The journey of the total package Lex Luger has seen him compete through the National Wrestling Alliance, into World Championship Wrestling, depart, and head to the World Wrestling Federation. But upon his return to WCW, things would be different.
The Total Package and his role in the Alliance To End Hulkamania storyline
At WCW Halloween Havoc, Lex Luger joined the Dungeon of Doom, along with Hogans ex manager Jimmy Hart. Luger was now a part of the alliance to end Hulkamania.
During this time, the total package found himself in an awkward tag team with Sting. Luger was still a part of the Dungeon of Doo,m and his loyalty was questionable.
Sting was clueless. Luger also added the WCW Television Championship to his resume by defeating Johnny B. Badd, aka Marc Mero. The
Hulk Hogan’s worst nightmare came true as the Dungeon of Doom and the Four Horsemen started the Alliance to End Hulkamania.
Macho Man Randy Savage joined forces with Hulk Hogan, reuniting the Mega Powers to take on the group of heels.
At Wcw Uncensored, the Alliance to End Hulkamania took on Hogan and Savage in a Tower of Doom Steel Cage Match.
This was a two-tiered cage where anything goes. The combatants left the cage and brawled through the arena. In the end, Luger tried to hit savage with a weighted glove, but instead struck Flair.
It was awkward because when Lex saw savage duck, he paused, then hit Flair anyway. This allowed Savage to pin Flair, ending one of the most chaotic matches in history. Most likely never to be repeated for the fans’ sake.
The Total Package WCW Locker Room Leader
Needless to say, Lex Luger was dismissed from the Alliance to End Hulkamania. The Total Package was once again a face. He even received a title shot at the Giant at the Great American Bash.
At one point in the match, Luger stunned the Giant, but was no match for the big man. After a viscous chokeslam, it was over. Lex Luger and the rest of WCW found themselves in a war with the New World Order.
Scott Hall and Kevin Nash had recently arrived in WCW and wasted no time destroying the company from within. The Total Package, Sting, and Macho Man Randy Savage fought the Outsiders from “taking over”.
This led to a showdown at Bash at the Beach. It was WCW vs NWO. To make matters worse, Hall and Nash claimed there was a third man.
During the match, Luger was injured, leaving Sting and Savage to face the Outsiders. As we all know, hell froze over as the third man was revealed to be Hulk Hogan.
Related Reads: The Birth of the nWo – The Night Hollywood Hogan Was Born
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Lex Luger led the charge for WCW against the nWo. He knew from dealing with Nash and Hall in the WWF that he would need someone to show them who the real big boy was.
The threat from the New World Order was so great that WCW stars put their differences aside. The total package enlisted the help of The Giant.
They challenged the new WCW Tag Team Champions, The Outsiders, at Superbrawl VII. The Unlikely Duo won the Tag Team Championship for WCW after Luger put Nash in the torture rack.
However, because Luger put his hands on Eric Bischoff, the WCW president, the title was returned to the NWO. Luger had a vendetta to settle with the faction.
He knew the only way to destroy it was take the WCW Title from Hollywood Hulk Hogan. Luger won a 4 way match to earn a shot at the WCW Championship.
The Total Package wins the WCW Championship on Nitro
At Bash at the Beach 1997, The Total Package and the Giant teamed up against WCW Heavyweight Champion Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Dennis Rodman.
Luger made WCW proud by putting Hogan, Savage, and Rodman in the torture rack. Luger was now a huge thorn in the side of the nWo. The match was set for Sturgis, South Dakota, at Road Wild.
However, Hogan insulted Lex, calling him”Flexy Lexy,” causing the total package to want the NWO kingpin sooner. Lex Luger issued a challenge that summed up the war with the New World Order.
“This is the night. There are defining moments in everyone’s life and career. This is the defining moment for The Total Package Lex Luger.
This is the defining moment for WCW and the NWO, where our paths finally collide. Hogan, maybe you did make professional wrestling what it is today, but tonight I make history because I guarantee I will become the new WCW Champion.”
Luger’s promo almost seems directed at WCW’s real competitors, the WWF. It was almost Bischoff and co’s way of saying “we are taking over”.
On August 4th, 1997, Lex Luger made Hulk Hogan tap out in the torture rack wining the WCW Championship in the process. This was the shot in the arm WCW needed. Let’s deep dive into this for a while.
The nWo seemed to destroy WCW for weeks on end. It was a war. In reality, the war was not against the NWO; it was with their rival promotion, the WWF. Until Luger’s title win, it was a one-sided war.
This does not make for good television. To his credit, WCW President Eric Bischoff recognized this understanding that to make WCW competitive with the NWO, they needed some wins.
In his podcast 83 weeks, Biscoff stated that this was all about spicing things up. Lex Luger knew that he would lose the championship at Road Wild if not sooner.
Luger even said that he did not know he was going to win the WCW title until that night. This plot twist was exactly what WCW needed to defeat the WWF in the Monday Night Wars.
Which they did for 83 weeks in a row. Lex Luger stated he was very grateful for Hogan putting him over and respecting him enough to give him that opportunity
As everyone knows, the fans like to root for the underdogs. It’s because of that, WCW put the Championship back on Hollywood Hogan.
After the loss, The Total Package started feuds with other NWO members, including Scott Hall. Diamond Dallas Page was Lex’s tag team partner against Hall and the Macho Man.
After his battles with Macho and Machismo, Luger feuded with Buff Bagwell. Bagwell was the NWO’s version of the total package. L
ike Luger, with his chiseled body, he was a natural opponent. Bagwell beat Luger at Starrcade 1997with the help of Macho Man Randy Savage. This was the same night that Sting defeated Hollywood Hogan for the WCW Title.
Lex Luger then began a dream feud with Macho Man Randy Savage. In a match on Nitro, Lex Luger defeated Savage.
After the match, Macho Man went off the deep end. He grabbed ring announcer David Penzer and a chair. He shoved Penzer on the ground and went to level Luger with the chair.
Eric Biscoff stopped Macho and was punched in the face. Hogan confronted Savage. Nash hit Savage from behind. Egos were colliding in the nWo.
That week, on the very first episode of Thunder, Luger attacked Savage with a steel chair, allowing Savage’s opponent, Chris Adams, to get the win.
However, this was reversed. During a match on Nitro, Miss Elizabeth distracted Lex Luger so Savage could pounce. Ironically, in real life, Lex Luger would eventually date Savage’s ex, Miss Elizabeth.
He said it started as an innocent flirtation that developed slowly over time. Both were married at the time. It affected both stars’ homelife.
Lex Luger was honest with Macho Man, who had since moved on. Macho and Liz were only together on screen. Liz got divorced and Lex Luger separated with his ex.
This set up for a grudge match at Souled Out 98. Luger got Macho Man in the torture rack. Then the NWO hit the ring, followed by WCW.
The two factions got into a brawl as Luger racked Kevin Nash, and Sting had Hogan trapped in the Scorpion Death Lock.
The total package was not done with the NWO yet. Scott Steiner recently joined the NWO, calling himself Big Poppa Pump. Lex Luger teamed up with Scott’s brother, Rick Steiner, to take on Pump and Buff Bagwell.
Throughout most of 96 and 97 into 98, Lex Luger held steadfast in his resistance against the NWO. However, the landscape of WCW was changing as the NWO was splitting up.
The Total Package joins the nWo Wolfpac
Hollywood Hogan continued his black and white ruthlessness, but a new NWO faction emerged. The NWO Wolfpack was vastly different than Hogan’s egocentric values.
This nWo was becoming so popular that it was time for a face nWo group. This faction was led by Kevin Nash, who had enough of the Hollywood lifestyle.
Joining him was the Macho Man Randy Savage, who was the lone wolf for a few months against Hogan. Savage even cost Hogan the title to Sting.
Luger saved Kevin Nash from an NWO Black and White attack. From that moment on, The Total Package was a member of the Wolfpack. He even talked his best friend Sting into joining.
Lex Luger went to war with the WCW United States Champion, Bret “Hitman” Hart. The total package defeated Hart to become the US Champ, but lost it back to the Hitman the very next day on Thunder.
All members of the nWo Wolfpack were at war with nWo Hollywood. At least that was how it seemed anyway. Nash received a shot at WCW Champion Bill Goldberg. Until this time, Goldberg was undefeated.
