The Star-Spangled Saga of Lex Luger in WWE

30 years ago, Lex Luger body slammed Yokozuna and kicked off the LEX EXPRESS! I take a closer look at Lex's run in the WWF and try to figure out why it's gone down as one of wrestling's biggest busts!
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[@Awwscrewit]

Brett has talked about how Luger was never a great wrestler but he was aware of his limits, making it much easier to work with him. He seemed to feel kind of sorry for how Luger got stuck with bad gimmicks and being unprepared for the top position.

[@princesstamika]

did bret give any examples of guy who didn't know their limits?

[@TheSuckoShow]

I always thought Lex would be a fondly remembered midcarder if he wasn't positioned as Hogan II.

[@Awwscrewit]

@@TheSuckoShow Which is exactly what Lex became when he returned to WCW. Nothing spectacular, just a solid mid card worker.

[@j.menapace625]

​@@princesstamikaYeah, he did-- Bill Goldberg. But, to Bret's credit, he didn't blame Bill himself so much as he blamed his training regimen at the WCW Power Plant. He said something to the effect of "I guess protecting your opponent wasn't the top priority there".

[@jackburton2680]

Even cornette largely talks positively of luger as a worker. Essentially says luger was a far better worker than majority of dudes in aew/wwe are today

[@Dynaman21]

Luger has said he was always afraid of being seen as a Hulk Hogan clone. This led right into this.

[@j_block_223]

8 😮 😅😅 u8

[@violentbryan21]

Lugers body then to now is night and day

[@nehemiahpouncey3607]

0:01 brian mooned us.😂

[@rogregg29445]

@@violentbryan21that spinal injury really did a number on him

[@Kamau1865]

I get what he is saying. But everything in wrestling is a copy of a copy. Just look at Sting - his entire persona has been built around imitating the Crow charecter and Heath Ledger's Joker. John Cena basically has elements of every baby face that came before him. The Undertaker charecter derives from zombie movie and the satanic panic of the 1980s. Bray Wyatt is from the West Virginia inbred serial killer movies. Characters like Muhammad Hassan and Yokozuna are cheap stereotypes that stir American patriotism against foreign enemies, outsiders and others. The Usos at one stage dressed like NWA when the Straight Outta Compton movie came out. Roman is a revamp of the Rock, some would say upgrade, and some sane people would say a downgrade. Originality can rarely be attributed to pro-wrestling (although I believe AEW has some solid claims), so my point is that if Lex had 1. Changed his name from a superhero villain and 2. slightly modified his approach to being a Hogan-type all American hero, it definitely could have worked out better than it did

[@Obscusion2]

The best part of Lex vs. Yokozuna at SummerSlam 1993 was, easily, Bobby Heenan going apoplectic & losing his mind over all of the celebration being given to Lex for winning via count out. You have Vince touting how awesome this win just was, all while Heenan is about to have a heart attack pointing out that Lex didn't actually become champion, yet he's being treated as though he saved the entire world, or something. It's amazing that Heenan didn't just pass out cold from shock once the balloons fell.

[@stfi7566]

I owned the VHS tape of SummerSlam’93 and there’s an extra on there if you play the tape until the very end. Todd Pettingill tries to interview a half-dead Yokozuna who’s flat on his back at ringside. While Mr. Fuji tries to revive Yoko, Cornette goes off on Pettingill in a rant that can only be matched by his late night trip to a Dairy Queen a year later. What makes this even funnier is that this is happening while fans are leaving the arena, so you periodically hear balloons popping in the background while Corny screams his head off. What’s odd is that Coliseum Video didn’t usually put extras after the ads at the end of their videos, so someone there must have liked that segment so much that it was put in as a surprise for people who watched those ads.

[@bryanmack4054]

@@stfi7566 oh man,, if only someone could include that on peacock

[@nehemiahpouncey3607]

They better have him in WWE 2k24.

[@nehemiahpouncey3607]

Funfact: he's named after a gun.

[@Bsfnelz20]

For real that was the dumbest thing I ever saw.

[@TJ1380]

I think it could've been saved with a more organic face turn. He could've shown up for the Yokozuna slam contest as his narcissist character and shock everyone by successfully slamming Yokozuna. Mr. Fuji could still run him down about the slam being ugly, and Lex would agree. Lex starts to be hard on himself for what he thought was an ultimately poor showing before realizing that he did technically slam Yokozuna and proved that he might be able to beat him. He adopts a more humble attitude and starts campaigning for a title shot, if only for a chance to prove that he can be better. No all-American gimmick. No tour bus. Just a guy who has been humbled and who wants to reassure himself of his own worth.

[@thecalibratedsuperstarslic4284]

Dude I like that a lot

[@mrterp04]

Or the opposite-reveal after he wins the title that he faked being patriotic to get a title shot. Nuclear heat.

