During the build up to the Second Gulf War, Sgt. Slaughter appeared on Sunday Night Heat and kicked the shit out of Steven Richards.
After Soleimani’s death, I figured we’d see Slaughter reemerge to beat up someone else as a show of force to Iran. Now, more than a month on, there’s no sign of him. Where’s “Sarge”?
To understand why Slaughter has been absent from WWE programming, we need to return to the First Gulf War. During that conflict, Slaughter turned heel and became an Iraqi sympathizer. He basically became Sgt. Baudrillard, arguing that the Gulf War shown on CNN did not take place.
After America and its allies quickly threw Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait and neutered his army, Slaughter looked like a fool for siding with the losers.
Not long before the Second Gulf War began, Slaughter returned to wrestle Richards, re-establishing himself as the pro-American fan favourite he’d previously been. By defeating Richards, Slaughter atoned for his sins by taking current events (the looming war with Iraq) and predicting a swift American triumph.
Look at how the match went: Richards came out first to a chorus of boos. There’s a moment of silence after Richards’ name is announced by Howard Finkel. Then Slaughter’s music plays and his face is seen on the Titantron, fading into a stock image of the Statue of Liberty.
Slaughter, then in his fifties, storms out like he’s thirty years younger, saluting the crowd as he makes his way to the ring.
Poor Richards flees to the outside while Slaughter stalks around the ring. Richards eventually returns and the match begins. Slaughter gets in Richards’ face and shouts insults at him, demanding he salute.
Finally, Richards retaliates, shoving Slaughter.
Slaughter knows he must act. What else might Richards have in store for him? Weapons of mass destruction, perhaps? He responds by tossing Richards around the ring like a rag doll. The invasion of Iraq begins.
Richards manages to get out of the Cobra Clutch twice before placing Slaughter in the Camel Clutch - the finishing move of the Iron Sheik, with whom Slaughter aligned to fight America during the First Gulf War. It is here that Richards confirms he is Iraq’s proxy.
Slaughter breaks free and places Richards back in the Cobra Clutch for the third time. Now, Richards cannot escape and is forced to tap out. Slaughter wins.
Slaughter’s squash of Richards was his promise to America. Not only did he demonstrate to the American people that he was on their side again, he assured them a swift victory against Iraq. He offered America something he knew he could not deliver on. He gambled and he lost.
At first, America appeared to fulfil Slaughter’s prophecy, swiftly toppling Hussein and destroying his army. President Bush stood on the aircraft carrier with the giant “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED” banner. But then came the civil war, the insurgency, ISIS, and attacks by Iranian proxies. American troops are still fighting in Iraq to this day, leading, ultimately, to Trump’s decision to off Soleimani.
Slaughter could not possibly show his face again after siding with the enemy in the First Gulf War and failing to predict a swift American victory in the second one. Had he shown up on television and beaten up Richards now, no one would take him seriously. He’d be booed and hissed out of the arena for failing us once more.
If this were the 1970s or 80s, Slaughter would have had the Ayatollah in the Cobra Clutch by now. Instead, Slaughter is in an exile of his own making. As if that weren’t bad enough, Slaughter has been accused of lying about his military service. He may never have served in the Marines at all. If there’s one thing you don’t do in America, it’s lie about being in the military. Slaughter lies about serving, while President Trump dodged the draft over bone spurs.
America’s rutterless foreign policy since the meltdown in Iraq has put an end to Sgt. Slaughter as a symbol of American greatness. Both Slaughter and America are outcasts, their reputations sullied forever.
Their intertwined fates show us the symbiotic relationship between history and popular culture. America and Iraq are set to go to war. Wrestling looks at the looming conflict and attempts to predict the future. During the Second Gulf War, Slaughter predicted, by way of strangling Steven Richards, that America will easily triumph. Events progress, and Slaughter holds an empty sack. Is it any wonder no one watches wrestling nowadays?