All language subtitles for EP-05 - Lex Luger

- Put the camera on my man.

Put the camera on luger!

- You recognize lex luger,
the total package,

As the greatest wrestling
phenomenon to ever come along.

♪ ♪

- This guy looks like
a million dollars.

I mean, really one of
the top five physiques.

- Yeah, look at this.
[cheering]

- Yeah, he was full of himself,
and he had every right to be.

- I've won
every major title,

And I've looked better
than everyone else

Doing it every day
of my life!

- He came off as
arrogant sometimes.

Announcer:
The most egotistical,

Narcissistic man
this sport has ever created.

- Lex didn't like
being around people.

- Can I have it for my brother?
- [chuckles]

- We shouldn't be getting
this stuff on camera.

- I don't know
if this is the guy.

- He built his entire
career on his presence,

And his athletic look...

- Come on!

[cheering]

♪ ♪

- It ain't easy
being lex luger.

[laughs]

- And he went through hell.

Self-imposed hell.

[eerie music]

- Lawrence pfohl,
better known as lex luger,

Accused of possessing
and selling drugs.

♪ ♪

- I was really wasn't
thinking of others,

I was thinking more
of just myself.

Me, myself, and I.

- 911.
- I'm scared to death.

- Depths I was in
with drugs and alcohol,

To be sitting here
in front of a camera,

Talking to you
is just an absolute...

Miracle of god.

[tense music]

♪ ♪

I grew up in buffalo,
new york.

Blue collar town.

Immigrant town.

Its nickname is the city
of good neighbors.

♪ ♪

People there are very
genuine, authentic.

I just loved it.

♪ ♪

My family was musically
orientated--

Academically
and musically orientated.

But I just loved sports.

When I got
to high school age,

I kinda zeroed in
on basketball.

I started lifting weights.

My whole family's like,
what happened to larry?

The way my body developed,

That probably
if I had a future

Beyond high school
in a sport,

It was definitely
gonna be football.

♪ ♪

My dad didn't really see my
vision for where

I was gonna go in sports,
potentially.

So he thought it was
more of a wasted effort

'cause he was
a virtuoso pianist.

He would not sign
my permission slip

To play football.

My freshman year
in high school

Was when I started
playing football,

And I forged his name.

He didn't even know I was
playing football at the time.

- He saw himself
as a running back.

He was tall and lean.

♪ ♪

He had great speed, good size.

So I said to him,
you know, larry

You really could be a much
better help with us

Playing lineman.

And he goes, "no, no."

He says, "I'm a running back.

I said I'll give you a deal.

I said you could be a running
back until you fumble.

Well, he fumbled
the first practice.

♪ ♪

So, I sent him
to the line coach.

- Jim burt, who had
a couple of super bowl rings

In his career,
and craig wolfley,

Who played 13 years
for the steelers,

Were teammates of mine.

Wolfley, burt,
and myself were able to train

With a world champion
powerlifter.

His name was don reinhoudt.

- The world's strongest man,
don reinhoudt.

- Larry was a powerhouse.

♪ ♪

He was built like
a you-know-what.

Just a phenomenal physique,
and a true athlete.

- [laughs] I was kinda
awestruck.

He came across
as a bit arrogant,

And I guess that's
not even surprising.

We're talking about
a high school athlete

Who had this kind of
an amazing body,

Was a fantastic athlete.

- I always had high
expectations for myself.

People always said
I never lacked confidence

That's for sure.

♪ ♪

- He kinda had that swagger
about him, you know?

That was his
confidence in himself.

- He was an enigma.

He was relatively quiet,
very hardworking.

But he also was more me
than we.

I believe there's no "I"
in the word team,

And he sometimes was the I.

- Set, go!
[all grunting]

- Feet, feet,
feet, feet, hands!

[blows whistle]

♪ ♪

- Went to penn state
my freshman year,

'cause it was nearby.

I met my ex-wife, peggy,
freshman year in study hall.

- She was, as larry, very
disciplined into the nutrition

Part of going to the gym,
and was a very fine athlete.

She used to run track
at penn state.

- But, after my freshman year
and spending the winter

In state college,
after growing up buffalo,

I transferred to miami after
my freshman year

To sunshine u,
we called it back then.

♪ ♪

- He sat
the bench as a freshman.

Said, "either play me
or cut me."

So, of course, paterno cut him.

♪ ♪

- Larry pfohl was a member
of that penn state team.

Now he's a miami
hurricane player.

The offensive
lineman transferred to miami

This summer and
is redshirting this season.

He won't be able
to play Saturday,

But he's provided
the coaching staff

And squad members some
insights about penn state.

- I played offensive lineman,
and they've asked me

Like how they run
some of their plays,

Which I pretty much know.

- We actually played against
each other in college--

He at the university
of miami,

Myself at florida state
university.

He had good mobility.

He had the size.

He had the smarts,
he had the strength.

You really had to
be on your a-game

When you were
playing against him.

- I see a confidence,

I see like in practice,
the atmosphere.

And the more you win,
the more confidence you get.

- I had a great
time while I was there.

Went to the beach and got
in a couple of fights.

We did some--a little damage
to our on-campus apartment

When a party got
kinda carried away.

Only lasted about
a year and a half there.

I got suspended.
I dropped out of school.

I wasn't old enough to play
in the nfl at the time.

I ended up signing with
a canadian football.

- 66, larry pfohl.

They say he may be the
strongest man in the league.

- He was a young man,
and so there was

A lot of growing
and experience

That he had to gain.

Having to mature,
having to learn

To become more coachable.

- David greene fumbles,

But it's recovered
by montreal's larry pfohl.

- I ended up playing
there almost three seasons.

- When he was in the midst

Of a contract negotiation,

He asked if I would act
as his agent.

He said,
"tom, I know what I need.

"I know what I want.

I just need somebody
who I can trust."

♪ ♪

He then aged up to become
eligible for the nfl,

Which was kind of the dream.

- Ended up coming down
and signing with green bay.

Offensive line, just
not the type of position

Where you're looking
for headlines.

It's personal satisfaction
and knowing

That your teammates know
whether you're

Doing the job or not.

And there is an
opportunity here,

And it always comes down
to how well you play.

- Well, when they saw him,
they couldn't believe it.

I mean, here's a guy that's,
I don't know,

Roughly 6'4", 272 pounds,

With a 4.6 40
at that size.

A 32-inch vertical jump.

I mean, he had stats
that they couldn't believe.

- His physical credentials
made the coaching staff

Sit up and take notice,

But pfohl spent the season
on the injured reserve list

With a groin injury.

- They were
pretty high on me,

But I was injury prone
when I was there,

Which that stuff
happens sometimes.

- Set!

- And I don't know

If my attitude was the best.

- He let his ego
get in his way.

He wasn't ready
for the discipline

That is required to be
successful at that level.

- I was definitely looking
to make another move.

I actually went to
bart starr's office

And asked him
if I could be released.

To be honest with you,
I was really looking

To leave green bay
and go to the usfl,

'cause that was down in tampa.

They had bandit ball--
coach steve spurrier,

The ol' ball coach.

And I ended up buying
a house down there

And got the opportunity
to play down there.

I never was quite
happy where I was at.

I always thought there
had to be something more.

So that was even
kinda manifesting itself

And starting back then.

♪ ♪

Well, the usfl was folding.

And in memphis,
when I played football there

For the memphis showboats,

That was a big wrestling town--

Jerry "the king" lawler.

- The king snaps his strap,

And everybody in memphis,
tennessee

Knows what that means.

- Everywhere I went
around that town,

Because of my physique,

Everybody was like,
"are you a pro wrestler?"

And I'm like, man,
what is it

With this town,
everywhere I go?

I'm a football player.

And some of the guys said,
you should do that.

Football imparted a good
financial head start for me,

But I was looking for
other opportunities.

The competitive aspects
of professional wrestling

Were very appealing to me,
the one-on-one aspect.

And being sort of the free
spirit personality that I was,

Wrestling was very attractive
in that sense, also.

I looked into it

In the offseason.

Like I said, I played for
tampa and bought a home there.

I was married at that
point to my wife peggy.

And I ended up walking into

Championship wrestling
in florida.

And I walked into the office,
and they told me

To go talk to hiro matsuda.

He came from japan,
a judo champion,

And he made it
in pro wrestling.

And it did well
for his family.

He had a real respect
for the wrestling business,

And he taught that to me.

He was really dialed in on
doing flexibility training

And a lot of the
other things outside

Of just going to the gym.

- When you
are trained by matsuda,

You are trained thoroughly.

He trains these people
until they can't walk.

They can't stand up.

- Turned the air conditioning
off until there's

A puddle of sweat,

And he did
everything with you.

It was brutal,

And I absolutely loved it!

