MAJOR Wrestling Stars Who Jumped Ship (...And FLOPPED!)
6. Lex Luger (WCW > WWF)
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.