Lex offers some fascinating insights into the world of pro wrestling!
There is rarely every that delicate, human balance.
You dont have to be a wrestling fan to care about Lexs story.
Its an open and honest journey where he doesnt hold back about the mistakes hes made throughout his life.
Did you ever get discouraged in your journey and start to think you should just give up the dream?
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Lex Luger:Oh no, I love football.
I never had real confidence wavering about football is the way to go.
Were you ever worried you were going to be one of those victims?
LL:Oh yeah!
He broke Hulk Hogans leg.
I tell ya, I heard it was usually for lack of effort or lack of selling.
He just loved the sport so much!
Here, let me show you what happens when someone really does that to your leg!
And he broke his leg!
So Hogan was screaming, and Hiro said, You see?
Thats how you sell!
(laughter) I was just thinking oh my god!
But fortunately, he was done doing that by the time he trained me.
He took me to the Dungeon and had me doing squats and push-ups.
But he did everything with you!
I was so nervous that I was gonna mess up!
But he was a father figure and a mentor, hes a wonderful man.
And he never asked for anything in return.
Just for the enjoyment of seeing a guy succeed in a sport that he loved.
I wouldnt have gotten into wrestling if it wasnt for him.
LL:I ended up trying and Sunset Flipped the air!
He couldnt believe it.
DoG:But you say that he carried you in the rest of the match.
LL:A whole hour!
LL:Oh yeah, I was very nervous.
He was so incredible in the ring.
He was a great star maker.
I owe a lot to him early in my career, too.
Without him, I dont think I ever would have gotten there.
Was it hard to convince J.J., Arn, and Tully to let you into the group?
LL:They welcomed me with open arms.
Ric paved the whole way on that.
I had no idea what a big opportunity it was.
I had heard of the Four Horsemen, but I had never seen Tully or Arn or J.J.
I didnt even know what they looked like!
You could have shown me a lineup of guys, and I couldnt have picked them out.
Everybody else was so excited, that I knew it was a big deal.
I didnt know how big, but I knew it was a big deal.
How long was it before you were smartened up to the business?
LL:At that first meeting, it was like a foreign language.
I didnt know what they were talking about.
It was all wrestler talk.
Hiro had taught me in the ring, but he never taught me about any of the slang.
I was like, What are these words theyre using?
But then atWrestlemania X, they didnt put the belt on you with you with Yokozuna.
Were you upset over it?
LL:We never taped anything with the belt…those pictures might have been forged.
Im not saying I didnt.
A lot of my past can be fuzzy sometimes (laughs).
It was never promised.
It was talked about, it was dangled, but it was never promised.
He (Vince McMahon) was always very honest with me.
We might put it on you, we might not, well see how things go.
He and I had a great relationship that way.
He never promised me the belt and then didnt do it.
They said I was messed up in a bar the night before on my Wikipedia.
Thats the internet for you!
I did enough crazy stuff, thats one thing I didnt do!
LL:I had no idea.
I knew it was big, but I had never met Hogan in person before.
DoG:I like the story in your book how you smiled during commercial break and he got mad.
LL:For real.
I did not make a good first impression on him.
DoG:In the 1990s, wrestling started to get a lot more raunchy and sexual.
Gods forgiven me and Ive forgiven myself.
I have to move forward.
I cant dwell on that kind of thing.
DoG:Even though you won the title before in 1991, you beat Hogan on an episode ofNitro.
Your reign only lasted 6 days, but how did that feel to beat Hulk Hogan for it?
LL:They didnt tell me or the referee until right before we went to the ring.
It was a real honor.
Hogan had creative control.
He was on top of the world.
So that was a shock to me and the crowd!
They rang the bell and they were like, did he really win?
Theyd been laying this out for, like, a year straight.
DoG:You were in two of the biggest stables in wrestling history: The Horsemen and the nWo.
Are you more proud of being in one over the other?
Some of the biggest pops Ive ever heard.
When that WolfPack music hit and you walked out, man…it was electric.
The crowd would really shake the rafters.
DoG:Two part question: First…What did you enjoy being more: face or heel?
LL:Id say, overall, its more fun being the heel.
it’s possible for you to be a little more outlandish.
Its easier to get people to dislike you than it is to like you.
So I guess its kind of easier and a little more fun.
DoG:Do you think the character of Lex Luger was better as: face or heel?
But I can walk the edge between confident babyface and arrogant heel.
Thats why you saw me switch so often.
What amazed me is that most of them occur before you were paralyzed.
LL:It was difficult but I had so many great people around me.
Family, friends, mentors, and, most of all, The Lord.
I couldnt have gotten through it prior to finding The Lord.
God is much more interested in our long-term character than our short-term comfort.
It was definitely an uncomfortable moment.
It was a big adjustment, but God gave me the blessing of more empathy for others.
While Im not 100%, my healing, what I can do has been supernatural.
I can walk most of the time, and drive, and live on my own.
I was supposed to need 24 hour care.
Its been an incredible experience.
Its more important to worry about whats on the inside.
Its turned out to be a blessing, not a tragedy.
LL:Id tell them its wrong.
Its against the rules, so thats one good reason.
If you get caught now, it can be very punitive.
The other thing is that nutrition and science have advanced so much they can get incredible results, drug-free.
If they train hard and eat the right things, they can get great results without resorting to drugs.
Its not the easy way, but it can be done!
LL:Wow…I always dreamed of doing a tag match with Sting…in WWE.
Maybe against Shawn Michaels and HHH.
Id love to see Sting and The Undertaker.
And then have him retire and go to the Hall of Fame the following year.
andBookendsin Ridgewood, NJ for the accommodations.
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