- I watched him go
through the routine

With matsuda's workout.

He was a can't miss guy.

♪ ♪

- I finished his
requirements,

As he called them,
to get the privilege

Of getting in the ring.

Well, within about a couple of
months, which was like almost

Record time for him.

And I never even looked into
getting back in the nfl

Or after usfl folded, because
my pro wrestling career

Began in the offseason--

My training, and I ended up
making my debut.

- This is championship
wrestling from florida.

- And for the next hour,
I'll guarantee you

We've got a lot of excitement
upcoming.

♪ ♪

- Right before
my first time out on tv,

I was sitting
in the wrestling office,

Championship wrestling
in florida.

They go, well,
what's your name?

I go, "I don't have
a wrestling name."

They were thinking, oh my gosh.

They were gonna send me out
to tv in, like, an hour.

So they all look at each other,
"what do we call him?

What do we call him?"

I kind of like--like, raised
my hand, like, "I got a name."

My favorite tv show--it
was number one on television

Back then--was tom selleck
in "magnum pi."

Everybody just
called him magnum.

Well, if he can
be called magnum--

I was trying to be creative.

I should be called luger,
which is a german firearm.

- Put the camera on my man.

Put the camera on luger!

My man, gordon, is here today.

- They go,
"you got a first name?"

I go, "well, yeah. Lex."

Lex luthor was a villain
in the comic books,

So I said lex luger.

- Here's lex luger.

- I was excited about
the opportunity in wrestling.

Thought it might
be a lot of fun,

And it kinda worked out
pretty good.

♪ ♪

- Now we're going to see luger
for his first time

Here on championship
wrestling.

- Lex luger, I managed him
in his very first match.

He was horrible.
[laughs]

Horrible.

He was pretty difficult,
because he was new,

And he had his own
mind about him.

But I guess most guys were,
until they learned the trade.

- My debut was my first time
I'd ever been

To a live pro wrestling match.

That's how little
I knew about it.

- Bear hug by luger,
and has his man up,

And jams him
into the turnbuckle.

- I'm like, what? Holy smoke,
that's--that's larry.

He's the one that
kind of led me in

To try to start a career
in professional wrestling,

And I'm forever
grateful to him.

But he came in
and kinda changed

The stereotype of
what people perceived

Professional wrestlers
to look like.

- Lex luger was one of the most
physically impressive

Guys to get in the wrestling
business in the '80s.

The problem was, he had
never been a wrestling fan

And didn't know
anything about it.

But he had amazing genetics
and incredible physique.

- Arnold schwarzenegger, who
won every physique contest

In the world,
I don't think he has anything

On the physique of
the luger here.

- So he was immediately
pushed to the top.

- Presently the southern
heavyweight champion

And the florida
television champion,

Here he is, lex luger.

- To win the big title
down there was, like,

Pretty incredible,
when I only had just

A few matches
under my belt.

I didn't even
know enough about wrestling

To appreciate the opportunity.

I just started
my wrestling career

When we had brian
on January 1 in 1986.

Our family life
at home was good,

And my career took off like
a rocket ship down there.

It was incredible.

Whoever the top wrestlers
are in the area,

I'll wrestle them.

♪ ♪

- Now you see
the nwa champion, flair,

Driven up to the front
of the spartan sports center.

- I'm the traveling
world champion.

And as a traveling
world champion,

I worked different territories.

One of the territories
was the florida territory.

I flew in, so they say we got
a kid here who just started.

We want you to wrestle
him for an hour.

- Every pro in the country
has wanted to see this match

Between me and ric flair.

It's billed as
the present champion--

He's a good champion--
versus the future champion.

- First time
I laid eyes on ric,

He pulled up with
that custom suit,

And the sunglasses, and
the gold,

And the rolex watch
with diamonds all over.

I was real nervous,
but, man,

I was all in, man.

I was--and I wanted
to be like him.

He was styling and profiling.

At that stage of my life,
I was--

Who wouldn't want to be
like ric?

- I met him.
I went, like, wow.

You're a great, great,
young wrestler.

This guy looks like
a million dollars.

I mean, one of
the top five physiques

In all the time I've
been in the business.

- 60 minutes you'll
see these men compete.

- I said, listen to the champ.

That's all his job was.

Flair was a veteran,
and luger was a rookie.

- Luger, bringing him up,

Pressing him over his head.

A full slam once again
on the champion

By the challenger lex luger.

And lex luger can feel it!

- And flair made him
look like a million dollars.

- He's begging
not to be tossed.

Tremendous strength
of lex luger.

- And I was so mad.

It wasn't his fault at all.

But an hour, when you're
green and can't do anything,

And it was just--
it was a long night.

- It is a draw,
and ric flair retains

The world heavyweight
championship.

- Learning it on the fly,
and learning how to work

Are two different things.

But next time I get to
crockett,

Which is my home territory,

I told jimmy, I said, "you
gotta see this kid in tampa.

Man, he's built phenomenal,

Played football,
legit athlete.

- Back in the '80s,
jim crockett promotions

Grew to a national power.

We were bringing in young
talent that we thought had it.

Matched it up with
some of the old guys,

So that young guys
could learn.

- Luger, he's got a great body.
He's got great potential.

He just needs some experience.

Jimmy said, well, he said,
the horsemen thing is red hot.

- We are--woo!

The four horsemen.

We're talking about
the cream of the crop.

The most successful
group of wrestlers

Anywhere in the world.

- The four horsemen--

Flair, tully, arn,
ole, and myself.

If there was one person
whose personality didn't seem

To fit in with
everybody else's,

It probably would have been
ole.

If we were going to
spin somebody off,

That ole would have been
the one to spin off.

And we basically
kicked him out.

- We could break lex in and
protect him by putting him in

Among a group that's going
to help speed up the process

And take some of the
pressure off of him.

And that's what happened.

Mr. Lex luger is officially
the fourth horseman.

Then, oh, here's
a fresh guy coming in.

God, he does look good,
and he's a new face.

[women screaming]

- Because you see,
this, right here,

Is the finest physical specimen
in professional sports today.

- Take it off!
- And we could take,

And we could help
bring him along.

And he's receptive, because
he realizes that he's

Stepping into an
enviable situation

That other guys would die for.

He was the right place
at the right time.

- I knew about
the four horsemen,

But I didn't realize how
big a group they were.

- We are what's going on
in this sport.

- My associations with them,
and "the rub," we called it--

I got off all those guys
that skyrocketed my career

And really launched it.

♪ ♪

- Lex luger, my kinda man.

He styles.

He profiles.

And most of all, he likes this.

- Wanted to really pattern
myself after natch.

Asked him if I could
wear one of those robes.

He let me go to his
robe girl,

And she made me
a glittery robe.

- There he is,
the total package.

- Oh, it was definitely
a different lifestyle,

Flying in private jets
or first class.

And stayed at nice hotels,
and went to the gym together.

We hung out together,
and socialized,

And have beers, and have fun.

- He had a rolex first week
he was a horseman, I think.

And he went and
bought the mercedes.

- I blame ric for my
profligate lifestyle

When I was wrestling.

But he was a great
mentor to me,

Along with arn,
and tully, and jj.

To be around those guys
at that early stage--

I was just barely out of my
rookie year--was enormous.

[bell dinging]

Narrator: The new united
states champion, lex luger!

- Lex luger was immediately
a main event guy.

- I will go down in
history as the greatest

U.S. Champion
there ever was.

Come on, guys!

- He got the first
guaranteed contract

That crockett had given out.

- The total package,
look at him!

- Crockett was thinking,
okay, vince mcmahon

Is my only competition.

Lex luger looks perfect
for vince mcmahon,

So I've gotta get him first.

This did not go over well
with anybody else

In the locker room

Because luger was
a totally unproven commodity.

All the other guys,
the veterans,

They had to work against him.

They had to work
as his partner.

They had to cover up for this
so he could go out

And flex and pose.

- Larry was tough
to work with,

And he was so stiff
and so uncoordinated.

The company was really
babysitting luger.

They liked the persona
that they saw,

And they thought
that they can market that

Different than wrestling.

There was so much jealousy
and animosity that went on.

- A lot of beers went down
over his contract.

I can guarantee you that.

Riding down the road
was not pleasant

When a guy is getting paid
double what you are.

♪ ♪

- They asked me
to sign a contract.

I didn't understand why
it was just unilateral.

We sign you a contract,
but there's no money amount.

So I said, is there, like, a
money amount in this contract?

And jim crockett kinda
looked at me like, "well, no.

We don't give out
guaranteed contracts."

There's not like
anything in there,

Like our football contract?

So I was looking how
a football contract

Was structured.

Jim crockett was like,
"well, what do you want

In that contract?"

I gave him a figure,
and he agreed to it.

