From day one, the balance of professional wrestling seemed to lean a little towards the side
of Lex Luger.  With the physique people could only dream about, Luger headlined wherever
he traveled and captured several World Heavyweight Titles.  Despite injuries and numerous
jumps from face to heel, he has always been at the top of the ladder.  He was either holding
the belt, or chasing the champion eagerly.  Luger’s feuds with Ric Flair, Ron Simmons, Sting
and Hulk Hogan are some of the most interesting of the last fifteen years.

  After playing pro-football in the Canadian Football League, Luger was trained by Hiro
Matsuda for his professional debut in Florida.  On October 31, 1985, he wrestled his first
match against Ed Gantner in Daytona Beach and was victorious.  19 days later, Luger
defeated Wahoo McDaniel in Tampa to capture the NWA Southern Title.  He was an
immediate hit in Florida, every city he toured.  A shock wave went through the National
Wrestling Alliance and straight into it’s champion, Ric Flair.  Many suggested the regional
superstar was already prepared for the “Nature Boy.” Could a youngster beat the NWA World
Champion with only months of professional experience?  It remained to be seen.

  Luger lost the Southern Title to Jesse Barr on January 15, 1986 in Tampa, but regained in
on February 14th in Orlando.  He continued to learn as each match passed and with the
assistance of Bob Roop.  Luger faced men like Barry Windham and Ron Bass.  Between July
22nd and July 29th, Luger traded the belt with the Masked Superstar in Tampa.  It was his
third in under nine months in the profession.  Luger and Windham later be-friended each
other.  A newcomer to the territory, Bad News Allen, began offering a stiff verbal challenge.  

  Later in ’86, Luger received several shots at the NWA World Title and Ric Flair, less than a
year from his debut.  He also left Florida for the Mid-Atlantic Region and Jim Crockett’s
Promotions.  Crockett eventually bought the Florida Promotion.  In 1987, Luger joined the
Four Horsemen and took a new attitude.  The members of the group consisted of Flair as the
World Champion, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard and manager, James J. Dillon.  Dillon
helped him capture the NWA United States Heavyweight Title from Nikita Koloff in a cage
match on July 11, 1987 at the Greensboro Coliseum.  The manager tossed Luger a steel
chair, which he used on the champion during their Great American Bash match-up.  He won
his first major championship.  Dillon brought Matsuda back in to help further train Luger and
teach him out to counter the sleeperhold.  He dropped the U.S. Title to Dusty Rhodes at
Starrcade ’87 on November 26th in Chicago.

  In late 1987, Luger participated in a Bunkhouse Stampede Match along with other members
of the Horsemen Family, including Dillon, Blanchard and Anderson.  Dillon wanted to win the
event and both Anderson and Blanchard eliminated themselves to help him do so.  Luger
refused, eliminating the manager and before the celebration could begin, he was attacked by
Arn and Tully.  He gained the support of the fans and lost his spot in the Horsemen.  Luger
surprisingly got help from an unexpected place, one of the Anderson Clan.  Ole joined him in
his war against both of their old matches.  He also renewed his friendship with Barry
Windham.  

  Luger was a part of the five man crew that pulled three-time World Champion, Dusty
Rhodes off of Tully Blanchard on March 21st at a television taping.  Rhodes had smashed
NWA President, Jim Crockett in the neck during the fiasco and was suspended for 120 days.  
Six days later on the 27th, Luger and Windham teamed to defeat Blanchard and Arn
Anderson to capture the NWA World Tag Team Title at the first Clash of the Champions in
Greensboro.  Dillon had attempted to use a chair and give him men an assist when Luger
pushed Anderson facefirst into the steel.  He then pinned “Double A” and captured the title.

  In Jacksonville on April 20, 1988, Luger and Windham met Horsemen Members, Anderson
and  Blanchard in a rematch.  After some confusion in the ring and Windham’s inability to tag
out to Luger, Barry attacked his partner.  Luger was laid out as Windham left the ring and
was pinned.  Anderson and Blanchard regained the belts.  Soon thereafter, Windham was
seen getting into the Horsemen Limo with Ric Flair…the newest member of the group.  Two
nights later, Luger was in Greenville, South Carolina, teaming with Sting for the first time for
the initial night of the Crockett Cup.  Sting appeared at a perfect time as Luger needed allies
quick.  The 3rd Annual Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup was held on April 22nd and 23rd in
Greenville and Greensboro.  The first match for Luger and Sting was on April 22nd against
Dick Murdoch and Ivan Koloff.  They got the win and advanced into the quarterfinals.  The
next day, they battled the Midnight Express, Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane.  Again, they
advanced.  The Barbarian and the Warlord were eyeing them from the semifinals.  Luger and
Sting won and joined the Horsemen in the deciding match.  Across the ring were the NWA
World Tag Team Champions, Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson.  Luger pinned Anderson to
win the $1,000,000 prize.

