Only 4 men became real life G.I. Joe's. Sarg was the first. A PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER. The others were Chicago Bear William "The Refrigerator" Perry, L.A. King Wayne Gretzky and Chicago Bull Michael Jordan. ONLY Sarg and Fridge got Mattel figures tho.
Slaughter was a very big guy, he was overweight and middle aged when he had those matches with Warrior, yet he took hellacious bumps. He never cheated fans of a great performance.
Alot of people forget how big sarge was, he was second after hogan in new york and his feud with the sheik helped build the road to the first wrestlemania.
Oh yeah, I love Sgt. he played a huge part in how massive it got back then. Just blew it up.. The sympathizer was an awesome character for him it worked people hated them lol .
I met Sgt at an airport. Shook his hand, had a nice exchange of words then I excused myself and went back to my seat. I grew up watching him and it was a delight to meet him. Very approachable.
For my 10th birthday in 1991, my dad got me Sgt. Slaughter vs Ultimate Warrior cage match tickets in Detroit. It was the greatest thing I had ever seen up until that point in my life. Nothing topped that for a long time.
I was at a house show in Fresno for that. I know it was Slaughter vs Warrior in a Steele cage. I remember Warrior pulling part of or all of Sherri’s dress off and taking Sarge’s solider helmet and wearing it. Did they do the same thing in Detroit?
I went to a cage match with Backland vs Slaughter. My seat was right at the cage door. I remember, Slaughters' whole body was outside the cage, inches from touching the floor, Backland had his one foot & pulled him back in! I was 12 years old & with my dad. It was awesome! It's actually on utube and I froze the few seconds when u can see us.
That's fantastic. My dad took me to SummerSlam in London (92) and read the newspaper for almost the entire event. He lowered the newspaper only twice. For the entrance of the Undertaker and the Road Warriors. When the bell rang he went back to his paper. I think Warrior was against Randy Savage at that event.
@LukeF, that’s kind of sad. I will never forget the time my dad took my brother and I to a wrestling event. It was a house show at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis and I was disappointed that the Ultimate Warrior wasn’t there, but my dad made it so much fun. He didn’t like wrestling, but he played the character of a diehard fan to perfection just to make us happy. He kept screaming, “watch out! He’s got a chain!” during the matches. He would cheer the heels and boo the faces. It was amazing. I remember the “main event” involved Andre the Giant. Dad passed away last year, and our relationship hadn’t been great for a few years, but he was great. He was a great dad.
Sgt. Slaughter was huge when I was a kid. So was the Warrior. I was a 6th grader in 1986, so the whole Rock and Wrestling era was in my cross hairs. I loved WWF and so did my school friends, I remember not being able to wait to get to school to discuss the previous nights matches. I Loved Roddy Piper as well for his abilities with a live microphone. Long Live Sgt. Slaughter!! 🙌🏽💪🏽 Rest In Peace: Macho Man, André The Giant, Eddie Guerrero and all of the rest of the Wrestling Legends who have left this world too early! 🙏🏽
I was in the 9th grade in '86 living in Houston and was a big fan also. We used to wrestle one another during gym class and someone always got hurt. I had plenty of bruises and I thought I'd broken my arm once but it was all in good fun😊
@@youtubepro9201 Yes Sir! 5) Jimmy Superfly Snuka 4) Macho Man Randy Savage 3) Andre The Giant 2) Kerry Von Erich 1) Eddie Guerrero Honorable Mentions: Ric Flair, Undertaker, The American Dream Dusty Rhodes, Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson, The Road Warriors, Kamala, All of The Samoans, Terry Funk, Gino Hernandez, Terry Bam Bam Gordy, Roddy Piper, Iron Sheik, Junkyard Dog, Sgt. Slaughter, Ricky The Dragon Steamboat, The Gentleman Chris Adams, The Rest of The Von Erichs, The Rest of The Freebirds, King Kong Bundy, Jerry The King Lawler, Bam Bam Bigelow, Ice Man King Parsons, Sting, Bret Hart, Greg The Hammer Valentine and Hulk Hogan Managers: Captain Lou Albano, Jim Coronette, Bobby The Brain Heenan, Jimmy Crockett, Miss Elizabeth, J. J. Dillon Man! That was a fun trip down memory lane!! It's so sad to think that the majority of these people are no longer with us. Rest In Eternal Peace to all those who gave me such entertaining Wrestling matches. EDIT: I forgot to mention my favorite announcer- Mean Gene!!! 🔥
I suppose it isn't all that important however I think auto-correct might have auto-screwed you on Long Live Sgt. Slaughter. It's crazy because that thing might just be the single greatest and the single worst invention ever made. lol.
Memories from an old man: I distinctly remember (which is a miracle) seeing Sgt. and the Iron Sheik feud live more than once. That America vs Iran buildup was real for me as a little kid. You got so geeked up when the coliseum would start chanting USA and all that. Great memories.
"The ultimate puke and the immortal slime" Haha, I love Sarge. Such a funny, humble, nice guy for being one of the biggest wrestlers of the 80's, not to mention a living friggin' GI Joe!
I quit watching wrestling in 1987, but saw it during what I think was the very best time. I always marveled how a man the size of Sgt. could move. Thanks for this great and interesting interview.
That was great advice from his wife. Honestly Sarge in GI Joe was awesome, transcended wreatling. And he still ended up going back and making a living for himself for many years after that. 👍
3:45 that picture is amazing because it’s the first time I got to see the real unedited picture from the title of WWF Royal Rumble on SNES. Had a lot of great memories playing that game with friends.