I had a million-plus dollar
guaranteed contract,

Which I didn't realize was
kinda unheard of at the time.

- Mr. Ego himself right there,
jim.

He's got an ego as big
as those muscles.

- Lex was an egomaniac.

That's a good thing,
not a bad thing.

In this form of entertainment,
if you don't have

The drive to do it,
you're not gonna do it.

- The bottom line is
I'm the best at what I do.

- Lex had the ability
for the fans

To hate him or love him, and
would draw numbers and people,

But could have
been a lot better

If he'd learned
to work with people

And not think 100% of himself.

♪ ♪

- My first impression of
lex luger was when I was

A c-squad announcer,
batting cleanup for jim ross

And tony schiavone.

My name is eric bischoff.

At the time, I was like,
man that is--

That's one arrogant
son of a bitch.

- This is perfection
each and every time

You see it in your arena.

- It's really easy
to understand

How someone develops into
that kind of a personality.

Ever since I stepped foot
in the wrestling business,

I've had people around me
telling me that "I'm going

To be the next big thing."

- Cause I've got the brains.

I've got the looks,
and the physical tools

To take whatever I want.

- I think he was perceived
as being arrogant.

He is a genuinely good guy.

If I looked like that,
god, I might have been

Really hard to live with, too.

[cheering]
yeah!

- Physically, just put
together like no one else.

Had a body like no one else.

And I said, how do you stay
in such incredible condition?

I mean you're--you're jacked.

And he just, real
casually and nonchalant,

Like, with just
total disrespect--

He didn't even look at me.

He just stood up, he said,
"yeah, I drink stoli

And I eat m&ms."

And I went, "oh, all right."

♪ ♪

But we got close.

I mean, he was my age, and we
had a lot of things in common.

We were a new generation
of guys coming up

Who wanted to have
the physiques.

We wanted to look the part.

So we ended up traveling up
and down the roads together.

- Started mainly,
our relationship,

With how to train properly
and work out,

'cause he loved working out.

- Then we just started
hanging together all the time.

- Families were friends,
hung out together.

We were neighbors.

- I ended up moving into
the same neighborhood

That he had moved into.

- We opened
some gyms together,

Did really well.

- And he loved to train.

And he loved to watch his
body change, and grow,

And, you know, get lean.

- This, baby, is for real.

- And not only did he try
to keep that physique going,

But he learned how to work.

He really did.

- He did great,
and he looked the part.

And the four horsemen thing,
it worked out great with him.

♪ ♪

And then working
against him was great.

- When I finally
left the horsemen,

Be able to get
a one-on-one program

With one of the greatest
wrestlers ever lived,

Ric flair.

- This is an event with the
two best that the nwa has

Facing one another.

♪ ♪

- Crowd and the fans
were really into it,

And we had, like, sellout
crowds everywhere we went.

- We're put in a position
of drawing money,

And we did--a lot.

He worked his ass off.

He let me knock the
[bleep] out of him.

- Oh!

♪ ♪

- Woo!

He did anything that was asked
him, and he worked hard.

- It took about five years,
but lex got to be

A talented performer
in the ring.

That's the same time where
turner broadcasting

Took over the company
from crockett,

And all business
went in the toilet.

♪ ♪

- When they sold
the company to turner,

I was so miserable with wcw.

My contract
was up for renewal,

And they wanted me
to lose the title

To luger in baltimore.

And I said, "I will be
more than happy to."

I said, "the belt's mine.
I own it.

"no one's paid me for the
deposit from the old days.

You guys owe me 25
and interest for 10 years."

So what am I gonna do?
Hand them the belt

Knowing I'll never get paid?

So I went to wwe to
work for vince in '91.

He said, "send me the belt."

Phew, and away it went.

The rest is history.

♪ ♪

- Ric had just left.

He had actually taken
the big gold belt with him,

So I ended up wrestling--
I was supposed to wrestle ric.

Ended up wrestling barry
windham in a cage match as a--

Barry was a substitute.

We didn't even have
a real belt made yet.

They made kind of a fake belt.

♪ ♪

They made the best
of a difficult situation.

- He's got him up
in a piledriver.

And there he--he planted him.

Luger with the piledriver.

He's hooked the leg.

[bell dings]
and luger wins it!

[cheers and applause]

Lex luger has won the wcw

World's heavyweight
championship.

♪ ♪

- It was an honor, obviously,
to become world champion

For the first time.

But it was a little
different with it

Not being the intended
match with ric.

And we had to kinda--

We were scrambling kinda
to make things work.

♪ ♪

- Lex was very frustrated.

We were all very frustrated,

Because we were always the
second class citizens to wwe.

- Here comes the hulkster!

Listen to these fans!

- We'd always
hear the stories.

"yeah, you gotta jump ship.

"you gotta go.

"the grass is greener.

Oh, man what
an incredible place."

And lex was lured into that.

He had to get out.

He was world champ,
but he was looking beyond.

He was looking at
the ultimate.

And at the time, it was wwe.

♪ ♪

- So I reached out to wwe.

We worked out a deal
where I'd be with

This bodybuilding
program for a year.

- In the early '90s,
vince wanted to create

A rival to joe weider's
bodybuilding federation,

And vince created the wbf,

The world bodybuilding
federation.

And he wanted lex to
be a part of his wbf.

- What is the
world bodybuilding federation?

It's about looking good,
feeling great.

It's about
sports entertainment.

♪ ♪

- I had a year left
on my contract with wcw,

And I went to wcw and said
I'd like some time off.

Didn't tell them I was
planning on signing

A bodybuilding contract.

The total package lex luger
has it all,

Whether it's arms,
shoulders, chest.

- There was nothing in lex's
contract with wcw

That prevented lex from going
to work for the wbf,

A bodybuilding federation.

So lex came in
as the bodybuilding guru,

Or fitness guru, if you will.

- Nobody knows better
than me, lex luger,

That it's important not only
to look good in the gym,

But outside the gym, as well.

- To be a co-host on this
television show with vince

That aired
on Saturday mornings--

- You might wanna practice
a little ab work

Yourself there, fella.

Thought that'd be pretty cool.
Do bodybuilding for a year,

Stay home and train,
and then break into wrestling

The following year with wwe.

[exhales]

You gotta want it.

A lot of people
wonder why I didn't

Actually compete for wbf.

I was just a few weeks away,
was in peak condition.

I was so excited. I was gonna
actually be a guest poser,

And I was so close
to the event,

But I ended up having
a near-fatal motorcycle wreck.

♪ ♪

That was a life and death.

Head on with a car,
45 miles an hour.

♪ ♪

Never forget the nurse
at the emergency room

When I finally got there.

"you better be thanking
the lord," she said.

You are a doa.

♪ ♪

I was in so much pain.

I had bones sticking out
everywhere, and there was--

I was like, "what's a doa?"
to her, I said.

She goes, "dead on arrival."

Dead on arrival, she told me.

♪ ♪

I wouldn't sign
the permission forms,

'cause they were talking
about amputating my arm.

And who walked in but sting.

♪ ♪

- It was such a mess.

They ended up taking
the bandages off,

And I looked at his arm.

There was bones literally
sticking out of his arm.

It was like his whole elbow and
arm was completely open wide.

♪ ♪

And I thought, I don't know
how this arm can be saved.

And lex is like, "stinger,
don't let him touch me."

He goes, "can you call
dr. Andrews?"

Dr. Andrews, jim andrews
out of birmingham, alabama.

And it just so happened I had
his pager, and I paged him,

And he got right back with me.

And I explained
what was going on.

He said,
"get him to birmingham,

And I'll make sure
that he's okay."

♪ ♪

I don't know how he put
his arm back together.

I really don't.

- Even dr. Andrews said,
"I don't know if you're gonna

Have full use
of that arm again."

But I made my debut
with wwe

Less than six months later
after the wreck.

It was just a miraculous
recovery.

- I believe that vince
had high expectations

For lex luger, and felt
that lex had the potential

To become this huge star.

♪ ♪

I didn't even know what
the hell a narcissist was

Until, you know,
we met lex luger

And vince came up with this,
"he's the narcissist!"

Narcissistic personality,
and someone who

Really adores themselves,

And is very enamored with
the presence of themselves.

And it was like yeah, perfect.

- As I've been told back then,

My personality
can be pretty self-focused,

And I called it very confident.

Some people called it arrogant.

So we kinda
thought that might

Be a natural character for me
to portray, the narcissist.

It's like, ooh, that might
be kinda neat.

Kinda thought, I can
sink my teeth into being

A narcissistic bad guy.

I was excited about
being the narcissist.

♪ ♪

- Are you ready?

It is my pleasure to introduce,

And to unveil,
narcissist lex luger!

[theme music playing]

Yes! Yes, he is here!

