10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Dec 7)
4. That Survivor Series '93 Thanksgiving Intro Took Five Hours To Film
After you've checked out the accidental hilarity of the AWA attempting to digitise their audience on the Network, take a side-step towards that Thanksgiving tradition: the 1993 Survivor Series. Boot the show up and you'll be greeted by a smiling Lex Luger and his family sitting in front of a roaring fireplace.
A roaring fireplace they likely wanted to douse with water so they wouldn't pass out from the heat.
Bruce Prichard said on his Something To Wrestle With rundown of Survivors '93 that this 30-second feel good moment took five hours to film, and each take stretched Luger's patience to new limits. Shortly before filming, his son had been misbehaving, so Lex shouted at him. That set the tone for one of the most tedious production jobs of Prichard's career.
At time of filming, it was hot outside, but the WWF wanted to depict a cosy family scene in front of the fire. Seeing Luger grimace and shoot an awkward grin towards his young son as he introduces himself is pretty hilarious. They got there in the end.