12 Cursed Comparisons That DOOMED Promising Wrestlers
5. Lex Luger (Hulk Hogan)
Right, so it might be a bit of a stretch to claim that Lex Luger was "a promising wrestler" by 1993, but let's roll with it. He'd shown promise on the WCW side for years, so it wasn't far-fetched to imagine that Vince McMahon could mould Lex into something better under the WWF's star-making umbrella.
Originally, Luger had actually been signed to front up the WBF muscle sideshow, but he was tasked with hitting the rings as a heel once that inevitably failed. McMahon's next pitch when 'Narcissist' sagged? Turn Lex into the second coming of Hulk Hogan by making him the new hero America could rally behind.
The fed went even more overt with the patriotism by literally calling Lex an 'American Hero'. They even gave him a bus so he could tour around the country shaking hands, kissing babies and sucking up to anyone who'd previously worn a Hulkamania t-shirt. It was all destined to flop though.
Being compared to Hogan didn't do Luger any favours whatsoever. It only spotlighted how little charisma he had by comparison, and Lex couldn't match Hulk's watertight babyface performances during matches either. The connection with people who'd fawned over 'The Immortal' Hulkster just wasn't there.
No amount of on camera pretence was going to mask that. It was glaring.
Here's the truth: Lex Luger could've been a fine addition to the WWF roster post-WBF with the right idea. 'Narcissist' and 'American Hero' (particularly the latter) didn't cut it, and he was simply not going to fill Hulk's shoes.