.jpg) Lawler in 2020 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jerry O'Neil Lawler (1949-11-29)November 29, 1949 (age 75) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
Spouses | |
| Children | 3; includingBrian Christopher |
| Relative(s) | The Honky Tonk Man (cousin) Carl Fergie (cousin)[5] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name | Jerry "The King" Lawler |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 243 lb (110 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | Memphis, Tennessee[2] |
| Trained by | Jackie Fargo[3] |
| Debut | 1970[4] |
| Retired | January 31, 2023 |
Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949),[6] better known asJerry "the King"Lawler, is an American retiredcolor commentator andprofessional wrestler signed toWWE under a Legends contract.[7]
Prior to joining theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1992, he wrestled in numerousterritories, winning manychampionships, including multiple World Heavyweight Championships, throughout his career. Lawler is a one-timeAWA World Heavyweight Champion and a three-timeWCWA World Heavyweight Champion: heunified the titles by defeatingKerry Von Erich atSuperclash III, forming theUSWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship, a championship which he held 28 times. He is also known for his feud with comedianAndy Kaufman, and for portraying himself in the 1999Jim Carrey film about Kaufman,Man on the Moon.
In 2007, Lawler was inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame.
Lawler was born November 29, 1949, inMemphis, Tennessee, where he graduated from Treadwell High School.[6] When he was 19, his father, Jerome Lawler, died.[8]
While working inMemphis, Tennessee, as adisc jockey, Lawler's artistic ability attracted the attention of local wrestlingpromoter Aubrey Griffith.[4]
The two made an agreement in which Lawler would give Griffith free publicity in exchange for free wrestling training.[4] Lawler debuted as a wrestler in 1970, and won his first championship in September 1971 by winning abattle royal.[4] He soon won theNWA Southern Tag Team Championship under the managerial service ofSam Bass with partnerJim White.[4] In 1974, Lawler beganfeuding withJackie Fargo, who had been his trainer and mentor. This led to a match for theNWA Southern Heavyweight Championship. On July 24, 1974, Lawler won the belt and the title of "King of Wrestling."[4][3] While Lawler began his career as aheel, he became aface after splitting from Bass at the end of 1974.[4]
During 1975, Lawler teamed with a variety of partners such as Mr Wrestling II, Don Greene, andBob Orton, Jr. He won theNWA Macon Tag Team Championship twice during this period.
In 1977, promoterJerry Jarrett broke away from Nick Gulas'NWA Mid-America promotion and formed his own promotion, theContinental Wrestling Association. Lawler—Gulas' biggest star—opted to join Jarrett. The CWA quickly outperformed NWA Mid-America, which ultimately folded in 1981. Lawler was both a co-owner of the CWA and its top star.[citation needed]
On November 12, 1979, while working in the CWA, Lawler defeatedSuperstar Billy Graham to become theCWA World Champion.[4] In 1980, coming off the back end of a feud withThe Fabulous Freebirds, his career was put on hold due to a broken leg suffered in a game of touch football, but he returned to the ring after several months.[4][9]
In 1982, Lawler began a notorious feud with comedianAndy Kaufman.[4] At the time, Kaufman wrestled women as part of his skits and had declared himself the Intergender Heavyweight Champion.[4] On April 5, Lawler, who had taken exception to the skits, wrestled Kaufman in Memphis.[4] During the course of the match, Lawler delivered twopiledrivers to Kaufman, the second after the bell rang, sending him to the hospital and nearly breaking his neck.[4] On July 29, Lawler slapped Kaufman in the face on an episode ofLate Night with David Letterman.[4][10] Kaufman responded by shouting profanities and throwing his coffee at Lawler.[4]
Years later, Lawler appeared as himself in the KaufmanbiopicMan on the Moon (film)|Man on the Moon; the film revealed that Lawler's feud with Kaufman had been staged. Lawler later claimed that not only was his entire feud with Kaufman staged, but also the two were actually very good friends.[11]
In 1988, Lawler feuded withDutch Mantel.
In 1989, the CWA merged withWorld Class Championship Wrestling to form theUnited States Wrestling Association.
