Sgt. Slaughter on Vince McMahon Overruling His Father With Major WWE Face Turn (Exclusive)

Sgt. Slaughter was among WWE's most prominent stars in the 1980s and early 1990s. In an exclusive interview, the legendary wrestler recalled how Vince McMahon Jr. went against his father's wishes by approving a drastic character transformation.

Slaughter once asked Vince McMahon Sr. if he could turn babyface and feud with The Iron Sheik. WWE's former owner viewed the 2004 Hall of Famer as one of the greatest villains in wrestling history and immediately dismissed the idea. By contrast, Vince McMahon Jr. liked the suggestion and told Slaughter to go ahead with the plan three weeks later.

Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter, Slaughter reminisced about the backstage conversation that led to his face turn. He also revealed that Vince McMahon Sr. had no idea his son had approved the idea.

"He [Vince McMahon Jr.] said, 'Sarge, you ready?' I was getting undressed. I said, 'Ready? Ready for what?' He goes, 'To do what you told my dad three weeks ago,' and I said, 'You mean going against The Iron Sheik?' He goes, 'Yeah.' I said, 'When you wanna do it?' He said, 'Right now.' I said, 'Right now?' He goes, 'Yeah, The Iron Sheik's going out with Ayatollah Blassie, and I'm not gonna tell them. I'm not gonna tell anybody. Only you and I.'"

Watch the video above to hear more from Sgt. Slaughter about the major difference between Vince McMahon Jr. and Vince McMahon Sr.

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Sgt. Slaughter on How Vince McMahon Sr. Reacted to His Face Turn

The unexpected moment occurred in early 1984. By that point, Vince McMahon Jr. had already taken over as WWE's creative figurehead. However, his father still regularly attended events.

According to Sgt. Slaughter, Vince McMahon Sr. was happy that his character change worked out.

"I put my hand on my heart and started doing the Pledge of Allegiance. I was the most hated villain five minutes earlier, and now they're standing on chairs with lighters saying the Pledge of Allegiance with me. When I got done, I said, 'I declare war on you, Iron Sheik,' and the place erupted. He [Vince McMahon Sr.] was elated. His quarters were going so fast, you could have almost made a song."

Later in his career, Sgt. Slaughter won the WWE Championship as a bad guy before losing to Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 7. He also performed as a Commissioner during the early days of WWE's popular Attitude Era in the late 1990s.

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