  NWA Officials thought it was time to elevate Luger to main event status and for the biggest
card of the summer and he was going to receive the most important bout of his career.  The
“Total Package” was scheduled to meet Ric Flair for the NWA World Title on July 10, 1988 at
the Baltimore Arena.  The event was apart of the Great American Bash Tour and was going
to be broadcast on pay-per-view, only the Alliance’s third.  Luger was on his way to winning
the match and many thought the bout was seconds from being over when the bell rang.  
Thinking that he had won the match, Luger released his torture rack submission hold on Flair
and dropped the champ to the mat.

  Everyone thought he had captured the belt.  But Flair hadn’t given up.  The Maryland State
Athletic Commission Physician stepped in and halted the match due to Luger’s excessive
bleeding.  Flair had retained the belt, but Luger was far from being ousted from contention.  
The next major NWA event was Starrcade on December 26th in Norfolk.  The main event was
going to be Flair vs. Luger, the rematch.  The young and ambitious against the experience
and science.  Flair ended up pinning Luger to win that match.  Luger’s hopes were fading.  
As he dominated Florida earlier in his career and even rose to the United States Title with
Horsemen help, Luger was failing in his matches with the man.

  Instead of dropping from the picture and even going to another organization, Luger chose
to fight his former tag team partner, Barry Windham, at the Chi-Town Rumble on February
20, 1989.  His second U.S. Title was captured.  During 1989, Flair turned babyface and to
remain in the hunt for the title, Luger turned against the fans.  He suffered a surprising loss in
Nashville on May 7th.  Michael Hayes, a longtime member of the Fabulous Freebirds, pinned
Luger and captured the United States Belt.  Although Hayes was a talented grappler, he had
spent much time as a member of the Freebirds tag team.  No one expected Luger to take
such a loss, but it happened.  On May 22nd in Bluefield, West Virginia, he regained the belt.

  During the summer, former NWA World Champion, Rick Steamboat made a challenge
towards the U.S. Title.  The two wrestled at the Great American Bash in Baltimore on July 23,
1989.  Luger defeated Steamboat by disqualification to retain his title.  After Steamboat was
turned away, Brian Pillman stepped to the plate and Luger was more than willing to accept.  
The two were matched on shows throughout the fall and into the winter.  Luger wrestled
Pillman during the Halloween Havoc pay-per-view on October 28, 1989 and retained his
championship.

  In Troy, New York during Clash IX, Luger attacked Sting and Ric Flair, the two most popular
men in the organization.  Sting and Flair had been knee-deep in a war with Gary Hart’s J-Tex
Corporation and Luger’s presence just added another cog into their wheel of popularity.

  A huge “Iron Man” Competition was held in December at Starrcade.  Luger, Flair, Sting and
the Great Muta were all participants in the round-robin tournament.  In his first match, Luger
wrested and pinned Sting.  He drew with Flair and then beat Muta by disqualification.  Luger
finished with 35-points, five behind Sting, who won.  In the finale, Sting pinned the NWA World
Champion, Flair, giving him the number one contenders spot.  But because Luger pinned
Sting, many wondered why that fact and the fact that he was the U.S. Champion were not
tabulated into the equation.  Sting’s victory earned him a shot at the World Belt on February
25th at WrestleWar.

  During the tenth installment of the Clash in February, Sting suffered a serious leg injury.  
The ailment was serious enough to put him out of the sport for six-months and keep him from
wrestling in Greensboro.  Luger, turning fan-favorite, accepted the shot.  WrestleWar marked
the fourth time Luger would wrestle Flair on pay-per-view and the third for the NWA World
Title.  Their match lasted nearly forty-minutes.  In the end, Sting went to ringside on crutches
to help motivate Luger.  Ole and Arn Anderson ran out and began to harass the injured
grappler on the ring floor.  Inside the ring, Luger had locked in his torture rack and was about
to win the match when he dropped Flair to the mat and helped Sting.  The referee made his
count and landed on ten when the bell was called for.  Luger was counted out and Flair
retained.

  Promoters finally decided on a match which would allow Luger and Flair to wrestle to a
clear-cut finish, pinfall or submission.  The two would wrestle again on May 19th in
Washington DC during the Capital Combat show.  The special stipulation would be a huge,
towering cage, which no one could climb over.  It would be lowered over the wrestlers and
finally settle their several year dispute.  When it was thought it couldn’t be done, the
Horsemen found a way to interfere.  First of all, Ole raised the cage.  Second, Barry
Windham made his return to the NWA and slid underneath the cage.  Third, the referee
disqualified Flair and gave Luger the match.  

  Sting made his return in July in Baltimore.  He beat Flair and won the NWA World Title,
accomplishing the feat which Luger couldn’t.  But Lex was not going out like a punk.  Instead,
he met a young and danger grappler named “Mean” Mark Callous.  Callous had learned the
vicious heartpunch and was dominating opponents.  He had earned a U.S. Title shot and
Luger was ready.  At the Bash, he pinned the future Undertaker and retained his belt.  During
the fall, a newcomer from All-Japan and out of Amarillo joined the organization.  The wrestler
was not a newbee by any means, he was Stan Hansen, the Unified Japanese Triple Crown
Champion.  The two wrestled at Halloween Havoc on October 27th.  There, Hansen beat
Luger and took a fourth belt to Japan.  

  Luger had reigned as champion for 17-months and even when it was gone, he didn’t take
his eye off the prize.  He challenged Paul E. Dangerously’s find, The Motor City Madman, on
November 20, 1990 in Jacksonville at Clash XIII.  Luger pinned the Madman from Detroit in
less than three-minutes.  Before the bout, though, Big Cat followed Luger from the back and
the two brawled before referees could break them up.  On December 16, 1990 in St. Louis,
Luger regained the U.S. Title from Hansen in a special bullrope match.  He entered 1991 as
he had 1990, as the U.S. Champion awaiting another World Title shot.

  In January, Flair beat Sting and took the NWA World Crown in East Rutherford, giving
Luger a chance.  On the 30th of January, he teamed with Sting to beat the NWA World Tag
Champions, Doom by disqualification.  Luger was attacked by former Skyscraper, Dan
Spivey.  The move set up a match for WrestleWar on February 24th.  Many predicted
“Dangerous” Dan to be the man who could beat Luger for the title and the two did war.  In the
end, Luger pinned Spivey.  The win was a tough one.

  Afterwards, former Superpower  member with Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff was to present
Lex with the brand new $20,000 United States Title Belt with Grizzly Smith.  Luger and Koloff
had history in the ring and everything was brought back to the fore-front when Koloff decided
to attack the U.S. Champion.  The feud was rekindled.  The belt Luger had also carried
around for several years was also retired.  It was a historic piece of memorabilia and meant a
lot to many who had held it.  An odd sight was broadcast from the Bayfront Center in St.
Petersburg on May 19, 1991.  Lex Luger teamed with Sting against the WCW World Tag
Team Champions…Doom?  No, the Steiner Brothers.  Four fan-favorites were in the same
ring together, practically unheard of in those days.  The match was as good as expected and
Scott Steiner pinned Sting in the end.

  The summer of ’91 was going to be even more odd.  Ric Flair could not come to an
agreement with WCW management over a new contract and on July 1st, he left the
organization with the gold NWA World Title Belt.  The Great American Bash pay-per-view was
three days later.  So, rather than having Flair battle Luger or Windham, they signed Luger
and Windham to a match for the vacant WCW World Heavyweight Title.  A new belt was going
to be given to the new champion.  And basically a new era without “Nature Boy” Ric Flair.  
During the steel cage title match, Harley Race walked out and became Luger’s manager.  Lex
used a piledriver and pinned his opponent, capturing his first World Title.

  The adoption of a harsher style and gaining the company of multiple-time World
Champions proved to put him over the top.  The Big Cat, who he had fought with in the past,
became his bodyguard.  It was a historic time.  He had finally reached the pinnacle of
success.  Over the next five months, both Ron Simmons and Rick Steiner made promising
challenges towards the WCW Champion, but both failed.  In the finals of the BattleBowl battle
royal on December 29th at Starrcade, Luger was eliminated by Sting, who was also waiting in
the wings for a title shot.  With the win, he became the number one contender.  On January
4, 1992, Luger appeared at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo before a very large audience.  He
wrestled Masa Chono and beat him.  The match with Sting was set for February 29th in
Milwaukee in the main event of SuperBrawl.  Luger was beaten and lost the belt to his former
partner.

  After the loss, Luger left World Championship Wrestling and the sport.  He signed with the
World Bodybuilding Federation, a Titan Sports Organization run by Vince McMahon.  Luger
appeared on WWF Superstars of Wrestling on March 28, 1992 and spoke about the WBF,
promoting the debut show on April 4th on USA.  He was also interviewed during the WWF’s
WrestleMania VIII pay-per-view on April 5, where he claimed that he was going to dominate
the WBF later on in the year.  Luger competed in the organization for some time, but never
won the WBF Title.  It was time to return to the sport which made him a superstar,
professional wrestling.

  Luger made his WWF wrestling debut in January 1993, billed as the “Narcissist.” He was
originally introduced by Bobby Heenan, an established manager.  The egomaniac that he
was quickly made him the most hated man in the World Wrestling Federation.  Around the
time of WrestleMania, Luger got into a feud with Mr. Perfect.  At the big event in Las Vegas,
Luger pinned the former I-C Champ.  During the early part of the summer, he entered the
1993 King of the Ring Tournament.  Luger battled Tatanka on June 13th and both were
eliminated after going 15-minutes to a draw.

  Several years had gone by without much fan-support, but Luger was about to regroup and
find what was important to him and what wasn’t.  On July 4, 1993, Luger appeared on the U.S.
S. Intrepid and bodyslammed the mammoth WWF World Champion, Yokozuna.  Fans
applauded his strength and Luger accepted their faith by deciding to play by the rules.  He
began the “Lex Express” bus tour of the nation, traveling through cities and meeting fans.  
The trip was all working towards his SummerSlam main event World Title shot against Mr. Fuji’
s protégé.  It was stated that Yokozuna added an extra 50-pounds for the match.  Fuji and
Jim Cornette made sure that it was going to be Luger’s once and only chance at the title.  
Was Luger going to be third man in history to have held both the WWF and NWA/ WCW
World Titles?  He only needed one chance.

  On August 30th in Auburn Hills, Luger beat the champion by countout.  The title did not
change hands.  Also during the event, Luger had words with Ludvig Borga in the lockerroom,
which sparked a new feud.  He beat Borga by pinfall at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on
October 28th.  Luger led a team of four during the Survivor Series on November 24th in
Boston.  He was joined by the Undertaker and the Steiners in a win over Yokozuna, Crush,
Borga and Jacques Rougeau.  In January, Luger entered the Royal Rumble in Providence at
number 23.  Four spots later, Bret Hart joined the action.  In the end, the two crowd favorites
battled for the right to meet Yokozuna at WrestleMania.  Luger and Hart eliminated each
other, both hitting the floor at the same time.  After a review, it was decided that both men
would be awarded the victory.

  One question remained.  Who was going to receive the shot at WrestleMania?  To make
everyone happy, officials decided that both men were going to receive shots and Yokozuna
was going to work awfully hard to remain champion after March 20, 1994 in New York City.  In
somewhat of a confusing situation for some fans, Luger walked out at a television taping with
the WWF World Title Belt prior to the event.  Many wondered if it was a WWF mistake, giving
away the main event for the biggest show of the year.  Luger faced Yokozuna in the first
match, and if he won, he’d defend against Hart later in the night.  The special referee was
one of Luger’s old arch enemies, Mr. Perfect.  The referee, and possibly old hate, figured
into the match.  Luger was disqualified for laying his hands on Perfect.  The opportunity was
gone.

  Yokozuna went on to lose the belt later to the “Hitman.” During 1994, Luger was out with an
injury and missed some time.  He returned to feud with Tatanka, a man who beat him during
the SummerSlam pay-per-view.  In the finals of his Survivor Series match on November 23rd,
Luger was pinned by King Kong Bundy.  In 1995, he formed the “Allied Powers” with Davey
Boy Smith and the two seemed like a prime candidate for the WWF World Tag Team Title.  At
WrestleMania, they were victorious over the Blu Brothers.  On July 23rd, Luger and Smith lost
a title match against Yokozuna and Owen Hart.  Despite many chances, the Allied Powers
could not get over the hump and win the belts.  They couldn’t be faulted for lack of trying.

  Luger appeared on a WWF show during the weekend of September 2nd and 3rd.  That
Monday, one of the biggest shocks in recent history came about from Bloomington,
Minnesota and the Mall of America.  World Championship Wrestling debut it’s own Monday
Night program entitled “Nitro” on TNT.  The show was headlined by the likes of Hulk Hogan,
Sting and Ric Flair.  The last two wrestlers fought each other on the show.  During their bout,
Luger appeared and everyone was stunned.  He was still with the WWF, why was he on WCW’
s initial broadcast of Nitro?  Later in the night, Luger issued a challenge to Hulk Hogan for the
WCW World Heavyweight Title.  It seemed that he was no longer an employee of the WWF
and was back in WCW.  

  The jump jilted both organizations.  Promoters signed the Luger-Hogan match for the
following week and the Dungeon of Doom were guilty of interfering.  The September 11th
edition of Nitro beat Raw in the ratings.  Luger joined Randy Savage, Sting and Hogan in a
War Games match against Meng, Kamala, the Zodiac and the Shark at Fall Brawl.  Hogan
made Zodiac submit.  At the October pay-per-view, Luger beat Meng by disqualification when
Kevin Sullivan interfered in the bout.  He also wrestled Savage in a singles contest later that
evening.  He was defeated by pinfall.

  In a return match during World War III, Luger beat Savage by submission on November
26th, but “Macho Man” went onto capture the vacant WCW World Title in the three-ring, sixty-
man battle royal.  The next night on Nitro from Salem, which was pre-taped, Luger teamed
with Sting to beat Brian Pillman and Arn Anderson.  He forced Jim Duggan to submit on
December 11th in Charlotte.  Later in the evening, he ran out and joined Sting and Hogan in
their battle with the Horsemen.  Forcing many to question his motives, Luger began to
associate with heel manager, Jimmy Hart, but also retained his alliance with Sting.  Did he
have a change in attitude?  No one was for sure.  Luger won over Marcus Alexander Bagwell
on December 18th.

  In Miami on January 15, 1996, Luger wrestled Randy Savage and won by submission.  The
win was a huge victory over a recent former WCW World Champion.  More controversy grew
as the night continued.  He ran out during the main event between Ric Flair and Sting.  A
struggle broke out between Luger and Hart for the megaphone, the megaphone that Sting
was eventually thrown into and the same megaphone that Sting hit his head on.  Flair got the
win.  Luger ran into the ring to see if Sting was okay, but was chased off by Hogan and
Savage.  Many wondered if Luger had intentionally hit Sting with the object.  Sting seemed
unsure as well.  

  Things were put behind them on January 22nd in Las Vegas when Luger and Sting teamed
to capture the WCW World Tag Team Title.  The duo received some outside help from Jimmy
Hart, much to the despise of the crowd.  Sting didn’t seem to realize what had happened, but
nevertheless, he walked off as the new champ.  Since 1988, Sting and Luger had been
looked upon as the top two faces in the company.  The two even won the 1988 Jim Crockett
Memorial Cup and battled each other over the World Title, but they had never won the tag
belts.  It was in January 1996, during a time of question in which they finally put their talents
together and walked away the champions.  Luger and Sting on a match over former AWA,
NWA and WWF World Tag Champions, the Road Warriors, on February 5th in Dayton.  
Luger pinned Animal.  Again, they received outside support from Hart.

  At SuperBrawl, Sting and Luger retained over Harlem Heat in their first match of the night.  
Later, the Road Warriors received a title shot and again, Sting and Luger retained.  The
match with Hawk and Animal went to a no contest.  Less than a week later, Luger added a
second belt to his collection.  On February 17th in Baltimore, he beat Johnny B. Badd and
won the World Television Title.  The win marked a spectacular achievement.  Luger had won
every possible belt in World Championship Wrestling.  The World, World Tag, United States
and Television Titles.  No other man had done it.  His partner, Sting, had done all but the
WCW TV Title.  He had won the NWA TV Belt, but it was considered different in many lights.

  Luger dropped the TV Belt back to Badd the next night in Norfolk.  On March 6th in Macon,
Luger beat Badd to regain the championship.  He continued to see the services of Jimmy Hart
pay off in his benefit.  Luger also continued to straddle the line between fan favoritism and
hatred.  He joined the Dungeon of Doom and Jimmy Hart on March 10th in Tupelo at WCW
Uncensored.  Luger teamed with seven others in a losing effort against Randy Savage and
Hulk Hogan.  The next night, Luger beat Alex Wright in defense of his TV Belt.  He didn’t
break a sweat in his match against Loch Ness on March 18th.  Luger won by countout as his
opponent battled with the Giant.

  Lex was pinned by Ric Flair on April 1st during Nitro.  He narrowly escaped a cup of coffee
in the face on April 15th when Woman tossed it at him.  His maneuvering out of the way
allowed for Sting to get the poison right in the face.  Many wondered if Luger had gotten out
of the way to purposely drill Sting.  The tag match they had been engaged in was declared a
no contest.  Luger traveled to Japan and met a former foe at the Tokyo Dome on April 29th in
Masa Chono.  Lost by submission in their rematch.  The Giant put Luger through a table
during a World Title match on May 13th.  Luger was defeated.  Sting ran out to save Luger
from any other physical damage.  On May 19th, Luger teamed with Hawk in the Lethal Lottery
Tag Tournament.  They battled Animal and Booker T to a double-disqualification.  Both
teams were eliminated.

  “Mean” Gene Okerlund announced the next night on Nitro that Luger would receive the
World Title shot at the Giant on June 16th due to the fact that the BattleBowl winner should
have been eliminated before he got the ring.  Dallas Page had won the event.  Luger lost at
the Bash to the Giant.  The next night on Nitro, he was named to a WCW squad of three
scheduled to meet Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and their mystery partner at the Bash at the Beach
in July.  His partners were Sting and Randy Savage.  Luger and Sting teamed on June 24th
to defend their tag belts in a three-way dance against the Steiners and the Harlem Heat in
Charlotte.  They lost the match and the belts to Booker T and Stevie Ray.  Hall and Nash
appeared during the match with a pair of baseball bats, but neither provided anything more
than a distraction.

  At the Bash on July 7th in Daytona Beach, Luger, Savage and Sting received a jolt when
the Outsider’s mystery partner turned out to be Hulk Hogan.  The tag bout was thrown out,
but the “New World Order” had been formed and everyone in the organization had a new
fight on their hands.  Luger and Sting lost to the Outsiders at Hog Wild on August 10th.  He
had Scott Hall in the Torture Rack when the referee was knocked to the ground.  The referee’
s fall took out Luger’s leg and caused him to tumble.  Hall got on top and scored the pin.  
Luger and Sting challenged the two for a rematch on the following Monday.  The match was
signed.  Luger and Sting walked to the ring separately.  Referee Nick Patrick helped Hall get
out of the way of a Stinger Splash before the Four Horsemen ran out and stopped the
match.  Patrick was a new, but unofficial, member of the New World Order.  A new enemy.

  Luger lost the WCW World TV Title in Dalton, Georgia on August 20, 1996.  Lord Steven
Regal defeated Luger for the belt.  During the September 9th edition of Nitro, he wrestled
Rick Steiner.  But before the match could end, or really get started, Luger was called to the
back of the arena.  As he ran outside, he saw Ted DiBiase talking to someone near a black
limo.  Luger had words with DiBiase before Sting exited the limo and attacked him.  Everyone
had thought that Sting was the newest member of the NWO.  There was pretty definitive
evidence.

  A few days later, Sting was scheduled to team with Luger, Ric Flair and Arn Anderson
before 11,000 fans at the Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem.  The card was known
as Fall Brawl and the date was September 15th.  The four athletes were set to wrestle the
NWO, who were comprised of Hall, Nash, Hogan and…Sting.  Late in the bout, the NWO Sting
ran into the ring and attacked members of WCW.  Minutes later, the WCW Sting ran in and
attacked the NWO.  The latter competitor then had something to say to the crowd and Luger
before leaving the match.  The NWO were up one and everyone seemed quite shocked by
the turn of events.  Luger was attacked by what seemed to be the fake Sting and was forced
to submit to the Scorpion Deathlock while Hogan gripped a headlock.  Maybe Luger and
everyone else in the world were wrong.  Maybe Sting hadn’t joined the New World Order.

  Sting was scheduled to team with Sting the night after Fall Brawl on Nitro, but after
delivering a speech, Sting left the building.  Chris Benoit and Steve McMichael beat Luger
until he was able to get the “Crippler” into a torture rack.  The two remaining members of the
Horsemen jumped him, giving Lex the win by disqualification.  The longtime friendship
between Luger and Sting seemed to be over and the NWO had something to do with it.  At
Halloween Havoc in Las Vegas, he wrestled and beat Arn Anderson by submission.  It was a
needed victory.  The next night on Nitro, he wrestled Booker T in a singles contest.  When
Sting mad his appearance, Luger ran out through the crowd to escape.  Booker won the
match by countout.  He received a rematch against Booker on November 4th in Grand
Rapids.  Luger won by pinfall as Sting watched from above.

  An impending Luger-Sting match seemed eminent.  Sting came out of the crowd on
November 18th in Florence and met Luger in the ring.  He was carrying a baseball bat.  After
showing the tool to Luger, Sting gave the weapon to his former partner and left.  Sting’s look
was different.  His attitude had changed.  On November 24, Luger participated in the 1996
World War III show and nearly won, but was eliminated by the Giant in the finale along with
Kevin Nash.  He pinned the Giant on December 29, 1996 at Starrcade in Nashville.

  In early 1997, he formed a bond with the Giant against their mutual enemies.  On February
23rd in San Francisco, Luger teamed with the Giant against the Outsiders, the WCW World
Tag Team Champions.  Luger’s partner pinned Hall for the title, but the decision was later
reversed.  He teamed with Scott Steiner and the Giant in Charleston on March 16th at
Uncensored.  The three faced Team New World Order and Team Piper in a three-team, nine-
man tag match.  Hollywood Hogan pinned Luger to give the NWO the victory.  In Tupelo on
April 6th for Spring Stampede, Luger wrestled Booker T, Stevie Ray and the Giant in a four-
way match.  The winner would receive a future WCW World Heavyweight Title shot.  He
forced Booker to submit and gained the shot.

  During a tour of Japan in May, Luger was pinned by Scott Norton.  The loss came about
before an estimated 53,000 at the Osaka Dome on May 3rd during a tag team encounter
between Luger and the Giant and Norton and Buff Bagwell.  Luger captured a controversial
claim to the WCW World Heavyweight Title on June 9, 1997 after defeating Hollywood
Hogan.  WCW Chairman, James J. Dillon, ruled that the title was not on the line because it
was an impromptu event.  Luger’s stock in the organization had risen once again and his
popularity seemed to be at an all-time peak.  He teamed with the Giant on Sunday Night, July
13th in Daytona Beach against Hogan and Dennis Rodman, a champion basketball player.  
Before a large crowd, Luger forced Hogan to submit.  There was no question in anyone’s
mind that Luger was the top contender to the WCW World Title and the most viable threat to
actually take Hogan in a singles contest.

  Officials set a Luger-Hogan title match for Monday Nitro on August 4th in Auburn Hills.  
There, Luger won his second WCW World Title and his first in four years.  He met Hogan in a
rematch on August 9, 1997 at Road Wild.  The Sturgis contest saw Hogan regain the belt.  
Luger wrestled Dallas Page on September 8th to a no-contest in Milwaukee and then teamed
with him on the 14th to beat Randy Savage and Scott Hall at Fall Brawl.  Former AWA World
Champion Larry Zbyszko counted the final pin as Luger covered Hall.  Luger wrestled Hall in
Las Vegas on October 26th to a no-contest.  Zbyszko was the special referee.  He was a
participant in World War III in November and didn’t win…Scott Hall did.  At Starrcade on
December 28th, Marcus Bagwell beat Luger in the nation’s capital.  Before an estimated
26,000 fans at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Luger pinned Savage during a live edition of
Nitro on January 5, 1998.

