Lex Luger Says He Wouldn't Be Who He Is Today Without This WWE Hall Of Famer

Lex Luger remains forever indebted to Ric Flair. 

By the third installment of NWA's "Battle of the Belts" television special, in September 1986, a young Luger received his first big break — an NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship match against Flair. At the time, Flair had just embarked upon his 412-day reign with the Big Gold Belt and was obviously in no position to drop the title, much less to a novice such as Luger. 

However, Flair did the unthinkable by fighting Luger to a time-limit draw, a result that instantly catapulted "The Total Package" to main event status and led to him becoming a member of the Four Horsemen a year later. 

Reflecting on Flair's generosity, Luger remains eternally thankful to "The Nature Boy" for giving him the rub that early in his career. "I tell people there would not be a Lex Luger, we wouldn't be doing this interview right now if it wasn't for Ric Flair," Luger told "Under The Ring" recently. "He has a unique quality — not only is he a cultural icon, and a fun guy to be around, but he has a special quality of being a star maker."

Luger believes Flair was similarly instrumental in elevating his best friend, Sting, to main event level in the late '80s. "Flair put us on the map," Luger stressed. "You wouldn't know Sting or ever heard of Lex Luger if it wasn't for Ric Flair, his interviews, the work he did with us in the ring — he made people believe that we were big stars. He brings you up to his level — that's a very unique gift and quality that Ric Flair has."