WWE: 13 Most Horribly Offensive Gimmicks Wrestlers Ever Took On

9. Sgt. Slaughter The Iraqi Sympathiser

During the first Gulf War, Vince McMahon decided that the WWE could do an angle to capitalise on the United States support for their troops fighting in Iraq. As such Hulk Hogan, a character who for years had been coming out to the theme Real American, was utilised as the embodiment of the United States. The idea would see Hogan defeat a similar embodiment of the opposing Iraqi forces. So naturally Vince McMahon got the American Sgt Slaughter to do just that... Sgt Slaughter had been very over as an American-loving face and on the surface of things, with his soldier gimmick, would have been a more logical choice to represent the American troops. Slaughter was nowhere near as popular as Hogan though, so Slaughter was instead used as an Iraqi sympathiser who turned his back on America. This choice worked out, as Slaughter was a much better heel than he was as a face. Slaughter received death threats for his work in this angle and would wear a bullet proof vest as the WWE really sold that Slaughter was on the side of Iraq. They even faked photos of Slaughter posing with a smiling Saddam Hussein. This was an angle which blurred the lines between fact and fiction and played on the real emotions of families of people who were fighting a real war, and really dying. Back then the WWE were able to get away with it, but nowadays they wouldn't be able to.