Hulk Hogan Beats Sgt. Slaughter and WWE's Best, Worst Patriotic Moments Ever

Independence Day rightfully brings with it a renewed sense of patriotism in the United States.

It is a day in which Americans celebrate the founding of their country and the freedoms it gives them as citizens.

Throughout WWE history, Vince McMahon has woven patriotism into his company's top storylines and promoted American heroes to top spots in the company.

Hulk Hogan, John Cena, Sgt. Slaughter and Hacksaw Jim Duggan are just a few of the Superstars to admirably represent the red, white and blue in battles against evil entities from lands far and wide.

In the process, they have been responsible for some of the most memorable moments of patriotism in wrestling history.

There have been a number of poor, unsuccessful attempts at patriotic characters or moments feeding off love for country.

Poor booking, ill-timed storylines, a mean spirit and general laziness on the part of the creative team led  to their failure.

They, luckily, are few and far between.

In honor of the Fourth of July, relive those few clunkers and erase them from your mind with the finest patriotic moments to ever unfold on WWE programming.

The Worst Patriotic Moments in WWE History

Before we get to the best, most memorable and unforgettable patriotic moments in WWE history, it is important to take a look at the worst and least effective ones.

Why did they not work?

Generally speaking, the tone, booking or Superstars involved have proven their downfalls.

Jack Swagger: Real American

This is not at all reflective of the babyface persona that confronted Rusev and attempted so valiantly to wrest the United States Championship away from him.

No, Swagger's original Tea Party-esque persona alongside Zeb Colter was mean-spirited and intolerant. It spoke out against Mexican immigrants and reflected the views of a small portion of the United States.

While the character was WWE Creative's attempt at staying timely and relevant, it tapped into a nastiness that simply has no place in wrestling.

The Patriot Loses

In 1997, Bret "Hitman" Hart was riding a wave of pro-Canada sentiment. While that made him an icon in his home country, it made him a hated and despised villain stateside.

Enter The Patriot, who was as red, white and blue as they came. Sporting the colors of Old Glory from his head to his toes, he was the American hero the country needed to combat the maple leaf-loving Hart.

At Ground Zero, the masked American would challenge Hart for the WWE Championship. Fans were behind Patriot, hoping he would bring the top prize in sports entertainment back to the USA. Instead, he was beaten clean in the center of the ring.

America lost and Hart continued his tyrannical reign atop the company.

Mr. America

In 2003, Hulk Hogan was fired from WWE during a storyline rivalry with Mr. McMahon. Returning under a mask, disguising his true identity, Hogan took on the moniker of "Mr. America." Clad in red, white and blue, he entered arenas across the country to The Hulkster's "Real American" theme song.

For all of the patriotic colors, he never really did anything all that American.

He continued his feud with McMahon, teamed with unlikely friend Zach Gowen and combatted "Rowdy" Roddy Piper as if he had not quite figured out the heyday of that rivalry was long gone.

The character faded into obscurity when Hogan disappeared from WWE programming, becoming a punchline to a joke rather than a beloved American persona.

Muhammad Hassan

The Muhammad Hassan character began as an admirable attempt to divert hatred for Muslim-Americans. Hassan, flanked by Daivari, was introduced to the audience via vignettes in which he questioned why those in the United States hate him despite his growing up in the country with hardworking parents.

Unfortunately, it would be only a few weeks before Hassan was turned into a stereotypical foreign villain.

Soon, he was beaten down and buried by Hulk Hogan before being dismissed from WWE programming following a controversial booking decision by management shortly after a major terrorist attack in London.

Hassan is, perhaps, the worst case of patriotism in WWE.

Beginning as a noble character seeking to address the negative perceptions about his heritage, lazy booking transformed him from a refreshing take on a tired gimmick to a stereotypical foreign bad guy.

Not unlike those who will appear elsewhere in this piece.

So why do they get a pass and he does not?

