When Hulk Hogan departed the World Wrestling Federation in 1993, the company looked to create their next top babyface out of Lex Luger. The man formerly billed as The Narcissist was repacked as ‘Made in the USA’ Lex Luger and traversed the United States in the “Lex Express” tour bus.
On July 4th of that year, Luger shocked the world by slamming the mighty Yokozuna onboard the USS Intrepid battleship in New York City. This set the stage for their clash over the WWE Championship at that year’s SummerSlam.
Luger recently appeared on Sean Waltman’s “Pro Wrestling 4 Life” podcast and spoke about Yokozuna’s legendary bodyslam challenge.
“We did a walkthrough the week before,” Luger said about the event on the USS Intrepid. “They didn’t allow me to slam Yoko because they didn’t want him to get hurt. I’m the one lifting 627 pounds, and they didn’t want him to get hurt. So, I was so nervous.”
“I didn’t have good footing when I got in that ring there. I had cowboy boots on, and Yoko calmed me down and said, ‘Don’t worry, I got this. Just get a wide base.’ I just got a good base and helped turn him, but Yoko, as you know, I called The Dancing Bear. Those island boys, so athletic and born to wrestle.”
Luger continued, “[Yokozuna] literally almost slammed himself off of me getting a good base and helping turn him just a little bit. He was that agile. I was so relieved after that. He was unbelievable.”
The Total Package recalls this as one of the most memorable moments of his storied career. The crowd reaction, the Manhattan skyline in the background and the overall atmosphere made this an extremely unique segment.
Lex Luger On Not Winning The WWF Championship At SummerSlam 93
Luger only defeated Yokozuna by count-out at SummerSlam, however, and Yoko retained the title.
“With that big of a buildup, as a babyface, you almost have to come through because it lets all the air out of your tires,” Luger said regarding not winning the title at SummerSlam that year. “I enjoyed the opportunity obviously, and it was a great promotion, but a lot of people thought it might have been more beneficial if you’re going to still go with Yoko to have the babyface win and have Yoko win it right back or something. It might have been good. I agree with that for sure.”