That all came to an electrifying halt when Scott Hall helped Nash defeat Goldberg at Starrcade with a cattle prod. Kevin Nash was now the WCW Heavyweight Champion.
The rematch was set with Goldberg on Nitro, but the nWo had Goldberg arrested. Since Bill Goldberg could not wrestle, Hollywood Hogan took Goldberg’s place. This led to the infamous finger poke of Doom.
During the match, Hogan poked Nash with one finger, pinning Nash and becoming the WCW World Heavyweight Champion. Goldberg now found his way back from the police station.
He charged the ring, grabbed Hogan, and went for the jackhammer. The Total Package attacked Goldberg. The entire nWo Black, White, and Red were again reunited. It was a complete swerve. A swerve that was one of the reasons WCW lost the Monday Night Wars.
The Rebirth of Total Package
The total package suffered a torn bicep and was out of action. When he returned in August of 1999, He helped Sting defeat Hulk Hogan at Fall Brawl.
Luger now claimed that he legally changed his name to The Total Package. No longer was he to be called Lex Luger.
The Total Package seemed to gravitate back to his narcissist days with the super posedowns before his matches. He also had an added armpiece, the Lovely Miss Elizabeth, or Liz as she was now called.
In real life, Luger was dating Miss Elizabeth. Unfortunately, this romance came to a tragic end when she passed away.
The Total Package tried to convince Sting that they should be WCW Tag Team Champions. Sting had no interest in the tag titles. He only wanted to be the WCW World Champion.
Honestly, Luger only wanted the world title as well. To do that, he had to take out his best friend, Sting. He tried to make Sting believe that the recent friendship with Hogan was an nWo ruse.
Instead, it was Luger who was plotting against Sting. After faking a knee injury, the Total Package attacked the Icon. This led to a feud between the two real-life best friends.
On the show, Luger was jealous of Sting, but in real life,e the two were like brothers. In a shoot interview, Luger voiced the respect he has for Sting
“Sting was the first person I saw after my motorcycle accident. I can’t describe what a friend he is . We actually did not hit it off right away. I was kind of jealous.
He asked me how I kept in such great shape on the road. I kind of snapped back with vodka and peanut M&M’s.
Despite that, he gave me another chance, and we started going to the gym together. Thank God he gave me another chance.
Stinger is actually the one that gave me advice on proper nutrition as well as opened up doors in wrestling.”
Best Friends make Bitter Enemies
This feud led to a grudge match at Starcade in December of 1999. Elizabeth had claimed she was “leaving” Luger and joined forces with Sting. The Icon had his suspicions about Liz.
Before the match, he gave her a special container of mace to use on Luger if she needed it. Liz broke down to check on Luger, when Sting caught her, she sprayed him with the mace, which was only silly string.
Elizabeth returned later in the match to hit Sting with a baseball bat, helping Luger break Sting’s arm. This became Luger’s favorite weapon. He would regularly break his opponent’s arm.
Luger returned to his Four Horseman roots, joining forces with Ric Flair in 2000. Together, they formed Team Package. Team Package naturally started a feud with Hulk Hogan and Sting.
This feud did not last long as Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo basically ended all WCW storylines, trying to reset the company. The Total Package then joined a faction called the Millionaires Club.
He started feuding with the new WCW Champion, Booker T. In a WCW Championship match on Nitro, Luger was defeated by Booker T after a spear from Goldberg. A new threat to Goldberg was on the horizon.
Luger racked Bill Goldberg several times during their feud.  This led to a match at Starrcade. This time, Goldberg put his career on the line in a No Holds Barred, No DQ Match.
Luger even harassed Dwayne Bruce, aka Sarge, who trained Goldberg for the rigors of WCW. During Goldberg’s match with Shane Douglas, Luger showed up with Sarge in the torture rack. Goldberg saw them.
Luger dropped Sarge and ran. Starcadde finally arrived. Even with the help of fellow former NWO bro Buff Bagwell, Luger could not destroy Goldberg.
In November 2002, Luger returned to the ring at World Wrestling All Stars. This was basically a superstar European tour. There, he defeated Sting to win the WWA World Heavyweight Championship.
He also lost the title to Sting in a three-way dance. Total Nonstop Wrestling, aka TNA, was owned by another star on the WWE no-hire list at the time, Jeff Jarrett.
