Donald Trump, long connected with WWE since the 1980s, avoided interacting with wrestling icon Sgt. Slaughter during WrestleMania 7 in 1991, as tensions grew over Slaughter’s controversial Iraqi sympathizer persona. The incident, which unfolded backstage at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, highlighted the unease surrounding the politically charged storyline that captured attention during the event.
Sgt. Slaughter, who lost the WWE Championship to Hulk Hogan in the main event that year, attempted to greet Trump and several other celebrity guests in the green room before the show. However, many attendees, including Trump, chose to turn their backs or leave, reportedly because they accepted Slaughter’s character’s pro-Iraq stance as genuine.
In a revealing interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter, Slaughter recounted the cold reception he received from numerous celebrities.
“When I got there to the arena, they had a green room set up for all the celebrities. They had Regis Philbin there, they had Donald Trump, a bunch of actors, Willie Nelson, Alex Trebek. All these people that I knew, and I’d been with them, so I went in to say hello, and when I walked in they all stopped talking and they all turned their back. A bunch of them left the room. They actually believed that I was an Iraqi sympathizer.”
At the time, Sgt. Slaughter’s alignment with Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait became a globally controversial topic, contributing heavily to how his character was received both inside and outside the ring. The political storyline was so contentious that some guests distanced themselves from the event entirely—such as sportscaster Bob Costas, who canceled his WrestleMania 7 appearance due to disagreement with the narrative.
Backstage Tensions Include Macaulay Culkin Playfully Punching Sgt. Slaughter
The hostile atmosphere extended beyond the green room. Slaughter shared that Macaulay Culkin, the young star of Home Alone and a guest at the event, jokingly punched him backstage as part of the heightened emotions surrounding his villainous role.
“That little Macaulay kid, he came up to me and punched me. That kid from Home Alone. He came up and punched me. He said, ‘You’re no good, Sgt. Slaughter.'”
Beyond the celebrity reactions, the role Slaughter played as a heel led to more direct consequences, with Slaughter reporting that fans physically attacked him and even vandalized his cars during this storyline.
The WrestleMania 7 Sgt Slaughter incident remains a vivid example of how real-world events and politics can profoundly influence wrestling narratives and the perceptions of both performers and attendees. It also demonstrates the challenges faced by those portraying controversial characters, highlighting the blurring line between entertainment and reality.
