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WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter is celebrated for his patriotic persona, but in the early ’90s, he famously adopted a heel gimmick as a sympathizer to Iraq and other foreign adversaries. This character shift sparked a feud with Hulk Hogan, culminating in Hogan’s victory over Slaughter at WrestleMania VII for the WWE Championship.
On the latest episode of “Something to Wrestle,” WWE executive Bruce Prichard discussed Slaughter’s heel run and the strong negative reaction it generated due to his sympathy towards America’s foreign enemies.
“There was significant heat,” Prichard said. “We were in unfamiliar territory. Fans did not react well to Sarge’s sympathetic stance towards foreign nations.”
Prichard experienced some of this backlash firsthand when he was awarded a medal as the “Greatest American” at SummerSlam 1990, around the time Slaughter’s heel persona was intensifying. He expressed surprise at the intensity of the hostility, not fully grasping the impact of the Gulf War.
“They wanted Sarge and me to wear bulletproof vests,” Prichard said. “We both declined. I underestimated the situation. I thought our fans were educated enough to see it as entertainment, but the Gulf War was serious and had a profound effect on everyone, unlike past conflicts.”
