WWE legend refused to wear bulletproof vest despite safety concerns, Bruce Prichard recalls

Bruce Prichard worked closely with former WWE Chairman, Vince McMahon, on storyline ideas in the build-up to WrestleMania 7. The creative team member recently disclosed details about safety concerns surrounding Sgt. Slaughter ahead of the event.

In 1990, WWE capitalized on Iraq's invasion of Kuwait by turning Slaughter's all-American on-screen persona into an Iraqi sympathizer. The storyline resulted in Hogan defeating the Hall of Famer at WrestleMania 7 in 1991 to win the WWE Championship.

Prichard, formerly known as Brother Love, appeared on WWE television with Slaughter around the time of the controversial angle. On his Something to Wrestle podcast, Prichard recalled how company officials were worried someone might shoot them:

"They wanted Sarge wearing bulletproof vests, they wanted me to wear a bulletproof vest, and we both refused. I underestimated this. Hindsight being 20/20, I underestimated it a little bit, I think, because my thing was, you know what, our fans are sophisticated enough and educated enough to know that, 'Hey, this is entertainment.'" [30:53 – 31:21]

Slaughter's pro-Iraq character was one of the most despised in WWE history. He often mentioned Saddam Hussein's name on television and even claimed to have received boots from the former Iraqi controversial leader as a gift.

---

Bruce Prichard was willing to take a bullet for WWE

WWE ensured that Sgt. Slaughter's family was given 24-hour security after they received threats from fans who believed the storyline to be real.

More than three decades on, Bruce Prichard joked his character would probably have become a good guy if someone shot him during a show. He also admitted he was young and naive at the time and did not have a holistic understanding of the serious threat to his life.

"At this point I'm 26, 27 years old, whatever it is, I'm invincible. Shoot me, I don't care. I'll just come back as a babyface! Or I'll rise from hell, whatever the hell it takes. But I didn't take it seriously. I took it as, in our world, I was so immersed [in thinking] that they have to understand we're working here," he said. [31:49 – 32:17]

Prichard also opened up about The Ultimate Warrior's failure to replace Hulk Hogan as WWE's marquee babyface in 1990.

---

What are your thoughts on the Hulk Hogan vs. Sgt. Slaughter storyline? Hit the Discuss button and let us know.

If you use Bruce Prichard's quotes from this article, please credit Something to Wrestle and embed the YouTube video, with an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.