The 1994 featured the latest chapter in the story pitting American hero Lex Luger against evil, corrupt businessman "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and his Corporation. At SummerSlam three months earlier, Native American Tatanka betrayed his heritage and friend Luger by selling out and joining DiBiase, revealing that money was greater than friendship. With DiBiase having an entire stable at his disposal, Luger set out to find some friends to accompany him into battle at the Survivor Series in a traditional elimination tag bout. Those friends? A who's who of midcard fodder, including Adam Bomb, the Smoking Gunns and Mable. Considering the opposition touted such names as Kama, I.R.S. and an over-the-hill King Kong Bundy, the backup was adequate. Or so he thought. The Corporation turned out to be much more formidable than fans could have imagined, with the babyfaces getting picked off one-by-one, much to the chagrin of the fans in Texas. Even Luger, our supposed hero, fell at the feet of his rivals. Still, there was one man who managed to evade pinfall or submission, a man whose elimination came via countout, thus preserving whatever reputation Vince McMahon and the booking team thought he may have had. That man? Mable. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZCf8BmVvio Yes, nearly eight months before he would turn heel and win the King of the Ring, Mable was protected by bookers more than even Lex freaking Luger. Why? Who knows. It is impossible to think that McMahon would have the wherewithal to know that far in advance that Mable would be the guy he would push to the top of the company with a win in the June 1995 tournament and a main event title shot at that year's SummerSlam, thus opting to protect him nearly an entire year earlier. In fact, given how much of a non-factor the big man was in the Royal Rumble just two months after the 1994 Survivor Series and in the weeks leading into WrestleMania XI, where he did not appear nor did he have a match, the reasoning for protecting him via countout rather than having him pinned or submitted like the rest of his team is that much more boggling. Either way, it happened, leaving no wonder as to why Luger would be so quick to hop on the first train out of WWE.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