- Excited to be making
my debut with bobby heenan.

One of the greatest ever
introducing me was awesome.

I was excited.
I was pumped.

- I know how
you feel about yourself.

Oh, yes!
Look at that!

Look at that!
Look at that!

Oh, my god.

♪ ♪

- We were always looking
for some good, new talent

In those days, somebody that
would be a good dance partner.

♪ ♪

When he came onto
the scene,

And they brought him in
as the narcissist.

Not a very friendly guy.

Seemed to have a bit
of an attitude,

Even though he
never really did.

- He was a kind, good soul,
but he was just--

Yeah, he was full of himself.

And he had every right to be.

- I truly am incredible.

- He was the total package.

- Lex never met a mirror
he didn't like.

Just making sure that
everything's just right.

- I can feel the momentum
building for wrestlemania.

I feel, I know,
and everyone else will see,

I will be the most
dominant force ever.

You know, vince is--
man, he's a force of nature.

His confidence and his
optimism for what he does--

He loves the business.

- Okay, hold 'em
above your head.

Okay, get 'em level,
if you would.

And hit it!

[fireworks crackling]

[woman screaming]

- Keep 'em up there.
Keep them up.

Va-va-voom.

[theme music playing]

- Vince was very happy with
the narcissist character,

And I was enjoying it.

- Oh no!
He caught him.

He caught him with that
big forearm, that elbow.

- As a heel,
as the narcissist, okay,

He was a little--it's gimmicky,

Like all wwe gimmicks were
at that time.

But that was kind of
a pretty good use for lex,

But vince saw him
as the next hulk hogan.

- Vince kind of
viewed lex luger

Possibly as a replacement
for hulk hogan

And some of the bigger stars--

The randy savages,
the ultimate warriors--

And felt that lex
had the potential

To become this huge star.

♪ ♪

- They were actually
looking for

A top good guy
at the time.

Vince called me into
his office, said,

"we're gonna switch
you to lex luger,

Like, the all-american."

I was like, "are you kidding?
I'm the narcissist."

But he said, "no, it'll work."

♪ ♪

It wasn't so much that the
narcissist wasn't working out.

This was like it'd be a newer,
better opportunity

For everyone involved,
including myself.

♪ ♪

- I think that vince's vision
for lex

Came out as an opponent
for yokozuna.

- Yokozuna
appears to be unstoppable!

This man is fearless!

- The audience couldn't
figure out how

And who can possibly
defeat this monster.

Because in a lot of ways,
he was unbeatable.

- Who's gonna take this man
off his feet?

- Lex luger was hopefully
going to be that

Red, white, and blue
all-american hero

To up see this evil

International champion
in yokozuna.

♪ ♪

- Wwe fans by the thousands

Turned out for
america's birthday

Onboard the uss intrepid.

Yokozuna
versus the u.S. Of a.

All the competitive
professional athletes

Attempting to slam yokozuna.

- Are you up for the challenge?

- You know I'm ready.

- Nobody could slam
this 500-plus pound behemoth.

- Wait a minute,
ladies and gentlemen.

We have just been told
one more try.

Arriving by helicopter
right now.

- Here comes lex
in the helicopter,

Arriving on the intrepid,

And by god, here's my savior.

[crowd chanting]
lex! Lex! Lex!

- The last chance of america,

With a look of
determination in his eyes.

- Come on!

I wasn't sure.
As strong as I was back then,

I wasn't sure I could
really actually slam him.

He was a load.

So I was nervous.

- Yes!
Lex luger has done it!

Lex luger has accomplished
the impossible!

He slammed the 550-pound

Wwe champion down to the mat.

- It was
an electrifying moment

With the skyline of new york
in the background.

The crowd went berserk.

I started thinking, man, I--

This is kind of
a defining moment.

I'm really making it at
this wrestling thing, man.

I'm--this is
a pretty big deal.

The big man went down on July
4th,

Right here on the intrepid!
[cheers and applause]

- Oh yeah!

- Go, lex!

- I was just coming in
when they turned lex

Into captain america,
basically.

And it got over.

Like, I thought
it worked great.

- I think lex luger is one
of the best wwe wrestlers

Here today.

- When no other american
athlete could slam yokozuna,

He came in for his country,
and he helped our country

When we needed it the most.

- For saving america,
I think he definitely

Deserves a title shot.

- No question about it.

If he can slam him, he should
be able to get a title shot.

[crowd chanting]
usa! Usa! Usa!

- A whistle stop tour

Through the southern states
on a train

Named spirit of america.

The presidential wave,
all the traditional

Campaign trimmings.

- George bush had
done a train campaign

Where he would stop
in small towns,

And he would get out
on the back of the train

And meet everybody.

And that was his campaign.

The idea was to do something
very similar with lex,

To campaign across
the united states

For a championship match
at summerslam with yokozuna.

And we got a bus.

Painted this bus
red, white, and blue.

Deemed it the lex express.

- Well, here we are, red,
white, and blue, for yokozuna.

- We did
this whole big sendoff

Of lex leaving from stamford,
and the bus.

- Mr. Lex luger!

[cheers and applause]

["stars and stripes forever"
playing]

♪ ♪

- George m. Cohan
should have scored

This thing, for god's sake.

♪ I'm a yankee doodle dandy ♪

America, patriotism, the flag,

Mother, apple pie,
all that stuff.

♪ ♪

- This is the kickoff
for lex luger call to action,

And a world title match
hopefully down the line here.

And let's just crank it up!

[cheers and applause]

♪ ♪

- Hey, young fella.
How you doing?

Good guys, there's more
responsibility, more pr work.

I thought, I mean,
I can do this.

- The lex express,
it was a difficult sell.

You wanna put me on a bus and
drive me around the nation?

- I had a family at home,
and they said I'm gonna

Be on tour all summer.

We had our boy,
we had our girl,

And we were a team,

And we knew that that
was what I was doing

And the way I provided
for the family.

I'm used to being on the road,
but like, all summer in a bus?

Oh, man, you gotta
go out and see my bus.

Red, white, and blue curtains.

This is my son, brian,
and he is excited.

Aren't you, brian?

[laughs]

Flew me home to see my
family a couple of times,

For, like, one or two days.

But I was on the bus.

[crowd chanting]
luger! Luger! Luger!

- Lex luger is here.

He's the next big
thing in wrestling.

- We're talking about the lex
express this morning.

- Lex luger!
[cheers and applause]

- All over the country,
doing appearances

From 5:00 in the morning
at local affiliates

In major cities,
to the night shows,

To 11:00 at night.

[crowd chanting]
lex! Lex! Lex!

- Oh, wow.

You've been pumping up,
haven't you?

- The bus was supposed
to lead

To more exposure
for the company,

And more exposure for lex.

Go places that you
wouldn't ordinarily go.

- Coming to you from
the mall of america!

[cheers and applause]

- Give the
everyday man an opportunity

To touch a wwe superstar.

[cheering]

♪ ♪

I don't think that lex shared
the same visions that we did,

And lex wanted
to have the bus,

But lex wanted
to stay at the marriott.

- I've done everything
I possibly could.

- I asked mona lisa if I
could have a suite upgrade.

It was supposed to be
complementary with my marquis.

I shouldn't have to ask or beg.

And she said
immediately, no, and now

The other woman here,
who's the supervisor,

Says they probably do have one.

What do you think of that?

- I rode on that bus
for the first week

With lex and the crew.

The crew was great.

Crew was awesome.

- This stuff, we cannot have
these days like this, man.

We gotta have time
to do this [bleep].

I'm fatigued.

- Probably by
the end of week one, like--

I don't know
if this is the guy.

- As much as you
can smile, smile.

- [laughs] oh, yes.

That nice, phony smile.

- Lex was like, "uh, uh,
I don't wanna do it.

"just let me--
I wanna go in.

I need a chicken breast."

It's like, oh, god,

- I get very cranky
when I don't eat,

And I'm low energy now.

I'm droning when I talk,
and bruce knows how I am.

And I'm very easy to get
along with, but I have to eat.

My concern was
that I couldn't eat properly.

We're stuck here,
and I'm hungry.

And, I did lose
about ten pounds

In that four or five weeks.

And it was probably
good muscle.

I'm going to the gym now.
De-mic me.

Bye!

I think about athletes saying I
don't wanna be a role model.

You know, today, a lot of
the professional athletes,

And I think that's--

You are whether you
want to be or not.

- There are a lot
of assumptions

That lex was going to
be the next big thing.

And he was going to be
the guy to take the company

Into the next ten years
as its conquering hero

And the face of the company.

- You're the franchise
of the '90s, buddy.

- Oh, man.
I don't know about that.

- There was one
problem with that,

And that was it wasn't true
to the human being.

