Lawrence Wendell Pfohl also known as Lex Luger (born June 2, 1958 in Buffalo, New York) is an American professional wrestler and former professional football player. He currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. [1]
Profile
Career
Pfohl was a student at Pennsylvania State University, where he played football before transferring to the University of Miami in 1978. He later played football for the Memphis Showboats and Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League, the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, and the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League.
He met Bob Roop at a celebrity golfing event and was given the chance to get into pro wrestling. Roop regarded him so highly that he arranged for him to be trained by Hiro Matsuda, who trained Hulk Hogan and "Mr. Wonderful" (Paul Orndorff).
Luger began wrestling in Florida, and quickly came to dominate the area. He got his first victory on Halloween 1985 against Ed "The Bull" Gantner, and later won the Southern title from Wahoo McDaniel. In 1986, he fought NWA World Champion Ric Flair to a 60 minute draw.
In 1987, he moved over to the NWA and joined Flair's "Four Horsemen" group. He also began wrestling Sting, who later became his close friend; the two currently own a gym together in Atlanta. Luger went from heel to face many times, whenever the circumstances were best for him. He won multiple NWA/WCW U.S. Titles, multiple NWA/WCW tag team belts, and, near the end of his WCW run, was the heavyweight champion. He would eventually be a two-time WCW World Champion. His gimmick, or character, in the WCW, was "The Total Package." His finisher was called "The Human Torture Rack."
By 1992, Luger was tired of wrestling and opted to leave WCW. He planned to join the WBF (World Bodybuilding Federation), which was owned by Vince McMahon. Possessing a superb physique, he wanted to make a living as a bodybuilder. He was slated to guest pose at a WWF pay-per-view event, but was injured in a motorcycle accident.
A metal plate was inserted into Pfohl's forearm; and the WBF folded shortly thereafter. Stuck with little choice but to return to active wrestling, he was able to use this misfortune to his advantage by making the metal plate a gimmick in the ring (he claimed that when he hit opponents with his elbows, he did extra damage).
When he joined the WWF, he used the "Narcissist" gimmick, in which he posed before a full-length mirror before matches. After Hulk Hogan left, Vince McMahon needed a new "Real American," and Lex Luger got the job. In a memorable event, then-WWF champion Yokozuna (Rodney Anoai) challenged any American athlete to bodyslam him on the deck of the USS Intrepid in an event on July 4, 1993. After a series of professional athletes and wrestlers tried and failed to lift him, Luger arrived on the scene and successfully slammed the big man.
Pfohl was chosen by Vince McMahon to claim the then-WWF World championship in the main event of WrestleMania X. This began a nine month plan in which the WWF had even taped an interview with Pfohl as champion to show the night after gaining the title. However, he became heavily intoxicated at a bar before WrestleMania and told some fans about the outcome of the match. This information spread rapidly, and McMahon opted to have a double main event at WrestleMania, with Pfohl losing to Yokozuna, and Bret "The Hitman" Hart taking Pfohl's place in the main event as punishment. Hart claimed the championship that night; Luger never won the coveted title.
Luger remained in the WWF for another year. He put over Tatanka at SummerSlam and formed a tag team with the late Davey Boy Smith dubbed the "Allied Powers." Then in late August 1995, Luger got a call from Eric Bischoff asking him if he'd like to jump ship back to the WCW. In an interview with Pro Wrestling Illustrated , Luger claimed he was wrestling without a contract and could, therefore, leave unannounced. Vince McMahon was very unhappy with this abrupt departure.
Luger's first appearance in WCW was his shocking appearance at the first WCW Monday Nitro on September 2, 1995. Luger appeared in the crowd and attempted to interfere in the Hulk Hogan/Big Bubba Rogers match. A week later, he wrestled Hogan for the WCW World Title but the match ended in a no contest when Kevin Sullivan's "Faces Of Fear" interfered. For the next several months, Luger played a tweener character who seemed to side with various wrestlers and feuded with others. Sting, who was a face, continued to stay on Luger's side due to their friendship.
Pfohl is now facing 13 drug charges in Marietta, Georgia after the May 1, 2003 suspicious death of his companion, WWE figure Miss Elizabeth.
Titles and Accomplishments
National Wrestling Alliance
- 4-time NWA United States Heavyweight Champion
- 1-time NWA World Tag Team Champion (with Barry Windham)
- 3-time NWA Southern Heavyweight Champion
World Championship Wrestling
- 2-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion
- 2-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion
- 2-time WCW World Television Champion (2x)
- 2-time WCW World Tag Team Champion (1-time with Sting, 1-time with The Giant)
World Wrestling Allstars
- 1-time WWA World Heavyweight Champion
External links
