10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Feb 12)

2. Willie Nelson Was Frosty With Sgt. Slaughter At WrestleMania VII

As mentioned during the intro to this piece, Sgt. Slaughter turned heel expressly for the purpose of facing Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VII. Aligning himself with Iraq, Slaughter effectively turned his back on the traditional American patriotism of his character. It's still a subject that's hot today, coming up during his conversation with the Dallas Observer. Speaking with the newspaper to help promote WrestleMania 32, Slaughter clearly enjoys talking about the time he shocked the wrestling world. Even at the time, it wasn't a heel turn that sat well with many people, even some of the celebrities that attended the WWF's biggest show of the year. One of those men was Willie Nelson, who was at 'Mania VII to sing the US national anthem. Backstage at the event, Nelson approached Sgt. Slaughter to let him know how disappointed he was in him. Vince McMahon, apparently over fears that the man's life was in danger, had Slaughter travelling alone. He had to eat alone in catering too, and Nelson walked up to him, shaking his head out of disbelief that 'Sarge' had turned his back on the United States.