WWE celebrates 45th anniversary of Slaughter vs. Patterson Alley Fight
On its 45th anniversary, WWE took some time to remember Sgt. Slaughter and Pat Patterson’s legendary Alley Fight from 1981.
The WWE Vault YouTube channel made a new upload today with complete video of the Slaughter vs. Patterson match. Along with the footage, there is an introduction with Slaughter speaking about the matchup. It took place at Madison Square Garden on May 4, 1981 and is one of WWE’s best-remembered and most influential matches of the pre-Hulkamania era, holding significance for being an early example of WWE presenting hardcore wrestling.
Slaughter details the set-up in his introduction, explaining the story of how his rivalry with Patterson began while Patterson was working as an announcer and wrestler. Slaughter and The Grand Wizard bullied Patterson into the feud by getting him to accept a $10,000 Cobra Clutch challenge. When Patterson was about to break the hold, Slaughter gave him a knee strike and bloodied him during a beatdown.
Their issues ultimately culminated in the Alley Fight, where the heel Slaughter lost when Grand Wizard threw in the towel. Slaughter credits the match for establishing his toughness with the audience. Though Grand Wizard threw the towel in, it was clear that Slaughter wanted to continue.
The Alley Fight was recognized as the 1981 Match of the Year by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Slaughter said the bout helped inspire Mick Foley to get into pro wrestling, and WWE has held it up as an example of how to tell a good story through in-ring work. The match was contested without a referee and had no rules.
“I always wondered why they never had another one, but I guess out of respect for Pat and I, that they never had another Alley Fight,” Slaughter said. “I keep waiting for two guys that can’t get the job done and they’re going to announce an Alley Fight, but they never do
“But I always remember Mick Foley coming to me and going, ‘Sarge, I was in the third row during that match.’ And he said, ‘That excited me so much that I wanted to be a professional wrestler.’ They would always make the boys watch that match and say, ‘This is a professional wrestling match. This is what we want you to learn how to tell a story.’ Because without a referee, pretty tough to have a match without a referee. But we did it. It’s a classic, definitely a classic.”
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.