10 WWE Hires That DOOMED Other Wrestlers

3. Sgt. Slaughter (Tugboat)

Vince McMahon Omos Braun Strowman
WWE.com

Sgt. Slaughter saved you from the worst WrestleMania main event ever.

Regardless of what some fans think about 'Mania VII's plodding Slaughter vs. Hulk Hogan headliner, it was better than the first tentative plan. Get this: Hulk's pal Tugboat was going to turn his back on the United States, declare his allegiances to Iraq and become "Sheik Tugboat".

Bruce Prichard discussed this on his podcast years ago and confirmed that as one avenue the WWF were exploring in early-1991. Tuggers may have even won the WWF Title from The Ultimate Warrior at the '91 Rumble and then defended against an 'Old Glory'-waving Hulkster on the biggest show of the year.

Slaughter was re-signed in 1990 and emerged as a better fit for the role than Tugboat (imagine that). Big Fred Ottman, the man behind the Tugboat gimmick, didn't get another shot at singles success in the WWF again. He also went on to infamously fall flat on his face as 'The Shockmaster' in WCW.

Ouch.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.