In 1997, Lex Luger pinned Hulk Hogan to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, landing one of the first major blows against Hogan's NWO faction in WCW. Speaking on an episode of "Lex Expressed," Luger looked back on the title victory and revealed that he was hand-picked by Hogan to become the next world champion, as brief as his reign would be.
"I didn't find out until I was almost ready to go to the ring," Luger said. "They asked Hulk, 'Who do you want to do this with?' ... He [said], '100%, I want to do it with Lex.' That was a huge props from one of the biggest stars ever in the business. That was a great feeling, to come back and have the opportunity to rise to that level in the company again."
Though he defeated Hogan, Luger held the title for just five days before handing it back to the NWO leader at WCW Road Wild 1997. Luger stated that the brief run was meant to ensure the fans still kept some hope regarding the company's world title scene, as the villainous Hogan had been holding it for almost a year. The short title reign would be Luger's second and final time holding a major world championship in professional wrestling.
Around the same time, according to Luger, Eric Bischoff was willingly giving Luger a pay increase despite the length of his title run. The initial contract Luger signed with WCW after leaving the WWF in 1995 was meant to "test the waters" to see how he did with the company after a lackluster first stint. Evidently, after the Hogan match, Bischoff saw fit to give Luger a raise. He then remained with the promotion until its end in 2001.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Lex Expressed" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
