It was clear that Robert Remus, better known as Hall of Fame wrestler Sgt. Slaughter, could go either way as being a good guy or a bad guy in professional wrestling. On one hand, he could be the overbearing, militant bully who feuded with the likes of fan favorites Bob Backlund or Pat Patterson. On the other, he could represent America’s toughness as he feuded with The Iron Sheik. And if we had a third hand, we could talk about how he turned heel again when he aligned himself with Iraq and began wearing a turban into the ring. This actually prompted death threats from over-zealous fans.
But no matter who he was pretending to be, I knew that I had to meet Sgt. Slaughter when he visited the Chiller Theatre show on April 28, 2012. It was also at that time that I realized what a drawing power these classic wrestlers had. Attempts to bargain with his handler were fruitless, even when I walked away. Naturally I returned and paid the $40 for the autograph and photo op combo.
Although he was happy to put me in his famous “cobra clutch” signature move for a photo (as seen at the top of the posting), I found Sgt. Slaughter to be somewhat of a big teddy bear. He smiled embarrassingly when I told him that he hadn’t changed a bit since the 1980’s (despite the obvious dye job of his mustache). And he proudly displayed his Hall of Fame ring in the photo when inquired about when he had been inducted. The truth of the matter though is that he’s not been inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, only the WWE Hall of Fame, which was bestowed upon him in 2004.
Either way, he goes down in my personal Hall of Fame of wrestlers whom I’ve enjoyed over the years and have now had the pleasure of meeting in the flesh.
Celebrities of the Spring 2012 Chiller Theatre Show will continue…
In the late 1980s, my delivery route was in Connecticut, and a few times, I had deliveries for Sgt. Slaughter, to his home in Weston. He was never home, but always on the road working in WWF exhibitions.
Bill
December 14th, 2012