On March 7, 1983, Lawler won theAWA International Championship by defeatingAustin Idol.[4] On May 30, 1983, Bill Dundee defeated Jerry Lawler for theAWA Southern Heavyweight Championship. The feud quickly escalated and on June 6, 1983, the two met in a Leaves Town Match for the title, in which Lawler won. Lawler defeatedKen Patera on July 25 to begin his second reign as the International Champion.[4] Lawler became theNWA Mid America Champion on April 12, 1984, when he defeatedRandy Savage for the title.[4] He later returned to theUnited States, where he defeatedBill Dundee on July 29, 1986, to begin a new reign as the AWA International Champion.[4] Lawler feuded withTommy Rich, Austin Idol, andPaul E. Dangerously throughout early 1987.[4] The animosity began after controversy over an AWA World Championship title shot involvingNick Bockwinkel.[4] During the feud, the trio defeated Lawler in asteel cage match and cut his hair, which caused a riot in theMid-South Coliseum.[4]
Lawler won theAWA World Heavyweight Championship fromCurt Hennig on May 9, 1988.[4] During his reign, Lawler feuded withWorld Class Championship Wrestling's ChampionKerry Von Erich.[4] He defeated Von Erich on December 15, 1988, atSuperclash III to unify the two titles.[4] Soon after, Lawler's issues withVerne Gagne led to his departure from the AWA, most notably Lawler claiming that he was never paid for the match at Superclash.[4]
In 1981, Lawler wrestled forChampionship Wrestling From Florida feuding withDory Funk Jr. andTerry Funk. In 1985, Lawler traveled toHawaii, where he won the NWA Polynesian Pacific title on January 25, 1986, defeatingLars Anderson.[4] He dropped the title to Tui Selinga on March 26 in Honolulu, Hawaii.[citation needed]
In March 1989, he wrestled forNew Japan Pro-Wrestling. He lost to IWGP Heavyweight ChampionTatsumi Fujinami on March 16.[citation needed]
Lawler continued feuding withKerry Von Erich in WCCW. He lost to Von Erich in a steel cage match on November 25, 1988. He would defeat Von Erich by disqualification to retain the WCCW heavyweight title. He wrestledMil Mascaras to a draw on July 28.
In 1989, Lawler made his debut in the Memphis brandUnited States Wrestling Association, where he won theUSWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship 28 times from 1989 until its doors closed in 1997. While champion, he feuded withThe Soultaker,Jimmy Valiant,Kamala,Eddie Gilbert, andJeff Jarrett.
In 1992, Lawler teamed withJeff Jarrett in a feud againstThe Moondogs.[4] The feud between Jarrett/Lawler and The Moondogs was voted the 1992PWI Feud of the Year byPro Wrestling Illustrated. He won theUSWA World Tag Team Championship with Jarrett four times and twice withBill Dundee.
Lawler dropped the USWA Unified World Heavyweight for the last time toDutch Mantel on August 8, 1997, in an All Body Hair match. A month later on September 14 he lost a Bullwhip on a Pole match to Mantel in his last USWA match. The promotion closed in November 1997.
Lawler began his WWF career in December 1992 as an announcer onSuperstars, while still working in USWA.[4][12] He made his in-ring debut at the1993 Royal Rumble when he participated in the namesake match, which was won byYokozuna. From 1993 to 1995, he feuded withBret Hart and the rest of theHart family. The feud began atKing of the Ring when Lawler interrupted Hart's victory ceremony and attacked Bret.[4][13]
Lawler claimed that he was the only true king in theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF), and the two were scheduled to wrestle atSummerSlam to settle the dispute. At the event, however, Lawler came to the ring on crutches and claimed that he could not wrestle because of injuries suffered in a car accident.[14] Hart faced Lawler's "court jester",Doink the Clown instead, and beat him bysubmission. Lawler then attacked Hart, revealing that he was not injured.[14] Hart defeated Lawler by submission but refused to release theSharpshooter. As a result, the referee reversed the decision and awarded the title of "Undisputed King of the World Wrestling Federation" to Lawler.[15] The two would continue to work throughout the fall on the house show circuit, including in steel cages.
Simultaneously, in a form of cross-promotion, Lawler engaged in a bitter feud withVince McMahon (who at the time was never advertised as the actual owner of the World Wrestling Federation) back in the USWA. There, Lawler played the babyface to his hometown Memphis audience, whereas McMahon (who had always played face in the WWF) was being portrayed as a smug heel intent on dethroning Lawler as the king of professional wrestling. As part of the cross-promotion, McMahon, Bret andOwen Hart,Giant González,Tatanka, and"Macho Man" Randy Savage would begin appearing on USWA television to further the feud. While the program continued in the USWA, the feud between Lawler and McMahon would not be acknowledged on WWF television.
