All aboard the Lex Express! To be fair to Vince McMahon, you can't blame him for pushing Lex Luger to the moon following Hulk Hogan's departure in 1993. He had something of a proven track record, having been a star in WCW. He could also have great matches when in the ring with the right people and had a fantastic physique and look. Yes, Luger as a top star made perfect sense. Although, originally, he wasn't signed by the WWF to be a wrestler but was actually contracted to perform as a bodybuilder for Vince McMahon's ill-fated WBF league. Luger suffered some serious injuries in a motorcycle crash and, when he returned, the WBF was out of business. So it was back to wrestling for Lex. Luger debuted as a heel in early 1993 under the Narcissist gimmick turned face by the middle of the year. Repackaged as the all-American hero, Luger toured the country in a red, white and blue bus named the Lex Express. He would mingle with fans and campaign for a WWF Title shot. Luger was the co-winner of the 1994 Royal Rumble (with Bret Hart) but lost his WWF Championship match to Yokozuna at WrestleMania X. Luger failed to get over as the second coming of Hulk Hogan. Fans were more eager to see more athletic performers like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels and the all-American, smiling babyface was old hat by 1994. Luger left the WWF in 1995 and turned up on the first episode of WCW Nitro, thus kicking off the next phase of his career.
