Sgt. Slaughter Recalls Pitching Babyface Turn to Vince McMahon Sr.

Sgt. Slaughter began his WWE career as a heel, and he recently recalled pitching his babyface turn. Slaughter spoke with Under the Ring and recalled making the pitch to Vince McMahon Sr. and more You can see highlights below (per Wrestling Inc):

On pitching Vince Sr. on a babyface turn: “Vince McMahon Sr. was still running the company. He kept patting me on the back and praising me [as a heel], and I said, ‘Well, Mr. McMahon, if you think I’m such a great villain, you ought to see me as a hero.’ And he said, ‘A hero? Sgt. Slaughter a hero? Wait a minute, what are you talking about?'”

On pitching a feud with Iron Sheik: “We really never got any payback from what Ayatollah Khomeini did all those years. We never got to punch him right in the nose for all the problems that he caused with the hostage situation and the killing of the Marines at the embassy, and the Black Hawks going down.”

On Vince Sr. telling Vince Jr. not to turn him babyface: “[Sr.] turned around and said, ‘Vinnie, don’t you ever turn Sgt. Slaughter into a hero, it won’t work.’ And I hate to say it, but Mr. McMahon Sr. was wrong, because [Jr.] came to me about three weeks later and said ‘I want to do what you told my father.'”

On Vince Jr. moving on it that night: “I’m watching the monitor and I see Iron Sheik and Fred Blassie, I can read their lips, and they’re saying ‘Wrong music! They’re playing the wrong music!’ And out I came, and the place went crazy.”