The Hart family (Bret,Owen,Bruce, andKeith) was scheduled to face a team captained by Lawler in anelimination match atSurvivor Series. However,Shawn Michaels had to take Lawler's place because Lawler was facing legal troubles.[4][16] He was indicted for raping and sodomizing a 15-year-old girl, though charges were dropped when the alleged victim recanted her story.[17]
As a result, the feud between Lawler and Vince McMahon back in the USWA was also abruptly discontinued. Lawler did not face Bret Hart at anotherpay-per-view until the firstIn Your House, when he beat Hart afterHakushi and hismanagerShinja interfered.[18] This set up a "Kiss My Foot" match atKing of the Ring 1995, which Bret won.[13] As a result, Lawler was forced to kiss Bret's feet. The feud took one final turn when Lawler introduced his "dentist"Isaac Yankem, D.D.S.. After Hart defeated Yankem bydisqualification,[19] however, the feud quickly disappeared.
Following the end of his legal troubles which kept him out of Survivor Series 1993, Lawler eventually returned to the WWF atWrestleMania X, which was also his first appearance as a commentator on a WWF pay-per-view. During the main event of the night,"Rowdy" Roddy Piper served as special guest referee for the second WWF World Heavyweight Championship match. During this Lawler began making disparaging remarks about him. Lawler would continue to berate Piper on later episodes ofMonday Night Raw, including bringing a skinny kid into the ring dressed as Piper and forcing him to kiss his feet. This ultimately led to a match between the two atKing of the Ring 1994 which Lawler lost.
In the fall of 1994, Lawler initiated a feud with Doink the Clown. Lawler popped the balloons carried by Doink'smidget sidekick,Dink.[20] After Doink and Dink retaliated, Lawler introduced a midget sidekick of his own, who he named Queasy.[20] In the following weeks, Doink added two more sidekicks, Wink and Pink, while Lawler introduced Sleazy and Cheesy.[20] This led to an elimination match atSurvivor Series 1994, which Lawler's team won.[21] After the match, however, Lawler's team turned on him, joining with Doink's team to attack Lawler.[22]
In late 1994 and early 1995, Lawler wrestled briefly inSmoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) while still continuing to commentate sporadically for the WWF.[4] During his absences,Shawn Michaels filled in for him as color commentator onMonday Night Raw. He defeatedTony Anthony for the promotion's top title in January 1995.[4] Lawler was the lastSMW Heavyweight Champion defeatingBrad Armstrong on Boxing Day 1995. The promotion closed its doors on December 30.
By 1996, Lawler wrestled occasionally onWWF Superstars where he would take on jobbers while holding a microphone in the ring to, essentially, "do the commentary on (his) very own matches" while occasionally serving as the official cornerman for Isaac Yankem D.D.S. After a brief feud withThe Ultimate Warrior, Lawler began feuding withJake Roberts after making fun of Roberts' real life drug and alcohol problems.[4] The two met in a match atSummerSlam 1996, which Lawler won. After the match, Lawler pouredJim Beam whiskey down Roberts' throat.[23]
Afterwards, he feuded withMark Henry, which the two meet atIn Your House 10: Mind Games which Henry won.
In early 1997, Lawler was involved in a working relationship between the WWF andExtreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). In June, Lawler entered the King of the Ring tournament for the first time and advanced to the semi-final round where he was defeated byMankind. By the fall, the WWF introduced a new "light-heavyweight division" to compete withWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW)'s cruiserweight division. Lawler's son,Brian Christopher, was one of the major superstars in the division, although the WWF played up an angle where both Lawler and Christopher would deny their family relationship, even though the two would aid each other in matches and so on. USWA folded in November of that year.
By 1998, Lawler rarely wrestled in the WWF and focused on commentary. Despite their feud in the USWA in 1993, by 1998, Vince McMahon hadturnedheel in the WWF for the first time and left the announce position, to which Lawler began praising McMahon's name on commentary as part of his own heel persona, much to the chagrin ofJim Ross. It was McMahon's departure from the commentary team which led to the strong on-screen chemistry between Lawler and Ross in subsequent years. This played a key role in a change of Lawler's character; although he still supported the heels, he showed a sense of right and wrong, and would condemn actions of heels when they went too far.
