[1991-06-03-WWF-MSG, NY] Hulk Hogan vs Sgt. Slaughter (Desert Storm)

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Both are wearing military gear, and the only way to win is to make your opponent "unconditionally surrender". Offensive war exploitation aside, this is a terrific match. Hogan immediately throws powder in Slaughter's eyes, which Gorilla calls "tear gas". This was a fantastic match, something not quite like any match Hogan has ever had that I've seen. Slaughter is a bloody mess and does some incredible selling. Hogan looks like the coolest guy in the world wearing the camo and throwing fireballs at those who dare disgrace America. There are times when Hogan's gimmick is artificial and entitled. Then there are times when you clearly understand that the guy was something special. This is the latter.

[Childs]

I can't logically criticize any of what they did. The powder and the attire were smart ways to set this apart from your typical Hogan match. And Slaughter did everything he could to put over the match, from his selling to the heavy blade job. But I did not connect to the match for whatever reason. Maybe it's my distaste for the angle. Maybe it's that Hogan lacked the athletic crispness to be a dynamic brawler. I don't know. I just didn't care about what I was watching.

[PeteF3]

It's pretty wild that the WWF was able to put on a gimmick match with more blood and hatred and less bullshit than anything out of the state of Texas. I like me some good World Class/USWA bullshit but here they take the referee out of the equation entirely, which from a kayfabe perspective you'd think the USWA would do a lot more often. In a world without Warrior/Savage this is the WWF MOTY. It's a borderline one-man-show from Slaughter, who sells blood loss better than just about anyone in history. He makes not being able to lift a chair over his head out to be a sensible spot. Hogan is sort of along for the ride for much of this, but does provide some new tricks like powder and fire and a headbutt with the protective mask on, and his final comeback is really good, maybe because there's no "Hulking Up"--it's just a fiery, traditional babyface comeback. Hogan locks in Slaughter's own camel clutch and that gets Adnan to throw in the towel.

[shoe]

A good match. People talk about Dundee being a great gimmick worker . Well Slaughter might be the greatest in the WWF. The 1st 8 to 10 minutes of this is awesome. The reason being is Slaughter's bumping, blading, and just selling his ass off for Hogan. Slaughter's facial expressions were just off the charts here. With Hogan on the defensive it wasn't nearly as fun. Still this was a really strong main event at the Garden.

[Superstar Sleeze]

I love this match and Id go so far to say it is Hogan's best match Stateside (the Backlund '80, Vader '95 are close). It is much more violent, visceral and Southern than just about any Hogan match. Yet at the same time, it is distinctly WWF with the Patriotism and the focus on vicious spots rather than continuous viciousness. The entire story of the match is Hogan throwing all of Slaughter's dirty tactics back in his face: powder, fireballs, the boot and coup d'grace: the Camel Clutch. Slaughter was a bumping machine and sold like a million bucks. When it came time for him to take control, he was still convincing in beating Hogan down. I like this finish better than just about any Hogan match ever. Tremendous match with a style that you wish the WWF would bust put from a time to time back in their heyday.

[Zenjo]

It would be awesome if someone made a GIF of the Sgt Slaughter attempted chair shot. I just kept rewinding and replaying it, dying of laughter the whole time. That was absolute gold.

[Kevin Ridge]

Hogan has his street fight fatigues on and is wearing a mask. No referee in the ring which is good since there are no rules. The announcers continue to play up the war talk. A different looking Hogan here as he mixes it up and does not do the normal routine. The best of the three Hogan/Slaughter matches I have seen from 1991. Would have been cool to see this as the WrestleMania main event. There was more hate in this match and stipulations allowed them to just go at it.

[soup23]

Don't think I have ever watched this. Thought it was great. First, Anvil, Booby, and Gorilla on commentary is pretty bad all around and were too busy making some goofy jokes or Anvil doing his maniacal laugh instead of playing this match up like they should have.

 

Second, this MSG crowd was dreadful. I can see how if this was SUmmerSlam this would have looked real bad. I thought it might have been a Sunday matinee or something but it appears it was a Monday night which is strange. I don't know if people were tired of Hogan, disgusted with the angle, or didnt give Slaughter a chance.

 

Anyway, Slaughter was fantastic in this. He has an ability to be one of the best big match workers of all time and his selling is sublime. Hulk for his part is all business and not mugging for the crowd. I got real invested in this match and thought it was super.

