Lex Luger reflects on his payoff for WWE SummerSlam 1993.
Lex Luger was the WWE's top babyface going into the 1993 WWE SummerSlam event. Coming off of slamming Yokozuna on the USS Intrepid on the 4th of July, Luger traded in his narcissism for nationalism and would go on to be known as "Made in the USA" and wear American flag-themed gear from that moment until he departed WWE in 1995.
SummerSlam 1993 would be the peak of Lex Luger's run as a babyface atop WWE. Luger would defeat Yokozuna in a match for the WWE championship. However, he won the match by countout and, as a result, never became the WWE Champion. Despite the following balloons and celebration in the ring, Luger's summer had a flat finish in 1993 after weeks of Lex touring America in a Megabus dubbed "The Lex Express."
Speaking about all things SummerSlam 1993 on the most recent episode of his Lex Expressed podcast, Luger recalled not being paid as much for SummerSlam 1993 as he would have wanted. He says he was hoping for six figures and at least $100,000. Unfortunately, the former WCW World Champion recalls only being paid around $50,000 for that event.
"Back then, I was newer to the company. I didn't expect, like, a WrestleMania [payday], because that was the really big one. Now, SummerSlam is like number a strong number two," he said. "So I expected a decent payoff. I wasn't disappointed, but I thought maybe, with not getting paid all summer, it would have been a little more than that. I got, like, $50,000 or something, if I had to guess, right around there, I think. I was hoping for like $100,000. I was hoping, because I didn't get paid all summer, I was hoping for like $100,000 at the time or something, but I got like $50,000. I think I had been hoping for a little bit more."
Luger also claimed that he did not get paid at all throughout the summer because he wasn't wrestling in the ring due to the tour on the bus.
"I didn't get paid all summer. I got zero," he said. "I wasn't working. You know how it was back then. I didn't have a guaranteed contract like WCW. My contract wasn't guaranteed. No play, no pay. At least they paid for my hotel."
Overall, Luger has positive memories of his time in WWE and is happy to be part of WWE on a Legends contract today.
For more Lex Luger stories, learn about who Luger would like to see play himself in a movie.
Early access to this podcast was granted via a subscription to AdFreeShows. Subscribe at this link to access early podcast releases from names such as Jim Ross, Eric Bischoff, Bruce Prichard, and more.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit the original source with a H/T and link back to Fightful for the transcription.
