10 Wrestlers WWE Realised Weren't 'The Man'

1. Lex Luger

Speaking of which.

McMahon dabbled with smaller, more athletic workers like Ric Flair and Bret Hart following Hogan's boom period and the Warrior sidestep. That didn't satisfy him for long though; by 1993, he'd put the belt on monster heel Yokozuna and needed a hero to vanquish him. Enter Lex Luger, who'd actually been hired as a spokesman for the spin-off WBF.

The bodybuilding role gave way to pro wrestling, and a run as vain heel 'Narcissist' then surrendered to the might of red, white and blue. 'American Hero' Luger even had his own lengthy bus tour (in the airbrushed 'Lex Express') and tried to rally support for his bid to become the sought after long-term Hogan replacement.

Vince cooled interest in Luger mid-push, which says it all. His title shot at SummerSlam ended via count out, and Lex would never get the big belt. By the time his star was supposed to be shine brightest at 'Mania X, the boss had moved back to Bret Hart as his Yoko-beater.

Lex, like Warrior before him, was no "next Hulk Hogan".

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What other wrestlers did WWE eventually realise weren't 'The Man'? For more like this, check out 10 Ridiculous Tag-Teams WWE Missed Out On and 10 Sneaky Tributes To WWE Greats!