Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Listen Up, Maggots! Sgt. Slaughter Rocked Fresno 35 Years Ago
David Website Replacement
By David Taub, Senior Reporter
Published 5 years ago on
November 21, 2019

Share

Patriotism, conservatism, and kicking Commie butts could be a mantra that not only applied to politics in 1984, but to pro wrestling as well.
Only a few weeks after Ronald Reagan won reelection in a landslide, the WWF held a card at Selland Arena in Fresno on Nov. 25, 1984. It was the wrestling promotion’s fourth card in the city that year following the WWF’s initial foray into Fresno.

Photo of GV Wire's David Taub
David Taub
Opinion

WWF and Slaughter Invaded Fresno 35 Years Ago

The main event saw super patriot Sgt. Slaughter go to war on the mat with his enemy, the evil Iron Sheik of Iran. The two men had been battling and spilling blood against each other for most of the year.
It’s believed to be the first Fresno match for Slaughter, a future WWF Hall of Famer. Unlike baseball, where decades of box scores are available on the internet, wrestling results are scattered and generally lost to history. While in theory, Slaughter (real name Robert Remus) could have wrestled in Fresno before 1984, it would have been under a different gimmick.
For many years, Slaughter was the bad guy, a mean-spirited drill sergeant who thrived on pain and humiliation. He adopted the gimmick in the late 1970s, playing off his real-life Marine Corps service, and established himself as one of the world’s top wrestlers.
But, a chance run-in with the Sheik in February 1984 rekindled Sarge’s love of country. While the feud peaked with a Boot Camp match at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden in June that stained the mats red, the Slaughter-Sheik matchup continued to headline as the WWF expanded to more markets.
Fresno was one of them. It was part of Vince McMahon’s strategy to take his northeast-based company national. Syndicating his shows across the country was part of that strategy. In Fresno, “Superstars of Wrestling” aired Saturdays at 10 p.m. on KAIL-53.

The Card

The 1984 Fresno card in a Fresno Bee ad.
According to an ad in The Fresno Bee at the time, and results from The History of WWE, 8,603 fans saw Slaughter pin the Sheik that night. It was the largest reported attendance of the four Fresno shows in 1984. The show took place the Sunday evening after Thanksgiving.
In other matches, Bret Hart opened with a time-limit draw with Rick McGraw. While Hart would go on to become one of the all-time greats — five-time WWF champion, Hall of Famer and considered one of the best in-ring performers — in 1984, he was just another wrestler, lost in the shuffle. Long before he became the “Hitman,” Hart had a cowboy gimmick.
Jerry Brisco defeated Brutus Beefcake by DQ. Brisco later became a long-time agent (or producer) for the WWF. Beefcake, the bad guy here, had just started his WWF career. This was years prior to adopting the gimmick as “The Barber.”
Brisco’s brother, Jack, defeated Rene Goulet. Brisco was wrapping up his storied career, a former college champion turned World Heavyweight champion of the mat game.
The other match saw Blackjack Mulligan defeat Prof. Toru Tanaka by pin. Tanaka substituted for the Ugandan Giant Kamala, who quit a few weeks before the Fresno card. Apparently, it was too late to change the print advertisement. Tanaka came out of retirement to fill in for Kamala for the week, while the WWF toured the West Coast.

One of Sarge’s Last WWF Matches at the Time

In an era where most big-name wrestlers joined the WWF, a week after his Fresno match, Slaughter quit the WWF.
For Slaughter, he had a bigger opportunity that presented a conflict, a chance to work as the spokesman for the G.I. Joe toy line. The deal created problems with WWF promoter Vince McMahon.
According to an interview on the Prime Time with Sean Mooney podcast, McMahon told Slaughter that the WWF had a deal with another toymaker, LJN. If he wanted to go with G.I. Joe and its maker Hasbro, he couldn’t do it while with the WWF.
“I went home dejected, and didn’t know what to do,” Slaughter said. He gave his notice, against McMahon’s wishes, telling him “I can always be a wrestler, but I can’t always be a G.I. Joe.”
For the next five years, Slaughter was the living embodiment of a G.I. Joe. He appeared in the commercials for the action figures, appeared on the cartoon show, and even had a figure of his own.
Slaughter continued in the ring, mainly with the AWA. By 1990, Slaughter’s G.I. Joe deal expired, and he returned to the WWF, once again as a bad guy, the return of the dreaded drill sergeant.

