99 Facts About Lex Luger

Lex Luger is best known for his work with Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation.

Lex Luger was notably the 1994 Royal Rumble co-winner with Bret Hart.

In March 2025, it was announced that Lex Luger will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Lex Luger attended high school and played football in Orchard Park, New York.

Lex Luger then attended Penn State University on a football scholarship, but transferred to the University of Miami after his freshman year when the Penn State coaches thought he should move to linebacker or defensive end.

Lex Luger was an avid basketball player in his youth, and though he rarely played soccer, is a fan of English soccer club Manchester United.

Lex Luger eventually decided his skills would be better suited to football.

Lex Luger sat out the 1977 season as a redshirt transfer student in Coral Gables.

In 1978, Lex Luger played for the Miami Hurricanes, which featured future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, Jim Burt, Mitch Guittar, Fred Marion, and Mark Richt.

Lex Luger was kicked off the team for what Luger referred to as "off-the-field incidents".

Lex Luger then signed with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League, but never played in a game and thus is not listed on their all-time roster, though he did spend the entire 1982 season on the team's injured reserve list with a groin problem incurred during training camp.

Lex Luger returned to the Packers training camp in 1983, but he was released before the regular season began.

Lex Luger wore number 66 for the Packers, the last player to do so before it was retired for Ray Nitschke.

Lex Luger said in a 2018 interview with the Green Bay Press-Gazette his wrestling career might have never happened had it worked out with the Packers.

In 1984, Lex Luger finished his football career playing in the United States Football League for the Tampa Bay Bandits, Memphis Showboats and Jacksonville Bulls.

Lex Luger was a teammate of future WCW rival Ron Simmons while playing for the Tampa Bay Bandits.

In 1985, Lex Luger walked into the Championship Wrestling From Florida office where he met Hiro Matsuda, who had previously trained Hulk Hogan and "Mr Wonderful" Paul Orndorff.

Luger adopted the ring name "Lex Luger", being a fan of the comic book villain Lex Luthor, which helped cast himself as a typical wrestling heel which he would continue to be throughout most of his early years in wrestling.

Lex Luger was featured alongside other notorious heels, Percy Pringle and Rick Rude.

Lex Luger began wrestling for CWF, gaining his first victory on October 31,1985, against Cocoa Samoa and later won the Southern Heavyweight Championship from Wahoo McDaniel the next month.

Towards the end of his run in Florida, Lex Luger was involved in angles with Kevin Sullivan and Bad News Allen.

Lex Luger was in a steel cage match with Bruiser Brody, where Brody stopped cooperating, leading to Luger climbing over the cage and leaving the match.

In 1987, Lex Luger went to work for Jim Crockett Promotions, which was under the NWA banner, with the nickname "The Total Package" and began using "The Human Torture Rack", an Argentine backbreaker rack, as his finisher.

Lex Luger was first booked as an associate to Ric Flair's "Four Horsemen" stable until Ole Anderson was kicked out and he became an official member of the group.

Lex Luger knocked Koloff unconscious with it and then lifted up Koloff in the Torture Rack.

Lex Luger left the Four Horsemen on December 2,1987, at the Knight Centre in Miami, Florida, after he and his stablemates were the sole wrestlers left in a Bunkhouse Stampede battle royal and Dillon asked the other wrestlers to eliminate themselves so he could win.

Lex Luger then befriended Barry Windham, his former Florida ally, and together they formed a tag team, dubbed The Twin Towers.

Lex Luger continued his feud with the Four Horsemen and Windham.

Lex Luger was then matched up against old foe Barry Windham at Chi-Town Rumble winning his second NWA United States Heavyweight Championship from him.

Hayes against Barry and Kendall Windham in a match, televised on March 18,1989, which saw Hayes turn on Lex Luger, setting himself as a contender to the US Title.

Lex Luger regained the US Title from Hayes in a rematch a couple of weeks later when he broke the rules by pulling Hayes's tights while pinning Hayes to win the match.

Lex Luger was elevated to face Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

When Lex Luger left the ring to help Sting he was counted out, giving the match to Flair.

Lex Luger eventually dropped the title to Stan Hansen at Halloween Havoc, though he won it back at Starrcade 1990: Collision Course beginning his fourth NWA United States Heavyweight Championship reign.

Lex Luger started a feud with Dan Spivey, whom he defeated at WrestleWar to retain the US Title.

Lex Luger again began to challenge Ric Flair for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship after becoming No 1 contender by defeating The Great Muta on the June 14,1991 Clash of the Champions XV: Knocksville USA.

Lex Luger eventually quit the company and took the world title belt with him.

Lex Luger did so and won the match, thereby winning his first WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

At a signing ceremony for their title match at Halloween Havoc in a two out of three falls match, there was a controversial angle where Lex Luger invited Simmons, once his challenge had been turned back, to join his entourage, but as a chauffeur.

Lex Luger went on to retain the championship in the match by two falls to one.

Lex Luger made an appearance at WrestleMania VIII, taking part in an on-air interview with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon.

Heenan and Lex Luger formed an alliance in the WBF.

Lex Luger was slated to guest pose at a WBF pay-per-view event, but was injured in a motorcycle accident.

The rivalry ended at WrestleMania IX when Lex Luger defeated Perfect and then after the match Perfect ran backstage and then was attacked by Lex Luger and Shawn Michaels outside a storage garage.

The match had the stipulation that this would be Lex Luger's only shot at the title.

In late 1993, Lex Luger began a feud with Ludvig Borga, another anti-American foreigner from Finland.

At Survivor Series 1993, Lex Luger captained a team dubbed "All-Americans" against Yokozuna's team "Foreign Fanatics" in a 4-on-4 Survivor Series match.

At the Royal Rumble, Lex Luger participated in the Royal Rumble match where he and Bret Hart were declared co-winners after both men went over the top rope and had their feet hit the ground simultaneously.

Lex Luger then began feuding with his friend Tatanka due to a lack of trust between them, and a match between the two took place at SummerSlam.

At the event, Tatanka defeated Lex Luger and joined Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Corporation.

Lex Luger eliminated Mabel, Bob Backlund, Mantaur, and Henry Godwinn and became one of the final four remaining participants in the contest.

Lex Luger then formed a tag team with British Bulldog dubbed the Allied Powers.

In late August 1995, after expressing to Sting that he wanted to leave the WWF, Lex Luger got a call from WCW Vice-President Eric Bischoff to set up a meeting about a contract and Lex Luger possibly "jumping ship".

Eight days after his appearance at SummerSlam and only one night after competing at a WWF house show in Saint John, New Brunswick, Lex Luger made his return to WCW on the premiere of Nitro, coming out during the match for the United States Heavyweight Championship between champion Sting and Ric Flair.

Lex Luger merely claimed that he wanted to stake his claim at Hogan's WCW World Heavyweight Title, facing him on the September 11,1995, episode of Nitro, which Hogan won by disqualification.

At Halloween Havoc, Lex Luger attacked Hogan after his match with The Giant and joined Kevin Sullivan's Dungeon of Doom stable.

At Starrcade, Lex Luger participated in a WCW vs NJPW World Cup of Wrestling where he represented WCW in a winning effort against NJPW representative Masa Chono.

Later that night, he participated in a triangle match with Sting and Ric Flair, with the winner to face Randy Savage for the WCW World Championship; Flair won after both Sting and Lex Luger were counted out.

Lex Luger was blamed for the loss because he accidentally punched teammate Ric Flair and was kicked out of the stable.

Randy Savage spearheaded the WCW wrestlers against them, with Lex Luger and Sting by his side.

Lex Luger, along with Savage and Sting, took on Nash and Hall and a third, mystery, partner that they claimed was an "insider" at Bash at the Beach.

Lex Luger continued to be one of the leaders for the WCW's siege against the nWo, wrestling and feuding with a number of their members.

Lex Luger won a Four Corners match to become the No 1 contender for Hogan's WCW Title at Spring Stampede, and teamed with his new ally, The Giant, to defeat Hogan and basketball star Dennis Rodman at Bash at the Beach.

Lex Luger's victory marked the first time in a year that WCW had "won their world title back" from the nWo.

Lex Luger began a program with Hall after both men pinned each other in tag team matches before facing each other in a 1-on-1 match at Halloween Havoc which Lex Luger won.

Lex Luger had a short feud with Buff Bagwell in the fall of 1997, culminating in a match at Starrcade, which Bagwell won.

Lex Luger played a central role in the group's war with Hogan's nWo Hollywood, and even convinced the long-standing anti-nWo Sting to join.

Lex Luger took part in the incident in which both nWo factions united against the dominant Bill Goldberg in early 1999.

Lex Luger remained a member of the new nWo until he was sidelined with a biceps injury.

Lex Luger eventually helped Sting win the World Title at Fall Brawl in September 1999.

Lex Luger debuted this gimmick on the September 27,1999, episode of Nitro with a Terminator-style entrance symbolizing his "rebirth" and by bringing back Miss Elizabeth as his manager.

Lex Luger continued his Total Package angle with Elizabeth through January 2000.

Lex Luger began a storyline where he would break the arms of his opponents by placing the arm inside a closed steel chair and stomping on it.

Lex Luger faced Booker T on the November 20,2000, episode of Nitro for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and Goldberg at Mayhem and again at Starrcade 2000 with Goldberg's career on the line.

Lex Luger formed a tag team with Buff Bagwell named "Totally Buff".

Lex Luger stayed with the team until the WWF purchased WCW in March 2001.

In November 2002, Lex Luger returned to wrestling for the first time since the closure of WCW.

Lex Luger joined the European tour of World Wrestling All-Stars and debuted in Dublin, Ireland, teaming with Sting to defeat Buff Bagwell and Malice.

At Retribution, Lex Luger defeated Sting to win the vacant WWA World Heavyweight Championship after Jeff Jarrett interfered on his behalf.

Lex Luger returned on February 25,2004, putting AJ Styles through a table during a tables match against Abyss.

On October 13,2012, Lex Luger inducted Sting to the TNA Hall of Fame at a ceremony held in Phoenix, Arizona, prior to the Bound for Glory pay-per-view.

In 2011, Lex Luger began working again with WWE on their Wellness Policy.

Lex Luger has been announced to be a 2025 WWE Hall of Fame inductee.

Lex Luger is a fan of Scottish football club Rangers FCand English football club Manchester United FC.

Lex Luger was charged with a misdemeanor count of battery and released on $2,500 bond.

Lex Luger was driving with a suspended license for not appearing in court on March 5,2003, for a hearing on a previous offense of driving with expired tags and having no proof of insurance.

On May 1,2003, Hulette died in the Marietta townhouse she shared with Lex Luger after mixing pills of hydrocodone and Alprazolam with vodka.

Lex Luger was arrested after a search of the residence revealed a number of illicit controlled substances, including anabolic steroids, oxycodone, synthetic growth hormone, testosterone, and alprazolam.

Lex Luger was charged with 14 felony counts of drug possession.

Lex Luger was released the following day on $27,500 bail.

Lex Luger pleaded guilty to the charges and was fined $1,000, sentenced to five years probation, and ordered to undergo periodic drug tests.

Lex Luger was tried in Georgia and sentenced to four months in Cobb County Jail, with a one-month credit for time served.

On October 19,2007, Lex Luger suffered a nerve impingement in his neck that led to temporary paralysis.

In June 2008, Lex Luger was said to be able to stand on his own for short periods and walk using a walker.

In 2010, Lex Luger stated in an interview that he was able to walk more comfortably, and was now able to drive.

However, by February 2025, after working with longtime friend Dallas Page in yoga rehabilitation, Lex Luger was again able to stand from his wheelchair on his own.

On September 28,2006, Lex Luger appeared on Praise the Lord, the flagship talk program of the Trinity Broadcasting Network and declared himself a born-again Christian.

In 1990, Lex Luger was a featured guest-star in Season 3 of the Superboy series in the episode "Mindscape".

On November 20,2012, Lex Luger appeared on season 6, episode 15 of Hardcore Pawn, selling his ring robe for $3500 to Les Gold with the cash going to a charity.