Slaughter, hes clearly speaking as Bob Remus and still claims to have served in the Marine Corps. Plus, get every WWE Premium Live Event, your favorite shows, new movies, live sports, and more. Lacey Evans competed in NXT before moving to the main roster where she had her first feud with one of WWE's biggest stars, Becky Lynch, for the RAW Women's Championship. Since that time, he was gone on the become one of professional wrestlings biggest attractions. I found it interesting, but I didnt think much of it since the extent of Slaughters claims werent at the forefront of my mind. After high school, Orton enlisted in the United States Marine Corp. He is best famous for his tenure in the promotion and multiple achievements during his professional career. Ill go into the Marine Corps, and Ill go to college when I get out. I got halfway there [and] ended up at a pro wrestling training camp on leave. A follow-up question asking if it was an easy transition for you from being a Marine to becoming a pro wrestler saw Remus avoid going further than the above implication that he may have only gone through basic training. The 54-year-old has not competed since 2013. In California, he was known as "The Freeway Killer.". Stars And Stripes: 15 WWE Wrestlers Who Served In The Military, 10 WWE Champions With The Least Matches In The Company, Jaxson Ryker's Babyface Character On WWE RAW Is One Of The Worst In Years, 10 Terrible Wrestling Names These WCW Stars Had To Endure, The 10 Most Influential Wrestling Families Of All-Time, Every Version Of Bobby Lashley, Ranked From Worst To Best, Venuta would later enter the world of politics, 5 Wrestling Couples That Were Really Married (And 5 That Werent). WWE Hall of Famers Kevin Nash and Freddie Blassie are two examples of wrestlers who have served in the military before becoming pro wrestlers. Lacey Evans began her pro wrestling career in 2014 and she went on to sign with WWE in 2016. Not much. Trish Adora kicked off her wrestling career in 2016 after training at the Team 3D Academy, under WWE Hall of Famers The Dudley Boyz. Sarge invited me to join him; we talked about his family, his time in the business, his career as a real soldier he left the Army [sic] for wrestling.. WWE - Current . 2 Road Dogg. Like Trish Adora and Steve Cutler, Saturn also served in a combat zone. Lashley is a two-time winner of the 'Extreme Championship Wrestling,' and a one-time winner of the 'WWE United States Championship.'. Professional Wrestlers Who Served In The United States Military In honor of Veterans Day, we decided to salute 13 wrestlers from different decades who fought for their country before battling inside a WWE ring. He attributes his discipline and work habits to the military. Which, of course, doesnt include him, no matter how much he says otherwise. The Sassy Southern Belle also competed in the first women's match in Saudi Arabia when she collided with the Natalya at WWE Crown Jewel in 2019. These wrestlers served in different branches, including the Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force. RULES. In 2016, Trish Adora started wrestling in a few promotions like IGNITE Wrestling, American Combat Wrestling, and Go Wrestle. Its like Paul Newman. I thought he had been a Marine before he was a wrestler., Over the last few years, though, Remus has made matters worse by pushing more and more egregious claims. 8/15 Randy Orton. .) The 43-year-old WWE star comes from a military background. But they were probably so far removed from each other that you never thought of them together. Owing to his brilliance in the ring, he was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1994. AEW (All Elite Wrestling) (w)Rest of Wrestling. Ford joined WWE along with other Performance Center recruits in 2015 and he went on to team up with his partner Angelo Dawkins in NXT where they enjoyed a run with the NXT Tag Team Championship. Bobby has military background as his father was a drill sergeant in United Stated Army. FINALLY Someone Gets It FINALLY Someone Recognizes It FINALLY Someone Understands Who @_SgtSlaughter Is, he wrote, adding God Bless You @JackPosobiec and the same message for all who have served the country. After leaving service, she started wrestling. It was less disorienting than usual, though, because he grounded the tall tales in enough ostensible reality connecting everything to wrestling stories, e.g., getting the Sgt. Throughout 1984, then, Slaughter was, at a minimum, as big of an attraction as Hulk Hogan, if not bigger. Daybound (If a player casts no spells during their own turn, it becomes night next turn.) And no. , who worked with Slaughter in the WWF, also, over Remus non-service on his podcast last week when answering a listener question about the controversy. Big Sexy joined the 202nd Military Police Company and was stationed at a NATO facility. The now 60-year-old originally got his big break in WWE using the ring name Diesel. . After leaving the Army, Saturn decided to become a professional