Sgt. Slaughter

At 75 years old, Sgt. Slaughter has this physical status:

Robert Rudolph Remus (born August 27, 1948) better known by his ring name Sgt.

Slaughter, is an American retired professional wrestler currently signed in WWE in the ambassador program.From the late 1970s to the early 1980s, Slaughter had success in the National Wrestling Alliance, American Wrestling Association, and the World Wrestling Federation.

He won the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, and headlined WrestleMania VII, in 1991.

Slaughter also captured the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship twice.

He is a Hall of Famer, inducted as part of the class of 2004.

As Sgt.

Slaughter, Remus became known for his dark sunglasses, his large hat, and his Vietnam War–era military fatigues.

In the 1980s, an alternate version of the Sgt.

Slaughter character was incorporated into the G.I.

Joe: A Real American Hero toy line as well as its animated series and comic books. Though Remus was born in Detroit, Michigan, he was raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he attended Eden Prairie High School in Eden Prairie, where he wrestled and played football.

Remus legitimately enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, and was a drill instructor at Parris Island, South Carolina, prior to his professional wrestling career.

Early life

Remus was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He attended Eden Prairie High School in nearby Eden Prairie, where he wrestled and played football.

Source

Professional wrestling career

Sgt. Slaughter won numerous regional titles early in his career, and he saw his second major success in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) in 1982, defeating Don Kernodle in the NWA World Tag Team Championship. Remus served in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) territory under a mask as Super Destroyer Mark II with manager Lord Alfred Hayes, who was fired and replaced with Bobby Heenan, causing a feud between the two bosses with Hayes as the babyface.

He later joined the WWF and was branded a villainous figure. Slaughter wrestled in the WWF between 1980 and 1981 under Grand Wizard George Slaughter's direction. He soared to the top of the charts for the first time in history on the strength of his "cobra clutch" contests, in which he'll place wrestlers in a chair and suspend the hold, promising $5,000 to anyone who wants to break it. In 1980, he would meet Bob Backlund for the World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Championship, winning two-or-three main event matches in most countries. Slaughter was the only WWF-based challenger not to do the honours for Backlund at MSG (Backlund defeated him at the Meadowlands, but not in the Garden). Slaughter then engaged in a feud with Pat Patterson, who resulted from Slaughter's calling Patterson "yellow" and offering him $10,000 (double the normal amount) to break the cobra clutch. Patterson accepted on television and was escaping from the hold when Slaughter unleashed it on Patterson, sparking a dramatic feud that culminated in a "hardcore" match of the Kayfabe period in New York, New York.

Slaughter joined the National Wrestling Alliance in September 1981, mainly because of its flagship territory Jim Crockett Promotions. He took part in a tournament in October 1981 to choose a new NWA United States Heavyweight Champion; in the tournament, he defeated Johnny Weaver, Jay Youngblood, and Rick Steamboat; he defeated him to win the vacant title. He would retain the title for more than seven months until losing the crown to Wahoo McDaniel in May 1982.

The NWA World Tag Team Championship was awarded to Slaughter and Partner Don Kernodle in September 1982, securing a championship over Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba in Tokyo. They would be fighting it out in a tense rivalry with Rick Steamboat and Jay Youngblood, which died on March 12, 1983, losing the titles to Steamboat and Youngblood in a steel cage match in Greensboro, North Carolina. Slaughter left JCP after the rivalry had ended.

Slaughter also toured Germany and Austria for the Catch Wrestling Association, twice (in 1982 and 1983), unsuccessfully challenging CWA World Heavyweight Champion Otto Wanz.

In March 1983, Slaughter returned to the WWF and as his boss, taking on the Grand Wizard. Backlund was immediately attacked by the WWF World Heavyweight Champion, who was then the reigning WWF World Heavyweight Champion. Slaughter took the feud a step higher when he sluggishly assaulted Backlund on a television taping; Backlund was on the verge of completing the Harvard step test before Slaughter beat him repeatedly with his riding crop, leaving bruises on his back. Despite winning multiple matches due to disqualification, Slaughter was never to win the Backlund championship.