♪ ♪

- The question is,
just who is lex luger?

- It's kinda funny
you should ask that.

You know, since I've
been out on tour,

I think it's amazing some
of the questions people

Have already asked me.

I mean, they come right up
to you and ask you questions.

And I wanna say, emphatically,

I welcome anybody
that comes up and asks me

A question on tour.

Feel free.

- He wanted to know what it
felt like to lift 550 pounds.

- Heavy.

- I love lex,
and he was a great guy,

And you had to be
around him to know

That he was a quality guy.

But he wasn't very personable.

Didn't have his heart
into being a babyface,

And he didn't like that
interaction with the fans.

- Hold that.
- Okay.

- And just point to this.

- Pretending to be a nice guy

And pretending to
be in a good mood

When he wasn't necessarily.

- Is anybody else hot?

- I think he just didn't want
anything to do with them.

They were outside
his circle of life.

- All right.

- Lex didn't like going out,
signing autographs,

And talking to the fan base.

- Oh, I don't
wanna sign your shirt.

- So when he did it,

It came across
as very disingenuous,

And came across as phony

- Now look at this,
isn't this wonderful?

The gifts I get.

- Because it was.

- Thank you.
Nice meeting you all.

Oh, my knees,
from bending down

To all those little kids, man.

It's arthritis.

- The babyface,
the hero, hulk hogan.

"say your prayers,
take your vitamins," right?

Stone cold steve austin--
"don't trust anybody."

He was one of us.
He's the common man.

Lex luger was not one of them.

He wasn't common.

He wasn't really a superhero.

He was a statue that you
looked at, and you admired.

But you didn't really have
any personal feelings for.

- I was very focused on my
training and my working out,

And I might not always be
able to hide my displeasure

With some of the other things
outside of the ring

They wanted me to do.

I don't wanna hear about wcw
or minor league wrestling,

So keep your mouth shut.

♪ ♪

So I could see some
people definitely

Had that impression
that I was not always

The easiest guy to work with.

I understand that.

I actually got to shake their
hands, look 'em in the eye,

And meet those people.

I grew great strength
from that.

Oh, grew.
Oh, [bleep].

Drew. Damn it.
What am I doing?

- But grew would
have been fine, too.

- I knew I was never
gonna be hulk hogan

Or replacement hulk hogan.

I was just gonna--

I always wanted to be the
best lex luger I could be,

And that they wanted
me to be,

And do my job
the very best that I could.

[bleep]

- Don't get down on yourself.

- Can't get through
the first line.

- Yes, you can.

You're human
- okay.

- They want--they
want you to flub up.

They don't want
you to be perfect.

- Start again.
- Okay.

- I'm getting flustered now.

[bleep]

- [laughs]
no, you're okay.

- Okay. Let's go.

- Here we go.
- In three, two--

- I didn't shy away from
trying to be the guy.

Who wouldn't wanna be the guy?

Well, this is it.

The last day
in the lex express.

The moment of truth
has arrived--

Myself versus yokozuna
for the title.

♪ ♪

- Will this be the
end of a long journey?

Or the start of another?

- Lex luger!

- Unbelievable
applause for lex luger.

Many feel that no human being
alive can defeat yokozuna.

♪ ♪

Can lex luger do
the impossible?

[cheers and applause]

And look out,
here comes lex luger!

[cheers and applause]

- Yoko's out of the ring.
He is out cold!

[cheering]

Luger's won it!
[bell dings]

[cheers and applause]
[theme music playing]

- But you cannot
win this title on a countout.

♪ ♪

- The rules are such that

In order for a championship
to change hands,

You have to win by
a pinfall or a submission.

- He may have
won the match, lex luger,

But the championship remains
in the possession of yokozuna.

♪ ♪

- So herein, the rules
were in the champion's favor,

Because lex luger was
able to hit yokozuna

Out to the floor,

And yoko wasn't able
to answer the ten count

To get back into the ring.

Therefore, lex was victorious,

But lex
didn't get the championship.

♪ ♪

- We were just like, huh?

'cause, like,
the balloons came down.

It was like he won the
championship, but he didn't.

- What the countout finish did

Was it felt forced and fake,

The balloons dropping,
and all-american,

And that's patriotism, right?

♪ ♪

- For him not to become
the champion was kind of

Like, really?

We went all the
way to the moon,

And we just circled
and came back?

And we were supposed to land?
Like--

♪ ♪

- I said, he is going
to end up looking like

A plate full of piss
out of this.

And that's what happened.

♪ ♪

- That u.S. Gimmick that he
had, it was like a curse.

It ruined him.

- He doesn't
look too happy, does he?

He's got a little bit
of a smirk on his face,

But you're not seeing
those big, white pearlies.

- If lex luger had won
the title at summerslam '93,

He would have been over, and he
would have been an attraction.

♪ ♪

- People say, "they should have
given you the title,"

And this, and that.

And I was never given
any promises of winning

The title at summerslam.

- Vince mcmahon wanted
to prolong the chase

Until wrestlemania,
the following spring in '94.

- Tomorrow.

- Yeah.

- By the time that
the next year's wrestlemania

Came along, vince had changed
his mind because he had seen

That lex looked great,

And could talk and work
as a heel,

But his babyface was limited.

- And still world wrestling
entertainment champion,

Yokozuna!

- Once he sort of failed
at getting the title,

In the fans eyes, they just,
it was like, move on.

- So that meant that lex
was worthless in the wwe

From that point, because
he'd failed to win the title

And then didn't come back
and make good on it.

It's just something--I
don't know whether he didn't

Wanna carry the weight.

I didn't know whether
he didn't

Connect with the people.

He could be one of the guys.
He couldn't be the guy.

[tense music]

- The office, at that time,
had basically had enough.

The poor road agents that had
to deal with him every day.

And you know, I'm not trying
to make lex sound like anything

That he isn't, you know.

But I would get a report
after each and every show.

And there was never any
positive feedback

On lex's matches
or lex's attitude.

- I don't
think he was happy.

He never really fit in in
wwe, and at the same time,

Wcw was like home to him.

[applause]

- Wcw, over the past 12 months,
and since the addition

Of hulk hogan and randy savage,
is really closing the gap.

We're coming on strong.
We've got a lot of momentum.

And all I can say is
tune in September 4.

You'll see the difference.

- Lex was always
looking to see

Where the grass was greener,

And personally, I did not see
lex re-signing the contract.

Lex was all about
the bottom line.

And as that date got
closer and closer,

He continually lied and said,
"I'm going sign it.

I'm going to sign it."
- what do you guys feel--

- You don't want to tape this.

- After the third time you tell
me you're going to sign it,

You don't sign it,

You're not signing it.

- Vince and I worked with
his attorneys and everything,

Thinking we're probably
gonna re-sign,

And reset
my character with wwe,

And that's what
I intended to do.

On a happenchance
conversation with sting,

That all changed.

- I think that the grass maybe
was greener there for a while,

And it was kind of exciting
in the beginning.

And eventually,
I think he realized,

"oh, man, this sucks, man."

He was gone
more than ever now.

At least with wcw,
a lot of things that we did

Were in and around
the mid-atlantic area.

We could drive to, and from,
and get back home.

And he had his kids
and his family, and he--

At that particular time, you
know, he wanted to get back.

♪ ♪

He asked if I would
speak with eric bischoff

And put a good word in
because eric

Was suddenly running the show.

He was our boss.

I remember sting pulling me
aside, and he said, "eric, I--

"can I talk to you?

I want to talk
to you about lex."

I went,
"oh, I saw this coming."

I was afraid I saw it coming.

And I listened to steve.

And he was passionate,
you know.

He explained to me how I
didn't really know lex luger,

And that lex luger knows
that he probably

Didn't handle himself
as well as he could have

Or should have in wcw.

And you know, lex really
wanted to come back.

And I didn't really
want him back.

I just couldn't believe

That he had changed
that much

Or was willing
to change that much.

- I'm vouching
for him, of course.

You know, he's not gonna
be the same as he was.

He's gonna be different.

- I made up my mind that I
was going to offer lex a deal,

But I was gonna lowball him.

In fact, it was
such a lowball offer

That I thought, well,
I can honestly say

I offered to bring him back.

And I--honestly, I thought
he would turn it down.

I thought it was an insulting
offer, and it really was.

I offered him $150,000.

He was the guy that was making
$750,000 a year when he left.

And now he's coming
back after a run in wwe,

And I'm offering him $150,000.

Keep in mind, there were guys
in our developmental system

That were not far
from that number.

And I was thinking there's no
way he's gonna take this.

- Eric bischoff was not
a big lex luger fan,

And he gave me
a lowball offer.

But I was--love the challenge,
and wanted to make a change.

I thought it'd be cool
to be part of the new show

And be back with my
best buddy, sting.

