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Post by Trent Valentine on May 20, 2010 12:37:17 GMT -5
I can understand why it got inducted in Wrestlecrap..but in some ways, it worked. Plus its not really Slaughter's idea. Slaughter had said that Hogan refused to work with anyone that would take away his crowd support, so he and Vince came up with the whole Iraqi Character. Soon he was joined by General Adnan and Colonel Mustafa. But what really got the fans hot was he represented them..he was the WWF Champion.
And I must say..the crowd really got into it. The angle was so real that Slaughter was refused services at restaurants, he was given bomb threats, and his home had to be guarded 24/7.
But why was this angle so terrible? Yes I understand it was due to Operation Desert Storm, but the angle reinvented Slaughter and it made him a good heel. He even had his picture taken with Saddam Huessien. It made for a good story because the fans wanted that belt back on American Soil, they needed a real American to fight for them..Hulk Hogan. After feuding with Hogan for the rest of the year, Slaughter saw the error of his ways and decided he wants his country back.
Yes..I know, the angle was tasteless, but it had its moments. But why do many view it as horrible?
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Post by mydixiewrecked on May 20, 2010 23:04:12 GMT -5
as a kid I enjoyed the angle, especially that the belt was held by a heel
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andrew8798
FANatic
on 24/7 this month
Posts: 106,081 
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Post by andrew8798 on May 21, 2010 0:44:02 GMT -5
As A Kid I loved It. But I can see why some people wouldn't
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Post by i.Sarita.com on May 21, 2010 4:38:11 GMT -5
Desert Storm was a joke of a war anyway that lasted less than 3 days. Only 147 Americans killed in action, and only 467 wounded. So it's not like building an angle out of OIF or OEF that has been going on for almost a decade now between the two with 4,200 plus combat deaths and nearly 37,000 wounded.
Desert Storm was a big deal then and on the forefront of things regardless, and got good enough heat without stirring up anything too awful.
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Post by Icecap on May 21, 2010 9:17:25 GMT -5
I can understand why it got inducted in Wrestlecrap..but in some ways, it worked. No it didn't. They had to move WrestleMania to a much smaller arena because of poor ticket sales. The feud was a flop. Regardless of the scope of the war, the angle was still a pathetic attempt to cash in on an armed conflict in which people lost their lives. |
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mrjl
Fry's dog Seymour
Posts: 20,319
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Post by mrjl on May 22, 2010 10:34:56 GMT -5
I can understand why it got inducted in Wrestlecrap..but in some ways, it worked. Plus its not really Slaughter's idea. Slaughter had said that Hogan refused to work with anyone that would take away his crowd support, so he and Vince came up with the whole Iraqi Character. Soon he was joined by General Adnan and Colonel Mustafa. But what really got the fans hot was he represented them..he was the WWF Champion. And I must say..the crowd really got into it. The angle was so real that Slaughter was refused services at restaurants, he was given bomb threats, and his home had to be guarded 24/7. But why was this angle so terrible? Yes I understand it was due to Operation Desert Storm, but the angle reinvented Slaughter and it made him a good heel. He even had his picture taken with Saddam Huessien. It made for a good story because the fans wanted that belt back on American Soil, they needed a real American to fight for them..Hulk Hogan. After feuding with Hogan for the rest of the year, Slaughter saw the error of his ways and decided he wants his country back. Yes..I know, the angle was tasteless, but it had its moments. But why do many view it as horrible? why would they even plan the Hogan/Slaughter feud without the Iraqi thing? |
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Sephiroth
Wade Wilson
Surviving
Posts: 28,894
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Post by Sephiroth on May 22, 2010 13:29:18 GMT -5
First off, no one knew how low key Desert Storm was gonna be at the time. Saddam Hussein was talking a good game and Americans had not been involved in a major conflict in a long time. No one knew what to expect, and henve were preparing for the worst.
Second, the whole thing was so rushed. It seemed right out of nowhere. And it was such a break from Slaughters previous image. And some it was downright stupid. The "photo" of Slaughter with Hussein was freaking cut and pasted. Slaughters partner was The Iron Sheik, who he had spent the previous decade having an epic feud with. And all the story's about fans hating it so much that Slaughter got death threats were kayfabe, I.e. bull. And it ended as abrupt as it started.
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Garee
King Koopa
I miss the old days
Posts: 11,338
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Post by Garee on May 22, 2010 14:21:21 GMT -5
As a kid I enjoyed the angle, mainly because I bought the whole thing. Vince is always ready to cash in on anything in the papers
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Jay Peas 42
El Dandy
Totally flips out ALL the time.
Is looking forward to a Nation of Domination Kwannza Special.
Posts: 8,329
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Post by Jay Peas 42 on May 22, 2010 22:05:41 GMT -5
I say, if you are going to be a heel, you might as be a heel.
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agent817
Fry's dog Seymour
Doesn't Know Whose Ring It Is
Posts: 21,159
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Post by agent817 on May 22, 2010 23:04:10 GMT -5
I read that Wrestlemania was originally going to be held at the LA Memorial Coliseum but there was supposedly talk of a terrorist act that was going to take place there. I wasn't sure if some would think that there would've been a sniper or a bombing take place, but the induction sure used the pun in such a good way. The fact that it was moved was more or less because had Wrestlemania been held at that stadium, it would've bombed in sales because not a lot of tickets were being sold, so it was held at the LA Memorial Sports Arena instead.