In 2003, he teamed with Jarrett against AJ Styles and Sting. Luger was looking noticeably out of shape. He only appeared a few more times in TNA. He put Styles through a table during a match with Abyss.
After the match, he put AJ Styles in the torture rack. Luger was supposed to team with Abyss the next week, but it never happened.
He was a guest trainer for Sting as he prepared for his NWA World Title Match with Jarrett. He also inducted his friend for life, Sting, into the TNA Hall of Fame.
The Total Destruction of The Total Package
On April 19, 2003, Lex Luger was involved in a domestic dispute with Elizabeth. According to the police report, Liz was found with black eyes and a cut on her lip. He has publicly denied ever laying a hand on her.
He has stated that Elizabeth got tangled up with the couple’s two dogs. They owned a husky and a German Shepard. They are loving dogs, but very powerful. In a surprising turn of events, the police arrested him.
Luger was released on a 2500 dollar bond. Two days later, he was arrested for a DUI. Miss Elizabeth was in the car at the time. To make matters worse, Lugers’ license was also suspended.
The couple was headed down a rocky road. Little did they know they were going to go off a cliff. On May 1, 2003, Elizabeth Hulette was found dead in their home.
She reportedly passed away from an overdose of Xanax and vodka. The world had lost a wrestling icon. Lex Luger lost his soulmate.
After authorities searched Luger’s house, several anabolic steroids, oxycodone, and growth hormone were found. He was charged with 14 counts of drug possession. He was released the day after on bail.
He pled guilty and was sentenced to 5 years’ probation. Miss Elizabeth’s death was ruled accidental. They dropped the charges against Luger.
Through the autopsy, it was concluded that she, in fact, had abrasions, not impact wounds. In 2005, he violated his probation and was sentenced to four months in jail.
Luger described his time in prison in detail. He stated that even though he does not want to say this, he thought of committing suicide. He’s glad he never did that; he describes that as his rock bottom.
Things got even worse for Lex Luger. On October 19, 2007, he suffered a nerve impingement that led to temporary paralysis.
According to Luger, he was on a flight and had his head turned, having a conversation with someone the entire time. The next thing he knew, he suffered a spinal stroke. He had no movement in his arms or legs.
Lex Luger, the man who was once known as the total package, could not even walk under his own power. He enlisted the help of his longtime friend Diamond Dallas Page
Road to Redemption
Down but not beaten, finally in 2008, Lex Luger was able to stand on his own and walk with a walker. By 2014, Lex Luger was using a wheelchair.
After many months of working with DDP, Lex Luger could finally stand on his own in 2025. Just in time to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Not only was Lex Luger rebuilding his body, but he was also rebuilding his mind.  He wrote and published a book called Wrestling with the Devil.
Lex Luger never thought he would be considered a born-again Christian. However, that is exactly what happened. Lex Luger was humbled before God.
Lex Luger’s attitude and personality completely changed. He was just happy to be alive. People who refused to work with the Total Package changed their tune.
After facing all the hardships, Lex Luger was a consultant for the Wellness Policy in response to this position, he just replied,
“Were trying to prevent this young generation of guys from going down the same path we had to go down in the 80’s and 90’s.”Â
Lex Luger was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2025 by another good friend, Diamond Dallas Page. DDP was instrumental in repairing the bridge with WWE.
Luger was also offered a legends contract. He, along with current WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes, made sure the world did not forget what Lex Luger gave to the business.
DDP expressed his admiration for Lex Luger
“Tonight, we are here to not only celebrate the impact Lex Luger had on our business, but to celebrate a story of a transformation.
This is the story of a man who lost everything. For all the battles he had in the ring, nothing would compare to the battles he had outside of it.
Lex had lost his physical gifts from God. Lex realized that real strength isnt gained in the spotlight.
Real Strength is gained in the shadows. He let go of his ego and found something much bigger.”
From selfishness to saved, Lex Luger was a man who believed that his looks were everything. When God took away every gift he gave Lex Luger, Lawrence Phofll discovered who he really was.
Today, Lex Luger continues to inspire the future. He delivers motivational speeches on letting go of what the world considers important and giving back.
He continues to inspire those who feel they have lost everything. Sometimes in life, you have to lose it all to discover it again. Lex Luger exemplifies that statement.
