Lex Luger reveals inside story of his WCW Nitro debut and WWE exit (Exclusive)
Lex Luger was a major star in WCW and WWE in the 1990s. In an exclusive interview, the 2025 WWE Hall of Fame inductee gave an insight into how his controversial WCW return came about.
On September 3, 1995, Luger teamed up with Shawn Michaels to defeat Owen Hart and Yokozuna at a WWE live event. The following night, he unexpectedly appeared on the first episode of WCW Nitro after his WWE contract expired.
Luger told Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter that he initially planned to keep working for former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. However, he changed his mind after talking to then-WCW President Eric Bischoff and fellow wrestler Sting.
"Quite the surprise, but nobody, myself included, had any idea," Luger said. "Sting and Eric Bischoff talked to me, initially realizing I wasn't under contract with WWE even though I was still featuring on house shows and pay-per-views and TVs. I was trying to work out an outside merchandising deal with Vince. That's the only reason I hadn't re-signed yet." [4:36 – 4:57]
Watch the video above to hear Luger explain how he and Diamond Dallas Page (DDP) have become close friends over the last year.
Lex Luger on Eric Bischoff's reluctance to hire him
Although Lex Luger was one of WWE's biggest names, Eric Bischoff allegedly had reservations about WCW bringing him in.
Luger also had concerns about whether WCW's new Nitro show could seriously compete with WWE RAW in the Monday night television ratings:
"When Sting found out, he ran it by Eric, who wasn't very interested, but they brought me in and I had no idea. When Eric and Sting said, 'We're gonna do a Monday night show like RAW,' I was like, 'Well, good luck with that.' I was kinda like, 'RAW's already established. WWE's always the big number one.' WWF at the time." [4:57 – 5:15]
WCW Nitro drew more viewers than WWE RAW for 83 consecutive weeks between 1996 and 1998. Almost three decades later, Lex Luger admitted he had no idea the show would become so big:
"So, really, like you just said, nobody could have imagined how big the Monday Night Wars would get in the late 90s. That initial surprise was great, I was so happy to be a part of that, but no one ever could have imagined it would become what it did." [5:15 – 5:36]
Luger will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 18. In the same interview, the 66-year-old disclosed details about a major goal he set for himself ahead of the ceremony.
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