On his “Lex Expressed” podcast, soon-to-be Hall of Famer Lex Luger directly addressed a long-standing rumor concerning the main event of WrestleMania X in 1994. The persistent story alleges that Luger was originally scheduled to defeat Yokozuna for the WWF Championship but lost the opportunity after prematurely revealing the planned finish to a New York Post reporter.
Luger emphatically denied this rumor. “Never happened,” he stated firmly. “That’s what I love about wrestling. A rumor starts and it takes on a life of its own. I’ve heard that story and I go, absolutely not. Absolute fake news. There was never any finish involving me going over at WrestleMania X, so that was fake news.”
He clarified that WWF Chairman Vince McMahon had never guaranteed him a title win, even dating back to his initial championship match against Yokozuna at SummerSlam 1993. “Vince, even going back to SummerSlam, never promised me the belt. We weren’t sure where we’re going to go,” Luger explained. The plan following SummerSlam, where Luger won by count-out but not the title, involved Yokozuna entering a different program. “Yoko went right into an angle at the time after SummerSlam, which was the plan all along for me not to win,” Luger revealed. “[Yokozuna] went off on an immediate, big angle with Undertaker long term all the way into Survivor Series.”
While McMahon acknowledged the potential appeal of a title change at the iconic Madison Square Garden venue for WrestleMania X, no commitment was made. “If I was to get the belt, Vince said it would be special to do it at the Garden at WrestleMania X, but he made me no promises,” Luger noted, adding, “Him and I had a great relationship at the time.”
Luger detailed the actual creative direction leading into WrestleMania X, which involved him and Bret Hart co-winning the 1994 Royal Rumble. “Then we started getting into the following calendar year with WrestleMania, the lead up, which led to the Royal Rumble with Bret and I co-winners,” he said. “Which was executed and planned brilliantly by them, and it gave all kinds of exciting options for WrestleMania.” This setup resulted in both men receiving title shots against Yokozuna at the event.
Luger also addressed another related rumor he had heard concerning Bret Hart’s status around that time, though he stressed its uncertainty. “I heard a rumor, but once again, that might have been fake news, that Bret was maybe planning on scaling back or retiring from the company at that time,” Luger shared. He emphasized their positive personal relationship: “Bret and I always loved each other. It was nothing to do with anything personal between Bret and I.” Luger speculated on how this potential situation might have influenced McMahon’s booking: “Bret probably was kind of like, well, if you guys are going that direction and giving Lex a big push, and maybe the title, maybe I’ll scale back and be part time. Vince may have been like, well, gosh. Hogan’s not going to be around, and if Bret isn’t around, at least part time, let’s kind of keep all our options open here for WrestleMania X.” However, Luger reiterated, “But I don’t know if there’s any truth, once again, to that rumor that I heard.”
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