[@davidlewis5312]

@@mrterp04 I wouldn't go fake patriotic, but more the worse of us. The Greedy American. He plays nice and wins the title and the next night. "I didn't do it for you. I did for me! Because the American Dream is to seize what you want and prove you are the best. And I am the best and I wanted this. *Holds up the WWF Title*' And if people are still cheering him, perhaps more enthusiastically, go with it. I would keep the heelish tactics limited to vicious behavior and the promos.

[@hankg.5055]

Even better!

[@TJ1380]

Either heel turn would've been great, but they would've probably gone with the fake patriot angle. The greedy, selfish American angle is more interesting, but I don't think mid-90s WWF was capable of that kind of nuance. People would've just cheered him because he's an American hero and is therefore the good guy by default.

[@bigjohnsbreakfastlog5819]

The bonus footage of Luger in the Call to Action Tour is hilarious in a rather depressing way as you see an insular man being forced into a role where he must be bombastic and outgoing with perfect strangers and it just does not work at all for someone who wants to run to the hotel room the instant his match is over. Especially when you know he's not winning the belt.

[@hitfan2000]

It was a mistake to try to make an introvert like Lex Luger into an extrovert. Luger is a phenomenal and well-built athlete who kicks ass. Go with that.

[@nicklazzaro5055]

@@hitfan2000 Ya know... ive been a wrestling fan.... and introvert my entire life and ive really never thought ab the introvert/extrovert aspect of that push or in the industry in general. I pretty much assumed ya kinda had to be extroverted to do what these guys do in front of that many people, but i could see that im kinda making a leap there. This was a really great point you made.

[@Fuzztooth]

Not just strangers, quite a few of them were actors.

[@connor8018]

To give Lex's side of the bus tour. He says he didn't fly home that often just occasionally to see family and rode the bus most of the time. He also says he was cranky because he was basically living and sleeping on the bus and had trouble finding good gyms and food to eat. So that's why he looked so miserable. I still can't believe they took a guy not known for his charisma or talking skills and sent him around the country for basically no reason. If they insisted on doing it just give him the belt at summer slam then do a victory tour and make it a big thing of "meet the WWF champion"

[@A_YouTube_Commenter]

That actually sounds better.

[@seltonk5136]

Cold war crap was over by then

[@trevorbarnhill3399]

Yes, exactly. They could have given him and Yokozuna a big program where it could have ended with Luger winning the belt either at Survivor Series or WM10. And fans probably would have been more behind him and Luger would be more into the role of American Hero if he was already WWF/E Champion. Go around the Country where they could meet and hang out with the WWF/E Champion. I agree that everyone would have been into more of a Victory Tour.

[@DW3010]

That may be his side of the story. But everyone else involved disagrees. Even the bus driver himself said Lex was hardly ever on the bus.

[@connor8018]

I mean thats definitately possible I have no idea whose right or not. either way definately not the right guy for something like that@@DW3010

[@Dynaman21]

6:50 - I still remember when OSW covered this and burst into laughter at the Hogan chant, which was a demonstration of how badly this whole thing got off. “No kids, it’s not the C**tster, it’s Lex Luger!” Cue massive deflation of crowd.

[@comixproviderftw_02]

“C*** Hogan!”

[@toptenguy1]

To be fair.. Back then, it would have made perfect sense for Hogan to come in, and chase his 6th title. We were used to "More of the same". lol

[@bigjohnsbreakfastlog5819]

Their Christmas episode of the Lex Express is my favorite episode, like when he goes to the union meeting and just kills the crowd with his lack of energy.

[@AwkwardLoser]

@@bigjohnsbreakfastlog5819Lex talking to a crowd of uninterested black men is such a funny visual reference for me. It’s like something out of a movie

[@nicklazzaro5055]

@@AwkwardLoser hes very uninspiring aint he?

[@Wickedred413]

The main reason why Lex luger failed in the WWF is because vinny mac was too focused on finding the next Hulk Hogan and didn't allow lex to be himself. It didn't help that lex was given two bad gimmicks in one of the worst eras in the history of wrestling. This might sound silly to say but had lex came around during the attitude/Ruthless aggression era I truly believe lex would've thrived and became a champion.

[@WrestlingBibleLTS]

Well he become World Champion (although it was short lived) in WCW but yeah I would agree on that assessment

[@Wickedred413]

@@WrestlingBibleLTS Lex was a great US champion but for some strange reason he wasn't world champion material. Which is a shame because he had the look to become a main guy.

[@thewriter8762]

@@Wickedred413I mean it’s the simple idea of rip offs. Unless the secondary product has something to new provide after the last guy, then it’s a rehash and no one likes a rehash. Kinda why Roman Reigns is considered the guy now when he broke away from the Cena mold. Some guys have to stand on their own characters and for Vince, it’s like he writes everything the same.

[@Mercurywaxing]

Unfortunately for Lex being himself wouldn't have worked. He had no in ring personality.

[@Wickedred413]

@@Mercurywaxing lex may not have had any personality. But I rather have him be himself then be a bootleg hulk Hogan clone

[@wh1tebronco531]

Everybody: Lex why are you a good guy now, when you was just a bad guy yesterday? Lex: I DON’T KNOW!!!!!

[@stfi7566]

At least Lex’s American flag shirts looked like they weren’t too tight.

[@FaceTheFactsNews]

Lol 😅

[@wrestlingbuff87]

Honestly, Roman (early baby face) and Luger have always shared similarities to me. From having the look to pretty dire forced promos, its amazing how Vince actually kept at it with Roman and Lex was as good as gone in less then a year.

[@PierzStyx]

The solution to both problems was (is) the same - turn the guy heel. Lex would've made a great heel champion. Win the strap as a babyface and then turn on the crowd when they didn't support him with his metal plate being used as a "legal" way to cheat. He could've been the perfect monster and it would've made Bret's victory over him later on a great feud.

[@dkmenace1990]

Babyface Roman did a lot of good for the company money-wise despite the fan reaction. Hence why Vince kept at it until COVID threw a wretch that required him to let Roman experiment with new things.

[@PrinceVegita1]

@@dkmenace1990 Didn't Roman begin his character change before Corona? In late 2019? Or am I misremembering?

[@dkmenace1990]

@@PrinceVegita1 It began when he returned in Summerslam after he because he decided to not wrestle at WM due to having leukemia previously

[@EScoglio]

Roman was a far better worker than Lex was. Roman also at least had times where he was hugely over with fans. Having that run with the Shield was important. And when he did come up short in his first match with Brock, it was because Seth cashed in. So Roman wasn't really a failure. Then he won the title and was screwed out of it immediately after. Then when he did beat Sheamus, he got a massive pop and in Philly of all places. So Roman as the top guy had ups and downs, but it at least HAD ups. Vince gave Lex none of those. The only up he got was slamming Yoko. After that it was all down.

[@tonybeattie3980]

This has been a long time coming- been waiting for this ever since Brian mentioned him in another video saying “but that’s a story for another time”. This is gonna be fucking awesome!

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Worst Summerslam Moments

[@ssjrose9641]

I loved the lex express gimmick. It was apparent that this guy was being positioned as a "main event guy". For me, what messed it up was him not winning the belt at summerslam. If you would had given him the belt and had him lose it to yoko at mania via shenanigans, which would have given him a ready-made program with yoko and bret for the remainder of the year. If sid had multiple reigns as champ I see no reason why luger couldn't do the same.

[@ericthomas917]

Sid was pretty over when he was WWF champion though

[@endersdragon34]

It's a shame that WWF didn't do triple threat matches back then as Bret probably could have carried Yoko and Lex to a really good match at Wrestlemania X (better than any of the individual matches as Yoko wouldn't have had to work as much and could have had some breathers while Bret and Lex wrestled), but then again, we would have missed his match with Owen if that happened. Though that could have also lead to a feud between Bret and Lex at KotR, before Bret pivoted to Owen for SummerSlam.

[@DJCloroxx]

I was 16 and at that 93 Summerslam. Lugar 100% would have been the man if the WWF pulled the trigger and just had him win the belt. Not Hogan level, but could have drawn better than any top guy between Savage and Austin.

[@isitoveryet9525]

@@ericthomas917yeah, Sid was always over with fans. He had charisma, he was massive & he really knew how to work a crowd.

[@UndertakerNeverDies]

It all comes down to Lex not being all in on this gimmick of traveling on the bus. It would have been hard work but it would have showed how serious he was about this push he was getting. You want to be the top guy you gotta put in the work. So many guys would have gone above and beyond being given this opportunity of the Lex Express.

[@brucemichaelgrossman4913]

Luger’s win over Hogan for the WCW belt was so much better and more organic. The Nitro crowd went absolutely ballistic when he won the title. And even though he only held the belt for a week, he was the first guy to pin Hollywood Hogan.

[@Dynaman21]

Making Hogan tap, and the utterly insane pop from Detroit. “LUGER WON THE TITLE! LUGER WON THE TITLE!”

[@grammysworld5449]

Lex was one of the most over guys with us southern WCW fans.. It's crazy with the career he had, how perception is different everywhere with him

[@skippythealien9627]

I think part of the blame falls on WWE and the way they've brainwashed/gaslighted everyone with the way they have rewritten history. Because WWE went national and was the only company for 20ish years, they were allowed to redefine everything whereas a lot of wrestling from previous eras was swept under the rug if it didn't fit WWE's narrative i'm reminded of how back in the 2000s, WWE went out of its way to use its "Legends Roundtable" bullshit show to bury guys like Nash and Scott Hall since those guys were working for TNA at the time. Lo and behold years later, we see Nash doing WWE documentaries and WWE is kissing his ass time and time again.

[@grammysworld5449]

@@skippythealien9627 I'll never forget Bret talking about how they threatened to "destruction of ultimate warrior" him

[@zzamorano1717]

​@@skippythealien9627Can we all agree that WWE has become at it very core a cult? Employees from wrestler, commentators, to even the lowliest staff members are to self flatulate themselves into obedience, devotion and commitment to the company, it brand and its "supreme leader", anyone who even try to challenges this status quo are either immediately fired or harassed, bullied, abused, and gaslit into submission and compliance. The "creative team" is a joke, only to either regurgitated company propaganda and to simply cater to children, overly sensitive and borderline oppressive parents, sponsors and advertisers, and boundless ego of McMahon. The locker room is that of one of those youth facilities that imprisoned, enslaved and abuse"troubled kids" like the Ethan School. Like I said before, everyone from the biggest main eventers to lower jobbers is under the oppressive thumb of cult's leader (McMahon) and is kept under absolutely outrageous amount of scrutiny. If a wrestler even remotely was against the company cult by going slightly off script, questioning the leadership, or just try to get over over organic is bury, bully into submission, and/or fired. Is it no wonder a cult masquerading as a company with try to no just to rewrite it's own history but also the history of pro wrestling itself, something that existed before the cult's inception.

[@ricardonb6375]

The Screwed biography would've made Bret resent the WWE for eternity

[@GAURAV25855ify]

Yeah most of the WcW fans were in the south

[@Jynx316]

I will admit that I was full on aboard the Lex Express when it was happening. I was invested in the match, and it was actually the Lex Vs Yoko match that made me save up to buy my first ever Live PPV, Summerslam 93.

[@skippythealien9627]

I genuinely keep thinking the WBF was a fever dream I hallucinated when I was sick as hell as a kid but then i see footage of it from time to time, such as the clips in this video, and realize...no it was very real lmao

[@jb888888888]

In Vince's match against Austin (the one which didn't actually happen due to shenanigans by Dude Love) he wore sweatpants with a WBF logo on them, years after the fact.

[@kenterminateddq5311]

I've been waiting for a "Lex Luger in WWE" episode since the "Top 8 Worst Summerslam Moments" video. So, this is long overdue, Brian Zane. Speaking of a great American, I hope every American who views this video had a great July 4th this week. :)

[@claymathewselevator8121]

I rewatched Brian’s worst Summerslam moments video last night to prepare 😂

[@Courageous91]

Fun fact, Luger still has the longest US title runs in history.

[@flippy7035]

Ok, I’ll admit the Lex Express theme (I’ll be your hero) is a banger to this day and no one will convince me otherwise.

[@ajbahus]

It's actually a song I'd play to pump me up

[@colerieger7300]

Prichard told a story on his podcast it took all day, like 5 hours or more, to get a decent take of Luger saying "From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving".

[@kennylanqua6512]

Wow, lex was that unconvincing

[@realDialFforFilm]

You know, it's unfortunate what happened with Lex in WWF. If you really look at the crowds, he was over; it wasn't a disaster by any means. It's just that he wasn't as over as Bret was. It's just how it goes sometimes.

[@TONYGILLEY]

By the Royal Rumble '94 it was clear that Bret was the people's choice, however I think Vince blew it at Summerslam '93 when he booked Lex the way he did. Lex was so over that night and the crowd wanted him to win the championship; that was the right time to do it. The count-out win and the celebration afterwards killed the enthusiasm for Lex.

[@nicklazzaro5055]

@@TONYGILLEY They treated the crowd like idiots. Like the crowd doesnt know a count out win is meaningless.... and theyre sending everyone out and picking him up while the crowd is in total disbelief of why youre celebrating so hard over this. Was just booked horribly.

[@TONYGILLEY]

@@nicklazzaro5055 The title not changing hand on a DQ/Countout has been a plot point in the company for years at that point. All the heels have used it to save their titles and it was the basis of every Hulk Hogan match loss since 1984. The fans are not stupid to the rules, but apparently Vince is.

[@nicklazzaro5055]

@@TONYGILLEY Thats my point! Vince thought this would fly?! In what world?! He treated the fans like idiots.

[@trevorbarnhill3399]

@@nicklazzaro5055 Exactly. With having Luger win by countout and have a huge celebration with the other Face superstars when we, the fans, know that a countout win doesn't mean a damn thing, Vince was insulting the fans' intelligence.

[@whm3]

What always amazed me about Lugar was his lukewarm WWF audience responses to the Holy Megapops Batman he got in the NWA/WCW . . . I'm not sure what was different, but wow... those pops were something else.

[@Psychoanalytix]

Mr. Zane's facial expressions during that epic Lex Luger promo are a thing of beauty...they really sell the awfulness of it all. 😂😂😂

[@themachodan13]

Running a Lex Express style campaign but with Cody leading into defeating Roman would actually work in my opinion

[@riotd.r.8363]

I know this story all too well. I started watching wrestling religiously in 1992, so I saw everything happen in real time.

[@ziahamm1603]

Luger's celebration post Summerslam 93 main event does not get any less ridiculous with age some 30 years later.

[@DasNordlicht91]

for people too young to remember, it's basically if instead of getting pinned at WM39, Cody Rhodes won by DQ and didn't win the WWE Title, but celebrated like he won, with pyro and ballyhoo and everything.

[@ziahamm1603]

@@DasNordlicht91 Yes. This

[@matthewrosenthal753]

Yeah, and it happened that way because Vince McMahon is, was, and will always be a narcissistic jackass. He has even admitted that He changed the finish to the count out at the last second and only Yoko and ref knew.

[@monkeyman5866]

30 years ago yesterday, Lex Luger body slammed Yokozuna on the USS Intrepid and saved America. That is why we celebrate the 4th of July

[@DasNordlicht91]

imagine if they redid the whole Lex Express gimmick with Cody Rhodes, having him tour the country prior to his rematch with Roman at WM 40.

[@dkmenace1990]

Instead, he's in an empty feud with Lesnar that is being carried by the matches and brawls segments.

[@Mega_Collosas]

good idea... especially meeting up with kids...kids support their heroes unconditionally..thats why its better to market babyfaces to them

[@endersdragon34]

I think his second run in the WCW (at least until championship win) was way better because they let things feel earned. Him having to earn trust as a babyface, while not getting along with (pre-Hollywood) Hogan felt earned. Him then being set up as one of the challengers to the NWO felt earned. His distrust of Sting felt earned and also like a betrayal as Sting had always stuck up for him. Honestly, after that his championship win felt earned as he and the Giant were the only two really keeping the NWO at bay at the time (maybe the Steiners too).... though it sorta marked the beginning of the end of this run because after that WCW had no clue what to do with him and he would never really hit the main event scene again.

[@stevenmacaulay8807]

He was a heel with pre nwo Hogan though...

[@carsonyoung9965]

Yes. Classic WW style content. Right into my veins

[@timwright3218]

This is gonna sound weird, but as a kid during this timeframe seeing Lex show up in the WBF and WWF felt way weirder than Flair showing up with the belt. Flair was always the double-dealing bad guy, so him jumping ship to do the same thing in the WWF just felt normal. Lex's heel character always felt, for lack of a better word, redeemable. And you kinda felt like after Sting beat him that they'd be besties again. But then Lex was just gone and when he popped up he was Bodybuilder Lex then Narcissist Lex. The only reason Patriot Lex worked a little in the beginning is that it played into that redeemable quality Luger had. But then they made him look like an idiot at Summerslam and there's just no coming back from that.

[@charlottecorday8494]

16:04 The cleanest version of Bret's tights EVER. Those were SO dope I wish he wore them more.

[@stingrey1571]

the lex express documentary was an eye opener. no editing out the bad. it was all kept in. all of luger's whining and complaining were included.

[@lukemoloney1113]

😂😂😂 I'd love to see that

[@heisensaul5538]

The problem with Lex is that they picked the wrong person for this. If they would have had Randy Savage doing this, it probably would have gotten over a ton better. Also Bruce Prichard said on his podcast that Savage would have found a way to spend 26 hours on the Bus instead of 24. It could have been awesome at WrestleMania 10 if Savage beats Yokozuna for the title and then Bret beats him. That would have been amazing. It's only wishful thinking that they would have gone in that direction.

[@jasonh5547]

Savage did not have the look that Luger had and as great as Savage was I think they were looking for a fresh face of sorts. (even though Luger was well known down south in the NWA/WCW area)

[@C.R.Cole331]

I'll never understand how Vince talked Luger into celebrating a count-out win in a WWF title match

[@claytonrios1]

Get on the Lex Express! Or don't, because that Bus didn't work out at all!

[@uainjansun]

*i need a hero theme intensifies*

[@addi543]

Now its been rebranded into The Nightmare Express

[@tinotica]

Waited for this one for a long time. Can we eventually get a Mr Kennedy, Sin Cara, Mabel, Rusev, or Diesel as WWE Champion episode? Maybe even a Kane the friendly rapist episode

[@claymathewselevator8121]

KENNEDY

[@ddjsoyenby]

yes' that'd be great.

[@neilvetter662]

Mmmister!!..Kennedayyy.... kennedy.

[@MS-fh4sz]

Kane the friendly rapist episode????????