Slaughter's career began in 1984 after he turned face and defended America's dignity against the feared Iron Sheik. Slaughter and the Iron Sheik participated in several matches throughout the year, culminating in a boot camp match that took place before a sold-out Madison Square Garden in the summer. However, Slaughter left for the AWA after Hulk Hogan as the WWF World Heavyweight Champion and Lead Face within the organization. Slaughter said he was shot by McMahon in Toronto after no-showing an event in protest of McMahon's refusal to give him six weeks of paid vacation. Slaughter and McMahon's other interviews revealed that Slaughter left the company later this year due to the WWF's refusal to recognize Slaughter's participation in the G.I. Joe toy line. At the time of his demise, Slaughter was certainly the second most influential "face" in the company, surpassing Jimmy Snuka and even André the Giant, with his fame rivaling that of Hulk Hogan's. Lew Freedman, a sports editor and columnist, wrote about Slaughter's ubiquity in the aftermath of his face-turn in August 1985: "Talk about your overnight sensations." For ten years, the slaughter had been wrestling for ten years, but now he was more hot than Dwight Gooden."

He made a big splash in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) between 1985 and 1986, defeating Larry Zbyszko shortly after his arrival. He defended the title against wrestlers like Zbyszko, Kamala, Boris Zukhov, and Nick Bockwinkel (before the belt was removed) and feuded with Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissey and his band, The Road Warriors and Colonel DeBeers. Stan Hansen was even up for AWA champions. He was also involved in the short-lived Pro Wrestling USA Promotion. This was a brief attempt to bring together the remaining wrestling talent to face the growing WWF. Slaughter in this company won a big 25-man battle royal by defeating Kamala and retaining the right to face Ric Flair in the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

Slaughter returned to wrestling in the AWA in 1988, resuming some of his childhood rivalry with Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissey, the Iron Sheik, and Col. DeBeers. During Larry Zbyszko's reign in 1989, he was also a top contender for the AWA World Championships, as well as a team captain for the AWA's ill-fated Team Challenge Series in the first half of 1990. With Slaughter winning the World title on ESPN, the AWA teased supporters, only to have the decision reversed on technicality (which the AWA had been using for years).

Slaughter wrote to Vince McMahon, who said he adored the program and was eager to return. McMahon told Slaughter that he wanted a heel, and his new gimmick would be that Slaughter turned on the US due to its embrace of the Russian Nikolai Volkoff. According to Slaughter, he found it impossible to do the anti-American promotions that came with this gimmick.

Kuwait's 1990 insurgent invasion of Kuwait by Ba'athist Iraq sparked a diplomatic crisis that would lead to the 1991 Gulf War, in which Kuwait was liberated by a US-led military coalition. Slaughter was urged to help the Iraqi cause, but not for the reason that Slaughter adored "brutality" and the Iraqi government was "brutal," even though the US government was described as "soft" and "weak" by Slaughter, whereas the Iraqi regime was described by Slaughter as "weak." During a match between the Mercenaries and The Orient Express, the slaughter allied himself with an Iraqi entrepreneur and kayfabe Iraqi military general, GM Adnan (his old rival who left the AWA shortly after Slaughter) and entered a feud with Volkoff, resulting in a match between the Mercenaries and The Bushwhackers. Slaughter began wearing Arab headdresses to the ring, adopted the Camel Clutch as one of his finishers, and was (kayfabe) photographed with Saddam Hussein. The slaughter had also adopted a tactic by grinding the tip of one of his knuckles into his opponent's temple. While Slaughter was portraying a turncoat, he had received numerous death threats and could not travel in public without carrying a bullet-proof vest and had to be surrounded by security forces at all times. Vince begged Vince to burn the American flag, but Slaughter refused to do so, so Slaughter suggested that he burn Hulk Hogan's shirt.