  Later in the month at Souled out in Dayton, Luger again beat Savage, this time by
disqualification.  Luger was attacked by the New World Order until Sting made the save.  He
beat Ric Flair by disqualification on February 12, 1998 in Oklahoma City during Thunder
when Randy Savage attacked him.  Savage mixed it up with Flair also before being attacked
by Hulk Hogan.  The New World Order ran out and continued to pummel Luger and Flair until
Sting entered the brawl.  The several weeks of attacks led to a reunion between Luger and
Sting against Hogan and Savage.

  On February 22nd in San Francisco, Luger beat Savage.  At the March pay-per-view, he
beat Scott Steiner in a singles contest.  He also formed an allegiance with the other Steiner
Brother, Rick.  The two teamed against Scott and Buff Bagwell in Denver for Spring
Stampede on April 19th at the Coliseum.  Luger and Steiner were victorious.  He challenged
either Scott Steiner or Brian Adams on May 11th in Kansas City during a Gene Okerlund
interview for the Slamboree PPV.  Adams accepted and on May 17th, Luger beat him in
Worcester, Massachusetts before more than 11,000 fans.

  Luger and Dallas Page defeated the Giant and Brian Adams on June 4, 1998 to capture
the World Tag Team Championship.  Earlier on the Thunder Card, the Giant announced
Adams would be taking Sting’s place as his partner.  Luger asked Page to be his partner,
and Dallas agreed.  Later, J.J. Dillon announced that the title change was nullified by the
championship committee due to the fact that the Giant could not just hand one-half of the tag
belts to whoever he wanted.  Luger accepted The Giant’s tag challenge in Buffalo on June
11th, announcing Randy Savage as his partner against the Giant and the Disciple on WCW
Thunder.  He teamed with Sting to defend the World Tag Team Title, taking Kevin Nash’s
place in Orlando on June 24th.  The two beat The Giant and Brian Adams, who were
accompanied by Vincent, when Luger forced Adams to submit.  

  Lex was found laid out in the dressing room area of McNichols Arena in Denver on August
3, 1998.  Sting stood over him, then walked away when officials arrived.  The two were billed
to face Scott Hall and The Giant for the WCW World Tag Team Title later in the evening.  
Sting went on to team with Bret Hart and apparently won the belts.  The decision was
overturned due to the controversy.  Luger participated in Road Wild’s nine-man battle royal
in Strugis.  Bill Goldberg won the event over the Giant.

  On January 17, 1999, Luger beat Konnan by submission in Charleston.  He suffered an
injury and was unable to participate in a scheduled tag match at SuperBrawl on February
21st in Oakland.  Scott Hall took his place with Kevin Nash against Konnan and Rey Misterio
Jr.  Elizabeth’s hair was on the verge of being lost, but in the end, it was Misterio’s mask that
was removed.  Luger remained out of action for some time, but he did return later in the
year.  Luger beat Bret Hart at Halloween Havoc in Vegas on October 24th.  A major win.  Hart
captured the World Title at the November pay-per-view on a card in which Luger was pinned
by Meng.

  On December 19, 1999, he wrestled Sting at the MCI Center in Washington DC at
Starrcade.  Elizabeth accompanied his opponent to the ring, but later turned on him, joining
Luger.  Sting ended up winning by disqualification.  Elizabeth would become Luger’s full-time
manager.  He reformed a partnership with Ric Flair against the fans and primarily Hulk
Hogan.  On February 14, 2000, Luger lost to Terry Funk by disqualification.  He attempted to
break Funk’s hand, but Arn Anderson ran out for the save.  Later in the night, Luger’s
presence caused Hulk Hogan to fail in a pin attempt against Ric Flair.  He also proceeded to
break Hogan’s arm with a baseball bat.  Luger lost to Hogan in San Francisco at the
SuperBrawl show later in the month.  At Uncensored on March 19th in Miami, Luger was
pinned by Sting.

  In April 2000, the landscape of WCW changed as Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo teamed to
form the “New Blood.” On April 10th in Denver, the duo declared every belt in WCW vacant.  
Luger was grouped together with a bunch of other experienced grapplers in the “Millionaires
Club.” Among the others in the group were Flair, Hogan, Sid Vicious, Dallas Page and Sting.  
In Chicago on April 16th, Luger teamed with Flair in the WCW World Tag Team Title
Tournament.  The “Total Package” and the “Nature Boy” beat the Harris Brothers and the
Mamalukes in a three-way contest.  Luger forced Johnny the Bull to submit and advanced to
the finals against Shane Douglas and Buff Bagwell.  They were defeated.  In May at
Slamboree, Luger beat Bagwell by submission in Kansas City.

