WWE: Sgt. Slaughter Explains Why Ric Flair Asked to Be Removed from Main Event Spot (Exclusive)

Ric Flair and Sgt. Slaughter were two of the NWA's top stars in 1983. In an exclusive interview, the latter revealed why The Nature Boy once asked if his main event match could take place earlier in the night.

On March 12, 1983, Jay Youngblood and Ricky Steamboat defeated Slaughter and Don Kernodle in an NWA World Tag Team Championship Steel Cage match. On the same card, Flair retained the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Greg Valentine after their match ended in a 60-minute time-limit draw.

Most wrestlers prefer their match to close the show. However, Slaughter told Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter that Flair wanted the tag team bout to headline the event instead.

"Ric Flair came to us, well, he came more or less to me, and he said, 'Sarge, I'm wrestling The Hammer [Greg Valentine] in a title match. We're the last match. Do you mind if we go on before you?' I said, 'Why?' He said, 'We'll never be able to follow that match, and the reason those people are here is to see you guys.'"

Watch the video above to hear Slaughter explain the key differences between Vince McMahon Jr. and Vince McMahon Sr.'s regimes.

Sgt. Slaughter on the success of his tag team match

The NWA World Tag Team Championship encounter took place at The Final Conflict in Greensboro, North Carolina. The match was widely viewed as one of the best in-ring battles of 1983.

Looking back, Sgt. Slaughter is proud that the show led to the creation of the Starrcade event.

"That started Starrcade. They hadn't started Starrcade yet, but when we turned 17,000 cars away, I guess someone got the idea [that] maybe we should start doing something different. I tried to talk [former NWA President] Jimmy Crockett into doing closed circuit in another building nearby, but he didn't think we were gonna do that big of a crowd."

The WWE Hall of Famer also addressed why many fans struggle to believe he is the real Sgt. Slaughter.

Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart