Lawrence Wendell Pfohl (born June 2, 1958),[5] better known by the ring name Lex Luger, is an American retired professional wrestler, bodybuilder, and football player.

[9] On the team's road trip to Atlanta to play Georgia Tech, Luger, who was suffering from cabin fever and disappointed at not being named a starter by coach Lou Saban by the 5th game of the season, snapped and trashed his hotel room.

[5] In 1985, Luger walked into the Championship Wrestling From Florida office where he met Hiro Matsuda,[5] who had previously trained Hulk Hogan and "Mr.

Luger began wrestling for CWF, gaining his first victory on October 31, 1985, against Cocoa Samoa and later won the Southern Heavyweight Championship from Wahoo McDaniel the next month.

On September 1, 1986, he fought NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair for the title at a show Battle of the Belts III, which resulted in a 60-minute draw.

At the June 8 Clash of the Champions II: Miami Mayhem, it was announced that Luger would challenge Horsemen leader Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at The Great American Bash on July 10 in Baltimore.

[16] As Luger arrived at The Clash in a limousine he was attacked by The Four Horsemen, leaving him (kayfabe) injured and bleeding in the parking lot on live television.

[5][24] In November 1988, Jim Crockett Jr. sold JCP to Turner Broadcasting System, ultimately the promotion was renamed to World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

[5] Luger eventually dropped the title to Stan Hansen at Halloween Havoc,[33] though he won it back at Starrcade 1990: Collision Course beginning his fourth NWA United States Heavyweight Championship reign.

[38] Luger again began to challenge Ric Flair for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship after becoming No.1 contender by defeating The Great Muta on the June 14, 1991 Clash of the Champions XV: Knocksville USA.

The WWF also incorporated his motorcycle accident into his gimmick, capitalizing on the fact that he had a "metal plate" inserted into his forearm which was said to cause more damage when it struck an opponent, often allowing Luger to pin them with only his little finger placed on their chest.

[52] In mid-1993, after Hulk Hogan's departure from the company, Luger was transformed into a fan-favorite character with the nicknames "Made in the USA" and "The All-American" also "American Original".

[53] Following this, he began the "Lex Express" tour, traveling the country in a red, white, and blue painted bus to greet fans in preparation for his shot at the WWF World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam 1993.

[69] They defeated jobbers on Raw and, after a victory over Men on a Mission (King Mabel and Sir Mo) in June 1995,[70] earned a shot at the WWF Tag Team Championship against Owen Hart and Yokozuna at In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks, but failed to win the titles.

[72] Luger's last official WWF match was on September 3 in Saint John, New Brunswick, at a house show teaming with Shawn Michaels defeating Owen Hart and Yokozuna by disqualification.

[76] Eight days after his appearance at SummerSlam and only one night after competing at a WWF house show in Saint John, New Brunswick,[77] Luger made his return to WCW on the premiere of Nitro, coming out during the match for the United States Heavyweight Championship between champion Sting and Ric Flair.

[83] The Dungeon of Doom aligned with the Four Horsemen to form the Alliance to End Hulkamania, which feuded with Hulk Hogan and Luger's former WWF ally, Randy Savage.

At Uncensored, nine members from the Alliance participated in a "Tower of Doom Steel Cage match", but were unsuccessful in defeating the team of Hogan and Savage.

[85] During the summer, Luger began a feud with The Giant for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, unsuccessfully challenging him at The Great American Bash.

In the first few minutes of the match, Luger went down to a kayfabe injury, leaving Sting and Savage on their own when the mystery partner revealed himself to be Hulk Hogan.

[102] Luger played a central role in the group's war with Hogan's nWo Hollywood, and even convinced the long-standing anti-nWo Sting to join.

He debuted this gimmick on the September 27, 1999, episode of Nitro with a Terminator-style entrance symbolizing his "rebirth" and by bringing back Miss Elizabeth as his manager.

He joined the European tour of World Wrestling All-Stars and debuted in Dublin, Ireland, teaming with Sting to defeat Buff Bagwell and Malice.

[114] On October 13, 2012, Luger inducted Sting to the TNA Hall of Fame at a ceremony held in Phoenix, Arizona, prior to the Bound for Glory pay-per-view.

[117]On March 3, 2024, Luger was in attendance for Sting's retirement match at AEW's Revolution alongside Magnum T.A., Scotty Riggs, and Nikita Koloff, however was not shown or acknowledged during the broadcast.

[126] Luger was arrested after a search of the residence revealed a number of illicit controlled substances, including anabolic steroids, oxycodone, synthetic growth hormone, testosterone, and alprazolam.

[129] In December 2005, Luger and fellow wrestlers Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell were removed from a flight to Winnipeg, Manitoba, after committing acts of disturbance on board the plane, and were detained for several hours.

[135] On September 28, 2006, Luger appeared on Praise the Lord, the flagship talk program of the Trinity Broadcasting Network and declared himself a born-again Christian.

In an interview conducted by guest host, one-time wrestling tag-team partner, and longtime friend Sting, Luger emotionally discussed the downward turn of his career and personal life—including the events surrounding Miss Elizabeth's death—and how it led to his Christian conversion.

[138][139] On August 13, 2013, Luger's memoir Wrestling with the Devil: The True Story of a World Champion Professional Wrestler – His Reign, Ruin, and Redemption, was released with the foreword written by Sting.