Lex Luger: Difference between revisions

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In [[2002]], Luger toured [[Europe]] and [[Australia]] with the short-lived [[World Wrestling Allstars]] promotion.
In [[2002]], Luger toured [[Europe]] and [[Australia]] with the short-lived [[World Wrestling Allstars]] promotion.


In [[November]] [[2003]], Luger had a tag team match with [[Jeff Jarrett]] against Sting and AJ Styles. Styles was able to secure a roll-up for the victory. Later that month he returned briefly to put [[AJ Styles]] in the torture rack, but soon thereafter he left the company all together.
In [[November]] [[2003]], Luger had a tag team match with [[Jeff Jarrett]] against Sting and AJ Styles. Styles was able to secure a roll-up for the victory. Later that month he returned briefly to put [[A.J. Styles]] in the torture rack, but soon thereafter he left the company all together.


On [[October 8]], [[2005]], Luger headlined the launch of a new televised wrestling show called Action Wrestling Entertainment.
On [[October 8]], [[2005]], Luger headlined the launch of a new televised wrestling show called Action Wrestling Entertainment.

Revision as of 22:48, 29 September 2005

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Lawrence Wendell ("Larry") Pfohl (born June 2, 1958 in Buffalo, New York, now resides in Atlanta, Georgia), better known as Lex Luger, is an American professional wrestler and former professional football player.

Football career

Pfohl was a student at Pennsylvania State University, where he played football before transferring to the University of Miami in 1978. He later played football for the Memphis Showboats and Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League, the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, and the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League.

He met Bob Roop at a celebrity golfing event and was given the chance to get into pro wrestling. Roop regarded him so highly that he arranged for him to be trained by Hiro Matsuda, who trained Hulk Hogan and "Mr. Wonderful" (Paul Orndorff). He adopted the ring name Lex Luger.

Wrestling career

NWA Florida

Luger began wrestling in the NWA Florida territory, and quickly came to dominate the area. He got his first victory on Halloween 1985 against Ed "The Bull" Gantner, and later won the Southern title from Wahoo McDaniel. In 1986, he fought NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair to a 60 minute draw.

Towards the end of his run in Florida, Luger was involved in a now-legendary match with Bruiser Brody, where Brody stopped cooperating, leading to a quick exit from the ring by Luger. Some sources claim that Brody was annoyed with the exiting Luger's boasts about how much money Luger would be making when he left Florida, and decided to teach the youngster a lesson in respect.

World Championship Wrestling

In 1987, Luger went to work for Jim Crockett's World Championship Wrestling, and joined Flair's "Four Horsemen" group. He also began wrestling Sting, who later became his close friend; the two once owned a gym together in Atlanta. Luger went from heel to face many times, whenever the circumstances were best for him. He won multiple NWA/WCW U.S. Titles, multiple NWA/WCW tag team belts, and, near the end of his WCW run, was the heavyweight champion. He would eventually be a two-time WCW World Champion. His gimmick, or character, in the WCW, was "The Total Package." His finisher was called "The Human Torture Rack."

World Wrestling Federation

By early 1992, Luger was tired of wrestling in WCW. He sat out for several months before losing to Sting at SuberBrawl II in February. Luger negotiated a departure from WCW, but the terms of that agreement precluded him from wrestling for the rest of 1992. He planned to join the WBF (World Bodybuilding Federation), which was owned by Vince McMahon. He was slated to guest pose at a WBF pay-per-view event, but was injured in a motorcycle accident. By the time Luger recovered, the WBF was out of business.

A metal plate was inserted into Luger's forearm after his accident, and Luger later used this misfortune to his advantage by making the metal plate a gimmick in the ring (he claimed that when he hit opponents with his elbows, he did extra damage).

His initial appearances in the WWF were as The Narcissist, in which he posed before a full-length mirror before matches. After Hulk Hogan left in mid-1993, Vince McMahon needed a new "Real American," and Lex Luger got the job. In a memorable event, then-WWF champion Yokozuna challenged any American athlete to bodyslam him on the deck of the USS Intrepid in an event on July 4, 1993. After a series of professional athletes and wrestlers tried and failed to lift him, Luger arrived on the scene and successfully slammed the big man.

Luger was booked to win the then-WWF World championship at WrestleMania X in the first match of a planned double main event involving Luger, Yokozuna, and Bret Hart, and lose the second match to Hart. However, he became heavily intoxicated at a bar before just before WrestleMania and told several people (including a local reporter) about the planned outcome. This information spread rapidly, and the WWF opted to change the booking of WrestleMania, with Luger losing to Yokozuna by disqualification, and Hart beating Yokozuna instead. Luger was never given any run with the WWF title.

Luger remained in the WWF for another year. He put over Tatanka at SummerSlam and formed a tag team with the late Davey Boy Smith dubbed the "Allied Powers." Then in late August 1995, Luger got a call from Eric Bischoff asking him if he'd like to jump ship back to the WCW. In an interview with Pro Wrestling Illustrated, Luger claimed he was wrestling without a contract and could, therefore, leave unannounced. Lex Luger's last match for the WWF was on September 1, 1995 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Vince McMahon was very unhappy with this abrupt departure because Luger reportedly gave McMahon his "word" about staying.

Years later, Eric Bischoff would admit that he was never a fan of Lex Luger's on a personal or professional level. Bischoff only made the decision to talk to Luger at the behest of Luger's longtime friend Sting. Bischoff then offered Luger 20% more of the money he was making in the WWF. Bischoff at first, believed that Luger was going to turn the contract down anyway but at the very least, Bischoff could go back to Sting and tell him that he "tried."

World Championship Wrestling

Luger's first appearance in WCW upon his return was his shocking appearance at the first WCW Monday Nitro on September 4, 1995. Luger first showed up during the very first match on Nitro between Sting and Ric Flair. Later that night, Luger appeared in the crowd and attempted to interfere in the Hulk Hogan/Big Bubba Rogers match. A week later, he wrestled Hogan for the WCW World Title but the match ended in a no contest when Kevin Sullivan's "Faces Of Fear" interfered. For the next several months, Luger played a tweener character who seemed to side with various wrestlers and feuded with others. Sting, who was a face, continued to stay on Luger's side due to their friendship.

When the nWo split, he was a member of the nWo Wolfpac. At the time WCW was purchased by the WWF, Luger was a member of Ric Flair's heel group, The Magnificent Seven with his "Totally Buff" tag team partner, Buff Bagwell. The other members were Jeff Jarrett, Road Warrior Animal, Rick and Scott Steiner. Luger's WCW contract was not a part of the WWF's purchase of WCW's assets, and Luger collected the remainder of his guaranteed contract through a subsidiary of Time-Warner that had been set up to handle outstanding debts and business from WCW.

Semi-retirement

In 2003, Luger's companion Elizabeth Hulette was found dead in Marietta, Georgia of a drug overdose. Luger was arrested in connection with her death, but was eventually released when the coroner ruled the death accidental. In 2005, Luger again ran afoul of the law, being arrested in Canton, Georgia and charged with driving under the influence.

In 2002, Luger toured Europe and Australia with the short-lived World Wrestling Allstars promotion.

In November 2003, Luger had a tag team match with Jeff Jarrett against Sting and AJ Styles. Styles was able to secure a roll-up for the victory. Later that month he returned briefly to put A.J. Styles in the torture rack, but soon thereafter he left the company all together.

On October 8, 2005, Luger headlined the launch of a new televised wrestling show called Action Wrestling Entertainment.

In wrestling

Finishing and signature moves

File:Rack.jpg
Luger applying the Human Torture Rack to Dennis Rodman

Previous managers

Championships and accomplishments

Florida Championship Wrestling

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

  • PWI ranked him # 20 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003
  • PWI ranked him # 52 of the best tag teams of the PWI Years (with Sting)
  • PWI ranked him # 90 of the best tag teams of the PWI Years (with Barry Windham)
  • PWI Rookie of the Year Award (1986)
  • PWI Comeback of the Year Award (1993)
  • PWI Most Popular Wrestler Award (1993)
  • PWI Wrestler of the Year Award (1997)
  • PWI Match of the Year Award, with Sting, versus Rick and Scott Steiner (1991)
  • PWI Feud of the Year Award, as one of the Four Horsemen, versus the Road Warriors and the Super Powers (1987)
  • PWI Feud of the Year Award, versus Ric Flair (1988)
  • PWI Feud of the Year Award (1990)

National Wrestling Alliance

World Championship Wrestling

World Wrestling Allstars

World Wrestling Federation

Template:WCWchampions Template:WWEUSchampions

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