10 Times WWE Put Its Talent In Impossible Positions

1. The Narcissist Becomes Hulk Hogan 2.0

Edge Randy Orton Backlash
WWE.com

While Mick Foley has recently put forward the case for Lex Luger getting a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame, there's a great sense of 'what if?' with Luger where it pertains to his days with Vince McMahon's promotion.

After a brief stint in McMahon's World Bodybuilding Federation, Luger was formally introduced to WWF audiences at the 1993 Royal Rumble. That initial run would be under the heel Narcissist gimmick, but a face turn was around the corner once it became clear that Hulk Hogan was heading for the WWF exit door.

To show just how quick that turnaround was, Hogan's final televised match of that run was on 13 June '93 as he dropped the WWF Title to Yokozuna at the King of the Ring PPV. Less than a month later, on 4 July, the arrogant villainous Luger turned babyface by slamming Yoko on the USS Intrepid.

From there on out, the Narcissist was rebranded as the flag-waving, stars and stripes-adorned 'All-American' Lex Luger. With his ripped physique, blonde hair and jarring tan, Lex was positioned as the company's new Hulk Hogan and the new top babyface of the territory.

Lex was set up to fail as soon as McMahon decided that his new poster boy was going to be Hogan 2.0, as the fans completely saw through all of this - with the majority having already chosen their new poster boy: Bret Hart.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.