Lex Luger was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025.
The induction ceremony took place on Friday night, with the inductees introduced the following evening at WrestleMania 41 inside Allegiant stadium. However, Luger was noticeably absent from Saturday’s festivities.
Speaking on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Luger explained his absence. He said,
“It’s wild how that stuff catches fire. With everything that happened, by Saturday morning, I could barely get out of bed. I called the guys, and they were really cool about it. They said, ‘We’d love to have you down here — let’s see how you feel later in the day.’ But by the afternoon, it was clear I wasn’t going to make it.”
Diamond Dallas Page, who had the honor of inducting Luger, emphasized that Lex would have attended if he were physically able, noting that Friday had been a long night and they were both still adjusting from East Coast time.
During a recent appearance on the “No Contest Wrestling” podcast, WWE NXT World Champion Oba Femi discussed potential challengers to his title, such as Lance Anoa’i and Hikuleo.
Anoa’i and Hikuleo joined WWE last year, but they have not yet debuted in NXT.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On Lance Anoa’i and Hikuleo appearing in NXT: “I already said it’s left for them to step up, but I can tell you what we have in store. I know Hikuleo is in the woodworks right now, he can come out whenever he is ready. Lance Anoa’i is also in the woodworks right now. Whenever they’re ready. I’m not dropping anything, I’m just telling you the potential.”
On how he’s cleared out the locker room: “I’ve cleared everybody. Who’s the biggest star in NXT? Some people will say Trick, I think it’s me. Some people will say Trick Williams, I cleared him. Twice. There’s nobody left. So, I’m just telling you what we have in the woodworks, in the closet. If it comes out, it comes out. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I’m just telling you what’s in the woodworks.”
During a recent appearance on “The Ringer Wrestling Show,” Finn Balor discussed his time in WWE NXT and how his start in the developmental brand benefited his career.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On starting in WWE NXT: “Like everyone else, there were nerves. You’re walking into a new job. New bosses, new colleagues, new opponents, new fans, new people you have to impress and show out in front of, new countries, new company, new ring, new TV channel, everything was new. There was a huge adjustment phase for me. A lot of people were saying at the time, ‘Finn should’ve gone straight to Raw or SmackDown.’”
On how it benefitted his career: “For me, I felt it was hugely beneficial for my career, especially my longevity, by having to go to NXT and learn under the likes of Matt Bloom, Terry Taylor, Norman Smiley. These guys taught me stuff that I still use in the ring today. If I had continued wrestling the Japanese style that I was wrestling at the time, maybe I wouldn’t be sitting here today. I’d be a lot more beat up.”
(h/t – Fightful)
