Former WWE Champion says Vince McMahon told him he was "bigger than Hulk Hogan" (Exclusive)

Hulk Hogan was WWE's top attraction when Vince McMahon transformed the company into a worldwide juggernaut in the 1980s. In an exclusive interview, Sgt. Slaughter recalled how his former boss once viewed him as a bigger star than the WWE icon.

In 1984, Slaughter turned into a patriotic babyface and began feuding with The Iron Sheik. The rivalry led to him becoming one of WWE's most beloved good guys. However, McMahon chose to push Hogan in the main-event scene instead.

Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter, Slaughter revealed that McMahon purposely booked him on separate live events from Hogan. At the time, the former WWE Chairman allegedly felt that The Hulkster needed a world title reign more than Slaughter.

"I had just gone against The Iron Sheik," the one-time WWE Champion stated. "He said, 'Sarge, you're bigger than Hulk, but he needs the title, so I'm just gonna put the title on him and let you and Sheiky go off by yourselves, be in one town, and I'll put Hulkster in the other town.'"

Watch the video above to hear Slaughter tell several stories about his experience at Vince McMahon's 80th birthday party.

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Why Vince McMahon let Sgt. Slaughter leave WWE

Despite his popularity with fans, Sgt. Slaughter left WWE after accepting an offer to be part of Hasbro's G.I. Joe franchise.

According to Slaughter, Vince McMahon refused to let him take part in the project due to WWE's deal with toy company LJN. As a result, the Hall of Famer left WWE in 1984 before returning in 1990.

"When G.I. Joe came along and they wanted me to come there and Vince wouldn't let me go because he had LJN [figures]," Slaughter continued. "I said, 'LJ who?' He said, 'LJN, they're a toy company.' I said, 'I've never heard of them, but I know about Hasbro.' He said, 'Well, pal, thanks for your hard work in getting that, but you can't do both. You can either be there or with us,' and, of course, he thought I would be with him because we were working at WrestleMania at that time."

Slaughter also disclosed details about Vince McMahon personally inviting him to his recent two-night birthday celebration.

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Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.

First-hand reports of Vince McMahon's birthday party HERE.

Edited by Danny Hart