans, friends, and family, the former "WWE Raw" General Manager went on to say that his good friends "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan and Teddy Long were very close to the Sheik and always shared great stories about him.