The WWE has dropped a series of promos as of late hyping up superstar Lacey Evans and showing off her impressive use of an conic WWE finisher: the Cobra Clutch. Evans is ready for her "next mission" that includes conquering the women of SmackDown, but before she gets to taking them on, she might just have a legendary WWE figure to overcome first. Sgt. Slaughter himself recently went off on social media in a baffling way in response to Evans using his famed Cobra Clutch as a finisher, and had quite a bit to say.
Sgt. Slaughter is a name known well to fans of classic WWE eras. The WWE Hall of Famer was known for his militaristic gimick, navigating the ring and wrestling in a Marine uniform. Slaughter has been on Twitter quite a bit in the days following the WWE's latest promo for Evans, which featured her using the finishing move in question. Take a look below at one of the many videos promoting the repackaging of Evans as a wrestler with military training:
The fan response to Lacey Evans' repackaging has been largely positive online, at least for those whose names don't rhyme with Gwargent Clawter. The camo-wearing wrestler, real name Robert Remus, posted a series of tweets suggesting he wasn't happy that the WWE handed off his finisher to Evans, namely because he wasn't personally asked to use the Cobra Clutch. Here's how he responded to one fan's post:
I Like Lacy WHO? It’s Just Using My “Infamous” COBRA🐍CLUTCH Without Consulting ME & Getting My Permission That Is Very Very Disrespectful🫵🏻At Least Let Me Show & Train You How To Use The Most Decorated Finishing Maneuver In The History of Pro Wrestling🫡January 8, 2023
Some fans expressed seemingly genuine surprise that Sgt. Slaughter wasn't contacted by Lacey Evans about using the Cobra Clutch, and thus found the move disrespectful. Slaughter seemed to think the same with his amusingly ego-driven post, but noted in another message that this isn't something that's so unique to him and the current situation. Here's how he put it:
The Respect Has Left Our Once Very Respected Business. Many Legends Have Rolled In Their Graves The Last Few Years💪🏻
Sgt. Slaughter might feel like he was disrespected by Lacey Evans not asking for his permission to use the Cobra Clutch, but it's not exactly uncommon in the industry at large, with only so many finishers to go around. Kevin Owens, for one, asked Stone Cold Steve Austin for permission to use the Stunner as a finisher, while Ric Flair (a noted colleague of Slaughter's) raised hell when Becky Lynch took over his persona as "The Man" after he sold it to the WWE. So it can go all kinds of ways.
It appears that Sgt. Slaughter is upset about not being asked by Lacey Evans to use his finisher, but might be willing to sweep that under the rug. A recent tweet from the wrestler to Evans suggested that he's hoping to be incorporated in her repackaging in some way and could even teach her the proper technique for the move:
Listen Up Maggot ”Imitation Is The Highest Form Of Flattery”🫡Take NO Prisoners Marine & That’s An Order🫵🏻Stop By Camp Slaughter MOS 5811 If YOU Dare👊🏻If YOU Make It Past My Sentry💪🏻I’ll Drill YOU In The @_SgtSlaughter Annihilation Version of MY Cobra🐍ClutchJanuary 9, 2023
It's understandable why Sgt. Slaughter might want to be involved in Lacey Evans' upcoming SmackDown storyline, though him not being asked in the first place may be a sign. One thing worth noting is that Evans actually served in the Marines before coming to the WWE, and Sgt. Slaughter has never served in the military, so she's kind of got the advantage here, particularly when it comes to justified use of calling others maggots.
Furthermore, Sgt. Slaughter has faced allegations of "stolen valor" over the years for being a civilian that claims that they've served in the military, even though he's widely viewed as playing a character. Still, Bret "The Hitman" Hart accused Slaughter, of exactly that in a book, with Remus having claimed he served in previous interviews (via WrestlingInc.com), though without exhaustive proof. It's possible with Evans having actually served in the military that the WWE decided to steer away from using Sgt. Slaughter for the storyline, and decided to instead lean on her real-world experience as her gimmick.
I can also see a scenario where all these tweets are setting up a future collaboration between the two, so we'll just have to wait and see if the pair spring up together at an upcoming WWE event. The fun thing about the WWE is that it always feels like a guessing game, so who knows what's real and what's scripted in this latest online tirade from a WWE legend?
Sgt. Slaughter is no longer an active wrestler in the WWE, but anyone with a Peacock Premium subscription can re-watch some of his greatest matches. With WrestleMania season in full swing, now is the perfect time to start revisiting the best matches of the past.
