Rants

Kayfabe Commentaries Timeline Series: 1993 WWF as told by Lex Luger

By Scott Keith on February 6, 2014

This was released in the Fall of 2013. It runs for one hour and fifty minutes.

Your host is Sean Oliver

JANUARY
Sean asks Luger about Vince’s initial plans for him when he signed him away from WCW. Lex said at that time, he had a year remaining on his contract and felt that the company was struggling. Before Flair left for the WWF, Lex was going to feud with him for the belt and when Ric took the belt with him, WCW scrambled together to get a fake belt and got Harley Race there and for Lex to use a piledriver on the belt for the win. For the rest of the year, Lex felt that WCW did not have a direction and he saw a lot of guys leaving and always had aspirations of joining the WWF, because they were number one. He then called Vince and asked if he took a year off and focused on the WBF before wrestling, just as an idea to throw out to Vince so he would listen. A week later, Vince called him back and was ready to pursue the idea. Lex said he was burned out from wrestling and wanted to sign a WBF contract for a year and because WCW was in a cost-cutting mode, he gave WCW the chance to let go of his contract, which was one of the biggest, and he would go to a body building company.
Lex said that he developed a great relationship with Vince. They worked out together at his home. Lex also said that Vince thought he should be a heel and the aligned him with Bobby Heenan, who at first was hesitant about the deal, stating that he didn’t know anything about bodybuilding, but he went out and did a great job anyway.
He now talks about his motorcycle accident. He was on a country road at dusk and he didn’t see the guy coming and tried to go off the road but got hit anyway and was flung “150 feet” into the woods without hitting a tree. Lex said his bone was sticking out of his arm and he lost a lot of blood.
Lex is asked about Doink the Clown and if people in the company were surprised that it got over. Lex said that when Vince wants to get someone over, he is very persistent. Lex said that Matt Borne got into character for the role.
“Monday Night RAW” debuts on January 11th. Lex said that Vince picked the perfect atmosphere for the show. He said it was like a hand-picked studio setting, something you would see in Hollywood. He did not see it as a big step-down from the arenas that the TV shows were usually taped from.
Lex makes his debut at the “Royal Rumble.” He said there was no mention of a turn down the road at the time. When asked, Lex said that the idea to carry around a mirror was either from Vince or his team. Sean asks Lex if he was known to stand in front of the mirror. Lex said that when he was trained by Hiro Matsuda, he told him to stay with the basics and do not do anything high-flying and stick with what makes you unique, which was his body, so that is what he did for his career.
Sean asks Lex about Yokozuna. He calls him one of the best big men ever. Lex then goes off topic for a bit and said how the Big Show is one of the easiest guys to put in the Torture Rack because he was so tall and could just put himself on his shoulders. Lex then said it was like a night off working with Yokozuna as he was a light worker and a great guy overall. He said at house shows, Yoko would pick him up and place him on the turnbuckle like he was a little child. Lex said he and Yoko played cards all the time.
When asked about Giant Gonzalez, Lex thought that they were searching for the next Andre the Giant but it didn’t work out. Lex said when he first saw him, he was sitting down holding what he thought was a 4oz fruit juice can but when he stood up and put it on the table, he saw that it was a 12oz can of cook. Lex tells a story from WCW about Flair trying to train Gonzalez to use a delayed vertical suplex as his finish from the corner, because when he landed the ropes would shake and it would come off more powerful but he had trouble with the move.
On January 25th, Ric Flair left the WWE. Lex said that no matter what he did, people still saw Ric as a WCW/NWA guy and the fans felt more comfortable with him there and he believed that Ric felt the same.
Andre the Giant passed away on January 27th. Sean asks how the company reacted and Lex said that Vince took his death hard and it was felt throughout the company. Lex tells an Andre story while at the St. Louis airport in the late 80’s, he hears a beep then a deep voice say “hop in boss” as Andre in a golf cart, takes his arm and pulls Lex in the cart and they hung out at the terminal for a bit. Lex said he was very nice to him.
FEBRUARY
Lex made his in-ring debut on the February 1st edition of RAW. Sean asks him if he had to modify the style that he used in WCW. Lex said not really and that he just had to play the narcissist role, which Lex himself admitted wasn’t very hard for himself to pull off at that time. Sean asks about ring rust and Lex said he was sent to Memphis to work with Lawler for a few matches before debuting on TV. He said at the time, there was a lot of drug testing and he had to build up his physique without any gimmicks and working in Memphis built up his confidence, which he was worried about after getting hurt and not wrestling for about a year.
Lex then talks about how frequently they were tested at that time. He said once during a three-week trip that went overseas and across the states, they were tested four nights in a row. He also said you had to take your shirt off and pants below the knees as someone stood in front of the urinal looking at you so there was no way to provide a false sample. Sean asks what they were looking for and Lex said he thought it was for marijuana, cocaine, and steroids.
Seans asks Lex about Vionce getting sued by Kevin Wacholz (Nailz) for sexual harassment. Lex said he never got a hint of that about Vince, stating he liked the ladies and was a man’s man but after that, Vince always had another person in the office with him when he met with others.
On February 18th, Kerry Von Erich committed suicide at his father’s ranch. Lex said he only met him once and was shocked about his death. He also recalls Ric Flair always putting over Kerry as a great worker.
Lex said he was thrilled that Hogan came back because he was a fan of his before getting into the business. He said there was no talk of a feud between them at the time. He also said that he and Hogan always got along great.
He said he loved working with Bret as you knew you would have a great match. He then said that he and Bret are friends then tells a story of how Bret got him hooked on Starbucks Coffee while they were stranded at the Seattle airport and he has been a Gold Card member ever since. He said when they went to Europe, he and Bret would make plans to meet and drink coffee and espresso before going to the gym. He said that he always loved being around Bret.
MARCH
On March 11th, Dino Bravo was murdered at his home in Montreal. Lex said he was shocked when the news dropped but some of the guys knew of his criminal dealings.
On March 22nd, the “WWF Hall of Fame” is formed with Andre the Giant getting inducted. Lex thought it was a great idea and they were wondering if there was going to be a physical location following. Sean asks Lex about the Hall of Fame today and if the “right” people are getting in as Lex takes a diplomatic route and thinks that is cool for celebrities to get inducted too and does not diminish the careers and efforts of wrestlers because everyone knows they are there just a separate part of the Hall of Fame.
APRIL
Lex is asked about knocking out Bret Hart from behind at the WrestleMania IX preview brunch. He said that Vince and his people put this together and lay it out but you get a bit of input. He then said Matsuda taught him to be seen and not heard when starting out but he struggled to do that himself at times.
When asked about his WrestleMania debut, Lex said he was sitting backstage and relaxed as he was working with Mr. Perfect, one of the best workers there is and said that he could walk him through the match. Before they started, they briefly discussed the match. Well, when they locked up to start, Curt asked Lex what they were doing and Lex thought Curt was ribbing him but it turns out that Curt forgot the match layout so Lex had to call the entire match himself. Lex said he was no longer relaxed as he was trying to remember everything. Sean tells Lex he believed that Curt was in fact ribbing him and Lex said if he did, he really pulled it off because he sincerely apologized to him backstage after the match.
On the April 5th edition of RAW, Jerry Lawler made his in-ring debut. Lex said that Jerry is a very insightful and intelligent guy and believed his role was of a commentator who occasionally wrestled. He thought Lawler seemed pleasant and was a good addition to the roster.
MAY
Sean Waltman made his debut on May 3rd as the “Cannonball Kid.” Lex said he could work but did not look like a wrestler. At that time, Lex said he didn’t care for smaller guys who did not look like wrestlers but now says that it has diversified wrestling with different skills. He said he was prejudicial towards those guys at that time in his mind and admits he was wrong.
He is asked about losing to Tatanka at a house show in Hartford, CT. Lex doesn’t remember but mentions that when he was training under Matsuda, he was told that its all a work and to never question the finish because if this was real there would not be too many guys in the business. Lex then said if it was real, either Haku or the Barbarian would be the champion because they would destroy everyone else.
At this time, the WWE was scaling back on expenses and mainly filming TV shows at smaller venues in the Northeast. They also had to come in on days off and cut promos. Sean asks Lex if he was getting the rumored $150 payoff for RAW and he said he wasn’t paying attention to that and always looked at the big picture but made money from the house shows and back then, wasn’t the most sensitive guy to those struggling financially.
During a segment taped for RAW, Mr. Perfect jumped Shawn Michaels and threw him on a windshield of a car and it cracked. The car belonged to Howard Finkel who had just bought it. Lex said he heard about that and how it was a rib by Curt. Sean asks Lex about the relationship between Howard and Vince and he said it is genuine.
Lex tells a story about the Steiners and prefaces it by saying he didn’t mean to have it come out the way it did. The Steiners were concerned about their payoffs and Lex told them that they were splitting their pay in half because they were a team and he was a legitimate singles star and looking at the card, the tag team matches were basically garnish to the main event singles matches. Lex said that he was lucky he had a good relationship with the Steiners then talks about how tag team wrestling is good for the fans but as a wrestler, the payoffs are a lot less.
The Nasty Boys get suspended then fired after a tour of Europe. Lex talks about how they were crazy and instigated bar fights all over the place. He said they were hilarious but also would go wild on you when they pulled a rib until you fought back and after that, they would start laughing.
Sean asks Lex about Vince constantly bringing back Marty Jannetty. Lex talks about Vince giving guys a chance to come back who are struggling and has done that many times over, putting over Vince’s compassion.
Lex is asked about the 1-2-3 Kid upsetting Razor Ramon on RAW. Lex said that Scott always liked to make new stars and said it was the right way for veterans to put over the young guys. Lex says that Hall is a good guy.
JUNE
Diesel makes his debut on June 6th when he distracted Marty Jannetty, allowing Shawn to regain the Intercontinental Championship. Lex said he was thrilled that Vince was giving him a chance after seeing him in WCW. Lex said he was a legendary bouncer in Atlanta and thought he would be an asset. Lex said he had a good attitude and wanted to learn.
Yokozuna pinned Hogan at the King of the Ring to win the Championship. Lex felt that Hogan’s heart wasn’t in it anymore at this time and felt he was not fully committed to wrestling. Sean asks if Hogan’s departure led to his babyface turn and Lex said he didn’t know but was shocked when Vince called him in the office to tell him about his babyface turn. He thought Vince was crazy but said that it worked.
JULY
When talking about slamming Yokozuna at the bodyslam challenge, Lex said it was all very well done. He said he was scared on the helicopter as the pilot was a Vietnam vet who kept showing off his skills and did a lot of stunts. When asked, Lex thought the Narcissist gimmick was going well but was surprised how well it came off at the end. He was also surprised that he was going to continue with the “USA” gimmick and the bus.
Lex talks about the schedule he had while on the bus. He would wake up at 5am then have breakfast. After that, he did radio and TV with an autograph session sandwiched in between. He did another signing in the afternoon then would leave and do evening media sessions until he finished and ate dinner around 8pm then would try to go to the gym before going to bed. He slept in hotels most of the time but did sleep on the bus occasionally. He had a driver and a PR guy the whole Summer with him.
He thought that Ludvig Borga had a good look but did not feel that they were a great pairing in the ring. Lex thought that Ludvig should have gotten a big “Squash push” before moving on to bigger feuds.
AUGUST
Sean asks Lex about Razor Ramon being an odd choice for a babyface. Lex said that if the fans want it, then why not go with it and then talks about how merchandise can factor into giving someone getting a babyface push.
He now talks about the “Who is Lex?” segments that aired. Lex himself said he never saw them but from what he heard others say that they were well produced. Lex then calls Vince innovative for producing the segments.
Jim Cornette made his debut on the August 2nd edition of RAW. Lex is asked if Cornette was ever happy working in New York. Lex said that the Northeast can be really tough on Southern boys. He talks about his first match in the Nassau Coliseum, a beer bottle flew right by his face, which never happened to him in the South. Sean asks if Cornette was brought in for Yoko because Fuji was such an ineffective mouthpiece for Yokozuna and Lex said that probably was the case and jokes how Fuji and Cornette probably balance each other. Lex said that Fuji ribbed him once while at the bar at the Marriott in Philadelphia. Fuji would piss into bottles at the bar instead of going to the bathroom and went all over Luger’s shoes.
Luger is asked about how he went on TV and said he had used steroids in the past but was not now and neither was anyone else in the company. Lex said he was not on steroids in the WWF and was not worried about his physique because even though he was a bit smaller than before, he still had a better body than anyone else there because they couldn’t use steroids either.
Sean asks Lex if he ever saw the evil side of Vince. Lex said he liked a good joke and rib and thought he felt that the wrestlers should be the stars but he had a personality and had a good body and thought he held back more than he should of at times.
He is now asked why he didn’t win the title at SummerSlam. Lex said ask Vince because he didn’t know why. He thought it was good idea for him to win but was a good foot soldier and was never promised the title at that point but Vince told Lex if he decided to put the belt on him, it would happen at WrestleMania X. Lex also puts over Yoko as being a good champ, citing his presence in his matches.
SEPTEMBER
On September 27th, Shawn Michaels quit the company after he was reported to have been asked to drop the Intercontinental Title. Shawn stated that he quit because he felt out of shape after getting up to 240lbs after being told by the company to “gain weight” naturally. Lex said that Shawn always expressed his opinion but thought that he was professional and never saw him tell the office what to do.
OCTOBER
On October 16th, Randy Savage went on Jim Ross’s radio show and blasted Hulk Hogan, stating that he and his wife played a role in his separation from Elizabeth. When asked about their relationship, Luger said that he saw them hang out all the time but would hear that they would get mad at each other so he didnt know if they worked up controversy and fooled everyone or really had a difficult relationship. Lex said he got along great with Savage, even despite the fact that he was volatile

On October 29th, Curt Hennig was pulled off of the road, reportedly over being angry that he was bypassed for the IC title but was announced as him needing to take care of family problems. Lex is asked about titles and if they are really important to wrestlers. Lex said that at times, it was difficult to carry through the airport and they pay difference wasnt that much so he didnt really matter that much if he was a champion. He said belts do not defy whether or not you have talent, as Matsuda taught him that as well, but he does respect the lineage of the belts.

NOVEMBER 


At the November 9th “Wrestling Challenge” tapings at the Carbondale, PA high school, the prinicipal and school board were irate at the conditions of the facilities after the tapings, which included human feces, whiskey bottles, and chicken bones all over the place. Lex is asked who brings own the hammer about this and Lex said it gets back to Vince then back down the chain of command to carry out the orders. When asked who would shit on the floor, Lex guesses the Nasty Boys as they lived up to their name.

Vince McMahon was indicted for possession and conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids on November 11th. He pled not guilty and a trial date was set for May 2nd, 1994. Lex said a lot of the guys thought it was unfair and said that no one ever forced or pressured him to use steroids and said that one of the prosecutors had a hard-on for Vince and wanted to get him. Vince told Lex that he was affected by the trial and that it caused him anxiety.

Then, on November 12th, Jerry Lawler was indicted in Kentucky for one count of second-degree statutory rape, three counts of second-degree sodomy and one count of harassing a witness, to which Lawler pled not guilty. Lex said the locker room was in disbelief when this news broke. When asked about anyone having info about Lawler having a penchant for under aged girls, Lex said he didnt hear that about him.

Lex is asked if he liked the Survivor Series match and he said he would have rather did a tag or even a six-man tag match because you do not get much in-ring time in those matches. Lex said he was reluctant to having his family on camera but trusted Vince. Lex said he was living a double life and was starting to party on the road at that time.

When asked about Dink the Clown and if he thought it was ridiculous. Lex did but said Vince liked to have  a few ridiculous guys to push for either his own entertainment, the boys, or to anger the fans. He couldn’t figure out why. Lex had no problem with the character personally.

DECEMBER


Lex was surprised that Heenan left the WWF. He never talked to Bobby about his contract either. When asked, Lex said that Vince didnt care if you talked about someone who left the company but at the same time, he never felt the need to explain anything he did to the locker room.

Sean asks Lex about how 1993 ranks in his career. He said it was up there, with the Horsemen and nWo stuff. He had a lot of fond memories of the bus tour, despite being tough, but did appreciate the opportunity. Lex now travels across the country doing evangelical work and says he is approached by people stating they met him at autograph sessions during that time. He then says that he feels great now, despite all of his health issues. He is now thankful for what he has instead of wishing for things he does not have. He also has a new found appreciation for all things wrestling and wishes he felt that way when he did wrestle.

Final Thoughts: This timeline went a lot better than I initially thought it would. Lex seemed pretty relaxed, even if he looks a lot different than when he was in wrestling. Looking at him now, you would have never, ever guessed that he had one of the best physiques in wrestling. He is lucky though as intially it was expected that he would never be able to walk on his own ever again.

The beginning of this is slow, as he talks a lot about the WBF, but it does pick up the pace from there. Lex also shows remorse form his past behaviors and was not afraid to call himself out for acting like a dick when he was in wrestling. That shows to me that he is truly at peace with himself and is genuine in regards to his religious beliefs.

Lex did keep to himself a lot so he really did not have a ton of dirt to dish on the main eventers but did give pretty good insight to his “Lex Express” schedule, amongst other things. Actually, I felt that Lex had a good sense of the business and seems like a fairly intelligent guy. I do recommend this timeline and found it to be a surprisngly decent installment.

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