In the midst of the first Gulf War, Vince McMahon decided to rip his stories from the headlines and turned American hero and real-life G.I. Joe action figure Sgt. Slaughter into an Iraqi sympathizer and turncoat. The angle was a little too close to home for many fans, especially those who had loved ones serving in our armed forces. Even in the (still somewhat) kayfabe years of 1991, we recognized this as the exploitation that it was. His feud with Americas avatar, Hulk Hogan, failed to light the wrestling world on fire and WrestleMania VII was forced to change venues due to poor ticket sales. This was also the birth of the McMahon steroid controversy, when the WWE figurehead was accused of distributing steroids to his performers and indicted by the federal government. Hogans appearance on Arsenio Hall was particularly embarrassing, when his admittance that he had taken steroids contradicted his earlier public statements. This year also saw the first departure of The Ultimate Warrior from WWE. After a dispute over compensation, McMahon brought Warrior back for SummerSlam only to fire him immediately afterward. This was a huge loss as the man from Parts Unknown was still one of the biggest stars in the industry. 91 had some strong midcard action from the likes of Bret Hart, Mr. Perfect, etc. but it wasnt enough to make up for the stink at the top of the card and the black cloud of the federal case.
Brad Hamilton is a writer, musician and marketer/social media manager from Atlanta, Georgia. He's an undefeated freestyle rap battle champion, spends too little time being productive and defines himself as the literary version of Brock Lesnar.