And I said, well, I'll
prove myself all over again.

I'll go back there.

- From
minneapolis, minnesota,

The mall of america,
the only building

Big enough to hold
the debut edition

Of "wcw Monday nitro."

It became crystal clear to me
early on

How I wanted to use lex,
and use him as a surprise,

Because that would set
the tone for "nitro."

Let me tell you, we've
got some great surprises

Coming your way.

- The internet
was just starting

To come into the fold,
and everyone was trying

To get the scoop
on what was gonna

Be on a particular program.

So wcw wanted
a surprise factor.

Now, I was raised
that no matter what,

You always left
the right way and would give

A two week notice.

But one of the stipulations
for eric was, well, yeah,

But if you do that, there's no
surprise with you coming in.

- We got a lot of
great action coming your way.

- And I really
felt I couldn't pass up

The opportunity
for myself and my family

To go back to wcw.

- I had just left him on the
road, like two days earlier,

Up in nova scotia
or something,

Up in the maritimes,

And you never would have known.

He knew he was leaving,
but he was pro

Up until the very last day.

- And they flew me in
that same day into minneapolis

And did hide me at a hotel.

And they waited
till, like, 30 minutes

Before the show started
and brought me in

With, like,
towels around my head

To a back door in a room.

It was all, like, incredible,
the lengths they went to

To protect whether or not
I was there.

- What a match up
we have got in store

In this debut broadcast.

What--what in the hell
is he doing here?

I'm in shock.

Lex luger
making an appearance,

Here of all places?
[cheering]

- It was a very
well-kept secret,

And people are freaking out.

[crowd chanting]
luger! Luger! Luger!

- Well, you said
things are gonna happen

Every Monday night, bischoff.

And it's happening.

- He had jumped
ship back with wcw,

And it really helped set us up
for great success,

Because there was
already controversy.

- Wait, luger's in there!
- Lex luger! In the ring!

- Vince mcmahon, wwe
had always been good to me,

And that really bothered me,

'cause I wasn't a class act,
just being on their tv taping

A few days prior,
then walking on wcw's

Without giving proper notice.

- Vince was betrayed and hurt,

Because I do believe
that vince really liked lex

And really wanted to make
that potential reality.

Lex was a challenge, and
vince loves those challenges.

"I'll show you.
I'll make him a star."

And never happened.

- Jimmy hart leads in
the total package lex luger.

- Look at him, tony.

This man has been
world champion before.

He could very well
do it again.

Wow! Look at the strength
of this man.

- It's the torture rack!
- He's got him!

- Look at him, baby!

The next wcw champion!

- You're looking at
the past, the present,

And the future of world
championship wrestling.

- One of the things
that was great for lex

And for wcw is lex came back

As the tide was really
beginning to shift for wcw.

- These fans are about to tear
the roof off of this thing.

- Lex had the
opportunity to come back

And re-establish
himself at a time

When wcw was now riding
a wave of success.

- Not a seat to be found,
a capacity crowd,

Thousands turned away today

For the hottest ticket
on pay-per-view.

It's world championship
wrestling,

And you can see why
we are number one.

- His popularity was like--
in an instant, it was back.

It was like, oh,
okay, you're home now

Where you're supposed to be.

- When luger came in, it
was a huge benefit for wcw.

He was a main event player.

He was a guy that
had been a world champion,

That had worked against
world champions,

That understood what
it took to draw money

And work his character.

- Lex luger was instrumental
to the success of "nitro,"

And his attitude was so good.

I mean, he went out of
his way to kind of raise

The energy in the locker room.

He really was
a part of the team,

And he made you feel
like he was excited to be

A part of that team.

And that really won me over.

So at that point,
didn't have to do it.

I sat down with him,
and we started

Talking about his contract.

I said, "okay, lex,
I offered you something

"that I was hoping
you'd, you know,

"get so pissed off at me over
that you wouldn't come back.

"you've proven yourself.

"let's talk about
what your career looks like

Going forward here."

And I renegotiated his deal
as a result of just

The way he contributed.

- He came in,
and he was different.

He had, perhaps,
been humbled somewhat,

And was grateful
for the opportunity

To be able to come back.

And he was a little bit more
helpful for some of the guys.

You know, he realized, hey,
you know, I guess this can

Be kind of like a team effort.

- I love lex luger,
personally.

Lex and I always
get along great.

He was always
super kind with me.

I didn't understand that a lot
of the heat that I was getting

From other people
that were a little bit

Envious of the position
that I was in,

And lex helped me
deal with that a lot.

Luger gave me a lot of
insight in the business.

- Lex luger was awesome.

He brought an attitude
and a work ethic

That I've never seen before.

He was a perfectionist.

And he helped me out a lot.

He was a guy who
came from football,

So you could still talk
to him on that level

Without him just giving you
a wrestling perspective.

- Lex luger, one half

Of the world
tag team champions,

Also television champion.

- Lex's success that he
was having at the time--

- He's gonna rack rodman!

- Definitely led to lex
getting an opportunity

To have
higher profile matches.

I just had more trust
and confidence in lex

As a performer.

And he certainly got
more popular, I think,

Than he ever had been.

And a lot of that was just
because his attitude changed.

[cheers and applause]

- We are live,
and we are awaiting

The biggest matchup ever
on "nitro."

Lex luger's last world
title reign ended in 1992,

But now he will go after the
man who has set the standard

For world titles in our sport.

[dramatic music]

- Hogan was the champ,

But by the time we got
to auburn hills,

Lex was red hot.

- Who has more confidence
and momentum on their side

Than the total package
lex luger?

- They're
standing in detroit!

- Yes!

- He's got him in the rack!

He's got him in the rack!
- Hogan's--

Hogan says yes!

Hogan says yes!
[bell dinging]

- Look at him tap out!

- Luger won the title!

- Luger's the champion!
- Wow!

- Luger defeats hogan!

♪ ♪

- The night in detroit,
when I won the wcw title,

Against hulk hogan,

The response,
I'll never forget.

It was incredible
in detroit that night.

- It is celebration time
in the motor city!

- And in the exact same
building

Where I didn't win it
back in '93.

[cheers and applause]

- That place went
nuts when he won, man.

'cause I think they
were just thinking it's not

Really going to happen, is it?

You know, like--

It was really cool.

- Look at the show of unity.

All in to show their support.

- Never with so much emotion
and so much camaraderie

As we are seeing right there.

- Being the main event spot
with hogan

And then winning
a world title--

That was a huge deal.

♪ ♪

He proved whatever he had to do
to get back,

It was all worth it.

- He reached
his own expectations

As a performer, and he won
the respect of the people

That he worked with
and shared a locker room with.

And that has to be
important to anybody.

[all chanting]
luger! Luger! Luger!

- Yeah!
- Whoo!

- Ahh!
- Lex luger, at that time,

Those Monday night wars,

Was someone that wcw needed
to carry the title.

♪ ♪

- The fireworks are going off

For the heavyweight champion
of the world, lex luger.

- The Monday night
wars was just magical.

It was definitely
an amazing time

To be a professional wrestler.

- Look at the fans,
standing, cheering

The total package lex luger.

- We were all together.
It was great. Ah!

All hugs and kisses.

Wow, what a great rating
on the tv show.

We're number one now.

- We had a great camaraderie
together on the road.

Wolfpac is most definitely
in the--

All: House!

- In and out, both in
the ring, out of the ring,

Afterwards we'd go out
and hang out.

- So a lot of times, we could
get done with a tv taping,

Get back to the hotel bar, and
watch "nitro" on tv together.

- Everyone would gather
and watch the replay,

And put ourselves over.

- And the bar was open,
the guys were celebrating.

I used to always socialize
with the guys a little bit,

Have a few beers.

Some of the guys, who might
have a couple of pills,

Say, hey, try a couple
of these.

♪ ♪

It was a kind of time of
celebration, and good times,

And camaraderie, really.

♪ ♪

- Over the months,
and a couple of years,

It got pretty dark
for all of us, you know?

Alcohol, you know, pills

Caused us to make
all the wrong choices.

- Giant party!

♪ ♪

- Towards about the
middle or end of 1998,

Or whenever it was,
started noticing

That lex was never around.

He went back to his room,

And he obviously had
a relationship

With miss elizabeth.

Wasn't a big secret.

It was pretty
obvious to everybody.

- We got to know each other
at the tapings.

I had respect for her and what
she'd done in the business.

- The first lady of wrestling,
the lovely elizabeth.

- She'd worked
with randy for many years.

- He has the most charisma
of any wrestler in the world.

He's the best.

- They'd been apart for--
divorced for many, many years.

- The total package, the
stunning elizabeth, come out.

- I always thought, well,
I would never get involved

With someone that I work with.