  Soon thereafter, Luger and Elizabeth disappeared from WCW Television.  He missed a
number of months.  Luger finally returned after much speculation about his whereabouts
during Monday Nitro on September 25, 2000 in Uniondale, New York.  He appeared and gave
Vince Russo a lead pipe during the latter’s match with Booker T for the WCW World Title.  
Two days later, Luger walked out through the crowd and spoke in the ring with Jeff Jarrett,
stating that he made the biggest mistake of his life.  General Rection walked out from the
back area and became the third man in the ring.  Rection said that he forgave Luger and that
the fans forgave him.  Lance Storm ran out and clipped Rection and Jarrett attacked Luger.  
After the attack, he said that he was ready for a match despite not working for WCW anymore.

  Later in the evening, he teamed with the General against Storm and Jarrett.  He turned on
his partner and helped his opponents win.  Luger had pulled another fast one, whether he
was employed full-time by WCW or not.  It was another swerve against fan support.  Luger
attacked Buff Bagwell after his match with David Flair at Halloween Havoc on October 29th in
Las Vegas.  He began to oppose Bill Goldberg both with his words and eventually in the ring.  
He lost by pinfall to Goldberg at Mayhem on November 26th.  Luger also began to taunt
Dwayne Bruce, a former wrestler and the man who trained Goldberg.  He attacked Bruce.  
Buff Bagwell sided with Luger in his war.

  Lex and Goldberg were matched for a rematch on December 17th in Washington DC at
Starrcade.  Bagwell attempted to help, but a jackhammer led to a pin.  The war was not yet
over.  In an attempt to calm things, promoters scheduled a huge tag team match at WCW’s
Sin pay-per-view on Sunday, January 14, 2001 in Indianapolis.  Luger would team with
Bagwell against Goldberg and Bruce in a special no-disqualification match.  If Goldberg lost,
he would be forced to retire.  There was a lot riding on the bout.  A spectator in the front row
of the Conseco Fieldhouse sprayed a mist into Goldberg’s eyes, leading to Luger’s winning
pinfall.  A man’s career had ended, and both Bagwell and Luger were going to celebrate.  
The next night in Fort Wayne, Nitro began with a casket laying in the ring and some dark
music being played.  Luger and Bagwell, wearing suits, began to speak at a podium about
Goldberg and his career.  A copy of Goldberg’s book rested inside of the casket.  The fans
called for their hero, but the funeral continued with Jeff Jarrett and Scott Steiner making
appearances.

  “Totally Buff,” which Luger and Bagwell were known as, teamed to beat Kronic at the
February pay-per-view and were seemingly inching towards a run at the WCW World Tag
Title.  On March 18th in Jacksonville, they wrestled Sean O’Haire and Chuck Palumbo for the
championship, but lost.

  In the days that followed, many things in WCW changed.  First of all, the Night of
Champions was announced for the final Nitro on March 26th.  Second, the show saw Vince
McMahon open from Cleveland.  The WWFE had purchased WCW from AOL-Time Warner.  
During a simulcast between Nitro on TNT and Raw on TNN, it was announced that Shane
McMahon had purchased WCW out from under his father’s nose and instead closing up
shop, he was going to continue running things.  WCW was planned to be relaunched during
the summer.  In June, when WCW wrestlers began appearing on WWF Television, there were
several big names noticeably absent.  Luger, Ric Flair, Scott Steiner, Kevin Nash and Bill
Goldberg were all not present.  Those who appeared, though, were Booker T and Dallas
Page.

  Many people wondered if WWF Officials were still smarting of Luger’s jump in September of
1995.

  In November 2001, Ric Flair returned to the WWF and many rumors circulated about Scott
Hall and Kevin Nash’s future contract signings.  With the WWA and XWF on the horizon, Lex
Luger had several options after his contract with the Universal Wrestling Corporation ended.

TITLE HISTORY:

  -A two-time NWA Southern Heavyweight Champion
          -Defeated Jesse Barr (1986)
          -Defeated Masked Superstar (1986)
  -A four-time NWA United States Heavyweight Champion
          -Defeated Nikita Koloff (1987)
          -Defeated Barry Windham (1989)
          -Defeated Michael Hayes (1989)
          -Defeated Stan Hansen (1990)
  -Co-holder of the NWA World Tag Team Title (1988) w/ Barry Windham
  -A two-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion
          -Defeated Barry Windham (1991) vacant title victory
          -Defeated Hulk Hogan (1997)
  -Co-holder of the WCW World Tag Team Title (1996) w/ Sting
  -A two-time WCW World TV Champion
          -Defeated Johnny B. Badd (1996)
          -Defeated Johnny B. Badd (1996)
  -WCW United States Heavyweight Title (1998) defeated Bret Hart



Research by Tim Hornbaker
Lex Luger Wrestling History
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