"His mouth kind of dropped open" - WWE legend on pitching a feud against The Iron Sheik (Exclusive)
Sgt. Slaughter recently revealed that Vince McMahon Sr. was left stunned when he pitched the idea of him turning a babyface in WWE.
Slaughter worked as a heel during his first run with the global juggernaut from 1980-1981, feuding with the likes of Pat Patterson and Bob Backlund. Though he also worked as a heel during the first few months of his second stint in WWE in 1983, the 74-year-old soon turned babyface to feud against The Iron Sheik.
Speaking to Bill Apter of Sportskeeda Wrestling, Sgt. Slaughter revealed how he convinced Vince McMahon Sr. to let him explore a different facet of his character. Slaughter disclosed that he went into detail about his character's motivations and why he would feud with The Iron Sheik to defend America's honor.
"I said,' Mr. McMahon, if you think I'm such a good villain, you ought to see him as a hero.' And he said, 'A hero? No, no, Slaughter can never be a hero. Maybe for a few months, but then you'll have go back to being a villain.' But he asked, 'What you got in mind?' So I started laying out this scenario. So I said you get The Iron Sheik from Iran. You know nobody got to punch Ayatollah (Ruhollah Khomeini) right in the nose for what he did with his hostage situation, and the Black Hawks went down and the murders of the marines at the embassy," said Sgt. Slaughter.
The WWE Hall of Famer added that though Vince McMahon Sr. liked the idea, he was still apprehensive about turning him into a fan favorite.
"I went through the whole scenario, and his mouth kind of dropped open. I almost hypnotized him, telling him these things. And he goes, 'Oh, that's really good, but that'll only work a little while.' And then I looked over his shoulder, and there's Vincent Kennedy McMahon going, 'Yeah.' Didn't think much of that Vince Sr. said, 'Vinnie, don't you think of turning Sgt. into a hero! Don't you do it," added Sgt. Slaughter. [15:48 - 17:08]
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WWE legend Sgt. Slaughter paid a heartfelt tribute to The Iron Sheik after his passing
The Iron Sheik's passing last month sent the wrestling world into a state of mourning.
Among the several tributes that poured in for the WWE legend, one was from his former on-screen rival Slaughter, who mentioned how Sheik would finally reunite his daughter, who tragically passed away years ago.
"God bless him. He's finally gonna see his daughter that he lost. Love you Sheik. Love you forever," said Sgt. Slaughter.
Our hearts are still heavy with the passing of Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri.
He was an icon whose legacy will endure forever. We will continue to do our best to pay tribute, respect and to celebrate all that he achieved.
He will always be the legend!
RIP @the_ironsheik. https://t.co/XTB1a0XI7m
Slaughter and The Iron Sheik competed in several memorable matches in the early 1980s and had the fans in the palm of their hands whenever they wrestled.
Do you have any memories of the rivalry between Sgt. Slaughter and The Iron Sheik? Sound off in the comment section below.
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