wrestler and trained under the tutelage of the legendary Killer Kowalski. Welcome of course as most of yu can see I'm kind of a military nut so you should've seen this coming sooner or later! During the 1980s, Corporal Kirchner displayed pride in his service and competed in WWE, including a memorable victory against Nikolai Volkoff in a Flag Match at WrestleMania 2. Who woulda thought? Be the first one to comment on this story. In a 2015 interview with KMEL radio, for example, the interviewer called him a genuine veteran who had military experience. Slaughter then replied, I didnt even think about using that character when he first broke into wrestling, instead having an epiphany watching 1957s Jack Webb vehicle The D.I. He then started competing on the independent circuit. And not just to the media either. (FWIW: Available newspaper records dont shed any light on what Remus really did during his service other than. Top Hat Gaming Man - twitch.tv/tophatgamingmanlive, calling occupants of interporkatery sweats. Though not a SEAL, Ventura served as a UDT Frogman a group that was eventually merged with the SEALs and was stationed in the Philippines during the Vietnam War. Kennedy is one of the few fighters simultaneously to serve in the . Before his WWE career, Montez Ford was part of his high school's JROTC program and when he graduated, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. Any individual in an Officer Accession Program with the rank of Cadet or Midshipman (Academy or, ROTC) is not eligible for Armed Forces Championships nor any subsequent higher-level competition.. Recently, Evans competed in the Mae Young Classic, advancing to the second round after defeating Taynara Conti. Perhaps the most decorated American wrestler was Brooklyn native Paul Boesch, who left wrestling to enlist in the Army, where he earned a Purple Heart, Silver Star and cluster, Bronze Star and cluster, and French Croix de Guerre for actions at the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest while serving with the 121st Infantry Regiment. Jacques graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2003, with a bachelor's degree in Political Science. When co-host Sam Roberts asked Remus how long he was out of the Marines when he started wrestling, the result was another halted answer: After he was on leave for six months, Remus claimed. That is, to show that Slaughter was even lying to his fellow wrestlers about serving. Got out in 74, went in in 68. David Bixenspan is a freelance reporter who lives in Brooklyn. Follow him on twitter @goodeals79. WWE Superstar Bobby Lashley has a long list of accomplishments outside the wrestling business. article didnt involve the company and he even told other wrestlers for decades that hed served. Jay Swingler vs Nicholai Perrett Purse Payouts | How Much Both Earn from PPV Money? Corporal Kirchner was another WWE superstar who had his gimmick include plenty of references to his military career. Well, I always thought he was in the Marines! exclaimed the former member of the WWF creative team and talent relations department through laughter. Prior to chasing WWE gold, he enlisted in the US Marine Corps and served as a drill Sergeant. Slaughter schooled other fighters in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), the American Wrestling Association (AWA) and the World Wrestling Federation (today's World Wrestling Entertainment or WWE) as the ultimate drill instructor for decades, and his image even graced a G.I. Some controversy caused WWE to drop the gimmick, but Ryker returned in 2021 as a lackey for Elias before movingback into singles action and relying on his military past again. I first noticed the Sun story last February while doing research on Newspapers.com. Seven years before becoming a WWE Superstar, Cutler was in the military. And no. Lashley had a very impressive career in MMA and he was also successful in amateur wrestling. 10/15 Lacey Evans. convention, Slaughter gave him a similar story, one that, even as someone with family who served in the Marines, he bought. A Highly Questionable Cultural History of Richard Geres Ass Gerbil, The Unexpectedly Sweet Story Behind Those Viral Semi-Truck Pregnancy Photos. As such, in December 1984, Slaughter/Remus gave, , which would be syndicated nationwide throughout 1985 by Knight-Ridder and the Associated Press. . Slaughter, he perfected the act, becoming one of the biggest stars and top villains in the business almost overnight. From the battlefields of the Revolutionary War, to the beaches of Normandy on D-Day to the front lines of today, American Indians and Alaska Native people have defended this country for centuries. They made us do it, Remus answered. William George Bonin was a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War. In fact, every year the company holds its annual Tribute to the Troops, in an effort to show appreciation for the fighting men and women who serve. Lashley would follow in his dad's footsteps and enlist in the army. Its like Paul Newman. The now 60-year-old originally got his big break in WWE using the ring name Diesel. Goldberg is one of the most popular figures of the late 1990s/early 2000s professional wrestling boom. A fellow marine, who was a promoter on the side, booked her in a match on an indy show and the rest is history. An injury he sustained during a game in Germany forced him to end his basketball career in 1981. He is currently signed to the 'World Wrestling Entertainment,' and performs under their brand, 'Raw.'