[Kevin Ridge]

Just like to add that Hogan did a pre match promo telling the little Hulkamaniacs to check their pop corn boxes for napalm and under their seats for a possible land mine put there by Slaughter.

[Superstar Sleeze]

This has to be the best U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! ALL THE WAY! type match. Just perfect for Independence Day. Slaughter is amazing selling the fatigue of this WAR~! He really puts over the match and Hogan with his selling and bumping. I forgot about the FIREBALL~! I don't know how I did, but I marked out all over again. Again great, great finish. I wish Hogan's feuds with Savage and others had more of this mid-80s street fight feels for blowoffs. AMERICA, FUCK YEAH!

[garretta]

I disagree with Soup; this is the match that should have been the main event at SummerSlam. I understand why it probably wasn't, because Sarge hit a really deep gusher and pay-per-views weren't supposed to have matches that were that bloody, but maybe Vince could have made an exception for once.

 

I agree that this was mainly a one-man show for Sarge. I remember saying that Mania VII was his last hurrah as the worker we all knew him to be, but I was wrong; it was here. This was a lot like the Patterson alley fight: Sarge just got the ever-loving shit beaten out of him with almost no letup, was hurt so badly he could barely pick up a simple chair or boot, and not only didn't he quit, he came back with spurts of offense. Not much of it was effective, but at least he attempted it. Hogan was himself and yet not himself at the same time; he's in character as far as being a patriot is concerned, but he goes a lot further to defend America's honor and get some personal payback besides.

 

Maybe this would have been a slightly better match if Sarge had had a bit more offense, but I think we needed to see Hogan beat Sarge so badly that he left the WWF, and he definitely accomplished that, although Vince spoiled the party by trying to get one last main event out of this by putting together "The Match Made In Hell", or, as I like to call it, "The Match Hell Wouldn't Have". Seriously, how did Vince think he could top this (and the various other Desert Storm matches done around the loop at this time) by involving Warrior, Sheik, Adnan, and Sid? This should have been the SummerSlam main event, with Adnan's throwing in of the towel leading to Sarge's face turn. I'm not sure what to do with Warrior, although I may have the answer after watching the body bag match with Taker when July rolls around. Put Sid in a squash against a lower-card heel, dump Sheik altogether, and we may have a PPV-worthy main event on our hands.

 

If I ever have to hear Jim Neidhart say "Stormin' Hulkster" one more time I'll scream my damn fool head off so loudly Will would hear me down in Texas. My God, who thought that man could announce? He says almost nothing of note in the match except "Stormin' Hulkster! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Gino's slow decline continues as well, but Heenan's stock as a serious analyst is going way up with me. It's not that he has a ton of different talking points, but he repeats the ones he has effectively enough that he sells the match through sheer force of character; if someone as usually clueless and self-absorbed as he can be is shocked by the blood and brutality of this bout, it must be a real war.

 

He sells the violence of the match and the exhaustion of both men, Slaughter in particular, about as well as I've ever heard a WWF heel announcer sell anything, and that includes Jesse. It's a shame Gino was fading away and Vince was becoming more of a buffoon, because I'd like to hear what he could have done with a serious play-by-play man who could also remember to set up his jokes when they were called for. JR was as close as he got, apparently, and I'm looking forward to hearing them when '93 comes along. We're left to wonder if his WCW stint would have gone any differently if JR had stuck around into the Attitude Era there, or even if Heenan would have come back to the WWF sometime in the late nineties to take over for Lawler, who's never especially impressed me as a color man.

 

If this match had actually made pay-per-view, it would have probably been the WWF Match of the Year, even over Warrior/Savage. As it is, it's an under-the-radar classic that I was thrilled to be able to see.

[EdZeppelin]

This should have been the Main Event of Summer Slam and not the 2 on 3 match.

[JKWebb]

I dig the camo Hulkster. Was there an action figure of this? I've always been a fan of their match at WrestleMania VII, but crazily enough I have never seen this before today. Slaughter is fantastic in this match. Hogan PUMMELS him. This is the most violent you will ever see Hogan in the WWF. The crowd seems to be eating it up too. Once Slaughter takes over on offense, he sells the fatigue from the beating he just took so well. The chair spot is pretty funny, yet as pointed out... almost sensible! It really plays off the fatigue, and that a few minutes later he tries to go to the top rope and falls off. I saw this as consistent story telling from Slaughter, and liked that aspect of the match. The fireball looked awesome. I love the comeback and the finish of the match. Really enjoyed this one. Great match.

