Though he was best known as a notorious heel who scared children for the majority of his career, Slaughter revealed that “Sheiky Baby” loved the younger members of the audience almost as much as he loved the business itself. He thrived off the hate and vitriol he received from crowds since that only made them love babyfaces like “Hulkamania” or the “Real American Hero” even more.

“He just loved wrestling and, whether people know this or not, he loved his fans,” recalled Slaughter. “He just loved to perform and he loved the young children. But once he went through that locker room and toward the ring, he was all business. He was the Iron Sheik… [and he] was never afraid to put a little heat on him [when] he went into the full Iron Sheik character.”

Thanks to Sheik’s willingness to embrace heat, he welcomed the storyline with Slaughter that stemmed from the hostage crisis in Iran, which firmly established a previously heel Sarge as a major hero in the eyes of the WWE Universe. And though they each might have found similar levels of success on their own, the Iron Sheik and Sgt. Slaughter truly reached new heights when they worked together.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit TMZ Sports with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.