When it comes to VIP guests, the annual Washington Auto Show tried to go a little classier this year. Instead of entertaining hoards of fist-pumping, poof-wearing “Jersey Shore” fans with an appearance from Snooki (she judged a look-alike contest, for those who’ve forgotten), event organizers invited “Dancing with the Stars” Season 13 champ J.R. Martinez and former WWE wrestler — and military vet — Sgt. Slaughter to the Washington Convention Center for a special tribute for the troops.
Martinez used part of his time to give advice to those leaving the military. He talked about his own exit from the U.S. Army in 2006, after being injured in Iraq. “My new weapons are my words, my new uniform are my scars, I will continue to serve in a different way,” Martinez said. “And I think that’s what we all have to find, you know, when we come home or we get out, continue to find that way to serve, there are many ways to serve.”
Slaughter, whose real name is Robert Remus, also dished out advice, and gave us this disappointing tidbit as well: he would not be following in Martinez’s footsteps on “Dancing with the Stars.” “Well I did [a dancing competition] up in Boston a couple years ago for a weekend and it took me about a week to walk,” Slaughter said. “I had this young lady as a partner and she figured since I was Sgt. Slaughter and a heavyweight champ at wrestling I could twist her around over the top of my head somehow.”
At the conclusion of the duo’s quick pep talk, Martinez and Slaughter were bombarded by a squad of vinyl-booted, short-skirted USA Cheerleaders to pose with for pictures. (The folks at the USO made it very clear to us that they were USA Cheerleaders, not USO). Forget what we said earlier about classy.