I have watched a Bill Apter's interviews, on and off, for about two years now. When I first watched him, I thought he was too nice to be in wrestling. I also saw that he gives amazing interviews and has great connection and respect with wrestlers. He seems like a joy to have around. I wish I would have found his videos earlier. His interviews are entertaining, funny and they make the viewer feel good. Thank you very much for what you do! Sgt. Slaughter has a PHENOMENAL wife by the way! It sounds like she helped him during a stressful time, where Vince McMahon potentially could have taken advantage of him.
Savage's run-in on Warrior at Rumble 91 is still my favorite ever run in ambush. The stuff before the scepter shot with the aisleway and lighting stand was BRUTAL and it still looks amazing. Funnily enough, I recently came across that vhs tape during a move. It has the huge blue case with all the participants drawn out on a street which looks really cool
OBVIOUSLY a huge Warrior mark from childhood here; I feel like few can accept that the dude was massively over with the target audience of the period, while ALSO being sloppy and reckless in the ring. They can both be true. Great shoot, always loved Slaughter too as a kid!
@@universaltalentbookings1389 That's BS. Warrior had more in ring skill than most people give him credit for. His moveset wasn't one dimensional. The man could leap shoulder tackle like non other, had great looking lariats, backdrop suplex was on a great axis and the drop looked good, his atomic drops were better than hulk's, his gorilla press is second to none, he was also able to sunset flip. His rest holds like the bear hug weren't boring like some others. Have you ever watched a Warrior match or are you just parroting the running gag? "Outback Jack"? Give me a break, that statement alone disqualifies you from having any opinion regarding pro wrestling.
@@igorivanov299 You're absolutely right. Warrior was a better worker than most people want to give him credit for. Certainly wasn't any worse than Hogan.
Absolutely like him or not ultimate warrior has gone down as LEGENDARY in the history of the WWF/WWE Jim hellwigs short run as the ultimate warrior back in the 80's when he burst on to scene was incredible he was more popular than Hulk Hogan at one time
My bestfriend and I were at the Rumble in Miami when Sarge took the belt and Hogan won the Rumble. We were both 14 at the time. His mother drove us down and his older brother took us to the show. It was a heck of a night. The crowd went nuts when Slaughter won. There was a collective chant of BullS***. The place exploded when Hogan won the Rumble.
I just went and watched the match where slaughter took the belt off of warrior and Savage definitely gave warrior a vicious shot over the head with the scepter. Normally I would think that this was a gimmick shot but I 100% believe Sarge when he said that Savage was giving him a receipt for a warrior breaking his wrist.
In my opinion, his GI Joe character succeeded his wrestling character, with all due respect. Even when Slaughter turned heel, his Joe character was still the strongest patriotic and in your face American hero. To this day, his character for GI Joe is legendary and has never changed. Hopefully I get to meet him soon at a con, even though I am 45.
@im2hastyle I hope you get to as well, he's a legend in and out of the wrestling world! Go G I Joe aka Sgt. Slaughter. Hope you get an autograph too? 👍😎💪🇺🇸🙏
The hogan and warrior match was fantastic,2 amazing characters at their peak and with the exception of maybe Austin and rock there hasn’t been a bigger match since.
@@ShadowAngel-lt8nw it hardly failed to draw,it was the last year for the cctv footage in cinemas and hogan was also away to film one of his movies,wrestlemania 6 was one of the best buys and attendance for a long time
That stuff with Sarge then was just the greatest. Everyone I knew felt personally betrayed. People were irate. Absolutely insane heat. When Randy hit Warrior for real with that scepter, I felt there was no way things could be a work. But a little later I noticed Warrior giving Sarge way too much time to recover in a house show cage match and it made me wonder if it was a work. Then I got the trading cards and observed that titles only changed hands at PPV events generally. Probably also used some of the Apter mags and book to help see the narrative. Sarge was a big deal to every kid with GI Joe. Every line he says in the movie is quotable. Genius dialogue and delivery. One of the greatest movies ever in my book. It woulda been great if Sarge and Warrior got to do more in 1992 than they did. They were both top notch in 1991. Always awesome to see the Sarge in interviews today!
Hello Sgt. First of all let me say you look fantastic. We met years ago in New York City Long Island. I went to a signing I was wearing a cobra shirt and then you were so awesome and put me in the cobra clutch. I still have the photo . Please do more interviews. It’s always good to see you , and that’s an order!
Man, I thought he was lying about the Macho Man scepter smash over the head, so I went back and rewatched it. You can see a clean mat before the hit and then multiple blood spots afterwards. Awesome! I remember watching this as a kid and was pissed 😂
Yeah I sure was devastated that Royal Rumble Sunday. I NEVER thought Warrior would be losing that title to Slaughter. I was freaking 11! Cool show, Bill!
Sgt is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, I got to take my family to meet him at the pikeville con. He signed my old GI Joe stuff and gave me a cobra clutch which I promptly sold harder than anyone he ever worked with lol. So due to that, Sgt can now say he made Deadpool tap out. Lol not that he needs anyone to sell for him to be great. My daughter never got to see him wrestle, but she still brags about how amazing it was to meet Slaughter. He needs to start a boot camp for aspiring wrestlers. Or even aspiring joes. I’d pay good money to train with such a legend.
I think the biggest thing about Pro Wrestling is that it's supposed to be a performance. Like a live movie. The "Wrestlers" who argue towards being stiff/doing real shots forget the whole point. It's about seeming to be super human and keeping on going. True skill is making something look violent and doing as little damage as possible to the person you are working WITH. Otherwise try be an MMA star. Unless you just don't think you can win and want to justify hurting someone.
If you’ve never seen it, the desert storm match between him and Hulk Hogan at Madison Square Garden, was one of the best I’ve ever seen, especially with the way they sold for each other after Sarge turned heel again. Used to be here on TH-cam and maybe still is.