. Ventura later became governor of Minnesota and has never been one to shy away from investigating a conspiracy. 30. For those unfamiliar, the school is essentially 61-days of intense leadership training. That seems to also be the case for many others, at least as far as why this story has, somewhat improbably, not come to a head sooner. I was, basically, just infantry, you know? After he was discharged from the Navy in 1946, Freddie Blassie returned to the ring and attained more success. Official response from the Department of the Navy to if Sgt. Debuting in December 1973, he was a journeyman throughout the rest of the decade, starting under his real name before switching to other gimmicks like Bob Slaughter and the masked Super Destroyer Mark II. In other words: Maybe you heard that Slaughter wasnt a genuine Marine at one point, and you heard him giving an out-of-character interview where he claimed real military service. Off Topic. Not to mention, in the ensuing years, the YouTube and podcast booms hadnt really gotten going yet at least not to the degree that it would be easy to be aware of what Slaughter has claimed about being a genuine Marine while explicitly out-of-character. Read the Rules! Virginia . That last link is the most explicit, using his real name and putting him in a Veterans Day 2018 listicle of wrestlers who otherwise legitimately served. Nonetheless, fans might not know about a few other former WWE Superstars who have also joined the military. Professional wrestling itself is a rigorous industry to work in, as it requires a lot of training, sacrifice and endurance. Cutler is also a proud veteran of the United States Marine Corps. . Pee Wee Reese, Phil Rizzuto, and Hugh Casey. Jaxson Ryker originally made his name in TNA, where he worked as Gunner and was part of Immortal, winning the TV title and tag team title before leaving for WWE NXT. The WWE Universe remembers Jesse The Body Ventura as the colorful commentator calling the WWE action alongside Mr. McMahon in the 1980s. Mr. Kennedy was in line for a major push during his time in WWE but it did not turn out the way he expected. In honor of Veterans Day, WWE.com salutes 12 Superstars from different eras who fought for their country before battling in WWE. Vince McMahon has also hired several former U.S. Army members over the years. Still, he is working for WWE as Senior Vice President of Live Events. Vernon Logan, Buddy Arndt, J. Robinson, and Randy Couture served in WW2, Vietnam and during the Cold War. However, most fans today remember him as a WWE (then WWF) manager in the 1980s representing stars like The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff. U.S. Air Force. He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1997 and was a member of the wrestling team. Stay tuned for more information! Air Force is one of three Division I service academies with wrestling programs in the United States. Case in point: Yes, he responded when Jim Norton of Sirius XMs, him if he really served in the Marine Corps last February 18th. Policies should never be aimed at reaching a quota or making a press release. Following that, Mr. Kennedy signed with WWE in 2005 and he went on to capture the US Championship only a year after his debut. Wrestling News and Highlights Army Defeats U.S. Air Force, 38-9, to Claim Armed Forces Men's Freestyle Title Feb. 27, 2023 - The U.S. Army won nine of 10 bouts to defeat the U.S. Air Force, 38-9. He competed in many promotions throughout his career, including WCW, ECW, TNA, and WWE. The wrestling star ran into some legal trouble in his youth and was forced to choose between either the military or prison. Wrestlers who served in the military. Despite the differences, these men and women mostly served their countries with honor. I was, basically, just infantry, you know? Watch every Premium Live Event and enjoy some of your favorite WWE content on Disney + HotStar. Still he is signed with Impact where he is a member of the creative team. He spent three years in uniform before joining WWE in 2005. UFC Referees Salaries | Herb Dean Highest Paid MMA Official With $500k Salary, Most Expensive UFC Fighters Contracts Deals. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. Before the big man became wrestling royalty, he served in the 202ndMilitary Police Company. He competed in ECW and WCW for several years before joining WWE in January 2000. During college times, Nash was a skillful basketball player and later on, he worked hard to get into Military Police Company in Germany where he reached the rank of specialist before turning pro in professional wrestling. Former professional wrestler, actor and governor of Minnesota, Jesse "The Body" Ventura served in the Navy from 1969 to 1975 during the Vietnam War. , it just didnt remind him of his own such superior officer because he never had one. After the troll, Slaughter on a pedestal as having always been there for the troops, the wrestler. Vince McMahon has also hired several former U.S. Army members over the years. After a successful year-long run doing strong business with great matches (primarily against, in the Carolinas, another famously lucrative territory, eventually, Slaughter would return to the WWF shortly after the traffic jam, changing his villainous ways to a good guy after about a year. He snuck the, uh, Twinkies in the barracks. The 32-year-old then received a WWE tryout in 2017. Yet the discovery of a 35-year-old article clarifying his status has had fans asking questions recently about the foremost drill instructor in sports entertainment. Bobby Lashley made his initial WWE debut in 2005 and his overall tenure in the company saw him becoming the ECW World Champion, United States Champion and Intercontinental Champion. Nash had some success during his enlistment and worked his way up to the rank of specialist. WWE Hall of Famer "Classy" Freddie Blassie is proclaimed to be one of the greatest managers of all time. 13/15 * Jaxson Ryker. Slaughter. Sign up for Peacock to watch. Peyton Walsh prepare for. As the mouthpiece of The New Age Outlaws, Road DoggJesse James broke out as The Attitude Eras most boisterous degenerate. A year later, she made her WWE debut on the September 5 episode of NXT. Ill go into the Marine Corps, and Ill go to college when I get out. I got halfway there [and] ended up at a pro wrestling training camp on leave. A follow-up question asking if it was an easy transition for you from being a Marine to becoming a pro wrestler saw Remus avoid going further than the above implication that he may have only gone through basic training. In 1998, he was enlisted to join the Marines. After serving overseas, the former WWE Champion returned to the US and got into pro wrestling. UFC Fighters With Expensive Sponsorship Deals | How Much These Endorsements Help Them in their Careers? He served as an Army Airborne Ranger during Operation Desert Storm in the Gulf War between 1990 and 1991. During that period he served as a member of the Underwater Demolition Team. The 34-year-old joined Impact Wrestling last June. Slaughter character or even Remus, frankly being a valor thief at his peak, when kayfabe was still strong, past a few mid-1980s Marines. The Staff Sergeant booked her in a wrestling match on the show and that's where it all began. Discharged after the war in 1946 as a Petty Officer Second Class, the WWE Hall of Famer initially began his wrestling career as Sailor Freddie Blassie before he became The Fashion Plate of Professional Wrestling. Longtime wrestling performer Jim Cornette, who worked with Slaughter in the WWF, also expressed shock over Remus non-service on his podcast last week when answering a listener question about the controversy. My idea of a perfect evening is to cook a steak, build a fire and relax. After serving in Vietnam for a year, Colter returned to the U.S. and found his calling in professional wrestling. Remus himself never served in the military. He currently resides in Chicago, Illinois. There was a lot of patriotism that came from the boxing ring,. Stuart Parker. He started his career in 1990 after signing the deal with United States Wrestling Association. Joe action figure in the late '80s when he became a spokesman for the brand and did voice-over work . WWE Network. Bobby Lashley. He probably did get the idea from The D.I., it just didnt remind him of his own such superior officer because he never had one. WWE Hall of Famers Kevin Nash and Freddie Blassie are two examples of wrestlers who have served in the military before becoming pro wrestlers. Orton would eventually be discharged, which is why there was so much pushback over him playing a Marine. While he had a noteworthy career as an in-ring competitor, he is arguably best to remember for his work as a commentator for WWE in the 1980s. Military policies should only be developed for one purpose: fighting and winning our nation's wars. A rising star in NXT and an imposing figure, Evans served in the U.S. Marine Corps before pursuing her career in WWE. Zeb Colter is so uncompromisingly vocal about his beliefs and is never afraid to say what's on his mind so much sothat hed make Rush Limbaugh ill at ease. While Gary Sinise never served in the military, his support of the troops is well-documented and impressive. 5 Konnan. 