[@OGREChad]

I thought the biggest thing that hurt Luger was not winning his first belt from Flair in WCW. Have Flair stay in WCW just a tiny bit longer, drop the belt to Luger at GAB 91. Have him hold until he drops to Sting. "To be the man, you have to beat the man, Woooo!" Luger beat Barry Windham, who was most assuredly not the man. The Narcissist I always thought was a decent enough gimmick, especially with Bobby Heenan managing him. They should have kept the Torture Rack as his finisher though. Suck a great matching finisher to Luger's physique. But rather than having mirrors out for when interviewing Lex, have the interviewer run into him back stage. Have him in the locker room where he is posing. Have a walk and talk and have him catch his reflection on the window and stop and pose. Have an outdoor vignette where he walks past a car and sees the side mirror, disrobes and starts flexing. Have Howard Finkel interviewing him and Lex flexing to his reflection in his shiny head. In the ring, have him get upset about anyone attacking his face. Like complains to the referee. after multiple times freaks out and starts fake shooting. Same thing on submissions, have him say how his body is perfect and anyone that tries to permanently damage his body is in for pain. I think with a character like that, he gets over as a heel a lot better. And then no star spangled Luger at all. Keep him the Narcissist. Natural HBK vs Narcissist feud down the road. Lex still may never get WWF Heavyweight gold, but I think has a better chance. He was always better as a heel.

[@marioaustin9312]

Describe lex luger's run in WWF in one word: Ohhhhh!

[@KHayes666]

I said this years ago that the ending to Summerslam should have been an exhausted Luger hitting the forearm to knock Yoko out, but he doesnt realize the count is on. Then when he realizes it, it's too late. Then after hes announced the winner, he pounds the mat in frustration and holds his head in his hands. Heenan gloats on commentary Yoko is still the champ as Lex leaves with his music playing but visibly frustrated. Beats the hell out of a heros celebration for winning by count out

[@Aragorn7884]

What made it also more intriguing was that Crush _"almost"_ pulled it off beforehand.

[@explorewithefrain7305]

I do not care who disagrees with me. Lex Luger should have won the WWF Championship at SummerSlam 1993!

[@TONYGILLEY]

Retrospectively I've grown to have an appreciation for Lex. I do agree that the abrupt babyface turn to All-American Hero needed some serious rethinking in order to pull it off properly. However, Lex was over at Summerslam '93 and it could have worked had Vince not booked the Lex/Yoko match the way he did. Even if it looked to be a bust, he could have dropped the title back to Yoko on Superstars or Raw just prior to the Survivor Series. With history unfolding as it did, WWF just continued to drop the ball with Lex in 1994 as there was a potential seed planted at the end of Wrestlemania X with Lex's congratulating Bret Hart. Instead of Bob Backlund and Diesel's unwanted abrupt rise to the top, I think it should have been Lex who snapped on Bret on that episode of Superstars, but play it off as him being sincerely regretful of his actions, which leads to the encounter with Tatanka at Summerslam and it's Lex who fully turns heel...With NO Ted Dibiase involvement. They can build up to Bret/Lex at the Survivor Series and you can still figure Owen into the scenario of costing Bret the title.

[@dandastardly2792]

I would watch a WBF video

[@CommenjouerFr-gplus]

9:24 HOLD UP!! Is that Kevin Conroy?? If it is yes then....Holy America, Batman..

[@stfi7566]

That actually looks like Jeff Conaway from Taxi.

[@CommenjouerFr-gplus]

@@stfi7566 He does after watching the picture

[@firestorm1579]

Lex's name was based on Luger the gun not Lex Luthor

[@MrBeardsley]

Oh come on, Brian. We’ve been over and over and over this for 30 years now. It. Was. A. HIP. TOSS!

[@Bimon1234567]

Please make a video about Lex Luger's post-WWF run in WCW at some point.

[@Realest636]

Luger Narcissist gimmick was actually his best gimmick.

[@emfs9522]

I still think his title win over Hogan in 97' was one of the coolest moments in the NWO hype.

[@patrickracer43]

Btw, I recently saw something funny about that double countout between Undertaker and Yokozuna and it was pointing out that Taker has been feuding with The Bloodline for 30+ years

[@KEWLV1C]

Without this storyline, we would've never gotten the “I'll Be Your Hero” music video, so I would say this was all worth it.

[@caribbeanpharoah9269]

Besides Vince McMahon questionable decisions, Lex Luger stood in his own way. Lex didn’t want to deal with the fans during the Lex Express tour, hated doing publicity and he even admitted it in his book

[@guyincognito9831]

A Hulk Hogan’s Return to WWF/E 2002-2003 would be a good one.

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Favorite Hogan run

[@OccludedCzar]

Great piece! I absolutely loved the "Dressed to Kill" reference. Perhaps my favorite stand-up comedy event ever to me, haha!

[@SherdogCreep]

I love the way you say you started watching in the early 90’s, but educate me on stuff from my era..87-94. Great work bro ❤️

[@davidfox4922]

I think Luger turning heel after WM10 out of frustration at not winning the title and seeing Bret in the spot he felt he should have been in would have been a good angle. Then you could have had Owen / Luger / Yoko all as challengers to Bret

[@slothlife4788]

Heenan had his working boots on for Narcissus.

