Sgt. Slaughter is one of the most recognizable names in professional wrestling during the 1980s and his popularity rivaled Hulk Hogan on many fronts as he broke through to the main stream as well.
While Hogan stuck mainly to movies and WWE mass merchandising, Slaughter became part of the GI Joe team in 1985 and also the first real person to be part of the team.
His official listing on the file card that came with him was drill instructor, and given GI Joe was comprised of the best, it’d take a certain character and he certainly played up to the part.
Slaughter doing this, followed by his popularity with GI Joe fans was a point of contention with Vince McMahon and it led to Slaughter leaving the WWE for a time.
But he lived on as a mail order figure and made a few appearances in the toy line through the rest of the 80s as Hasbro responded to Kenner’s Star Wars toy line with their own 3.75 inch tall figures and vehicles.
Joining an exciting brand
Given his history as a GI Joe figure and in the cartoon and comics mythos, it seemed only a matter of time until he was re-released in a future GI Joe toy line.
The time has come as he shared the announcement that Hasbro is releasing him as part of the Classified series that are known for their great detail, accessories, and stand 6 inches tall instead of the old 3.75 inches.
This has brought back a lot of memories, and as a collector myself, this adds even more energy to the Classified series and continues sharing their canon with the WWE.
With the Classified Series growing in popularity, this isn’t just a positive for the toyline but also the WWE as they could venture further into their own action figure lines beyond wrestling as they’ve worked in partnerships before.
This could open the doors for their other real person being included as William “The Refrigerator” Perry was another special action figure in the 80s.
As a collector and GI Joe fan, this is great news as it also means there’s a chance they could bring back the show in some form as they tend to have better luck than the movies.
Though GI Joe the Movie (1987) was pretty awesome and still holds up. The fact Sgt. Slaughter plays a big role in it may have something to do with that.
What do you think of Sgt. Slaughter being included in the Classified Series? Let us know in the comments below.
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