There was so much promise for him to be more. Poor writing, major creative missteps and an audience not quite ready for a progressive Muslim character at that point all doomed Hassan to failure and his status as one of the worst cases of patriotism in WWE history.

Certainly the most disappointing.

Best: SmackDown: September 13, 2001

In the wake of the worst terrorist attack in United States history, Vince McMahon and the Superstars of World Wrestling Entertainment banded together to present SmackDown live on Thursday, September 13.

Two days after thousands were killed in cowardly attacks that shook the country to its core, McMahon stood in the center of the ring and addressed a national viewing audience.

Like a father speaking to his millions of children, he encouraged pride and comfort before turning the microphone over to ring announcer Lilian Garcia, who delivered one of the most passionate renditions of The Star Spangled Banner in the history of professional wrestling.

From there, the men and women of pro wrestling's most visible and renowned promotion entertained the masses, taking their minds off of the developing stories that had dominated airwaves for 48 hours.

Capped off by a main event in which Kurt Angle, real American hero, defeated Rhyno, the show was a resounding success that reminded the world of the country's strength in the face of adversity.

Best: Lex Luger Slams Yokozuna on the USS Intrepid

Foreign fanatic Yokozuna had made WWE his playground by the time the summer of 1993 rolled around. Having conquered iconic babyfaces like Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan in recent months, the then-WWE champion was riding high, his confidence unwavering.

On the Fourth of July, he issued an open challenge to anyone from the world of sports, entertainment and pro wrestling who thought they could do the unthinkable and slam him to the mat. More insulting was the fact that he chose the U.S.S. Intrepid as the stage for the event.

Superstars such as Tatanka, The Steiner Brothers and Macho Man Randy Savage all attempted to take the mammoth competitor off his feet but failed miserably.

When all looked lost, a helicopter descended from the heavens and from it stepped Lex Luger. Formerly known as the self-involved "Narcissist," he was clad in red, white and blue and made a beeline for the squared circle.

Luger caught Yokozuna with his steel-plate-reinforced elbow and hoisted him up for a bodyslam that shook the wrestling world.

Almost instantly, the evil foreigner champion had met his Made in America match, and the two would begin a journey to SummerSlam 1993 that would involve a cross-country tour by Luger on his Lex Express bus.

Best: Undertaker Joins the All Americans

The feud between Lex Luger and Yokozuna would encompass the second half of 1993, and by the time the Survivor Series arrived in November, both men had compiled teams of fellow Superstars for a monumental clash in the event's marquee bout.

When Tatanka was injured by Ludvig Borga, though, Luger's team was left without a fourth member.

Enter the Undertaker.

In a chill-inducing moment, The Phenom joined Luger and The Steiner Brothers in the ring for a promo and pledged his allegiance to the United States of America before opening his jacket and revealing the Betsy Ross American flag sewn inside.

The moment not only served to interject The Deadman into the Survivor Series main event but also reminded fans that behind the dark and eerie persona, there was an American Badass ready to be unleashed.

Best: Hulk Hogan Defeats Sgt. Slaughter at WrestleMania VII

In 1990, the United States engaged Iraq in a military conflict in response to that country's invasion of Kuwait. Operation Desert Storm kicked off in January 1991 with the United States bombing Iraq in response to its heavily-armed invasion, and for the next three months, the two countries waged war.

Vince McMahon, never one to shy away from controversial angles that play up mainstream news, turned to veteran Sgt. Slaughter for what many consider the most controversial creative decision in WWE history.

Slaughter, a real American hero, betrayed the United States and eventually captured the WWE Championship from the Ultimate Warrior amid controversy.

At WrestleMania VII, the fate of the title and the United States would be up to one man: Hulk Hogan.

The Hulkster walked the aisle in the Los Angeles Sports Arena and came face-to-face with the Iraqi turncoat. From there, the future Hall of Famers would engage in a red-hot grudge match that saw Hogan's face caked with the proverbial crimson mask as he attempted to fight back against Slaughter's oppressive onslaught.