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CaptainFall
Samurai Cop
'Fascinating is the word of the day'
Posts: 2,151
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Post by CaptainFall on Jun 19, 2010 7:00:31 GMT -5
Poor taste yeah but when has taste ever really come into wrestling. I wouldn't class it as crap because it's not a stupid angle as they're trying to build up a heel for Hogan to feud with but cashing in on wars (especially while they're still going on) is a cheap trick.
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Post by Jim Stansel on Jun 20, 2010 13:09:56 GMT -5
Desert Storm was a joke of a war anyway that lasted less than 3 days. Only 147 Americans killed in action, and only 467 wounded. So it's not like building an angle out of OIF or OEF that has been going on for almost a decade now between the two with 4,200 plus combat deaths and nearly 37,000 wounded. Desert Storm was a big deal then and on the forefront of things regardless, and got good enough heat without stirring up anything too awful. Dude you should never use the term ONLY before referring to people being killed or injured. I am sorry but thats wicked offensive. |
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Post by johnnyk9 on Jun 22, 2010 9:43:26 GMT -5
His "I Want My Country Back" promos were really good Sarge was really great at everything he did and he doesn't get enough credit for it in my opinion
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Post by i.Sarita.com on Jun 27, 2010 0:17:23 GMT -5
Desert Storm was a joke of a war anyway that lasted less than 3 days. Only 147 Americans killed in action, and only 467 wounded. So it's not like building an angle out of OIF or OEF that has been going on for almost a decade now between the two with 4,200 plus combat deaths and nearly 37,000 wounded. Desert Storm was a big deal then and on the forefront of things regardless, and got good enough heat without stirring up anything too awful. Dude you should never use the term ONLY before referring to people being killed or injured. I am sorry but thats wicked offensive. I'm a Combat Infantry Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I've been to war, been wounded and awarded a Purple Heart, and understand the reality of it more than the normal person would. Sorry if my comments sounded harsh, but it is what it is...I love each and every Soldier who's ever laid down their life for our country, but I also understand the difference between a real war and a simple skirmish, and thats all my point really ment. |
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Post by simongr81 on Jul 1, 2010 10:54:34 GMT -5
Personally I definitely do not think it was Wrestlecrap. I was really into it at age 14 (granted I was an immature mark) but the crowds really seemed into it. I've read Gen. Adnan's book (and HIGHLY recommend it) and he says the death threats were real and remembers the angle being red hot. www.amazon.com/Sheik-Baghdad-Celebrity-Wrestlings-General/dp/1572437308 Not sure what version is true regarding the arena switch. I've never heard of an arena switch because of bad sales before this. Of course it made no sense to switch the Sarge at all to an Iraqi symathizer, but that by itself does not make it wrestlecrap. One could argue putting an Iranian in an Iraqi uniform was crap, (the Iron Sheik HATES Iraq) but it has always been the policy to put all types of "anti-American" types (Commies, Iranians, Russians, Iraqis, New Zealanders, Canadians, South Africans (I know not all these groups are not anti-American)) together who teamed against America for the "greater good" in their minds. |
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Post by Jim Stansel on Jul 1, 2010 11:31:31 GMT -5
Dude you should never use the term ONLY before referring to people being killed or injured. I am sorry but thats wicked offensive. I'm a Combat Infantry Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I've been to war, been wounded and awarded a Purple Heart, and understand the reality of it more than the normal person would. Sorry if my comments sounded harsh, but it is what it is...I love each and every Soldier who's ever laid down their life for our country, but I also understand the difference between a real war and a simple skirmish, and thats all my point really ment. Well sir I thank you very much for your service. I do see your point and appreciate your perspective. I thought it sounded harsh at the time, but i see where your coming from, having been there first hand. Thanks again for all you do for our country. |
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SAJ Forth
Wade Wilson
Jamaican WCF Crazy!
Half Man-Half Amazing
Posts: 27,214
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Post by SAJ Forth on Jul 1, 2010 15:07:22 GMT -5
I feel like This Angle did some sort of long term damage to his career.
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Post by simongr81 on Jul 1, 2010 18:20:12 GMT -5
I feel like This Angle did some sort of long term damage to his career. Agreed, it did hurt his reputation for a while. But I think now everyone knows it's a total act, not that most didn't before. Nowadays I don'think people care about it. |
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Futureraven: Beelzebruv
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
The Ultimate Arbiter of Right And Wrong
Spent half my life here, God help me
Posts: 15,023
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Post by Futureraven: Beelzebruv on Jul 2, 2010 6:05:53 GMT -5
I read that Wrestlemania was originally going to be held at the LA Memorial Coliseum but there was supposedly talk of a terrorist act that was going to take place there. I wasn't sure if some would think that there would've been a sniper or a bombing take place, but the induction sure used the pun in such a good way. The fact that it was moved was more or less because had Wrestlemania been held at that stadium, it would've bombed in sales because not a lot of tickets were being sold, so it was held at the LA Memorial Sports Arena instead. As has been said many times, yes, they moved it because Vince was very scared there would be a bomb  |
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Post by simongr81 on Jul 2, 2010 7:16:18 GMT -5
On page 317 of "The Death of WCW" which RD Reynolds co-wrote with Bryan Alvarez it's mentioned that along with Wrestlemania III, Wrestlemania VII was one of the two highest money making wrestling cards (for any promotion in any country) and that was as of 1995, 4 years after the event.
So yes, the gimmick did get over and though I believe turning Sgt. Slaughter turncoat made zilcho sense, it was not in my opinion Wrestlecrap.
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