That wouldn't be very smart.

Sure enough--

- So--

- [clears throat]

Hi.

After liz and randy
got their divorce,

She ended up
getting remarried.

She was married.
I was married.

Obviously not something either
of us should have been doing.

And it just
progressed from there.

♪ ♪

- Everybody is like,
this is crazy.

What are you doing?
You know, you and liz--

But, you know, there was no
getting through.

- They were not only in
a clandestine relationship,

But they were both
participating a little bit

Too much in the
pharmaceutical side of

Their recreational activities.

- Without me realizing it,
towards the end of my career,

Which really was '01,

The last couple of years
I was definitely starting

To drink
a little bit more at home,

More and more gradually
popping a few more pills

Here and there, like, oh, I'll
take a pain pill

To go to the gym
to get a good workout.

I always had a reason.

♪ ♪

- Even when we were
partying, you could party

Till 4:00 in the morning.

9:00, your phone would ring.

He'd be in the lobby
with two cups of coffee

Like, "let's go."

And you didn't
miss your workouts.

- Lex, he was going deep.

He went deep.

And then I ended up going
down that road, too.

It got pretty dark
for all of us,

But he was still able to
function and have his matches.

- I have won
every major title,

And I've looked better
than everyone else doing it.

I'm a successful businessman.

I'm good.
I'm great at everything I do.

I never thought of myself--
because of my discipline,

And training, and eating,
and getting to the gym,

I never thought I would
have any--

Any kind of issue with drugs,
or alcohol,

Or anything like that.

You know the old saying, too
much time, too much money.

Too much time on my hands,
too much money.

That's kinda
the devil's workshop.

- Mm.

Well, it definitely
manifested itself in my life.

- We are stunned.
We are floored.

The very last telecast of

"wcw Monday nitro" on tnt.

- Wcw just got bought out
and swallowed up by wwe

After that long term
Monday night war.

♪ ♪

I figured, well,
if tnt and tbs

Don't have wrestling anymore,
I'll go wrestle in japan,

Or back to potentially wwe.

I didn't dwell on it.

I had a guaranteed contract
of a lot of money.

You got all that
money coming in.

You don't have to go to work,
which wasn't good for me

For almost three more years.

- It got really bad.

He was a mess.

I cleaned my life up
with god's help,

And now I was able
to try to help him.

♪ ♪

There was no, no
getting through to him.

♪ ♪

- At that phase, elizabeth
had moved to atlanta.

I was seeing her more.

She was on one side of town.

My wife and family are on the
other side of town in atlanta.

♪ ♪

My marriage disintegrated.

My wife realized that I
had been seeing elizabeth.

She tried to give me a second
chance, a third chance.

I let her down every time.

♪ ♪

I was not making
good decisions.

♪ ♪

- I hung out with them, and,
like, I was around them a lot.

So I knew they were
going hard.

♪ ♪

- Elizabeth turned into
a different person,

As drugs will often do
to people.

- Things continued
in a steady downward spiral.

More alcohol, more drugs.

♪ ♪

- It was tough
because lex got lost

In the booze at that time.

♪ ♪

- I had my first arrest.

I got pulled over, they said
under the influence.

I had had
just a couple of beers.

They gave me a breathalyzer.

I passed it, but they felt
that I was on something else,

Which I was,
I had popped a few pills.

Never did I imagine
I'd ever be in jail.

♪ ♪

First of over--
I don't know how many--

Maybe a dozen or more arrests
after that.

♪ ♪

One of the neighbors
called the police

For a domestic disturbance.

♪ ♪

Both liz and I were shocked
that I got arrested.

I mean, we had an argument,
but--

♪ ♪

I've learned now
from law enforcement,

When they come
to a domestic dispute,

They usually--they end
up taking somebody in.

And so I went in.

And that,
you know, that stuck.

♪ ♪

And so I was making
a lot of really

Bad decisions,
selfish decisions

At that time in my life.

Things were really--still,
I wouldn't have admitted it

At the time, but really
going to a dark place

And really getting out
of control, in a bad way.

- 911.

- Yeah,
I have an emergency medical.

[dramatic tone]

♪ ♪

- We were watching some
movies, and went to drinking,

Popping some pills.

I hadn't been there most
of the day that--actually,

Our cleaning lady was at the
townhouse we were at together,

And she thought liz was fine.

And I didn't know what--
what she'd been doing,

Whether she'd been drinking
or doing during her day,

But she seemed fine.

♪ ♪

One minute, we were
at the microwave,

Heating up some food.

And I--I brought hers over to
her, went and heated mine up.

By the time I got back from
the microwave, ten feet away,

She was what I thought
was asleep on the couch.

And I thought that was
strange, and asked her, hey--

Asked her to,
"hey, liz wake up.

Your food's gonna get cold."

And she didn't respond.

So I knew, well,
that's strange.

So I got up and--

She's maybe five,
six feet away, and--

And tried to shake her,
and she didn't respond.

And I immediately called 911.

I was panicked.

- When the ambulance
gets there,

And they wheeled her
out on the gurney

And put her in back
of the ambulance,

You just figure
everything's gonna be okay.

- Police were called here
about 5:30 in the morning.

A 911 call said
a woman was unresponsive.

A few minutes later,
by the time she arrived

At kennestone hospital,
the woman was dead.

♪ ♪

- The moment I found out that
she had passed--

I remember it was--
it was just total shock.

I remember it was hot.

I was overheated.
I was dehydrated.

I felt like I was
gonna pass out.

Just--when I'm asked
my feeling in that moment.

Just total disbelief
and shock that--

That she didn't make it.

- He called me,
freaking out, in tears.

"stinger, stinger!

"oh, my gosh.
Oh, my gosh.

"she's gone. She's gone.
She died. She died. She--

"I don't know what
I'm gonna do, you know.

My life is over."

♪ ♪

- I knew,
'cause we talked about it,

Like, he was really
in love with her.

I mean, he'd have
done anything for her.

And it really took him
down when she passed.

It mentally destroyed him
for a long time.

♪ ♪

- I was devastated,
and I was angry as hell at lex,

Which is really
immature on my part,

Because she made her own
decisions and choices.

She was an adult woman.

I felt that lex took advantage
of her, and influenced her,

You know, and maybe
took her down that path.

I blamed lex for a long time.

♪ ♪

- After I found out--
I was sitting out front

Of my townhouse--
that she didn't make it,

They arrested me
on drug charges.

- Police say
his arrest is not connected

To miss elizabeth's death,

But what investigators
found inside the townhouse.

Pfohl is charged
with violating

The controlled substance act.

- The charges are spelled out
in the new arrest warrant.

Lawrence pfohl,
better known as lex luger,

Accused of possessing
and selling drugs--

Drugs like anabolic steroids,
and saizen, a growth hormone.

♪ ♪

- Marriage fell apart,
divorce,

A horrible impact
on my children.

♪ ♪

My life had become
a total train wreck,

And I always think I could
pull it back together

And do one more big
run in the ring.

[cheering]
- these people have come

To see lex luger, no doubt.

The total package has been
making a hot trailblazing path

On the independent scene.

- My body was starting
to break down a little bit.

15 years of high
school, college,

Pro football,
and 15 years of wrestling

Almost 5,000 matches.

- Luger off the ropes.

Both men trying for a
clothesline, and stumble.

I think luger
got the better of that one.

- Again, arrogance.
Ignorance.

Not realizing that
I was in a big time

Life and death struggle
with drugs and alcohol.

And I kept on thinking I could
end it any time I wanted.

More pills, more alcohol.

The exact opposite of
what you would've thought

Might have been a wake-up call.

♪ ♪

I actually received
a five-year sentence

For the drugs
and did some jail time.

Got back out, went back
to the same lifestyle...

♪ ♪

But even worse.

- Luger, or pfohl,
as he's known,

Was arrested on dui charges,
open container,

No proof of insurance,
alteration of a tag

And an expired tag.

- Lex was all
over the news in atlanta,

And it was just mind-boggling
to me how far he had fallen.

♪ ♪

- I was living out
of a hotel room.

So all those mansions
and all that stuff,

There I was renting
a hotel room.

Do my community service, and
I'd do that during the day,

And go back and get high, and--

I wouldn't answer
the phone for anybody--

My own family,
my best friends.

Really, really dark
five-year period.

♪ ♪

There was moments
I didn't care whether

I woke up or not when it got--
things got really dark.

And my cell--I was in
a small jail cell by myself.

I actually contemplated
climbing up

To the top of the partition--

There was a real high ceiling
in there--

And standing up
on the partition,

Putting my hands
behind my back,

'cause everything
was cement in there,

And just falling head first,
and maybe I could end it.

- I was the jail chaplain
for 28 years at

The cobb county
adult detention center.

