The Narcissist Lex Luger

[andrew8798]

Always was a fan of Luger but the stuff as The Narcissist always my favorite I thought he did a great job with it. I guess it helps that his theme wasn't too bad. Was anyone else a fan of the gimmick?

[edgestar]

Narcissist-era Luger was a fun character, but after seeing the True Story of Wrestlemania, I always think of Bret saying "I thought there would be girls here".

[VenomFang]

I remember that Bobby Heenan sold him very well during his first apperance and he was hilarious. "You have a reason to love yourself.""You are in love with yourself and you have every right to be." "Dont tease us Lex, Dont tease us. Show us."

[Deleted]

I'm watching "The Unveiling of the Narcissist" now and I can't stop laughing at Heenan.

"Don't tease us, Lex! Don't tease us! Show us!"

[The Heenan Family]

I remember Heenan trying to stop Luger from body slamming Yokozuna. He was somewhat of an unofficial manager for Luger. To a lesser extent of what he had with Flair and Perfect in 92.

While I get why they went with Luger vs Perfect at Mania, I almost wish someone like the Ultimate Warrior had still been around to get knocked out. Or maybe the British Bulldog.

[hassanchop]

I say that Yokozuna should have been the face in the feud and have Luger the heel, make him the evil Hogan with the Narcissist gimmick and his beef with Yoko is that he is not American(kayfabe) same with Bret.

[Hit Girl]

It was Luger's best gimmick. It matched his personality.

"Lex Luger: American Hero" was contrived and forced.

[jason1980s]

I liked Lex as the American Hero but as a main eventer the turn didn't make sense. There was no storyline around it. When Nikolai Volkoff (1990) and Sgt. Slaughter (1991) turned face, it was major turns, but at least there was a story to explain it. With Bret Hart's turn that too was a major change in 1997 but there was explaination to that too.
With Luger he just appeared and even slamming the heel didn't quite explain things. For as big an event as it was there needed to be a better story behind it. Spend a few weeks with Lex explaining why he guarantees he will be the one to slam Yokozuna. After King of the Ring would be a good time. Luger didn't even make it to the next round in the tournament, he could be dejected about his standings and maybe even have Hogan give him a rub in a TV spot. It's too bad with all the work put into the face turn especially with the Lex Express tour, that the title win payoff never occurred.

[CaptainFall]

I liked the gimmick. They turned him face far too quickly just to fill a spot on the roster.

[Magnus the Magnificent]

Jul 1, 2012 11:18:45 GMT -5 jason1980s said:

I liked Lex as the American Hero but as a main eventer the turn didn't make sense. There was no storyline around it. When Nikolai Volkoff (1990) and Sgt. Slaughter (1991) turned face, it was major turns, but at least there was a story to explain it. With Bret Hart's turn that too was a major change in 1997 but there was explaination to that too.
With Luger he just appeared and even slamming the heel didn't quite explain things. For as big an event as it was there needed to be a better story behind it. Spend a few weeks with Lex explaining why he guarantees he will be the one to slam Yokozuna. After King of the Ring would be a good time. Luger didn't even make it to the next round in the tournament, he could be dejected about his standings and maybe even have Hogan give him a rub in a TV spot. It's too bad with all the work put into the face turn especially with the Lex Express tour, that the title win payoff never occurred.

"I may be a self-centered egotistical bastard who loves himself, but by golly, I'm an American self-centered egotistical bastard who loves himself."*

*May or may not have been the reasoning behind his turn.

[Deleted]

Side not and not really an important change but he was originally set to come in as Narcissus and they changed it to The Narcissist Lex Luger because Luger didn't like the name

[dav]

Jul 2, 2012 9:59:27 GMT -5 Magnus the Magnificent said:

Jul 1, 2012 11:18:45 GMT -5 jason1980s said:

I liked Lex as the American Hero but as a main eventer the turn didn't make sense. There was no storyline around it. When Nikolai Volkoff (1990) and Sgt. Slaughter (1991) turned face, it was major turns, but at least there was a story to explain it. With Bret Hart's turn that too was a major change in 1997 but there was explaination to that too.
With Luger he just appeared and even slamming the heel didn't quite explain things. For as big an event as it was there needed to be a better story behind it. Spend a few weeks with Lex explaining why he guarantees he will be the one to slam Yokozuna. After King of the Ring would be a good time. Luger didn't even make it to the next round in the tournament, he could be dejected about his standings and maybe even have Hogan give him a rub in a TV spot. It's too bad with all the work put into the face turn especially with the Lex Express tour, that the title win payoff never occurred.

"I may be a self-centered egotistical bastard who loves himself, but by golly, I'm an American self-centered egotistical bastard who loves himself."*

*May or may not have been the reasoning behind his turn.

Actually it was according to a tape they played at one event that showed the slam challenge.

[cabbageboy]

The problem with the Narcissist gimmick is that at best it is watered down Rick Rude egomania without Rude's sleazy mic work to draw any real heel heat. Seeing a guy flexing his muscles in front of a mirror and saying he loves himself is kinda irritating but it hardly inspires anyone to rush out and buy a ticket to see this guy lose.

That aspect is a major reason why Luger isn't better remembered. He just didn't have main event charisma or interview skills.