One of the best of all time. People who didn't grow up during these years don't realize how angry people legitimately got about it, especially considering the geopolitical tensions with Iraq at this time. The only way I can try and put it in context for people who weren't alive at this time is to say this heel turn would be like John Cena sympathizing with Al Qaeda after 9/11. Maybe not that extreme but pretty close.
Sarge was that upper mid card baby face. Like tito santana and razor ramon and ricky steamboat all experienced in their runs. Thats a great spot to be in and it makes you a huge star. Sarge was a huge star.
Not often Vince Jr. lets wrestlers have that much creative input. The Sarge has always been one of his favorites. Part of the inner circle. He trusts Slaughter.
Except for the period between 1985-1990 after Vince fired Slaughter because he had the temerity to not give Vince a % of the GI Joe figure. Vince has always been a petty narcissist.
@@crownprincesebastianjohano7069 Did you not listen to the interview, it wasn't about money but about conflict of interest since Vince was starting the WWF figurine line with LGN at the same time.
Met him at a hotel I worked at in Philly back in the 80s. He was carrying/reading a classic philosophical novel (can't recall the name) and was well spoken, polite, a gentleman.
The GI JOE shirt is Awesomeness❗️I Still remember Sarge in GI JOE the Movie like it was yesterday…. His action figure was Bad Ass! 💪 THE BEST OF TIMES NEVER TO BE DUPLICATED 🫡
I would have loved to see one of those house shows between Slaughter and Warrior, it must have been a legit brawl in there with all the stiff shots and receipts flying everywhere.
I first saw Sarge on old Georgia Championship Wrestling on TBS. I remember one time he “bladed” himself and was cut, and old announcer Gordon Solie said, “I estimate that Sgt Slaughter has lost a gallon and a half, possibly even 2 gallons of blood from that profouscious cut, that makes him look like he’s wearing a crimson mask.
My hometown was Hershey Pa & i remember going to that match at the Arena& i couldnt believe that Sarge was now this total opposite character after all these years. I was maybe 13-15 yrs old at the time. I remember Andre the Giant, Tatanka, Junkyard dog, Hacksaw Jim Duggan & of course Mr Fuji & Don Muraco& Hulk Hogan . Back when it was real wrestling not the hollywood version of it today. Thanks for the Memories of that match again Sarge & Bill Apter!!!
The craziest thing about Warrior was that he would actually pass out after his matches because of the running before and after would make him lightheaded to the point of losing consciousness. I heard he actually had an unusually small frame and had way too much muscle on that tiny frame that his cardiovascular system just could not support
Warrior`s winning streak ended when Rude beat him at WM5 when Bobby Heenan grabbed his legs while the ref couldn`t see leading to Rude being able to pin him, this set up their rematch at summerslam which was so good that it made warrior a star, he owes a lot to Rude and his ability to bump convingly.
@@michaelromandel9022 Hogan and Savage both said that Warrior was gassed out after his sprint to the ring. Dude was so yacked up on roids and probably never did any cardio training. His gimmick was over but his technical wrestling was stiff asf.
Very enjoyable video. Interesting story. I didn't know Savage knocked Warrior out for real! Sargent said he swung it like a bat and think about that..Randy used to play baseball for real!!😳
That was Hellwig's thing, he didn't ever bother to learn how to work safe. When he and Sting first came to be, they hurt, not seriously, a few guys but when given the chance o learn Sting took them up on it but Hellwig wanted the money over being safe so he bolted and Sting learned from Dusty, ric and many others. Full careers, Sting wins by a far margin where Hellwig had a few good years.
Sting had far more longevity (obviously) whereas Warrior was a more influential figure in his prime. Crow Sting did not do much but look cool and the surfer Sting was a cool character but it would be a joke to suggest that he was on the level of Warrior in the late 80's to early 90's. Second thing is Sting basically crippled Rude although it was only partially Sting's fault and an accident. Rude started collecting a pension while there does not seem to be any evidence of Warrior hurting someone badly.
@@miesvaillanykyisyytta3252 the thing with rude was a complete ACCIDENT, rude said so himself. Hellwig did 1 thing and that was shake the ropes, big f%%king deal. he couldn't wrestle and his promos sucked. Every version of Sting has an influence on fans even Crow Sting. He didn't even speak for a full year yet fans watched every single week to see what would happen. Hellwig never changed up his character, all he did when he went to texas and became the dingo warrior was put on more makeup and changed his hair when he went to the wwe. sting has re-invented himself at LEAST 4 times thru his career. like i said hellwig had a few years in wwe where sting is still going. yes his run is ending soon but he over his career has been more important to fans than his former partner.
@@miesvaillanykyisyytta3252 look at when hellwig went to wcw and they tried to team those 2 up again. fans hated it and sting wanted nothing to do with it past 1 match. the wcw fans gave almost no reaction when hellwig first came out but when sting popped out at the survivor series the fans went ballistic.
@@Crash88 You criticize the Warrior for not knowing how to wrestle but the Crow Sting did not do much other than look cool having more paint on his face than Warrior ever had. Sting was a more versatile athlete but the Warrior had a lot of moves which showed that he went to wrestling school like everybody else and had a respectable move set (there is a TH-cam video documenting tens of his moves) but just like Hogan he stuck to a certain script and was arguably smart with his body; he obviously did enough to get over big time and saved his joints in the process although heart disease got to him anyway. Maybe he would have been even more popular if he had taken his chances with high flying but it's obvious to anyone with access to Wikipedia that he became a top guy doing less. Sometimes less is more. I get your point about pops but I would argue that outside of North America most people have absolutely no clue if you show them a picture of Sting. People in Asia and Europe do recognize Warrior at least vaguely just like Hogan though not quite as much as Hogan who is the greatest of all time. I just think that says it all about who is the bigger figure in wrestling. Sting had great longevity and cool gimmicks but if you put his best gimmick toe to toe with Warrior's one and only look then it's no contest. Warrior was and continues to be in the top three faces of wrestling worldwide. Sting may be in the top ten.
