Sgt. Slaughter Talks About NXT, NXT Takeover, And The Ultimate Warrior

WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter appeared on The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast recently about NXT Takeover, returning to WWE to be the “Iraqi Sympathizer,” and winning the WWF Title from The Ultimate Warrior. Here are the highlights.

On NXT Takeover: Brooklyn:

“It was pretty incredible. I was kind of set-back myself a little bit because there was so much energy in the audience and the performers. A lot of them I didn’t know as well as I do the WWE Superstars and I’ve gotten to know more of The Divas because there are so many of them. Getting out there and seeing not many of the WWE Superstars there, some were wandering around but it was like NXT’s own little private show to the public and I was just incredibly entertained. To be asked to go out at ringside and watch one of the matches was a great honor to be a part of that, that first inaugural Brooklyn, New York type style of match. It brought me back to when I first went into the ring in Allentown, Pennsylvania or Madison Square Garden and Baltimore, Philadelphia all the fans appreciation of knowing how hard they work in there and really enjoy being entertained. When you give them something that they really enjoy they make you go harder and harder and put out more than you thought you could.”

On returning to WWE to be the “Iraqi Sympathizer”:

“I am in the business of entertaining. As I said earlier I couldn’t do the first six WrestleMania’s because I was with Hasbro and G.I. Joe and I was kind of setback that I wasn’t with the WWE and had kind of hurt feelings and I didn’t really watch much of the shows. But, I did watch WrestleMania 6 from Toronto, Hogan vs. Warrior. The next day I sent a handwritten note to Vince McMahon saying I watched the pay per view and it wasn’t so much the match that I thought was good but his production. I thought his production could not be topped by anybody that I had ever seen. About two weeks later I get a call from Vince and he said “seeing if you are done with G.I. Joe because I’ve got an idea for you”. I thought he was going to take G.I. Joe: “The Real American Hero” Sgt. Slaughter and make him “The Real Real Real American Hero” with all of his ways of doing it but he had other ideas. So he laid out this huge piece of cardboard that was painted up and it was the LA Coliseum and it could hold 104,000 fans and he said I want to fill this up at WrestleMania 7 and I want you to help me do it.”

On winning the WWF Title from The Ultimate Warrior:

“Vince started laying out this idea of me coming back as an Iraqi Sympathizer and eventually working to Hogan and I to be the main event. I was gung-ho and I wanted to do it immediately. We started on our way and it did get pretty rough out there with the death threats and the bomb threats. When I first started out they brought me back nice and slow and let people digest it that I just came off G.I. Joe and now he’s anti-American and he’s going for Iraq, what was going on? So we worked hard at it and Macho Man Savage and The Ultimate Warrior were in a rivalry and The Macho Man broke his hand and Vince came to me and said we are going to switch gears, I’m going to put you with the Warrior and Sherri will be your manager and get you through until Randy heals. So Hogan kind of disappeared and we went on with the Warrior and at that time Randy and Warrior were almost to the Steel-Cage match part of their story-line so I had to get in shape pretty quick for The Warrior and we battled and battled and finally in Miami I took the title from him and started on our way to Hogan and the LA Coliseum and 104,000 fans. The night after I took the title from Warrior the acid was really poured on the fire and there was no looking back at that point. It really started getting rough out there.”

You can listen to the entire podcast here:

 

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