Jump to content

How the real Slaughter got the Joe gig in the 80s


Zanzibar

Recommended Posts

From pwinsider.com Q and A

 

 

Q: I'm a huge G.I. Joe and wrestling fan. Since Sgt. Slaughter was in the G.I. Joe Comic Books, Cartoon, Movie, and a few G.I. Joe action figures made of him, I was wondering how that 'deal' came about and where 'Sarge' was working when it all happened?.... He does the voice-over for himself, and I remember seeing him 'in between' commercials on the cartoon (the real him - not cartoon). I have old wrestling magazines with Sgt. Slaughter wearing the same outfit in the ring that Hasbro made of him as a toy. (The Toy came first since the 'in the ring pic' has him wearing G.I.Joe down his legs.)

 

A: Sgt. Slaughter was working for the AWA at the time he worked out the G.I. Joe deal. Hasbro liked the idea of having a "real life" G.I. Joe for commercial and promotional appearances, and saw Slaughter as an easy fit for the role, since he was already established as the type of character they wanted. They approached Slaughter, a deal was worked out, and Slaughter became part of the show, and even put the logo on his ring gear. The relationship lasted until Slaughter left the AWA, and went to the WWF to become a heel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This doesn't sound entirely accurate because I remember there being a Slaughter/G.I. JOE connection even once he was in the WWF. I know for a fact I have a Joe order form featuring Slaughter that shows him standing on a pile of other WWF wrestling figures.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah Slaughter was in the WWF at the time his figure was released. He left the AWA in the early 80`s, and more or less stayed in the WWE throughout .He was bad when he first came to the WWE, but he turned face shortly after. He turned bad again in 91 at the time of the gulf war. A few years after Hasbro stoped making Slaughter figs for the Joe line. If anyone knows otherwise feel free to correct me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

heres a portion of Sgt Slaughter the wrestler where he was in the years he was gi joe character

from wikipedia.org

 

However, with the emergence of Hulk Hogan as the WWF Champion and lead face within the company, Slaughter would leave for the AWA.

 

It was rumored that Slaughter left because he couldn't secure a title shot with then WWF Intercontinental Champion Greg Valentine, but contractual issues were probably the real reason behind his departure (it is also rumored that he tried to form a wrestler's union, and when WWF owner Vince McMahon heard of it, he fired Slaughter). Slaughter would receive a considerable push in the AWA throughout 1985 and 1986, becoming the AWA America's Heavyweight Champion, defeating Larry Zbyszko, shortly after his arrival. He would go on to defend the title against wrestlers like Zbyszko, Kamala, Boris Zukhov, and Nick Bockwinkel (before the belt was inactivated) and feud with Shiek Adnan Al-Kaissey and his stable of wrestlers, the Road Warriors, and Col. DeBeers. He would even challenge Stan Hansen for the AWA title.

 

In 1987, Slaughter was less active in the ring, having signed a contract with Hasbro to do voice overs for his self-titled character in the popular cartoon series G.I. Joe. His character also became a part of the Hasbro product line.

 

In 1988, Slaughter returned to wrestling in the AWA, resuming some of his past feuds with the likes of Shiek Adnan Al-Kaissey, the Iron Sheik and Col. DeBeers. He would also become a top contender to the AWA World title during Larry Zbyszko's reign in 1989 and was a team captain for the AWA's ill-fated Team Challenge Series during the first half of 1990.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sarge was definitely in AWA in the late 80s, as the first memory I have of pro wrestling is Sarge being beaten down by DeBeers, Zhukov & someone else (inlcuding a "spike to the eye" gimmick) on my birthday in 1988.

 

And as an interesting side note, Sgt. Slaughter & i share the same birthday, August 27. Very cool. #US1#

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was in Toys R' Us the other day looking for the new GI Joe comic packs. Nearby were some wrestling figures and the name 'Sgt Slaughter' caught my eye. I looked at the pack and figured it must be an error. It was meant to contain the Iron Sheik and Sgt Slaughter, but all I saw was a pair of Iron Sheik figures. Then I took a closer look and realized that it was not in reference to the 1980s period, but the 1990s period when Sarge was supposedly in league with Saddam Hussein with that WWF storyline. I could see the Sarge's tinted glasses and foot-long chin sticking out from under one of those sheik headgarbs. I wonder what his reaction would be if someone at the con brought that and asked him to sign it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Find Action Figures on Ebay

×
×
  • Create New...
Sign Up For The TNI Newsletter And Have The News Delivered To You!


Entertainment News International (ENI) is the #1 popular culture network for adult fans all around the world.
Get the scoop on all the popular comics, games, movies, toys, and more every day!

Contact and Support

Advertising | Submit News | Contact ENI | Privacy Policy

©Entertainment News International - All images, trademarks, logos, video, brands and images used on this website are registered trademarks of their respective companies and owners. All Rights Reserved. Data has been shared for news reporting purposes only. All content sourced by fans, online websites, and or other fan community sources. Entertainment News International is not responsible for reporting errors, inaccuracies, omissions, and or other liablities related to news shared here. We do our best to keep tabs on infringements. If some of your content was shared by accident. Contact us about any infringements right away - CLICK HERE