What was the match where Sgt. Slaughter leaped toward the turnbuckle and cut himself open so badly they threw in the towel. Was it with Bob Backlund? Had blood running off his nose to the mat.
@13:50 Sarge tells this story as if he didn't know the finish in advance. Says he expected Warrior to kick out, and hear the huge noise as if he didn't know what it was at first.
Funny - As a kid I thought Slaughter dropped the elbow on warrior after the scepter to "fool" the ref into thinking that's what finished him off; that it wouldn't make sense that the warrior was suddenly down for the count without some kind of move. Only took 32 years for that little misconception to be cleared up!
GI Joe is how as a kid in the 80's I became a fan of Sgt. Slaughter. His character was a big part of the cartoon series.
Same here. I knew him as a cartoon character before I found out that he was a wrestler.
Hasbro put all the episodes and the movie at their yt channel. They stream them frequently as well.
Only 4 men became real life G.I. Joe's. Sarg was the first. A PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER. The others were Chicago Bear William "The Refrigerator" Perry, L.A. King Wayne Gretzky and Chicago Bull Michael Jordan. ONLY Sarg and Fridge got Mattel figures tho.
I meant Hasbro*
Sgt. Slaughter ISN'T real. Bob Remus IS.
Slaughter was a very big guy, he was overweight and middle aged when he had those matches with Warrior, yet he took hellacious bumps. He never cheated fans of a great performance.
He was a great seller. I liked that spot he did when he was knocked into the ringpost while in the ring.
Alot of people forget how big sarge was, he was second after hogan in new york and his feud with the sheik helped build the road to the first wrestlemania.
Your absolutely right ! Sarge was huge in the80s with wrestling and especially GI-Joe too
Sgt. Slaughter was as big as Hogan, maybe bigger ‘84 WWF! In my opinion, I could be wrong.
Yep 👍
Oh yeah, I love Sgt. he played a huge part in how massive it got back then. Just blew it up.. The sympathizer was an awesome character for him it worked people hated them lol .
He still is... I mean his shoulder profile is massive for an elderly man.
The fact that he was down to go full heel after being a GI Joe shows a lot of humility and humor.
No.. it shows the need for money.
@@NateNizzleget outta here.
Every hero needs a villain!.
Says alot about what kinda man Vince is
Jumped the shark with the heel turn.
One of the greatest heel turns ever.
He never turned heel, he came in as one.
@@Rjensen2 it was a heel turn...but it was a GREAT TWIST to the story line
@@MISmooth420 lmao, you don't even know what a heel turn is. 😂
The angle was boycotted at WM7 they had to move that PPV to a smaller venue.
@@markant9534thought it was death threats?
I met Sgt at an airport. Shook his hand, had a nice exchange of words then I excused myself and went back to my seat. I grew up watching him and it was a delight to meet him. Very approachable.
You excused yourself? Well aren't you just so polite.
You're the ONLY person I know that had a positive interaction with him! Everyone else talks about how much of an asshole he was to them!
@@tammydevine4715 Sgt chin
Glad you made it back to your seat
Bothering celebrities is an American pastime.
For my 10th birthday in 1991, my dad got me Sgt. Slaughter vs Ultimate Warrior cage match tickets in Detroit. It was the greatest thing I had ever seen up until that point in my life. Nothing topped that for a long time.
In ‘91 I was 9 and would’ve lost my mind getting to see that live!!!
Damn your dad was a legend
I was at a house show in Fresno for that. I know it was Slaughter vs Warrior in a Steele cage. I remember Warrior pulling part of or all of Sherri’s dress off and taking Sarge’s solider helmet and wearing it. Did they do the same thing in Detroit?
Is there anyone else that doesn't like watching wrestling but is obsessed with the business and behind-the-scenes? It's so fascinating.
I agree. Truth is stranger than fiction.
I watched it religiously as a kid but haven’t actively watched in years now. But yeah, I LOVE hearing stories from the old timers now.
Meeeeee!!!! I loved wrestling as a kid!!! But now literally obsessed with the buidnuss
I used to watch WWE Tough Enough and didn't watch wrestling. 😁
TH-cam is amazing for many reasons but revealing the behind the scenes of the wrestling I grew up with is without doubt it's crowning achievement.
I went to a cage match with Backland vs Slaughter. My seat was right at the cage door. I remember, Slaughters' whole body was outside the cage, inches from touching the floor, Backland had his one foot & pulled him back in! I was 12 years old & with my dad. It was awesome! It's actually on utube and I froze the few seconds when u can see us.
That's amazing. The times with Dad at events are the best!!❤
Especially cage matches!! Haha.
So cool that it's on TH-cam.
That's fantastic. My dad took me to SummerSlam in London (92) and read the newspaper for almost the entire event. He lowered the newspaper only twice. For the entrance of the Undertaker and the Road Warriors. When the bell rang he went back to his paper. I think Warrior was against Randy Savage at that event.
@LukeF, that’s kind of sad. I will never forget the time my dad took my brother and I to a wrestling event. It was a house show at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis and I was disappointed that the Ultimate Warrior wasn’t there, but my dad made it so much fun. He didn’t like wrestling, but he played the character of a diehard fan to perfection just to make us happy. He kept screaming, “watch out! He’s got a chain!” during the matches. He would cheer the heels and boo the faces. It was amazing. I remember the “main event” involved Andre the Giant. Dad passed away last year, and our relationship hadn’t been great for a few years, but he was great. He was a great dad.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE how Sarg kept this great interview kay fabe. True professional. TEN HUTT!!!!