Slaughter began fighting for the WWF Championship that had been held by The Ultimate Warrior since WrestleMania VI. In January 1991, the Slaughter had his chance at the Royal Rumble, only days after the Gulf War air campaign had started. He defeated the Warrior when "Macho King" Randy Savage, who had also been feuding with the Warrior at the time, struck the champion in the head with his royal scepter. Slaughter became the thirteenth WWF champion, and Hulk Hogan, who was furious that Slaughter had (kayfabe) desecrated the American flag (off-screen) as part of his victory celebration, became his thirteenth WWF champion and was immediately confronted by Royal Rumble champion Hulk Hogan. At WrestleMania VII in Los Angeles, California, Hogan requested a match against Slaughter, and Slaughter accepted. At WrestleMania, the slaughter lost the WWF Championship to Hogan. Colonel Mustafa, Slaughter's old nemesis, was introduced by Slaughter after WrestleMania. For months, Slaughter and Hogan feud, including the team of Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior triumphing over Adnan and Mustafa.

Slaughter made a name for herself after finishing the Hogan feud, appearing in vignettes next to American landmarks, saying, "I want my country back." Jim Duggan was the target of The Nasty Boys during an episode of Superstars, but Slaughter saved the job. Duggan and Slaughter teamed up to defeat the Nasty Boys and embarked on the Nasty Boys as the team's representative for the next month. Moreover, the murderer would argue with GM Adnan and Col. Mustafa, losing every match in his feud with the heel duo. In June 1992, Slaughter was taken off television and appeared on television shows against The Mountie until August of that year. Slaughter's last regular WWF match, against Nailz, was in October 1992 and ended in no contest until Nailz violently attacked Slaughter before the match could begin.

From October 1992 to June 1994, Slaughter appeared on air. He made his first wrestling appearance in over a year when he appeared on a house show version of a Royal Rumble at Madison Square Garden on January 17, 1994. He was tossed out by Crush after helping to eliminate Adam Bomb. He will compete in July and Pennsylvania later this year, facing and defeating Quebecer Pierre. In September, he left the company.

After a hiatus, he returned to WWF television on August 4, 1997, assuming the role of on-air commissioner by (kayfabe) President Gorilla Monsoon, who had to be off camera due to health issues. He was initially popular, but he later became the object of D-Generation X, who gave him the name "Sgt." Slobber. Shawn Michaels and Triple H were paired in a match for Michaels' European Championship in an episode of Raw Is War. Michaels lost the belt to Helmsley by lying down in the ring. At the December pay-per-view match, the murderer challenged Triple H to a Boot Camp match, which he lost. Triple H's feud with Triple H continued into WrestleMania XIV, where he handcuffed Chyna to keep her from participating in Helmsley's match against Owen Hart. However, Slaughter's attempts were futile, as Chyna spit powder into his eyes, interfered with the game nonetheless, and hurled Slaughter into the front row.

Slaughter turned heel, Vince McMahon, Gerald Brisco, and Pat Patterson joined him in 1998, becoming McMahon's on-screen missingies, including Steve Austin, who became McMahon's rivals; running errands for him and giving punishment to McMahon's opponents. Slaughter relinquished the position of commissioner to Shawn Michaels in late 1998 and largely disappeared from television.

Slaughter appeared from time to time in the ring, mainly at house shows. Kurt Angle and Funaki were among the younger wrestlers on Raw to take over younger wrestlers. In the gimmick Battle Royal, which was won by The Iron Sheik, the Slaughter made an appearance at WrestleMania X-Seven. After the game, the slaughter took revenge by locking the Sheik in the cobra clutch. During the Invasion storyline in non-wrestling roles, he appeared on both Raw and SmackDown, often in conjunction with Vince McMahon.

Orton lost to Randy Orton on Raw on November 24, 2003, as Orton became the Legend Killer.

In his "Master Lock Challenge," Slaughter lost, he appeared on June 13, 2005, during his special appearance to face Chris Masters in his "Master Lock Challenge." On the 5th episode of Raw, thened Edge was revived by the actor. As part of the 2006 Diva Search Competition, he appeared on the BBC episode "Diva Boot Camp" segment on July 4, 2006.

He appeared on Raw on October 2nd, defeating Nicky from the Spirit Squad on a roll-up after D-Generation X banned him from touching the Titan Tron. As he faced Kenny of the Spirit Squad, Slaughter appeared on the October 23 Raw in Ric Flair's corner. After Kenny cheated to win the game, Slaughter Dusty Rhodes and Roddy Piper cleared the tag champions from the competition. At Cyber Sunday, Slaughter was one of three options available to fans between himself, Roddy Piper, and Dusty Rhodes, but did not win the lottery. Slaughter, Ron Simmons of Flair, Ron Simmons, and Dusty Rhodes were matched against four members of the Spirit Squad in a Survivor Series match at Survivor Series. Slaughter was disqualified in the match, but his team did win, with Flair as the sole survivor.

Slaughter appeared in a 30-man combat royal for a chance to face John Cena in the main event of the WWE Championship, but he was disqualified from the contest and did not get the title shot. He competed for the WWE Tag Team Championship alongside Jimmy Snuka at the Vengeance: Night of Champions pay-per-view in June 2007. They were disqualified in their first attempt at the titles. On the 30th episode of Raw, Randy Orton was confronted, only to become another survivor of the "Legend Killer" and was wheeled out on a stretcher. Slaughter appeared on Raw XV, the 15th anniversary of Raw XV, on December 10, 2007, when the 15th anniversary Battle Royal took place. On an episode of Raw on March 31, 2008, Slaughter paid tribute to longtime friend Ric Flair at the end of the program. He appeared on Raw's 800th episode in Kung Fu Naki's dance-off and also appeared in the Slammy Awards.

On January 13, 2009, Slaughter, who had been working as a producer for WWE for the past several years, was fired from his backstage producer duties with the organization.

In a tag team match with George "The Beast" Steele, he made his first appearance on the independent circuit after his 1997 WWF debut. He would not wrestle for WWF/WWE until making two appearances for the WWA in 2003. Starting in 2006, he began slowing down, competing just a few times a year. He defeated former Kamala at IWC Night of Legends in Franklin, Pennsylvania, on March 28, 2009. He played in 2013 and two matches in 2014, the most tag team matches, to start off his career. His last two matches were for Northeast Wrestling (NEW), a sport he had competed for in the past. Jeff Starr and Dalton Castle and Jake Manning defeated Dalton Castle and Jake Manning on March 29, 2014.

On August 10, 2009, he was the special guest host on Raw, where he ridiculed Canadians and declared that the United States is the world's largest nation. On October 2, 2009, he appeared on Decade of SmackDown, where he had an altercation with the Iron Sheik about which country was the best, USA or Iran. Slaughter will be on November 15, 2010's Old School RAW defeating Alberto Del Rio in a single minute and 53 seconds. In 68 seconds on June 27, 2011, then lost to Jack Swagger in 68 seconds. Slaughter appeared on Smackdown with Jim Duggan and Santino Marella, defeating Drew McIntyre, Huncio, and Camacho for the Great American Bash on July 3, 2012. He appeared on Raw's December 31, 2012, where he was defeated by then-United States Champion Antonio Cesaro in a match for the WWE United States Championship. He lost the game and was unable to win the title. This will be WWE's last match. After receiving the most votes for the Great Khali vs. Damien Sandow match, he appeared on Old School RAW as the special guest referee.

Slaughter appeared on Raw's November 24, 2014, where he confronted United States Champion Rusev and his valet, Lana, and threatened to compel Lana and Rusev to recite the Pledge of Allegiance (instead, according to Daniel Bryan, who was hosting the show that night, as he would be compelled to defend his title against the entire Raw roster). Rusev refused and faced Slaughter, who wouldn't back down; however, Jack Swagger and his aide, Zeb Colter, arrived and fouled Rusev off. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by Swagger, Colter, and Slaughter, who ended by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Slaughter appeared at the Tribute to the Troops show on December 17, 2014, and aided Dean Ambrose in defeating Bray Wyatt by giving him his steel-toe boot to use on Wyatt.

On July 22, 2019, and on the Legends Night special episode of Raw, Slaughter made a one-night appearance at WWE for the special Raw Reunion.

Slaughter was on hand at the NXT's February 5, 2020 episode.

Source