Today, I would like to take the time to examine one of the glaring issues that I have had as a fan that has covered the history of wrestling even dating back to a time slightly before I was even born. I would like to take a trip back to the mid-80's scene of wrestling. By 1984, Hulk Hogan had taken the world by storm as he dethroned the Iron Sheik to become the new WWF Champion. The Revolution of Hulkamania had officially been born the night of January 23, 1984, in Madison Square Garden. Hogan had become the top babyface of wrestling, but the man that was right behind him in second place for popularity was another proud Patriot: Sgt. Slaughter. Sarge had gained great momentum himself in February of 1984 when he waged war on the Iron Sheik after reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. From that moment, Slaughter had surpassed Andre The Giant and Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka in Popularity as he battled Sheik across the Northeast region of the WWF. Business was exploding, and Slaughter was at the ground floor while defending his country against the villainous Sheik. The Stars had aligned for the wrestling world, as the mainstream exposure was quickly catching on. Slaughter's popularity garnered the attention of Hasbro to promote their GI Joe Action Figure line.
Suddenly, Slaughter was gone after a falling out with Vince McMahon from a dispute concerning his appearances with the GI Joe Series. Once 1985 came around, Slaughter was a featured character in the highly popular GI Joe Animated Series that clashed with WWF's own feature Cartoon, Hulk Hogan's Rock & Wrestling. The mainstream recognition reached a fever pitch with the Rock & Wrestling Connection as Hulk Hogan & Roddy Piper were in the Main Event for The War To Settle The Score as it was broadcast by MTV. Mr. T, Cyndi Lauper, Muhammad Ali and others would also join the WWF explosion for the launch of the first WrestleMania. WWF would continue their wave of success from that Inaugural WrestleMania for the rest of the decade. Hogan & Co. would change the face of our culture like never before in their own way. On the other side, even though Sarge enjoyed his own mainstream success with GI Joe, his wrestling career fell into the background while he wrestled for the AWA. Slaughter missed the first six WrestleManias. At the time, it might not have mattered that much. However, as we look back through history, I believe that his wrestling legacy has taken a strong blow because of his absence. I see a void in Slaughter's legacy as a result of his absence.
That begs the question: What if Sgt. Slaughter never left the WWF? With that said, let us travel back to the point where Slaughter was at the peak of his WWF career. Instead of a dispute, let's say that Vince and Sarge can come to a mutual agreement where they can work out some kind of merchandising deal or join venture with GI Joe. That way, Sarge does not have to leave an entree of great opportunities behind that include storylines and title shots. Now, here we are in 1985. Slaughter can start the year out by defeating Greg Valentine for the Intercontinental Championship. That could be a fresh new idea to see Sarge as the IC Champion since he had been the US Champion in the NWA. That way, he could feud with the Junkyard Dog going into the first WrestleMania as he successfully defends the title against JYD. As IC Champion, Slaughter would transition into a feud with Tito Santana for the title, as Tito would defeat him to regain the gold. The Sarge would then have the last laugh by the end of the year as he would win the title back from Santana.
During the Summer of 1985, we introduce a character that would change the wrestling landscape forever, "Macho Man" Randy Savage. As Savage quickly makes his rise among the top stars in the WWF, he sets his sights on the Intercontinental Championship. After Slaughter narrowly escapes by a few disqualification victories, Macho Man would finally dethrone him in February 1986 at the Boston Garden to start his legendary reign as Champion. At WrestleMania 2, Slaughter would defeat Nikolai Volkoff in a Flag Match because Corporal Kirchner would not be needed. Kirchner was their way of trying to fill the void that Slaughter left behind as the military hero. Either that or he could have lost to Savage in the IC Title match at WrestleMania 2 to signal the official end of the feud.
Or better yet, he could be in the main event with Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship instead of King Kong Bundy. I am just throwing out scenarios people. Slaughter could move into a feud with Hulk Hogan for the World Title, instead of waiting until WrestleMania VII.
By the fall of 1986, Slaughter could work in a storyline with "Rowdy" Roddy Piper following Piper's return at the time. Instead of feuding with Adrian Adonis, Piper could have a vicious war with the Sarge as he does everything that they do everything that they could to tear each other apart. Their feud would culminate at WrestleMania III, with Piper winning with the Sleeper Hold in his "farewell match" at the time. He could possibly be one of the challengers for Ricky Steamboat's title. Slaughter could have a rivalry with Hogan similar to the feud that the Hulkster had with Paul Orndorff. He could even participate in the WWF Title Tournament at WrestleMania IV. Can you imagine a match between Sarge and Bam Bam Bigelow? He could even be the transitional IC Champion for Ultimate Warrior.
Through 1989 heading into 1990, Sarge could collide with the likes of Ted DiBiase, Jake Roberts, Rick Rude or Mr. Perfect. He would be a great fit to create nice storylines for each of them at some point or another. I am sure that you have noticed a pattern in this hypothetical timeline. I have put Sarge in a lot of scenarios involving the IC Title. That is because while he was gone, that title gained greater prestige and popularity. This means that if Slaughter was not in the hunt for the WWF Title, he could find a spot somewhere in the mid card.
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