The original GI Joe/wrestler. A guy who made it outside the biz when it WASN'T possible.
Jesse Ventura?
Only guy to play the same character in three different shows at the same time
Sgt. Slaughter was huge when I was a kid. So was the Warrior. I was a 6th grader in 1986, so the whole Rock and Wrestling era was in my cross hairs. I loved WWF and so did my school friends, I remember not being able to wait to get to school to discuss the previous nights matches. I Loved Roddy Piper as well for his abilities with a live microphone. Long Live Sgt. Slaughter!! 🙌🏽💪🏽
Rest In Peace: Macho Man, André The Giant, Eddie Guerrero and all of the rest of the Wrestling Legends who have left this world too early! 🙏🏽
I was in the 9th grade in '86 living in Houston and was a big fan also. We used to wrestle one another during gym class and someone always got hurt. I had plenty of bruises and I thought I'd broken my arm once but it was all in good fun😊
I'm from Florida I was in the sixth grade in 1986 to please list your top 5 favorite wrestlers
@@youtubepro9201 Yes Sir!
5) Jimmy Superfly Snuka
4) Macho Man Randy Savage
3) Andre The Giant
2) Kerry Von Erich
1) Eddie Guerrero
Honorable Mentions:
Ric Flair, Undertaker, The American Dream Dusty Rhodes, Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson, The Road Warriors, Kamala, All of The Samoans, Terry Funk, Gino Hernandez, Terry Bam Bam Gordy, Roddy Piper, Iron Sheik, Junkyard Dog, Sgt. Slaughter, Ricky The Dragon Steamboat, The Gentleman Chris Adams, The Rest of The Von Erichs, The Rest of The Freebirds, King Kong Bundy, Jerry The King Lawler, Bam Bam Bigelow, Ice Man King Parsons, Sting, Bret Hart, Greg The Hammer Valentine and Hulk Hogan
Managers:
Captain Lou Albano, Jim Coronette, Bobby The Brain Heenan, Jimmy Crockett, Miss Elizabeth, J. J. Dillon
Man! That was a fun trip down memory lane!! It's so sad to think that the majority of these people are no longer with us. Rest In Eternal Peace to all those who gave me such entertaining Wrestling matches.
EDIT: I forgot to mention my favorite announcer- Mean Gene!!! 🔥
I suppose it isn't all that important however I think auto-correct might have auto-screwed you on Long Live Sgt. Slaughter. It's crazy because that thing might just be the single greatest and the single worst invention ever made. lol.
Macho man was the king of the mike
Memories from an old man: I distinctly remember (which is a miracle) seeing Sgt. and the Iron Sheik feud live more than once. That America vs Iran buildup was real for me as a little kid. You got so geeked up when the coliseum would start chanting USA and all that. Great memories.
"The ultimate puke and the immortal slime" Haha, I love Sarge. Such a funny, humble, nice guy for being one of the biggest wrestlers of the 80's, not to mention a living friggin' GI Joe!
I quit watching wrestling in 1987, but saw it during what I think was the very best time. I always marveled how a man the size of Sgt. could move. Thanks for this great and interesting interview.
What made u stop watching wrestling? What your thoughts about the way Vince Sr. ran the business vs his son?
Hats off to Bill Apter who continues to keep us entertained with these wrestlers through out these years.
Hard to believe he's still alive. I used to enjoy reading his stuff in PWI in the late 80s.
"Hats ON" is a better idea. Have you seen Apter's hellacious comb-over?
Brilliant story. I have fond memories of the feud between Hogan and Sarge at Mania, and the build up to it. Sarge was an absolute pro!
That was great advice from his wife. Honestly Sarge in GI Joe was awesome, transcended wreatling. And he still ended up going back and making a living for himself for many years after that. 👍
Fun fact: This WWF/WWE superstar & HOF Sgt. Slaughter made a special cameo appearance in Super Mario Bros Super Show in case nobody knows that
Ly watched that last week.
I remember that Mario bros super show episode I even member when Piper was on a episode to man I miss the old Days
I remember seeing that episode a few times.
So did piper
3:45 that picture is amazing because it’s the first time I got to see the real unedited picture from the title of WWF Royal Rumble on SNES. Had a lot of great memories playing that game with friends.
I have watched a Bill Apter's interviews, on and off, for about two years now. When I first watched him, I thought he was too nice to be in wrestling. I also saw that he gives amazing interviews and has great connection and respect with wrestlers. He seems like a joy to have around. I wish I would have found his videos earlier. His interviews are entertaining, funny and they make the viewer feel good. Thank you very much for what you do! Sgt. Slaughter has a PHENOMENAL wife by the way! It sounds like she helped him during a stressful time, where Vince McMahon potentially could have taken advantage of him.
I remember being a kid reading Pro Wrestling Illustrated articles written by Bill Apter. Legend👍🏾
I LOVE you Sgt Slaughter!
Some of the best memories EVER watching you.
Thanks for everything you’ve done!
Wow! Bill Apter, never saw what he looked like before. Nice to see you! First time.
How is that even possible?
“ULTIMATE PUKE AND IMMORTAL SLIME”😂😂😂
*thumps up* Cheap pop! -Mick Foley
Nasty words about the warrior and hogan
What happens when the two are combined ?
Bill is a great interviewer. Nothing but love and respect.
Sgt. Slaughter!!! So happy to see you sir! Thank you so much for this interview!
GREAT story telling.. Thanks for all the hours of entertainment Sgt.!
