Lex Luger Becomes WCW Heavyweight Champion on Nitro's 99th Episode

On August 4, 1997, Lex Luger achieved a significant milestone by defeating Hollywood Hulk Hogan to claim the WCW Heavyweight Championship in the main event of WCW Nitro's 99th episode.

The event took place at The Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan, where a sellout crowd of 17,616 attended. The show featured various matches, with viewer ratings increasing throughout the three-hour broadcast, despite some criticism regarding the overall quality of the wrestling.

Dave Meltzer noted that while WCW's show outperformed WWF's offerings that week, it still faced challenges, including lengthy segments and mixed match quality. The anticipation built around the Hogan-Luger match contributed to the event's success.