10 Most Bizarre Stories From Former WWE Superstars

6. Sgt. Slaughter's Death Threats Moved Wrestlemania VII

In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, kicking off the Gulf War. Instead of returning to the WWF in his familiar role as a US sympathizer, Sgt. Slaughter (he who famously left the WWF in the 1980s because of his outside merchandising deals with Hasbro causing issues with the company) instead turned heel, proclaimed his love for Saddam Hussein, and headlined Wrestlemania VII versus Hulk Hogan.

Wrestlemania VII was originally scheduled for the Los Angeles Coliseum, but with reports of low ticket sales, rumors around the event find that McMahon moved the seventh Wrestlemania to the indoor, smaller and easier to sell out Los Angeles Sports Arena.

Regarding why, reports began to float around that the cause was Sgt. Slaughter, whose Iraqi-sympathizing heel persona caused him to receive numerous death threats, thus making him a target at an outdoor event without Slaughter wearing a bullet-proof vest and being surrounded by armed security.

The idea that a company's lead heel in 1991 could draw enough heat to warrant moving Wrestlemania to an indoor facility is definitely bizarre, and more than likely, untrue.

Contributor
Contributor

Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.