10 Wrestling Gimmicks That Were NOTHING Like The Wrestlers Who Portrayed Them
6. 'Made In The USA' Lex Luger
With skin the same shade as a garden shed and red, white and blue bicep tassels squeezing some added vascularity out of his mammoth muscles, it was easy to see why Vince McMahon saw Lex Luger as perfect instant replacement to the recently departed Hulk Hogan in July 1993.
If only Luger could have extracted even a smidgin of 'The Hulkster's once-legendary enthusiasm for the cause instead of mirroring the man that had just left.
Rarely at ease as a babyface in general (evidenced expertly in his under-appreciated WCW turn as a heel to everybody except clueless best friend Sting), Luger looked even less convincing as a walking, talking Old Glory billboard. Infamously gifted a 'Lex Express' campaign bus as part of one of the company's single most expensive pushes in company history, the 'Made In The USA' star added credence to his 'choker' tag with a SummerSlam 1993 count-out victory over Yokozuna at the grand crescendo of the run.
Vince's interest in the gimmick dissipated almost immediately despite keeping Lex locked into main events up to and including the following year's WrestleMania. Fans had rejected the character, as had the man performing it. No miniature American flags were going to win them back over.