Rate The Moment #3

[Impeccable]

It’s that time again, folks. Tallying up the scores from the last RTM, “Edge Cashes in the Briefcase” scored an impressive 8.2, putting it just behind “Shawn Michaels Boyhood dream”.

The next moment we are going to rate is from 1993

Luger Slams Yokozuna

Main Participants: Lex Luger, Yokozuna
Event: USS Intrepid “Stars and Stripes Challenge”
Date: July 4th 1993

We start at Royal Rumble in 1993, where really, the paths for both men to July 4th started. Building up to the pay per view, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan began to build up the arrival of a new superstar, somebody who was beyond perfection. At Royal Rumble 1993, Heenen revealed Lex Luger to the WWF fans. Luger, who was dubbed “The Narcissist”, was seen posing in front of mirrors. Luger made his debut, and soon began demolishing “jobbers” with his forearm smash manoeuvre. It was soon revealed that Luger had been in a car crash the year before and had a metal plate inserted into his arm. Luger was forced to wear a pad over his forearm. Luger fought Mr. Perfect at Wrestlemania 9, beating him. Luger continued to beat jobbers and entered into a short feud with Tatanka, which culminated in a time limit draw in the King of The Ring semi finals. It was at the same event that Hulk Hogan was defeated by Yokozuna, his last PPV appearance in the company for nearly a decade.

Yokozuna entered the Royal Rumble as a huge favourite that year. He’d only debuted in October 1992 but had been squashing jobbers left and right. He was in the final two of the rumble, eliminating Randy Savage (who had tried to pin Yokozuna after an elbow drop…the force of the kickout sent savage over the top rope). In the build up to Wrestlemania 9, Yokozuna decimated fan favourite Hacksaw Jim Duggan, giving him four Banzai splashes and finally draping the Japanese flag over his body. Yokozuna captured his first title at that Wrestlemania. His manager, Mr. Fuji threw salt into champion Bret “The Hitman” Hart’s eyes. After the match, a beaten Hart began to walk back up the entrance when Hogan came out (inexplicably) to console Hart. Mr. Fuji then challenged Hogan for the title, which Hulk ultimately won after the salt trick backfired for a second time.

Yokozuna invoked his rematch clause at King of the Ring 1993, defeating Hogan when a Japanese photographer climbed onto the apron and shot some sort of fireball out of the lense. Yokozuna pinned Hogan after a Banzai splash. After winning the title, Mr. Fuji and Yokozuna were able the claim they had killed Hulkamania. Their celebration was booked for July 4th on the USS Intrepid. Yokozuna held a slam challenge, where various WWF stars and other sports and Tv stars attempted to slam the 550lb Yokozuna. In Hogan’s absence, Vince decided to create a new American hero and a helicopter landed on the USS intrepid. Luger stepped off the plane, wearing the red, white and blue, much to the craze of the fans who sensed something was going to happen. Bobby Heenan tried to stop Luger, who pushed him out of the way. Lex stepped in the ring, cutting a promo on Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji. Luger cemented his status as a babyface by proceding to slam Yokozuna.

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/8999/starsb.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_drUMJ9HF-tQ/SPY2K2DDsfI/AAAAAAAAECw/r_kApD4Cke4/s400/Lex+Express.jpg

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<SELECT><OPTION selected>Rate The Moment History</OPTION><OPTION>#1. Shawn Michaels Realises his Boyhood Dream - 8.4</OPTION><OPTION>#2. Edge Cashes In The Briefcase – 8.2</OPTION></SELECT>

<SELECT><OPTION selected>Rate The Moment Leaderboard</OPTION><OPTION>1. Shawn Michaels Realises his Boyhood Dream - 8.4</OPTION><OPTION>2. Edge Cashes In The Briefcase – 8.2</OPTION></SELECT>

[Impeccable]

Shock Value: How shocking was the outcome, (1 is "you called it from the beginning", 10 is "TOTAL SWERVE")
Reaction: What reaction did you have to this personally (1 is "YAWN", 10 is "OMFG...I LOVED IT!")
Memory: Is it one of the first things you think of when asked about wrestling? How etched into your wrestling history is this event (1 is "who did what now?" and 10 is "are you kidding, I watch repeats on Youtube every week)
Legacy: Did the outcome leave a lasting legacy (i.e. did the winner of a match go on and have 12 title reigns, was it so controversial it is still talked abut today, etc.) 1 is no legacy and 10 is Legendary

Average Score:

[Rammsteinmad]

Shock Value: 3 - I was a youngin when this happened and liked Lex Luger, so I guess it "shocked" me when he came out.

Reaction: 2 - I remember being all like "YAY", but to be honest I was too young to remember what was even going on anyway.

Memory: 1 - Don't care.

Legacy: 2 - Yeah it worked for a little while, but I guess down the line people couldn't help but notice how terribly awful Luger really was.

Average: 2

[thedamndest]

Shock Value: 4 - That's probably being a little generous. Obviously someone was gonna slam Yoko, but at the time I wouldn't have guessed it would be Lex.
Reaction: 1 - I never cared about Lex in the WWF except the 1993 Royal Rumble
Memory: 1
Legacy: 1 - What will Lex's legacy be? I DON'T KNOOOWWWWWWWWWWW!!!! + his early work and some later WCW things. I doubt any WWF matches would make it on to a best of Lex Luger DVD.