16 Steve McQueen Shutterstock At age 17, The King of Cool joined the United States Marine Corps. A few current WWE Superstars have also had the same experience. His father was a United States Army drill sergeant and his sister served in the United States Air Force. {2}{B} Enchantment Aura Curse // Creature Leech Horror Enchant player As this permanent transforms into Curse of Leeches, attach it to a player. Even while being interviewed by Keller, a veteran insider wrestling reporter, Slaughter stuck with his story, spinning his usual Marine yarns starting at the 24:57 mark of the podcast. Making sure all the, uh, the grunts dont [go] AWOL on us, and keep em all in line.. Before joining the promotion, Ellenberger racked up a 12-0 MMA score. SSG Warren Swan. Servo won a 10-round decision as Ambers watched from ringside. The Viper currently competes on Monday Night RAW as a heel. As a young man, Raven was looking for an action-packed job. She was in the Marines. Who Will be Highest Paid Fighter at UFC 285? Today we take a look at the top 5 wrestlers that served in the military. Stationed in the Pacific Theater for more than three years, Blassie won the 7th Naval District Championship for boxing and wrestling while serving. He stayed in military during the years 1987 to 1993 and also performed duties during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Slaughter never served decades ago, even though Remus still claimed as recently as last summer that he was a real Marine. . Sign up for BINGE to watch. All of which misses the point. Military experience: Graduated from the U.S. The Sheik is arguably one of wrestling's greatest villains ever - and every great villain needs a hero. Three reasons why he is the best wrestler : He can wrestle with any guy : Be it The Great Khali , The Rock, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Brock Lesnar,Rey Mysterio. To the prosecutor at his trial, he was "the most arch-evil person who ever existed.". Slaughter is a wrestling star who rose to prominence in the 1980s. There is no question that the 52-year-old Cleveland, Ohio product is a legit tough guy. Like Mr. Armstrong, Road Dogg served in the U.S. Marine Corps, putting his wrestling career on hold. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. The WWE Hall of Famer out of St. Louis, Missouri began his wrestling career all the way back in 1952. Specialist_Cell_4067 Additional comment actions Slaughter name from Jackie Gleasons Master Sergeant Maxwell Slaughter character in, that he sounded like himself and not the nervous, monosyllabic mess that he was in the. Gary Sinise has 40 years invested in his career as an actor, and his advocacy for service members is as long. Outside the ring, Blassie was a World War II veteran who served in U.S. Navy. The gimmick wasnt entirely new: When he first became Bob Slaughter in 1976 in the Kansas City territory, he was billed as an ex-Marine drill instructor and nicknamed The D.I. But as Sgt. Instead, he focused on how go[ing] through the calisthenics and everything that goes along with it to see if you really want it benefited his transition. All of which misses the point. Lacey Evans enlisted when she was 19 years old, and she went on to serve on the Marine Corps SWAT team. Reese, most known for his support of . When I leave here, Im Bob Slaughter. However, his time in the military didn't work out as he was discharged due to bad conduct. Former WWE Champion Bobby Lashley, for example, joined the army after graduating from college, following in his father's footsteps. Blassie joined WWE in 1964 and worked as a manager from the 70s before his official retirement in 1984. RELATED:Every Version Of Bobby Lashley, Ranked From Worst To Best. He was an 11-time WCW Tag Team Champion, and as a solo wrestler, he . Your login session has expired. Lacey Evans, the Lady of NXT, also served in the Marine Corps. I just wish I had more time to do that.. Cena incorporates military dress and mannerisms into his wrestling persona, driving the rumors of his service. It was less disorienting than usual, though, because he grounded the tall tales in enough ostensible reality connecting everything to wrestling stories, e.g., getting the Sgt. Vernon Logan: Logan won individual NCAA titles for Oklahoma State in 1940 and 1942 at 155 pounds. Proudly serving on the frontlines, Cutler did two tours in Afghanistan before being honorably discharged. Randy Orton, the legend killer, the apex predator. Serving the nation by joining military of your own country is a dream of almost every citizen. Besides the normal cadets, many known wrestlers of history also remained the part of their respective countries forces before starting their career or even after taking the retirement. He enlisted from 2007 to 2011 and did two tours of Afghanistan. When co-host Sam Roberts asked Remus how long he was out of the Marines when he started wrestling, the result was another halted answer: After he was on leave for six months, Remus claimed. To make things official, he later saved Eddie Gilbert from the Sheiks antics, after which he announced, IRON SHEIK, I DECLARE WAR ON YOU! and led the fans in the Pledge of Allegiance.