Sgt. Slaughter was one of pro wrestling's top stars of the 1980s, a drill-sergeant character in the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE). He is widely recognized as the only real person turned into a G.I. Joe character. Hasbro added him to its G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero line as an action figure, in the animated series, and in comic books, as a member of the team who fought Cobra Commander. WWE had an exclusive toy deal with a rival company at the time, so he chose G.I. Joe and left WWE in the mid-1980s. He worked as a rule breaker before turning fan favorite, and WWE has said his early-1980s popularity was second only to Hulk Hogan's. He returned in 1990 as an "Iraqi sympathizer" character during the Gulf War, one of the most controversial moments in WWE history. Because it played out while the U.S. was actually at war, the character drew intense backlash and, by several accounts, death threats. He won the WWE Championship at the 1991 Royal Rumble, then lost it to Hulk Hogan in ...