Average Score:1.75

[Jeritron]

I basically agree with Thed on all of it, so rather than write it all out, I'll give it a 2 and substitute his reasons for mine.

[The Optimist]

Too bad Lex went useless quickly. The moment right before he slammed him where they did a Hogan/Andre thing was pretty cool.

[Ben Rodrigues]

Shock Value: 2
Reaction: 2
Memory: 2
Legacy: 1

Average: 1.75

[Loose Cannon]

if you did this 13 years ago, I gurantee the numbers would be a lot higher then what I am seeing already. Lex gets the Hogan treatment on this board. Everyone loves to hate him for some reason.

[Jeritron]

I don't love to hate his time in WWF. I just do. It was awful and nothing of any real merit came out of it.
Aside from the Royal Rumble tie with Bret, this is probably the best thing he did.

[thedamndest]

I disagree. Right event, wrong year.

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[Loose Cannon]

Shock Value: 9

I remember this moment like it was yesterday. I was 10 years old. Still very gullible to wrestling. I remember watching it and seeing wrestler after wrestler fail. I honestly did not think anybody was going to slam him. Then Savage went and he failed. My hopes went to 0 %. Then here comes Lex Luger. A guy I hated at the time. He was the mother fucker that knocked out Mr Perfect after the bell at Mania. As a mark, I hated his guts. But here he was standing up for America on the 4th of July, in New York (my home state) and on the USS Intrepid. When I saw him come off that helicopter and get in the ring, I had no choice but to root him on. It was the perfect babyface turn. Then he hits that slam (hip toss :lol: ) and I went fricken nuts just like that live crowd. It was such an awesome and memorable moment. It was moments like this that kept me a wrestling fan. I just don't see how any American wrestling fan that was around my age didn't enjoy this. I know all my wreslting buddies loved it.

Reaction: 9

Memory: 9.5: Don't even have to watch the video. I remember the whole thing as clear as day.


Legacy: 5: I'm not going to sit here and bullshit. Luger was hot for a little while and insanely over. But he had his legs cut out from under him at Summerslam. He still had a lot of steam with him even after the most ridiculous Title Match PPV finish ever, but he never got back to where he was. However, those who think Luger was just a flash in the pan as a top babyface, are you fucking blind to WCW 1996-1998? nuff said.

[Impeccable]

I dunno...I mean the good thing about doing a rate the moment now is that you can clearly see the legacy this type of moment had. To be fair, I had a feeling this wouldn't score well. Thanks LC for how you scored it...probably the best scoring and comments on any of the three RTM's so far.

[Impeccable]

Shock Value: 6

To be honest, I knew someone was going to slam him, but as a mark, I thought Hogan might come back, or even warrior (I didn't know backstage wranglings or who had left the company then). Being in the UK, I can't say I watched this live. It was shown on Superstars which I caught. Lex Luger was a huge heel in my eyes...especially after he knocked Bret out randomly with the steel plate in his arm at a press conference before Wrestlemania 9. I was pretty shocked at who it was, but not that it happened.

Reaction: 7

Like LC said, he was a heel, but you can't help rooting for him when he was standing up against the man that killed hulkamania.

Memory: 6

It is a great memory and is something that I fondly remember and look up every few months or so.

Legacy: 5

Can't say it left a great legacy. Lex was huge for a few months, but never captured the title, which you've got to say would be a natural progression from this type of angle. His WWF run was poor, feuding with Ludwig Borga, Tatanka and the Million Dollar Corporation. He teamed with Davey Boy Smith as the allied powers, but eventually jumped ship, where he was arguably one of the stars in WCW. Perhaps it can be argued that his WWF run, where he was probably a little more mainstream, prepared him for the WCW run in '96.

Average: 6

[Impeccable]

Also, not sure if this is true, but I heard that at Wrestlemania 10, Luger was going to take the title, but at a house show a few days before, he won a match, went backstage and brought the WWF title out. Vince punished him by not giving him the nod.

[Jeritron]

I had heard a similar story but it involved him boasting about how he was going to win to a bunch of fans at a bars that week. Word got back to Vince and he was irate.

[Jeritron]

Maybe it was a combination of both, or maybe it's just rumors. Who knows

[Krimzon7]

honestly, this gets a 2 over all from me. not shocking, not entertaining, and both characters were lackluster to me.

[Anybody Thrilla]

I don't really feel like going into detail, but I would like to give this moment a 6 overall, if that's OK with you.

[Impeccable]

I don't really feel like going into detail, but I would like to give this moment a 6 overall, if that's OK with you.

that's fine with me.

I know it's not a huge moment, but a moment nontheless. It's a poor performance so far...come on guys...get rating.

[The Mackem]

Shock Value: 10

Total swerve for me, Luger came in as a heel was undefeated until King of the Ring where he technically still was undefeated and very much still a heel. Next thing I know he is the next Hogan, that was shocking for me back then.

Reaction: 7 - a bit of confusion added with surprise and wondering what will happen next

Memory: 6 - I first saw this in a WWF magazine and I can still see the still photographs to this day

Legacy: 5 - if things had turned out better maybe it would have ben pointed out as the turning point of Lex Luger's career but it didn't. Thinking back to it the whole story that started here would have ended quite well had he won the title at Wrestlemania. For me there is one obvious Lex Luger moment that surpasses this and that's his WCW title win on Nitro.

Overall: 7