[@benweiseguitar]

18:03 An Eddie Izzard reference in a W^3 video?? What a pleasant surprise. 😊 Great video as always, Brian!!

[@quiznights]

Brian's narration here is brilliant. The content is informative and well researched, it's presented professionally with the occasional opinion or joke which is fine because it's wrestling: It's meant to be fun.

[@victoryusmc]

Big bad Japanese man from Samoa

[@droctaconuk]

I always thought Jessie Ventura was the first wrestler to use an agent

[@diabeticman2194]

If there's one thing I appreciate about Luger today, it's how he sells. OSW Review pointed it out in their reviews, but he yells when anything happens to him in a match and it's AMAZING!

[@claymathewselevator8121]

I rewatched your Worst Summerslam Moments video last night to prepare for this 😂

[@riotd.r.8363]

Dude... Heel Lex Luger vs Bret Hart would've been pretty sweet.

[@mrterp04]

They shoulda let him win the title at SummerSlam, then lose it via chicanery at Survivor Series

[@TheMDXtremeReal]

Vince: Lex, I need a new top babyface, can you fill the role of Hogan? Lex: I DON't KNOW!!

[@Thundarr100]

The face turn in WWE would have worked much better if Alex had had an on screen falling out with one of his fellow heels. Maybe they could have booked a tag match with him and Yokozuna against The Steiner Brothers, and a botched save from a pinfall ended up costing them the match. Then post match Lex and Yoko start arguing over whose fault it was that they lost, and end up slugging it out. Maybe Lex gets the upper hand on Yoko, then Mr. Fuji throws salt in Lex’s face. Then Yoko does a belly to belly suplex to Lex and finishes him off with multiple Banzai Drops, causing The Steiner Brothers to come running to Luger’s rescue and Luger being carried off on a stretcher. Then his arrival at the Bodyslam Challenge would have been far more impactful and less confusing. Then for his Wrestlemania win over Yokozuna, when Jim Cornette declared that he had added a “No Rematch Clause” to the championship match contract, once the contract was signed Lex Luthor could have said, “By the way, I’ve added a clause of my own. The disqualification and count out stipulations have been waved for this match. That means Yokozuna can’t take the cowards way out to keep the belt. As long as I get my arm raised as the winner, I get the belt.” Or maybe he could have slipped in a “No Disqualification, No Count Out Clause”. So he would still have to win by pinfall or submission, but so would Yokozuna. Having his face turn make sense, and giving him a run with the WWF World Title won in heroic fashion, would have made his time in the WWF far more enjoyable to watch.

[@ottagol1985]

Holy crap, you made more sense then what Vinnie Mac did.

[@Thundarr100]

@@ottagol1985 I’ve always had a knack for booking wrestling matches and angles.

[@bargaintuesday812]

Something I've always wondered but was his name based off Lex Luthor?

[@mrassassinscreedfan1]

I used to mix the 2 up all the time as a kid 😂

[@claymathewselevator8121]

@@mrassassinscreedfan1same 😂

[@Psychoanalytix]

According to his biography, yes.

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Lex Luther Reigns 😂

[@ImmortalRimas]

I remember watching SummerSlam‘93 as it was my 2nd SummerSlam I ever watched on TV in the UK & being 6 years old & a Wrestling fan for only a year at that point I was still getting to grips with Wrestling so you can imagine how extra confused I was by the main event’s ending with Lex Luger winning but not winning the title that was quite a waste of time. WWF should have just put the strap on him at SummerSlam’93 worse case scenario if the fans don’t take just book him to drop it back to Yokozuna at Survivor Series’93 it could have been that simple and you get more heat on Yokozuna for winning it back to re-establish his foreign menace reign of terror again until WrestleMania X

[@Zamool]

I remember me and my brother waiting in for his picture during the Lex Express tour.

[@mvgsports]

This was a banger, Zane...great job man. I remember being surprised that he never won gold in the WWF because it felt like they pushed him all the time.

[@jamalvargas6146]

I Liked Playing With Lex Luger In Wrestling Games and seen some of his WCW work too bad about his current health condition Steroids they'll ruin your life

[@marcelthorsen]

In all fairness to Luger he was featured prominently and treated as an upper mid carder and main eventer in NWA, WCW, and WWF from ‘86 until many years later the early 2000s when WCW was bought by Vince. Was he the next Hogan? Evidently not, but Luger was still in the upper echelon for well over a decade. Not many wrestlers can lay claim to that feat.

[@oljozie2018]

This is very well done. Totally nails his WWE run! Great commentary here.

