10 MORE Attempted WWE Repackages That Failed Miserably
2. Lex Luger As Hulk Hogan 2.0
WWE tried (and failed) to replace Hulk Hogan as their top star on several occasions during the early-'90s, and while The Ultimate Warrior's failure as the company's franchise player came first, the face-painted loon didn't flop half as hard as Lex Luger.
The former WCW Champion's name has become synonymous with failure. This isn't entirely fair, as Lex was actually a tremendous performer in his prime, but his 1993 push was abhorrent. Having joined WWE as the villainous Narcissist, Luger was hastily repackaging as a Hogan-esque all-American babyface, preaching all kinds of pro-USA rhetoric as the company tried, and failed, to present him as their next transcendent star.
Lex had Hogan's muscles, and a tad more skill between the ropes, but nothing else. He was a black hole of charisma, and possessed none of 'The Hulkster's' electric showmanship, making him grossly unsuited to playing an '80s-style superhero role. WWE swam against this tide of unpopularity, but only for so long. It soon became apparent that Lex wasn't catching on, and while he was afforded countless title opportunities in the hope that he'd become the star WWE desperately wanted him to be, the Luger project was abandoned by 1994's end.