8 Times Wrestling Carnies Got Out-Carnied
4. A Lex Luger Working On A Handshake Deal With WWE Shows Up In WCW
Sticking with those wrestlers who ultimately left one of the biggest carnies in wrestling history looking and feeling like a fool, Lex Luger's decision to join WCW in 1995 was one that caught Vince McMahon and the rest of WWE completely off-guard.
Before becoming one of the first major names to jump over to WCW during the Monday Night Wars, Luger was actually only working on a handshake deal with McMahon. He wasn't signed to a contract, with Luger eventually recalling how he was trying to work out a deal with Vince that would allow him to work on stuff outside of wrestling, too.
Months passed, and it wasn't looking like the pair were going to come to an agreement. But a conversation with Sting soon led to WCW offering him a chance to switch sides. The only catch was that Eric Bischoff didn't want Lex to tell anyone he was leaving WWE - not even the McMahons.
And it was that decision which led to both fans all around the world and that carnie in Connecticut being completely stunned by Luger's eventual Nitro arrival.
Lex may have gone on record to say how he regretted the secrecy, but the carnie still got out-carnied when all was said and done.