[@robcassey6043]

I remember the body slam challenge at the time. I also remember that Crush managed to pick Yokozuna up higher than Lex but then remembered he wasn't supposed too. 😂

[@BUPMY1]

The Luger and Vader WWF runs should've had turned out better

[@JackGeezy85]

His Running forearm was devastating finisher in Super Nintendo game and in the ring. Plus the Torture Rack which hurts like a mothaf

[@Venemofthe888]

Imagine if they kept Bret vs Owen at Wrestlemania while Luger beat Yokozuna for the WWF Title and turn Luger heel using the fans to get the WWF Title. A Heel Luger vs a Face Hart could have been interesting plus it wouldnt change too much

[@nigelflood7074]

OSW review of the Lex Express is awesome , loving your review too

[@StarWolf5298]

The damned thing is how little Vince learned from the failure of Luger. He continued to pull these kinds of Repackaging and expected the audience time and time again.

[@nathanallison2525]

More like "Don't put all your eggs in one Total Package" amirite?

[@WrestlingWithWregret]

Dammit, that's way better!

[@dhall888]

Got to say it this time, I knew my speaker isn’t the loudest on my I phone, but your videos are pretty low volume. When I watch on tv no problem, but on my phone right now. I’m on my porch and it’s raining pretty good and I can barely hear you turned all the way. Love you content, just thought I would mention that. Have a nice day!

[@WrestlingWithWregret]

Hi there! Sorry you're having trouble hearing my videos, I always make it a point to mix my audio so it doesn't exceed roughly -6dB, which is the broadcast standard. Hope that helps explain things!

[@nehemiahpouncey3607]

0:01 brian just mooned us😂

[@RealAlphaDrum]

I think Luger and Bulldog's team was pretty cool, and the theme song was tight. The team's potential success could've provided incentive for Luger to stay, though it seems Luger was not happy, clearly as he left. ha

[@claymathewselevator8121]

@@stfi7566ShoMiz

[@lampini]

I think Vince got the wrong guy. Can you imagine if Vince managed to get surfer sting to do the lex express gimmick. I honestly think that would’ve gone over incredibly well and would’ve been the perfect way to introduce sting to WWF fans.

[@namikstudios]

Knowing how WWE eventually treated Sting - having him jobbed out to Vince's son-in-law, then nearly having his career ended by some nobody jobber who should never have even been in the ring with such a legend in the first place - he would've been treated badly by them back in 1993 too. By that time Sting was already a huge star and we all know that Vince just loves burying WCW stars.

[@lampini]

@@namikstudios I mean true but lex was an ex WCW star as well but Vince still pushed him to the moon. I think if Vince saw earning potential in someone he would book them well

[@onjohns1]

Luger was super over in that summer. It wasn’t until he didn’t win the title that the fans kind of soured on him. They still liked him, but he wasn’t the guy any more. Edit: Luger should have beat Yoko at Mania and dropped the title to Bret, just because Yoko couldn’t do 2 matches.

[@VaderPopsVicodin10]

Luger had the look.. he looked pretty cool with the full beard during his early years.

[@peteyprimo7173]

He was always better as a villain . This physical monster . They always tried to push him as a babyface and I think that was always a big mistake

[@BrolyChan]

Hey I will not stand for this heel Bob Backlund slander, he could've been a great heel champ if they didn't have him immediately job to Diesel.

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Make Darren Young Great Again

[@claymathewselevator8121]

@@stfi7566he’s never eaten Marijuana in his life

[@saderin]

SUPER BRAWL SATURDAY ?????????

[@LaVolpeConGliOcchiali]

Now we want the WBF video

[@kazallroberts]

14:24: Lex's reaction 14:27: Bret's reaction Yeah, The New Generation Era was Bret's time.

[@tiffanylewis7633]

Lex luger was a joke in the wwe

[@HardlyQuinn]

I remember as a kid watching the lex campaign and suddenly realising that WWF actually wasn't a 'world' wrestling federation. It was just an American one. Someone being American didn't make the rest of the world cheer.

[@abadenoughdude300]

I mean, that's a typical American thing. Like they have world series in baseball when no one except America and Japan even plays baseball. Calling it a "world" wrestling federation adds to the grandeur but also doesn't interfere with the mindset that the world begins and ends at the US.

[@IdealX-fr4eg]

I'm 45 and watched this live and not gonna lie I was hyped

[@DinobotTM2]

Now I am looking forward for a video on the WBF...

[@babarazamsucks]

I was just watching old clips of yours hours ago and then I see a new clip uploaded here right after that just a few hours after I watched the old clips and a few hours after this one got uploaded.

[@johnenigma8506]

This video is too tight too,Brian!

[@SheriffOutlaw]

Lex Luger....The Silver Medal of the late 80s to early 00s

[@dieterbergholz4217]

Lex was always in his best when he was simply The Total Package. He never was in the WWF and thats why he failured. But it wasnt his fauld. I'm a fan of Luger till this day and he is part of a lot of great Memories since I watched Wrestling