JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There are few wrestlers ever who have made the impact that Sgt. Slaughter did throughout his career.
The first major splash for Slaughter happened in the 1980s when he made the extremely successful decision to leave wrestling and become the face of G.I. Joe.
The massively popular cartoon and toy line thrust Slaughter into every home with children in America. It put him on a level only Hulk Hogan had achieved in the industry.
In this interview, we discuss the impact of that business move. But we also discuss his other major decision when he returned to wrestling.
That was to start a storyline where he became an “Iraqi Sympathizer” during the Gulf War and publicly backed Saddam Hussein on WWE (then WWF) television. This was an era when many fans still believed WWE storylines as reality.
In this interview, Slaughter tells the massive impact this had on his personal and family life. With millions of Americans believing he had sided with America’s enemy at the time, his family experienced extreme security issues.
On this episode, we’re also joined by the daughter of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Teal. She will share her experience joining pro wrestling in her father’s shadow and working to make her own path.