And he had been arrested
a few times, and he really--

In my opinion,
he looked beat down.

♪ ♪

And he was kinda scary.

♪ ♪

- He kept on trying

To knock on the window
of my jail cell

And, "come see me."

I finally was so bored
I gave in.

He told me when I got out
that wanted me to help him

Get in shape again.

- When he was released,
I found him at a gym.

At first, he tried
to get rid of me.

- I'm gonna make him so sore
tomorrow at the gym

That he'll never set
foot in the gym again.

♪ ♪

I couldn't get rid
of pastor steve.

♪ ♪

- So I began to
just slowly win his trust.

♪ ♪

- And I kept on thinking,
man, he's never

Asked me to, like,
come to church.

And finally, he popped
the big question.

He wanted me to come
to a Sunday night service.

♪ ♪

And I went to
this church service,

And there in the front
of the church--

I never met him
before in person--

But dr. Marvin j. Frady.

- And lex came to hear doc, my
husband of 64 beautiful years.

♪ ♪

And for the first time
ever in his life,

He came to our little church
and sat on the back pew.

He was scared to death.

Doc preached on, is your house
built on the rock or the sand?

- And man, did he hit me.

♪ ♪

That my whole life here,
I'd been just frittering

It away on money and stuff.

And I was building my
whole life on sinking sand.

I had a vision of
all my mansions,

And money, and fame, and stuff,

And being on a beach,
and it being washed away.

♪ ♪

That my life really had
no true purpose or meaning.

♪ ♪

I went back to my
hotel that night.

Couldn't eat, couldn't sleep.

I called pastor steve up
and said,

"man, something happened
to me."

He came to my hotel room
April 23 of '06,

And shared the plan of
salvation with me,

The plan that god has
for all of us.

And I asked,
"well, what do I gotta do?"

Just gotta get down
on your knees and pray.

I'd never done that
in my life.

♪ ♪

When I got down on that
couch, I was weeping.

I had to make a full
commitment to come clean

And ask for forgiveness, and
ask jesus to come in my heart.

- I actually saw,
when he prayed to jesus,

A physical change.

It was almost like
he was in pain.

- I felt instant peace
and serenity.

People ask, did
you feel anything?

I go, man, I felt like I kind
of got powerwashed

From inside out
by the holy spirit.

And I felt a peace and serenity
that I'd never felt

In my entire life, my first
47 years of my life,

At that moment.

And my life was
forever changed

In that moment forward,
in a good way.

♪ ♪

- And I could see something was
completely different in him.

I was able to
literally baptize him

And watch his life change.

- It was a really powerful
moment for steve and I.

We were reunited as now,

Not just friends,
but brothers in christ.

And the book of proverbs
talks about how a friend

Is a friend at all times.

That describes my relationship
with sting.

- Lex, who is
the real total package?

- Hm, boy, after a long trip,

I found that,
praise the lord,

God is the real total package.

Now I'm a ambassador
and soldier for our lord

And savior, jesus christ,
and god.

[cheering]

I'm part of his team.

The first month
after I got saved,

I had, like, godly
remorse for my past.

And I knew what
real sorrow was.

I was, like, crying
all the time

Until I talked
to dr. Frady one time.

He said, "lex, you gotta
let go of the past.

Those bells have been rung.
You can unring 'em."

♪ ♪

I'm not talking
about the obviously

Negative things that affected
other people in my life.

I would never diminish
or disrespect that.

I understand their feelings.

But I had to forgive myself
to move forward.

♪ ♪

When I look back
on devastation

With my own children,

The relationship I don't have
with them, understandable.

There's consequences for the
things we did in the past.

I always hold out hope
for that

In the future at some point,

Because they don't really know
their new dad.

♪ ♪

- After he had gotten
saved, and after he'd

Gone through this,
I was excited to see lex,

Because we're both going to be
at this show in san francisco.

The promoter called me,
and he said,

"can I meet you at lex's room?

He's had some kind of stroke."

I'm like, "what?"

- I had not seen lex in years.

And after elizabeth,
the drinking and the driving,

And arrests, I mean,
this is not lex luger.

After he had gotten saved and
after he'd gone through this,

I was excited to see lex,
because we're both

Gonna be--so actually,
there's, like, 80 guys

Going to be at this show
in san francisco.

- He got on the plane
and went from atlanta

To san francisco,
five hour flight.

- I did a heavy
shoulder, trap and neck

Workout the night before.

I got in the airplane
with my head

Turned at an unusual angle.

- He was in conversation.

He had his neck craned
the whole time,

And at the end of the flight,
felt stiffness in his neck.

♪ ♪

- I woke
up the next morning

With a stabbing, searing pain
in my shoulder blades

And realized I couldn't move.

I didn't realize--I thought
maybe I was dehydrated.

I was paralyzed
from the neck down.

- I go down I grab,
you know, lex up,

And the other emt grabs him,
and we put him in there.

And didn't really notice
that he wasn't

Really being able to move.

- They're not sure
what caused it,

But there definitely was
massive swelling from my c5

And my cervical area
down to t5,

Which is about mid-chest level.

And they can't really explain
how it happened or why.

And they don't know whether
maybe some of the bone spurs

Pierced that central cord that
we've got to keep protected.

They saw a little bit of
spinal stenosis in there.

- The prognosis was he
couldn't move hardly anything.

They flew him to
the shepherd center.

So for like a whole year,
he lived in a bed.

- It was a scary thing
to find out

That he was paralyzed
like that,

The way it went down.

And then to watch
his progress,

He came back over time.

And watching him do
his therapy, you know,

I can remember in the very,
very beginning

He was in a chair.

And they had him tied here,

And they had to untie him
for a few moments to--

I forget what they
were trying to do,

But I can remember he
literally fell uncontrollably,

Like this, forward.

And I reached out
to catch him,

And I put him back up
like this.

I literally fed
him with a fork...

♪ ♪

Because he couldn't
feed himself.

♪ ♪

Unbelievable.

♪ ♪

- I was stunned by it.

He always had
a great physique,

And it must have been

Such a challenge to overcome.

- I was like, lord, I don't
know how to live this way.

So either bring
me home to heaven

Or teach me how
to live this way.

And man,
he showed me the way.

He was the light
through all that.

And I had really
a miraculous recovery.

I'm not 100%, obviously.

I can live independently,
and feed, and bathe myself,

And dress myself.

And I'm like--
there are 1% of people

With an injury like mine.

I never got the big
muscles back, but still

Go to the gym a little bit.

I still love going in and
mentoring the young guys.

At least six.

Let's get ten if you can.

- Lex started training
me in the gym.

He started giving me his
personal workout plan

And what he ate.

- A lot of people
made me who I was.

I maybe didn't have
the appreciation back then

I should have,
but a lot of people

Worked with me, getting me
where I wanted to be in life.

I feel now I could work with
guys like jonathan

And help them get to
where they want in life.

Kinda like a life coach,
I guess.

♪ ♪

- Now he is trying to
give back for everything

That he took or stole.

♪ ♪

- For 30 years,
I was all about lex--

Me, myself, and I.

God has shown me personally

That our true strength
comes through him,

From the inside out,
not from the outside in.

♪ ♪

- For a guy who took
such pride

In his physique, and he
was such a physical specimen.

And now to be the
opposite of that,

And then to be around
wrestling fans--

In my mind, I thought, oh,
that must be hard.

And then I look at him,
he's beaming!

- Great to see you!
- Good to see you.

- He is more cheerful
and more friendly

Than he ever was when he was
making all that money,

When he looked like
a million dollars.

- If I knew now
what god's taught me now,

I could have been
a much better

Leader in the locker room.

I would have been
a much better person

To be around,
much more positive,

Much more encouraging.

I think about it all the time.

- Here he is, lex luger!

- Sometimes
we don't realize

What we had until it's gone.

This is the finest
physical specimen

In professional sports today.

Looking back on my career,

There's a lot of cool,
defining moments

In my 15-year wrestling
career, for sure.

- Lex luger has done it!
[cheers and applause]

- I think of some of my heroes
in the wrestling business,

There's very few that are on
the same level that lex was.

- Nothing is
gonna stop this man!

- I don't talk
about him as being a tragedy,

'cause I see him now.

And I see this guy
that is so humbled.

But I wish he hadn't had
to go through so much.

- Your heart breaks
a little bit for somebody

That you know,
and somebody that's a friend

That had to go through
what he went through.

But on the other hand, he came
out of it stronger than ever.

- We staked our
careers on never,

Ever backing away
from a challenge.

- His enthusiasm
for life is remarkable.

I wanna be like that.

- There's a verse
in the bible that said

"I finished the race.
I have fought the good fight."

- This is the total package
lex luger!

- I guess that's how
I'd like to be remembered.

♪ ♪