Holy crap Sgt Slaughter is still alive. Way to go man
Savage's run-in on Warrior at Rumble 91 is still my favorite ever run in ambush. The stuff before the scepter shot with the aisleway and lighting stand was BRUTAL and it still looks amazing. Funnily enough, I recently came across that vhs tape during a move. It has the huge blue case with all the participants drawn out on a street which looks really cool
OBVIOUSLY a huge Warrior mark from childhood here; I feel like few can accept that the dude was massively over with the target audience of the period, while ALSO being sloppy and reckless in the ring. They can both be true. Great shoot, always loved Slaughter too as a kid!
Ultimate Warrior made Outback Jack look like Lou Thesz
@@universaltalentbookings1389
That's BS.
Warrior had more in ring skill than most people give him credit for.
His moveset wasn't one dimensional.
The man could leap shoulder tackle like non other, had great looking lariats, backdrop suplex was on a great axis and the drop looked good, his atomic drops were better than hulk's, his gorilla press is second to none, he was also able to sunset flip. His rest holds like the bear hug weren't boring like some others.
Have you ever watched a Warrior match or are you just parroting the running gag?
"Outback Jack"? Give me a break, that statement alone disqualifies you from having any opinion regarding pro wrestling.
@@igorivanov299
You're absolutely right. Warrior was a better worker than most people want to give him credit for. Certainly wasn't any worse than Hogan.
@@tonyducks1121
Definitely wasn't.
Absolutely like him or not ultimate warrior has gone down as LEGENDARY in the history of the WWF/WWE Jim hellwigs short run as the ultimate warrior back in the 80's when he burst on to scene was incredible he was more popular than Hulk Hogan at one time
My bestfriend and I were at the Rumble in Miami when Sarge took the belt and Hogan won the Rumble. We were both 14 at the time. His mother drove us down and his older brother took us to the show. It was a heck of a night. The crowd went nuts when Slaughter won. There was a collective chant of BullS***. The place exploded when Hogan won the Rumble.
Sarge is looking pretty good for a guy in his mid-70s.
Yeah but to be fair He’s looked 70 for 70 years lmao
I remember watching sarge wrestle back in the late 80's and he looked about 50 then
@@donjohn2695 Sarge is one of those guys that has been old forever...he's on the same level as Morgan Freeman and Patrick Stewart.
Sarge looked 50 years old in 1984-1986. But always looked healthy and durable. 👍
I just went and watched the match where slaughter took the belt off of warrior and Savage definitely gave warrior a vicious shot over the head with the scepter. Normally I would think that this was a gimmick shot but I 100% believe Sarge when he said that Savage was giving him a receipt for a warrior breaking his wrist.
watch "Ultimate Warrior Explaining The Macho Man Angle" Sgt Slaughter becoming champion was the whole plan. Sgt is lying.
In my opinion, his GI Joe character succeeded his wrestling character, with all due respect. Even when Slaughter turned heel, his Joe character was still the strongest patriotic and in your face American hero. To this day, his character for GI Joe is legendary and has never changed. Hopefully I get to meet him soon at a con, even though I am 45.
@im2hastyle I hope you get to as well, he's a legend in and out of the wrestling world! Go G I Joe aka Sgt. Slaughter. Hope you get an autograph too? 👍😎💪🇺🇸🙏
The hogan and warrior match was fantastic,2 amazing characters at their peak and with the exception of maybe Austin and rock there hasn’t been a bigger match since.
Except that it failed to draw. Wrestlemania 6's Buyrate was so horrible, that Vince instantly scrapped all plans for the rematch.
@@ShadowAngel-lt8nw it hardly failed to draw,it was the last year for the cctv footage in cinemas and hogan was also away to film one of his movies,wrestlemania 6 was one of the best buys and attendance for a long time
The match was mostly boring
I-agree-with-Sarge....The-match-was-very-boring-and-disappointing
I love the look back, thanks a lot!!!!!!
That stuff with Sarge then was just the greatest. Everyone I knew felt personally betrayed. People were irate. Absolutely insane heat. When Randy hit Warrior for real with that scepter, I felt there was no way things could be a work.
But a little later I noticed Warrior giving Sarge way too much time to recover in a house show cage match and it made me wonder if it was a work. Then I got the trading cards and observed that titles only changed hands at PPV events generally. Probably also used some of the Apter mags and book to help see the narrative.
Sarge was a big deal to every kid with GI Joe. Every line he says in the movie is quotable. Genius dialogue and delivery. One of the greatest movies ever in my book.
It woulda been great if Sarge and Warrior got to do more in 1992 than they did. They were both top notch in 1991. Always awesome to see the Sarge in interviews today!
Hello Sgt. First of all let me say you look fantastic. We met years ago in New York City Long Island. I went to a signing I was wearing a cobra shirt and then you were so awesome and put me in the cobra clutch. I still have the photo . Please do more interviews. It’s always good to see you , and that’s an order!
Thanks for the upload of this video. As a kid i looked forward to reading those PWI wrestling Issues.
Man, I thought he was lying about the Macho Man scepter smash over the head, so I went back and rewatched it. You can see a clean mat before the hit and then multiple blood spots afterwards. Awesome! I remember watching this as a kid and was pissed 😂
Great episode, thank you
Yeah I sure was devastated that Royal Rumble Sunday. I NEVER thought Warrior would be losing that title to Slaughter. I was freaking 11!
Cool show, Bill!
Sgt is an American hero 🇺🇸
Thank you for your service sir.
I’ve always liked Sgt Slaughter! He had some tough matches. He was legit tough!
Sgt is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, I got to take my family to meet him at the pikeville con. He signed my old GI Joe stuff and gave me a cobra clutch which I promptly sold harder than anyone he ever worked with lol. So due to that, Sgt can now say he made Deadpool tap out. Lol not that he needs anyone to sell for him to be great. My daughter never got to see him wrestle, but she still brags about how amazing it was to meet Slaughter.
