Sgt. Slaughter made his name in the WWE by becoming one of the most iconic superstars of all time, but when he was first up and coming, his hopes were to show that a real American hero could become an iconic wrestling star. Speaking to My San Antonio, Slaughter spoke about the birth of his character, and how the WWE initially didn’t think it would work.
“I came back for my second tour of duty with WWF and it was my fourth match of back and we are doing a TV taping, and everyone is hating me just as they did before,” Slaughter said. “During the third hour the Iron Sheik was scheduled to be on, and I wasn’t.
Slaughter goes on to say that Vince McMahon told him that he would finally get to become the hero, and it worked. He came out to the Marine Hymn, called out Iron Shiek, and his legend took off from there. Now, Slaughter is a hero to many, and consistently happy to see so many who grew up watching him.
“Whenever I go to appearances whether it is comic cons, toy stores or any event, you see little children who can barely see over the table, but they know who you are because of the WWE Network and, of course, GI Joe is always on the air somewhere,” Slaughter said.
“When their dads, aunts or uncles or even grandparents tell them this was my hero why I was your age, it makes you feel pretty good,” said Slaughter, who spent six years in the Marines before finding his way as a professional wrestler.”
