Lex Luger Recalls Vince And Linda McMahon's 'Hurt' Reaction To His WCW Nitro Debut

The debut episode of "WCW Monday Nitro" is most remembered for the surprising appearance of Lex Luger, who after wrestling for WWE at a house show the previous night, showed up on the live broadcast of the competition — creating shock value that got even loyal WWE fans to take notice of WCW. Luger jumping ship created speculation among wrestling fans as to which other big stars would deflect to the other side, paving the way for the ensuing Monday Night Wars. 

On the premiere episode of his "Lex Expressed" podcast, Luger confessed that a lot of his friends in WWE were unaware of his departure in 1995. "They were just as shocked as the fans were," Luger recalled. Immediately after his WCW return, Luger also heard a rumor that Linda and Vince McMahon were watching "Nitro" and were taken aback when they saw him. "Vince and I worked out together, he was always good to me when I was there [in WWE]. I was very uncomfortable leaving there without giving notice, but that was part of the stipulation that Eric [Bischoff] laid out. So, when I walked out, because of my close relationship with Vince, I guess Vince was very hurt."

In hindsight, Luger regrets not informing the McMahons as he believes the move did irreparable damage to his relationship with Vince and Linda. "I heard that Linda told Vince, 'If you ever bring him back in here ...' I guess it was jaw-dropping since as close as we were, I just showed up on Nitro without talking to him."

Vince seemingly kept his promise to Linda as Luger didn't return to WWE until 2011 when he was brought back to oversee its wellness policy. In recent years, there have been increasing calls for his induction into the Hall of Fame, which could come to fruition after Luger recently signed an ambassadorial deal with WWE.