He needs to start a boot camp for aspiring wrestlers. Or even aspiring joes. I’d pay good money to train with such a legend.
Sarge I wish you could show us in detail the purple winged eagle belt
Bill all my life you've been my number one wrestling reporter God bless you
Such a great story, we need so much more of this 😎👌 this was my childhood.
I think the biggest thing about Pro Wrestling is that it's supposed to be a performance. Like a live movie. The "Wrestlers" who argue towards being stiff/doing real shots forget the whole point. It's about seeming to be super human and keeping on going. True skill is making something look violent and doing as little damage as possible to the person you are working WITH. Otherwise try be an MMA star. Unless you just don't think you can win and want to justify hurting someone.
If you’ve never seen it, the desert storm match between him and Hulk Hogan at Madison Square Garden, was one of the best I’ve ever seen, especially with the way they sold for each other after Sarge turned heel again. Used to be here on TH-cam and maybe still is.
I've seen it. It was at Wrestlemania 7! Warrior and Undertaker also fought in the cage!
Him and Iron Sheik boot camp match great memories growing up . Thanks Slaughter and Rip Sheik
Wait! Where's the rest of it? I want the whole interview!
Available on this channel! Many parts have been dropped already.
As a kid growing up in this era, Sgt playing the heel was one of the most amazing things to witness. It was so shocking and well played.
One of the best of all time. People who didn't grow up during these years don't realize how angry people legitimately got about it, especially considering the geopolitical tensions with Iraq at this time. The only way I can try and put it in context for people who weren't alive at this time is to say this heel turn would be like John Cena sympathizing with Al Qaeda after 9/11. Maybe not that extreme but pretty close.
I love all the back stage workings and goings on
Gi Joe Sgt Slaughter was a million times more muscular than the human version
Right?
Sarge was that upper mid card baby face. Like tito santana and razor ramon and ricky steamboat all experienced in their runs. Thats a great spot to be in and it makes you a huge star. Sarge was a huge star.
I love that Tshirt slaughter has on, can anyone tell me where i can get it?
Sgt. Slaughter was the biggest and still is , the best work out of WWF that any guy has done. GI Joe was huge.
Great Interview !!!❤
I loved the Hogan and Warior match . It's still talked about .
Not often Vince Jr. lets wrestlers have that much creative input. The Sarge has always been one of his favorites. Part of the inner circle. He trusts Slaughter.
Except for the period between 1985-1990 after Vince fired Slaughter because he had the temerity to not give Vince a % of the GI Joe figure. Vince has always been a petty narcissist.
@@crownprincesebastianjohano7069 Did you not listen to the interview, it wasn't about money but about conflict of interest since Vince was starting the WWF figurine line with LGN at the same time.
The Undertaker too😊
@@crownprincesebastianjohano7069to be fair. Vince should’ve put a clause in his contract for that very thing like record companies do. But I digress 😊
@@robr640It was all of it if you think about it 😊
Vince actually killed Sargeant Slaughter in GI Joe by turning him heel
its the only reason he had him back lol
I remember watching gi joe and wrestling and wondering why sarge was anti-american in wrestling but also a gi joe
He was still apart of it iirc.
They could have always had Sarge join Cobra in GI . Joe
6'6 & 304 lbs.!! Big dude!!
Thank you for playing terry kath.... Rip and sarge great seeing you sir....
I love these stories and interviews. I haven't watched wrestling since probably about 1987-88 like 6th or 7th grade but this stuff is fantastic
I want to thank Sgt Slaughter for his service and commitment to his country, during his tour of duty in the territories
Met him at a hotel I worked at in Philly back in the 80s. He was carrying/reading a classic philosophical novel (can't recall the name) and was well spoken, polite, a gentleman.
Sarge your one of my favorites all time!
The GI JOE shirt is Awesomeness❗️I Still remember Sarge in GI JOE the Movie like it was yesterday…. His action figure was Bad Ass! 💪
THE BEST OF TIMES NEVER TO BE DUPLICATED 🫡
I would have loved to see one of those house shows between Slaughter and Warrior, it must have been a legit brawl in there with all the stiff shots and receipts flying everywhere.
I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. What a great story.
GREAT recollection from the Sarge. Thanks for letting him roll on, Bill.
I first saw Sarge on old Georgia Championship Wrestling on TBS. I remember one time he “bladed” himself and was cut, and old announcer Gordon Solie said, “I estimate that Sgt Slaughter has lost a gallon and a half, possibly even 2 gallons of blood from that profouscious cut, that makes him look like he’s wearing a crimson mask.
My hometown was Hershey Pa & i remember going to that match at the Arena& i couldnt believe that Sarge was now this total opposite character after all these years. I was maybe 13-15 yrs old at the time. I remember Andre the Giant, Tatanka, Junkyard dog, Hacksaw Jim Duggan & of course Mr Fuji & Don Muraco& Hulk Hogan . Back when it was real wrestling not the hollywood version of it today. Thanks for the Memories of that match again Sarge & Bill Apter!!!
Warrior was like Goldberg in his generation. 2 or 3 moves after a cool entrance with a winning streak.
Except Goldberg was a real elite athlete and could probably actually fight whereas Warrior was a bodybuilder who had literally no cardio at all
Goldberg was an NFL prospect before he was a wrestler
The craziest thing about Warrior was that he would actually pass out after his matches because of the running before and after would make him lightheaded to the point of losing consciousness. I heard he actually had an unusually small frame and had way too much muscle on that tiny frame that his cardiovascular system just could not support
Warrior`s winning streak ended when Rude beat him at WM5 when Bobby Heenan grabbed his legs while the ref couldn`t see leading to Rude being able to pin him, this set up their rematch at summerslam which was so good that it made warrior a star, he owes a lot to Rude and his ability to bump convingly.
