This is something that not many people discuss anymore in professional wrestling. Many are quick to judge the Lex Express experiment as a failure. Fans will talk about Lex's lack of personality or emotion, how the push came out of nowhere, his ring work, and many other reasons why this was deemed a failure. People seem to be blaming everything solely on Lugar. I understand that many times the wrestler is responsible for many things but there are times when the blame cannot be fully placed upon the wrestler's shoulders. I'm here to offer a Devil's Advocate approach to this story.
Picture it, Ohio, 1993! That's for all you Golden Girls fans out there! Hulkamania in the WWF was dead, as Yokozuna regained the WWF Championship with the help of an exploding camera. Mere days later, Yokozuna's manager Mr. Fuji wanted to celebrate his client's win and issued a Body Slam Challenge on the 4th of July aboard the U.S.S. Intrepid. Fuji wanted to rub Yoko's win in the faces of Americans and what better way to do it than on America's Birthday? And on an American warship at that? Since Hogan was known as extremely patriotic, some fans thought maybe Hogan would make one more comeback.
Superstars could barely knock the Sumo champion off his feet, let alone slam him. Many superstars and even some football players tried their hardest, but couldn't lift the big man off his feet. NFL player Bill Fralic, who took part in the WrestleMania 2 battle royal, took his shot. Wrestlers including both Steiner Brothers, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, and Crush made attempts but no one was able to do it. Mr. Fuji and Yokozuna were basking in their glory. Suddenly, a helicopter descended upon the ship. Who could this have been? Was it someone to answer the challenge?
Everyone was shocked, as Lex Lugar of all people got off the chopper, adorned in the red, white, and blue. Lugar had been a heel up until that point, known as The Narcissist, a man who claimed he was beyond perfection. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, who introduced Lugar at the Royal Rumble months earlier, tried to reason with Lugar, who swatted the Weasel out of his way and made a B-line towards the ring. After some botched interference by Fuji, Lugar lifted Yokozuna off the ground and slammed him, although many people described it more as a hip toss. WWE historians will tell you it was a body slam but that's neither here nor there.
All of a sudden, there was a new American hero in the World Wrestling Federation. Yes, it was an abrupt change that came from left field and some will even argue it was the WWF's way of replacing Hulk Hogan. The push soon began after the celebration of this momentous feat. Lugar would then embark upon a month long bus tour deemed the Lex Express. Was it a little corny? Sure, I'll give you that! At the same time, fans were in for the ride and wanted someone to topple Yokozuna once and for all, bringing the Championship back to America.
They spared no expense going all in with this bus tour. He rode around all over the country on the bus and met fans at every stop. It was enough to garner him a shot at the WWF Title at SummerSlam in the main event. Here's where it was looked at as a failure in fans' eyes. SummerSlam came and it was time for the main event. Lugar knocked Yoko out of the ring and the behemoth couldn't answer the ten count. Lugar won the match. However, a Title can only change hands in a pinfall or submission decision.
Here's where I started to get upset. It's not because he didn't win the Championship, which I believe he should have, but that's not the point! The reason I was upset is because they had Lex celebrate in the ring as if he was the new Champion. Even at the age of thirteen I was baffled by that logic. He may as well have lost! I thought it was the dumbest thing I'd ever seen! They made him look like a complete jackass! No wonder fans lost interest! If he lost and got cheated it would still rally fans. If he had won the gold, it definitely would have rallied fans. This is where the push completely lost momentum and Lex was destined for obscurity for the remainder of his time in the WWF.
Here's where I started to get upset. It's not because he didn't win the Championship, which I believe he should have, but that's not the point! The reason I was upset is because they had Lex celebrate in the ring as if he was the new Champion. Even at the age of thirteen I was baffled by that logic. He may as well have lost! I thought it was the dumbest thing I'd ever seen! They made him look like a complete jackass! No wonder fans lost interest! If he lost and got cheated it would still rally fans. If he had won the gold, it definitely would have rallied fans. This is where the push completely lost momentum and Lex was destined for obscurity for the remainder of his time in the WWF.
If you're going to go all in and invest in a bus tour, why not give him the Title? Even for a few months! Fast forward to the 1994 Royal Rumble where Lex Lugar and Bret Hart were the last two left. The winner, of course, was to go on to WrestleMania X and face Yokozuna for the WWF Championship. In a bizarre turn of events, both Lugar and Hart went over the ropes and onto the floor at the exact same time. WWF President Jack Tunney announced that both men would compete for the Championship at WrestleMania. The winner of a coin toss would receive the shot first. For storyline purposes, Lugar won the coin toss because the rivalry between Bret Hart and Owen Hart was heating up.
At WrestleMania for Lugar's match against Yokozuna, a special referee was appointed. That man was Mr. Perfect. Perfect disqualified Lex, perhaps to get even for his loss to Lugar at the previous WrestleMania. That was the end of the road for Lex. It was rumored that Lex was in line to win the Title but his chances were pushed aside due to a drunken night in which Lex blurted out the ending. That has never been proven so I still take it as a rumor. However, Lugar did not do much of note after that. With the exception of a feud the Tatanka of Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Corporation and a short-lived tag team with the British Bulldog, that was it for Lex in the WWF.
At WrestleMania for Lugar's match against Yokozuna, a special referee was appointed. That man was Mr. Perfect. Perfect disqualified Lex, perhaps to get even for his loss to Lugar at the previous WrestleMania. That was the end of the road for Lex. It was rumored that Lex was in line to win the Title but his chances were pushed aside due to a drunken night in which Lex blurted out the ending. That has never been proven so I still take it as a rumor. However, Lugar did not do much of note after that. With the exception of a feud the Tatanka of Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Corporation and a short-lived tag team with the British Bulldog, that was it for Lex in the WWF.
Based on all of those facts, I want to know everyone's opinion on this matter. Was the Lex Express and Lex's push in general a failure? Or, did creative drop the ball? It's my opinion that Lex should have won the Title. More importantly, it's my opinion that he was set up to fail by celebrating as he had won the belt. Would things be different if Lex Lugar became the WWF Champion? Would it not have mattered? We'll never know!
If you have any further thoughts on the situation, let me know in comments. Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST, brought to you by TagMeADate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans. Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport. For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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