Recalling Lex Luger's Mighty Slam and Forecasting Future Patriotic Angles in WWE

World Wrestling Entertainment, like its millions of fans, marks the Fourth of July by celebrating all things America.

As is the case with Vince McMahon's sports-entertainment powerhouse, it is often done in the most over-the-top way imaginable, as his audience witnessed in 1993, when the company staged a bodyslam competition to see whether anyone could hoist the mighty Yokozuna off the ground and slam him to the mat.

Superstars such as "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Crush and Tatanka were joined by stars of the National Football League, but none proved capable of executing the most basic of wrestling maneuvers on the super heavyweight. Then, like something straight out of a Hollywood picture, a helicopter landed on the USS Intrepid, home of the event, and Lex Luger emerged. Moments later, the man formerly known as The Narcissist did the unthinkable and became the latest WWE American hero.

It was an unforgettable moment that launched Luger into the main event stratosphere and ignited one of the most ridiculously over-the-top babyface campaigns of all time. Luger would crisscross the country in his Lex Express, championing American pride in response to Yokozuna's dominance over WWE. The tour setup a monumental showdown at SummerSlam 1993, an event cloaked in red, white and blue.

Luger's bodyslam of Yokozuna was, to that point, the latest in McMahon's use of patriotism to fuel an angle and generate a feud out of it. Over his four decades as a promoter, he has regularly gone back to that well, understanding American patriotism is one of the most basic emotions he and his creative staff can tap into.

From Sgt. Slaughter's contests with The Iron Sheik to John Cena rescuing the United States Championship from Rusev, the angles are almost always successful, the simplicity of them key to their effectiveness.

Monday night, WWE will once again present a special July 4 episode of Raw with two matches sure to tap into pro-USA emotions. The first will pit Rusev against Titus O'Neil for the United States Championship. The second will see a team of All-American Superstars battling a team consisting of foreigners in a huge elimination tag team bout.

Looking into the future, it seems reasonable to believe that McMahon will continue his rich history of stories that play on American pride, but could a changing wrestling landscape prove that theory incorrect?

Why They Will Work

Real-world events will always dictate the success of patriotic angles in professional wrestling.

The reason Slaughter vs. The Iron Sheik worked as well as it did is because it came during the middle of the Iran hostage crisis and the Iran-Contra Affair.

Slaughter was the American hero standing up to the evil Iranian villain, creating a simple yet complicated dynamic. Unlike the real world, where American could not exorcise its frustrations by beating up on the Iranian government, Slaughter could pummel The Iron Sheik around the squared circle in violent Boot Camp matches, providing audiences with a momentary relief from the depressing events being broadcast on the news.

The U.S.'s constant tension with Russia has led to the success of a multitude of villains from that area of the world. Ivan and Nikita Koloff, Krusher Kruschev and Nikolai Volkoff were brutish products of the 1970s and '80s, while Vladimir Kozlov and Rusev have emerged in the new millennium, carrying on the legacy of the foreign heel.

Unfathomable tragedies, such as the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, also spawn patriotic stories. In a great time of sadness and loss, WWE positioned Kurt Angle as the top babyface in the company and the one man capable of making the double-tough "Stone Cold" Steve Austin tap out just days after the world-changing events of that Tuesday morning.

As tensions rise, tragedies befall the country and triumphs occur, WWE will always have inspiration to draw from, thus ensuring the future of patriotic storylines in professional wrestling.

Why They Will Not Work

If successful television programs such as Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad have taught us anything, it is audiences are more sophisticated than ever before.

They demand more out of their televisions than the same repetitive themes that have dominated the art form from its inception. Antiheroes are in great demand, something wrestling fans are witnessing more as heels garner previously unseen levels of followers.

That continuously evolving sentiment in American pop culture could eventually force WWE Creative to delve deeper into storylines, leaving behind the angles that may have once been successful but are antiquated in the eyes of the fanbase.

Sure, the audience will always hate foreign villains, if only because they represent the opposite of everything they stand for, but one look at today's product suggests clear-cut babyfaces are destined to be the most hated Superstars on the roster thanks to their decided lack of depth.

Look no further than John Cena and Roman Reigns to find two characters rejected by fans in favor of dastardly bad guys.

Forecast

The 2015 feud between John Cena and Rusev proved even the most jaded of wrestling fans would still invest emotionally in a feud between an All-American good guy and a ruthless, evil foreign opponent. For the first time in years, Cena was cheered more than he was booed on the strength of the dynamic between him and his brash opponent.

Factor in the lack of real-world conflict between the United States and Russia, other than an exchange of barbs between presidents, and you have proof that even in the 21st century, a feud as generic as "us vs. them" can still work.

WWE Creative may have to alter things to better reflect the deeper stories people crave from entertainment in 2016, but those angles will continue to captivate fans well into the future. 

Take into consideration Rusev, a super athlete who touts his greatness and his heritage to great success. He is not particularly evil, but he is incredibly proud of his country, Bulgaria, much to the dismay of the American audience.

A simple wave of the Bulgarian flag will keep Rusev over and allow Superstars such as Jack Swagger and Titus O'Neil to enjoy significant pushes in passionate storylines when they would otherwise populate Superstars and Main Event with nothing better to do.

Patriotic angles still have a purpose in today's wrestling landscape and always will—as long as the pro-American sentiment is alive and well.