Jim Duggan And The Iron Sheik: The New Jersey Parkway Incident

On May 26, 1987, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) was in the midst of a national expansion that relied heavily on the suspension of disbelief. The business model was predicated on “kayfabe,” the unspoken contract that the conflicts inside the ring were legitimate and that the animosity between “babyfaces” (heroes) and “heels” (villains) extended to their real lives. That illusion was compromised on the side of the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey. Two of the company’s most distinct characters—”Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, the patriot who carried an American flag and a 2×4 board, and The Iron Sheik, the anti-American villain from Iran—were arrested together during a routine traffic stop. The incident revealed that the bitter enemies on television were actually travel partners sharing a rental