@@michaelromandel9022 Hogan and Savage both said that Warrior was gassed out after his sprint to the ring. Dude was so yacked up on roids and probably never did any cardio training. His gimmick was over but his technical wrestling was stiff asf.
Brilliant!! Story writing....Vince was so good at this. Love the stories
[Whoa. Love this content, giving context to the programs I watched as a youngster.]
Very enjoyable video. Interesting story. I didn't know Savage knocked Warrior out for real! Sargent said he swung it like a bat and think about that..Randy used to play baseball for real!!😳
I wasn't really a big fan of Sgt. Slaughter. But after this interview man oh man... I just love hearing stories like this!
the sarge is a great story teller.
Stay away from the drugs and alcohol and you could look as good as Slaughter (and be alive)
Huge part of my childhood,this guy. I remember my mom helping me order the Sarge from cereal box tops back in the 80s 🤘🏻🤘🏻
That was Hellwig's thing, he didn't ever bother to learn how to work safe. When he and Sting first came to be, they hurt, not seriously, a few guys but when given the chance o learn Sting took them up on it but Hellwig wanted the money over being safe so he bolted and Sting learned from Dusty, ric and many others. Full careers, Sting wins by a far margin where Hellwig had a few good years.
Sting had far more longevity (obviously) whereas Warrior was a more influential figure in his prime. Crow Sting did not do much but look cool and the surfer Sting was a cool character but it would be a joke to suggest that he was on the level of Warrior in the late 80's to early 90's.
Second thing is Sting basically crippled Rude although it was only partially Sting's fault and an accident. Rude started collecting a pension while there does not seem to be any evidence of Warrior hurting someone badly.
@@miesvaillanykyisyytta3252 the thing with rude was a complete ACCIDENT, rude said so himself. Hellwig did 1 thing and that was shake the ropes, big f%%king deal. he couldn't wrestle and his promos sucked. Every version of Sting has an influence on fans even Crow Sting. He didn't even speak for a full year yet fans watched every single week to see what would happen. Hellwig never changed up his character, all he did when he went to texas and became the dingo warrior was put on more makeup and changed his hair when he went to the wwe. sting has re-invented himself at LEAST 4 times thru his career. like i said hellwig had a few years in wwe where sting is still going. yes his run is ending soon but he over his career has been more important to fans than his former partner.
@@miesvaillanykyisyytta3252 look at when hellwig went to wcw and they tried to team those 2 up again. fans hated it and sting wanted nothing to do with it past 1 match. the wcw fans gave almost no reaction when hellwig first came out but when sting popped out at the survivor series the fans went ballistic.
@@Crash88 You criticize the Warrior for not knowing how to wrestle but the Crow Sting did not do much other than look cool having more paint on his face than Warrior ever had. Sting was a more versatile athlete but the Warrior had a lot of moves which showed that he went to wrestling school like everybody else and had a respectable move set (there is a TH-cam video documenting tens of his moves) but just like Hogan he stuck to a certain script and was arguably smart with his body; he obviously did enough to get over big time and saved his joints in the process although heart disease got to him anyway. Maybe he would have been even more popular if he had taken his chances with high flying but it's obvious to anyone with access to Wikipedia that he became a top guy doing less. Sometimes less is more.
I get your point about pops but I would argue that outside of North America most people have absolutely no clue if you show them a picture of Sting. People in Asia and Europe do recognize Warrior at least vaguely just like Hogan though not quite as much as Hogan who is the greatest of all time. I just think that says it all about who is the bigger figure in wrestling. Sting had great longevity and cool gimmicks but if you put his best gimmick toe to toe with Warrior's one and only look then it's no contest. Warrior was and continues to be in the top three faces of wrestling worldwide. Sting may be in the top ten.
Great interview 👍
What was the match where Sgt. Slaughter leaped toward the turnbuckle and cut himself open so badly they threw in the towel. Was it with Bob Backlund? Had blood running off his nose to the mat.
Anyone know why they didn't do the LA Colosseum? (Which is next door to the Sports Arena) Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena - Attendance - 16,158
Seeing Sgt Slaughter coming out with the whistle in his mouth,early eighties,on TV.
Backing The Iron Sheik.
That's when I became a wrestling fan.
@13:50 Sarge tells this story as if he didn't know the finish in advance. Says he expected Warrior to kick out, and hear the huge noise as if he didn't know what it was at first.
What a great guy we only see the caricature nice too see the real guy
great story...i liked the sudam speech he made for the promo ...vince wrote memorable stuff
One of my all time favorites.
He was an Iraqi Sympathizer during the Gulf War of 1991. He was WWF Champion after beating Ultimate Warrior.
Love these stories
Funny - As a kid I thought Slaughter dropped the elbow on warrior after the scepter to "fool" the ref into thinking that's what finished him off; that it wouldn't make sense that the warrior was suddenly down for the count without some kind of move. Only took 32 years for that little misconception to be cleared up!
he came to Norwich Norfolk he was an absolute gem of a man he was huge also Jake Roberts was there too and afew others it was a good day
Slaughter will always be a real American hero. The true living legend.
This heel turn changed my entire childhood. I always rooted for the baby faces. It's so brilliant now that I'm in my 40's
The license to WWF figures switched from LJN to Hasbro right around 1990. I wonder if Hasbro wanted Sarge back in the WWF as well?
So Slaughter winning the title from Warrior wasn't the intended finish? Wow, I never knew that!
Oh, come on now. 😂