 

#433 - placetobenation.com/countdown-top-500-matches-of-the-90s-450-401/

[dawho5]

So where was THIS Hogan all my life? I know they are more aimed at kids, but I really like this version of Hogan against a guy like Slaughter who is going to go all-out to make him look like a million bucks. Easily the best Hogan match I have ever seen Stateside. Right up there with the Hansen match in NJPW. Too bad the build to it had to be so....not finding a bad enough word here...

[NintendoLogic]

It should be noted that per Hogan's pre-match promo, it was the white sand of Venice Beach that he threw in Slaughter's eyes.

 

Dope match overall, pretty much a poor man's Boot Camp Match. If this had happened at Wrestlemania or Summerslam, it would be legendary.

[Superstar Sleeze]

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Sgt. Slaughter - MSG 6/3/91 Desert Storm Match

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! ALL THE WAY! Hogan's entrance should be shown every Independence Day! Hogan looks badass in the camo & American flag doo-rag. They do really exemplify this is war by doing a war of attrition style match. Most of Hogan's matches are uptempo, quick bursts of energy. This turned down and you really watching a war unfold. Slaughter was amazing in this. His selling throughout really put over the damage he had taken. Tipping over with the chair or falling off the top rope all came off great. Hogan too, gone was his Hulk Up and all that jazz. A major toll had be taken on his body and he was selling the exhaustion. I liked that Hogan absolutely kicked ass at the beginning. He threw all of Slaughter's dirty tricks back in his face quite literally with the "tear gas" (jeez Gorilla). Lots of choking and slamming Slaughter's head into hard, metal objects. Sarge of course is busted open. I am surprised Hogan did not blade. I wish Slaughter made Hogan earn his shine. Hogan definitely should be on offense, but a little more life from Slaughter would have been nice. Slaughter was great on top going for the eyes and the throat. The Camel Clutch was a great nearfall for Sarge and signaled the time for Hogan to take charge. He throws Sarge off the top rope. FIREBALL~! I forgot about the Fireball again, damn marked out again! I love that it was Fireball vs. The Boot. Who could pull the trigger first? Fireballs wins everytime. There really needs to be more fireballs in wrestling. Hogan uses the Boot against Sarge! Then in the ultimate Fuck You, Hogan makes General Adnan unconditionally surrender for Slaughter in the Camel Clutch! Hogan just used all of Slaughter's tactics to beat Sarge at his own game. This is a great down-tempo, war of attrition. It is not personal favorite style, BUT they do it extraordinarily well especially Sarge. AMERICA, FUCK YEAH! ****1/4

[TheDuke]

Man, Hogan looks so cool with the camo and the face mask. I think I liked this masked version of Hogan better than either Hulk Machine or Mr America. The toy company should release a 3 pack of all three of these masked versions of Hogan. The yellow and red was getting a little tired at this point, so I feel like they should have just dumped the yellow and red and had him keep the desert storm gear he wears here. It's a shame we had to wait until 1996 for Hogan to finally get a makeover, as he had been wearing yellow and read since the mid 80's.

And The finish of this was so cool, instead of the leg drop and pin, we have Hogan using Slaughter's own move against him, and General Adnan running from the back with a white towel to throw in.  The corner man literally throwing the towel in is a finish that is used very rarely in wrestling, so when I see it happen I always think it's cool. 

[peachchaos]

2 hours ago, TheDuke said:

The yellow and red was getting a little tired at this point, so I feel like they should have just dumped the yellow and red and had him keep the desert storm gear he wears here. It's a shame we had to wait until 1996 for Hogan to finally get a makeover, as he had been wearing yellow and read since the mid 80's.

Totally agree, I always thought Hulk should have gone with the camouflage look permanently. Would have been ahead of the times as eventually New Jack, The Dudleys, Rey etc. would all sport the same look, even if they were all going for more of a street vibe than American soldier. Well, maybe not General Rection. 

One of Hogan's best dressed and best worked matches for sure.   

[cactus]

With both wrestlers rocking military gear and with no referee present in the ring, this was a fun gimmick match that unlike any other Hogan match from this time. The real star of the show was Sarge for his phenomenal bumping and selling. I'm a big fan of Slaughter falling on his big arse because of blood lose when he attempts to raise the steel chair above his head. The result of this one was never in doubt, but this was miles better than their 'Mania snoozefest. 

★★★