Ranking Wrestling's Most Shocking Surprise Every Year 1990-2020

26. 1995 - Nitro Debuts, And So Does Lex Luger

Hulk Hogan John Cena nwo
WWE.com

The very idea of Monday Nitro's existence in 1995 was a bombshell big enough to rattle the cages of those within WWE not so naive as to believe it would fail, but Lex Luger's appearance on the debut addition made the show's intentions crystal clear.

There have been countless documentaries hitting all the clichés about this being the "first shot" and whatnot, but this is one of the few cases where the bluster isn't bullsh*t.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett