Sgt. Slaughter has reflected on his time serving as WWE Commissioner during the early days of the Attitude Era.
Sgt. Slaughter held the on-screen authority role from late 1997 into 1998, stepping away from his usual military-style persona to appear in a suit as the company’s commissioner. The role placed him in the middle of WWE storylines during one of the promotion’s most influential periods.
Speaking during an interview with Going Ringside, Slaughter explained that the opportunity came about when Gorilla Monsoon was dealing with health issues. At the time, Vince McMahon approached him about taking over the on-screen position.
“Well, Gorilla Monsoon was having some health problems,” Slaughter said. “Vince McMahon asked me if I would take the gear off and put a suit on and go out and be the commissioner.”
Sgt. Slaughter Shares The Restrictions Vince McMahon Placed On His WWE Commissioner Role
According to Sgt. Slaughter, Vince McMahon also laid out several restrictions that came with the role.
“He said, ‘You can’t hurt anyone. You can’t touch anybody. You can’t give anybody the Slaughter Cannon, and you definitely can’t put anybody in the Cobra Clutch.’”
Despite the limitations, Slaughter said he ultimately agreed to the role and enjoyed the experience.
“I said, well, that’s like going to the OK Corral without a gun,” he joked. “So I agreed to it and had a lot of fun with it.”
