Brian Damage
The launch of Hulk Hogan as WWF champion and the subsequent birth of ‘Hulkamania,’ was really the starting point for the World Wrestling Federation’s growth from localized territory to national expansion in the early to mid 1980’s. Before Hogan became champion, there needed to be a bridge created to have him be the conquering hero. For years, babyface Bob Backlund was the face of the WWF…but new owner Vince McMahon Jr realized that Backlund wasn’t the person he wanted as the crown jewel of his ever growing wrestling empire.
Vince Jr needed to get the WWF title off of Backlund and on to a heel temporarily, to transition to Hulk Hogan getting the belt. Back in those days, while not completely uncommon…it was a bit rare to have a babyface wrestle a fellow babyface for the top prize. That wasn’t what Vince Jr had in mind anyway…he needed a heel, universally hated by fans to create an aura around Hulk Hogan. The choice, as we know, went to the Iranian wrestler known as the Iron Sheik.
While the Iron Sheik was ultimately the choice, to unseat Bob Backlund and become the transitional WWF champion….he was certainly not the company’s first or only choice to be “the man” so to speak. As with life, not everything in wrestling is black and white. There are plenty of gray areas. In this particular case…there was plenty of gray area with the Iron Sheik as the choice to become the world champion.
Reportedly, there were a small handful of options other than the Iron Sheik and the decision caused a little bit of of a stir within. Sgt. Slaughter was considered at some point, as a potential choice to unseat Backlund, due to the vicious rivalry the two had with one another in the company in 1983. Vince Jr had other plans for Slaughter that included him becoming a patriotic babyface and nixed the idea.
‘The Magnificent’ Don Muraco was a favorite to some in the WWF’s hierarchy, who felt that he was the most polished of all the choices. He had the wrestling skills, the charisma and the look to conquer Backlund and there was a belief that Pat Patterson was really the person pushing for Muraco to get the nod. Alas, nothing came of this choice either.
The wrestler that was heavily rumored to have been chosen by Vince Jr initially was ‘The Masked Superstar’ Bill Eadie. He would later gain fame to newer fans as Ax of the tag team ‘Demolition.’ Vince Jr felt that he was perfect to be the transitional champion to bridge between Backlund and Hogan. The Masked Superstar was a solid talker and could help carry a match with Hulk Hogan to make him look great as the new face of the WWF.
According to Eadie, it was Vince Jr’s father…Vince McMahon Sr that vetoed the idea. Vince Sr was still actively guiding his son during this time. While the elder McMahon was aged and battling health issues, he still had pull and say with his son. Eadie said that he had a very close relationship with Vince Sr and there was a mutual respect between the two men. Vince Sr allegedly felt that making the Masked Superstar a transitional champion and getting quickly beat by Hulk Hogan could potentially tarnish the career of the masked man.
When Vince Sr put his foot down on the Masked Superstar…Vince made the decision to go with the Iron Sheik. While certainly hated for his Iranian roots and his anti American gimmick….some believed that the gimmick was old and tired for 1983/84. Vince Jr felt he was the next best option to gain enough heat and patriotic emotions for the Hulkster. In the end, it really did not matter too much who the transitional champion was. Hulk Hogan was always the end goal. The Iron Sheik was able to get a world title credit to his resume and the national expansion of the WWF went into full steam.
