MAJOR Wrestling Stars Who Jumped Ship (...And FLOPPED!)

6. Lex Luger (WCW > WWF)

Sting TNA WWE
WWE.com

When: 1992

Why He Flopped: Lex Luger's WWF run can be summed up with three words/phrases: "Bodybuilding", "Wannabe Hulk Hogan" and "Fans wanted Bret Hart instead". That's why the people cheered louder for the 'Hitman' during a 1994 Royal Rumble tie, and it's why Luger's run with the company as a babyface hero ultimately failed.

The core audience had been fed Hogan for almost a full decade by the time Lex donned some stars and stripes in '93. Seeing a watered down remix of 'Hulkamania' wasn't appealing to those folks, so they rejected Lex as the number one baby and firmly rooted for the much fresher style of Hart instead.

Most watching from the sidelines probably thought Lex would smash it under Vince. After all, he was one hell of a physical specimen, and had shown promising signs in-ring when placed in there with better workers like Ric Flair over on the NWA/WCW side.

Oddly, after flopping in the WWF, Lex returned to WCW and picked right back up where he'd left off.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.