Sarge’s Return

World hostilities dictated the future of Slaughter’s wrestling career. Iraq invited Kuwait. The United States intervened to help liberate its ally in the Middle East.
Slaughter eschewed his loyalty to America, trading his American camouflage for Iraqi khakis. Slaughter became a Saddam Hussein sympathizer, and instantly the No. 1 bad guy in the WWF by the fall of 1990.
When Slaughter turned his back on his country, the conflict in the Middle East was just brooding. By January 1991, it escalated into a full-out war. Pro wrestling fantasy became real.
Slaughter said he received numerous death threats and needed extra security. The added notoriety benefited Slaughter in the ring. He won the WWF championship from the Ultimate Warrior at the 1991 Royal Rumble.
In the ultimate role reversal, Slaughter — the Middle East sympathizer — headlined WrestleMania VII against the WWF’s resident superhero and super patriot, Hulk Hogan.
Eventually, Slaughter became a good guy again, wanting his country back. He stepped away as a full-time wrestler in 1992. To this day, he continues to make appearances at wrestling conventions and events for what is now the WWE. On occasion, he will don the tights.
But, it was 35 years ago that Fresno fans got a taste of Slaughter, and his brand of pro wrestling patriotism, for the first time.

Sarge kindly didn’t beat me up when we met at WrestleMania 31 in Santa Clara in 2015 (David Taub)

DON'T MISS

What to Know About Pam Bondi, Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General

DON'T MISS

North Korean Leader Says Past Diplomacy Only Confirmed US Hostility

DON'T MISS

Democrats Strike Deal to Get More Biden Judges Confirmed Before Congress Adjourns

DON'T MISS

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

DON'T MISS

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

DON'T MISS

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

DON'T MISS

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

DON'T MISS

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

DON'T MISS

Average Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage in the US Rises to Highest Level Since July

DON'T MISS

Cutting in Line? American Airlines’ New Boarding Tech Might Stop You at Now Over 100 Airports

UP NEXT

Chris Stapleton Wins 4 CMA Awards, but Morgan Wallen Is Entertainer of the Year

UP NEXT

How Trump Can Earn a Place in History That He Did Not Expect

UP NEXT

Demography Drives Destiny and Right Now California Is Losing

UP NEXT

Hate Your Instagram Feed? New Reset Feature Enhances User Control

UP NEXT

Defining Deviancy Down. And Down. And Down.

UP NEXT

Looking for a Night Out? Bill Burr, Ralph Barbosa and West Coast Takeover Are Up Next

UP NEXT

Comcast to Spin Off Cable Networks, Once Star Performers for the Entertainment Giant

UP NEXT

How Three Trump Policy Decrees Could Affect California Farmers

UP NEXT

‘Tis the Season for Holiday Albums, From Jennifer Hudson to Toby Keith and Jimmy Fallon

UP NEXT

Donald Trump Is Already Starting to Fail

David Taub,
Senior Reporter
Curiosity drives David Taub. The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices. Taub has been honored with several writing awards from the California News Publishers Association. He's just happy to have his stories read. Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man). Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl. When not spending time with his family, Taub loves to officially score Fresno Grizzlies games. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taub is a die-hard Giants and 49ers fan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with dual degrees in communications and political science. Go Blue! You can contact David at 559-492-4037 or at Send an Email

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

9 hours ago

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

9 hours ago

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

9 hours ago

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

10 hours ago

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

10 hours ago

Average Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage in the US Rises to Highest Level Since July

10 hours ago

Cutting in Line? American Airlines’ New Boarding Tech Might Stop You at Now Over 100 Airports

10 hours ago

MLB Will Test Robot Umpires at 13 Spring Training Ballparks Hosting 19 Teams

11 hours ago

Death Toll in Gaza From Israel-Hamas War Passes 44,000, Palestinian Officials Say

11 hours ago

Jussie Smollett’s Conviction in 2019 Attack on Himself Is Overturned

11 hours ago

What to Know About Pam Bondi, Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General

NEW YORK — Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, was chosen Thursday by Donald Trump to serve as U.S. attorney general hours after...

7 hours ago

7 hours ago

What to Know About Pam Bondi, Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General

8 hours ago

North Korean Leader Says Past Diplomacy Only Confirmed US Hostility

8 hours ago

Democrats Strike Deal to Get More Biden Judges Confirmed Before Congress Adjourns

9 hours ago

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

President Joe Biden with Mary Barra, the chief executive of General Motors, at the Detroit Auto Show, Sept. 14, 2022. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to erase the Biden administration’s tailpipe rules designed to get carmakers to produce electric vehicles, but most U.S. automakers want to keep them. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
9 hours ago

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

9 hours ago

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

10 hours ago

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally at First Horizon Coliseum, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Greensboro, NC. (AP/Alex Brandon)
10 hours ago

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend