Lex Luger Opens Up About Pitching Heel Turn And WWE Title Feud Against Bret Hart

Lex Luger has disclosed that he once proposed a major character shift and rivalry with Bret Hart following WrestleMania X, an idea that ultimately never came to fruition.

Speaking on his podcast Lex Expressed, Lex Luger detailed how he had pitched the concept to WWE management, hoping to remain at the top of the card even after his scheduled defeat against Yokozuna at WrestleMania X. The plan, as Luger explained, was always for Bret Hart to emerge as champion by the end of the night.

“That was the plan all along for me at WrestleMania,” Luger said. “I even thought of the option that if they went with Bret out of WrestleMania, I could even, at some point down the line, have a heel turn, which is kind of tied into when I was negotiating to stay at WWE instead of walking out on that first Nitro.”

Luger believed a feud with Hart would have had natural chemistry, referencing a former incident at a press conference the day before WrestleMania 9 that could have fuelled the storyline.

“I wanted to stay with WWE, and I was hoping and talking about maybe down the line switching heel and going after Bret,” he added. “I hit him at WrestleMania 9 that time, so Bret and I had some unfinished business with Bret as a babyface and me as the heel.”

Despite the compelling proposal, WWE opted not to pursue the idea. Instead, Luger found himself in rivalries with other stars before eventually departing the company. In September 1995, he made a surprise return to WCW, debuting on the inaugural episode of Monday Nitro, marking a key moment in the brewing Monday Night Wars.

Which WWE Hall Of Famer Invented Lex Luger’s Nickname “The Total Package”?

Lex Luger spoke about exactly who came up with his iconic nickname “the total package” and said that credit goes to none other than Dusty Rhodes. Rhodes said that he wanted Luger to “have the brains, the brawn, and the beauty”, hence being the “total package.” Luger also credited Rhodes with giving him his finishing move, the Torture Rack.

H/t to ITRWrestling.com