A ludicrous photoshop job of Sgt Slaughter and General Adnan with Saddam Hussein would almost be considered charming compared to WWE's catastrophic Crown Jewel pay-per-view in 2018, but both were controversial in the extreme in their own time.
Vince McMahon had tried and failed to monetise the Gulf War, allowing fans to boo Sgt Slaughter on the unspoken premise that he was supporting the deaths of Americans during the conflict by virtue of his support for Saddam.
As proven by the shrunken house, Hulk Hogan wasn't a money player enough on his own terms to drag fans kicking and screaming to the arena to watch him deliver a kicking to the screaming Slaughter. The match itself delivered what it promised - which is to say not a great deal.
Foreshadowing the arrival of an impending dream match, Hogan bled, sweat and paid the price, but unlike a contest that could have headlined a WrestleMania, this simply never should have.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