He did, surviving the Camel Clutch and dropping the big leg for the pinfall victory.

Hogan would celebrate with Old Glory flying high in the air, his pride for the United States and its people never more apparent.

Best: Sgt. Slaughter Recites the Pledge of Allegiance

Before he ever sympathized with Sadaam Hussein and Iraq during the 1990 Desert Storm conflict, Sgt. Slaughter was pro wrestling's greatest patriot.

In one of the most memorable moments of his career, Slaughter grabbed a microphone and addressed the fans. Admitting he had been knocked down before but vowing never to stay down, he put his hand over his heart and began reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Every single member of the audience joined in, united in their love of country.

It was a moment of solidarity and one that Slaughter would later admit on WWE 24/7's Legends of Wrestling roundtable discussion earned him the respect of President Richard Nixon, whom he had met on an airplane while flying with his wife.

Best: Tribute to the Troops

In 2003, the United States was in the midst of another war with Iraq, this time over perceived weapons of mass destruction.

Looking to continue the tradition of entertainers heading overseas to bring some Americana to the soldiers defending the United States' freedom, Vince McMahon and the Superstars of World Wrestling Entertainment embarked on an ambitious tour of the war-torn country.

For the first time ever, WWE would work with military officials to present a taped broadcast from a prominent army base.

Taking place in Baghdad, the event saw John Cena defeat The Big Show in the main event and a special appearance from Stone Cold Steve Austin.

More importantly, it was a show giving thanks to the brave men and women who fought in defense of their country and continued effort by WWE to support its troops when they needed it most.

In the 13 years that followed, WWE continued to present the annual broadcast, both from bases at home and abroad.

It remains one of the most important shows of the year for the Superstars who partake, including John Cena, who had this to say to Niagara Frontier Publications:

"I just really take great pride in not only the special itself, but the WWE's affiliation with the armed forces - stemming from the National Guard to every other service branch. And it just is - it's a wonderful special, and I've been involved nine of the 10 years. So, it's something that I take great pride in; it gives me a great feeling of pride every year to be a part of this."

Best: John Cena Defeats Rusev

For nearly one year, Bulgarian-born and Russia-proud wrestler Rusev dominated WWE. Unleashing his fury on any and all unlucky enough to confront him, he bulldozed the competition en route to winning the United States Championship. A slap in the face to the great patriots who had battled between the ropes long before he, Rusev's reign was an oppressive one that looked to have no end.

When John Cena stepped up to the plate, ready to relieve the Bulgarian Brute of his gold, it appeared as though America may finally have the hero it deserved.

Then he lost at Fastlane in February 2015 and doubt crept into the minds of the WWE faithful.

At WrestleMania 31, he would have one last opportunity to defeat Rusev and restore patriotism to the coveted US title. To do so, he would have to overcome a Superstar experiencing supreme confidence.

Rusev rolled into Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on a tank.

A friggin' tank.

Like Dolph Lundgren's Ivan Drago from Rocky IV, he was seemingly unbeatable and entirely dismissive of the American way. It was fitting, then, that Cena exploded through the curtain with the sheer determination of Sylvester Stallone's Rocky Balboa and proceeded to defeat Rusev to capture the gold and restore glory to the title.

Best: John Cena, Ad Council's "Love Has No Labels" Campaign

In 2016, John Cena partnered with the Ad Council for a video that encouraged patriotism, love and tolerance. Though it was not in conjunction with WWE, nor was it in any way part of a storyline or angle, it featured the franchise star of Vince McMahon's company, so it absolutely counts toward this list.

Walking down the street of what is presumably Smalltown USA, Cena hits the viewer with a few facts he or she may not have known prior to tuning in. He talked race, religion and equality and how each one of those topics is indelibly linked to the idea of patriotism and one's love for country.

It was a great ad that came at a time of great divide.

It also re-established Cena as one of the great patriots WWE has produced and an incredible spokesman for wrestling's most prominent promotion.