20 Superstars Who Only Had One Championship Reign In WWE
2. Sgt. Slaughter
For fans in the early 80s, he was the villainous monster who locked opponents in the Cobra Clutch and didn't let go. For Attitude Era fans, he was the uptight Commissioner who was the victim of many a DX prank. For GI Joe, he was a marketing dream come true. But perhaps Sgt. Slaughter's most memorable WWF role was that of an Iraqi sympathiser.
The former American hero returned to the WWF in the early 90s as a supporter of Iraq and Saddam Hussein. For context, this was during the height of the Gulf War and anti-Iraqi sentiments were running high in the US. It was a bold step for Slaughter to take and he has often claimed he received death threats for his portrayal of the character. In truth, he's carnying.
At the 1991 Royal Rumble - mere days after the Gulf War air campaign began - Sarge defeated The Ultimate Warrior to win the WWF Championship. It was all to set up a feel-good victory for Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VII, but it's very strange that the popular American hero, Sgt. Slaughter, had to turn to the dark side to get his one and only title reign.