WrestleCrap by R.D. Reynolds

Author:R.D. Reynolds
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ECW Press

8: Moonlighting

When Hulk Hogan had left the WWF for WCW, Vince McMahon didn't sweat it. Vince didn't sweat much of anything. As he watched Hogan's early days in WCW, he knew that he had made the correct decision in showing Hogan the door. He was right, as usual. Hogan's ego was out of control, and now, finally, someone else had to put up with it. Let them have the fun of shuffling main events to Hogan's liking, McMahon thought. Hogan was old, way past his prime. Everyone knew it, except those jokers down in Atlanta.

McMahon didn't need Hulk Hogan. Anyone could be Hulk Hogan with McMahon's marketing genius behind them. In fact, he would make a new Hulk Hogan. A younger Hulk Hogan, one who was more athletic, with a better body, one who would obey his commands without question. He just needed someone strong and handsome, a guy with a wholesome, all-American attitude.

He had that in Lex Luger. Luger had made a name for himself in the old NWA region, going on to become WCW World Champion in 1991. It was something fans had been expecting Luger to do for a loooong time, as he had been viewed as a future world champion since his debut in the business in the mid-1980s. He had been in many programs in which he chased the world title but inevitably came up short. Fans labeled him a “choke” artist.

He was the first champion for WCW following the departure of Ric Flair, a none-too-envious position. For while fans hated Flair the character, they loved Flair the wrestler. If ever the term “love to hate” applied to a wrestler, it applied to Ric Flair. Fans paid to see Flair get his licks. When Flair left the promotion, it was as though the heart was ripped out of the fans. Luger's title reign will best be remembered not for any specific match or event, but rather for the resonant chants of “We want Flair!” in every arena in which he appeared.

Luger left WCW, and, like many others, decided that he no longer wanted anything to do with wrestling. When he signed with Vince McMahon, many felt that he had been lying through his teeth about retirement. He hadn't. He had no intention of stepping through the ropes again. He hadn't signed with the World Wrestling Federation; he had signed to be the spokesperson for McMahon's fledgling World Bodybuilding Federation.

The WBF was the first of McMahon's many attempts to diversify his business. Being a huge fan of bodybuilding, he decided to create an organization that would promote muscle contests and sell a supplement called ICOPRO. With Luger, he could draw in those WWF fans who weren't familiar with bodybuilding. He realized that he needed to make an impact within the bodybuilding industry, however, and he chose to do so at the Mr. Olympia competition, the largest contest of the year.

During the weekend's festivities, McMahon rented a small booth, under the pretense that he was looking to start up a fitness magazine, one with a bit more pizzazz than the dry muscle periodicals of the day.

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