Lawler during this period would continue commentating and rarely wrestled for the WWF. He wrestled between 1999 and 2001 mainly in house shows. On June 22, 2000, he made an appearance onSmackDown! teaming withThe Kat to defeatDean Malenko andTerri Runnels. This would be the first time in two years he wrestled on WWF television. A week later, he defeated Malenko onRaw.
He would turn face by 2000 (while wrestling). This began when Lawler surprisingly attackedTazz when Tazz started bullying Jim Ross, thus beginning a feud with Tazz. AtSummerSlam on August 27, Lawler wrestled Tazz in defense of Ross, and defeated him.[4] AtUnforgiven on September 24, he lost to Tazz in a Leather Strap match. Also, Lawler feuded with Tazz's partnerRaven until January 2001.
With the creation of theXFL in 2001, Lawler was given the job as an announcer for the new football league.[24] Lawler claims that he never wanted to announce for the XFL (he would admit on-air that he knew and cared almost nothing about the sport), but that he agreed to it after McMahon and Kevin Dunn asked him.[24]
In February 2001, Lawler's then-wifeStacy "The Kat" Carter was involved in a storyline whereRight to Censor (RTC), a group of wrestlers purportedly wanting to rein in the vulgarity of the "Attitude Era," during which she demanded equal time for the "right for nudity". RTC's leaderSteven Richards offered a match with Lawler atNo Way Out on February 25. If Lawler won, The Kat would get naked and if Richards won, The Kat would become RTC property. Richards won the match at No Way Out. The next night, Lawler teamed with theAPA (Bradshaw andFaarooq) as they defeated Right to Censor membersBull Buchanan,The Goodfather andVal Venis onRaw is War. This would be Lawler's last WWF match.
After No Way Out,The Kat was released by the WWF and Lawler quit the company in protest.[24][25]
In 1997, Lawler became heavily involved in the working relationship between the WWF andExtreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). In interviews and commentary, he referred to the promotion as "Extremely Crappy Wrestling".[4] His frequent insults toward ECW eventually led to the promotion "invading"Monday Night Raw in February 1997. He wrestled in two matches. The first on July 19 atHeat Wave 1997 in a steel cage match withRob Van Dam andSabu in a no contest againstRick Rude,The Sandman, andTommy Dreamer. He wrestled against Dreamer at ECW'sHardcore Heaven pay-per-view in August, which Dreamer won.[26]
During his absence from the WWF, Lawler made appearances on theindependent circuit in both Australia and the States,[4][27] as well as joining the fledglingXcitement Wrestling Federation (XWF) promotion alongsideWCW veteranTony Schiavone as a color commentator.[4] On October 26, 2001, he appeared onWWA The Inception as a commentator alongside Jeremy Borash, as well as wrestling in a battle royal. He also made appearances with the International Wrestling Cartel and withMaryland Championship Wrestling, where he held the promotion's world title after defeating The Bruiser on November 2. He would return to WWF after a nine-month absence.
On March 31, 2002, he reunited with his son,Brian, to defeatDavid Flair andJim Cornette at the Tojo Yamamoto Memorial Show.
On November 8, 2003, in a match refereed byMick Foley, Lawler defeatedAl Snow for theJAPW Heavyweight Championship inSecaucus, New Jersey. He lost the title a month later toDan Maff.
Also made appearances inOhio Valley Wrestling, International Wrestling Cartel, and other promotions.
On November 11, 2005, he teamed withBrad Armstrong andJeff Hardy to defeatThe Midnight Express and Jim Cornette for CCW A Tribute for Starrcade.
On November 7, 2008, a tribute show was held for Lawler called Lawler 35 - A Tribute Fit For The King. it was held in Nashville. In the main event match, he defeatedSid Vicious.
On March 16, 2012, he defeatedTommy Dreamer at Wrestle War 2012.
On November 19, 2001, after a nine-month hiatus from the company, Lawler returned to the WWF. He was reintroduced byVince McMahon onRaw as the replacement for color commentator (andAlliance member)Paul Heyman, who had been (kayfabe) fired in the aftermath of the Alliance's loss at the previous night'sSurvivor Series. As he had been before his departure, Lawler once again became color commentator onRaw and pay-per-view events alongsideJim Ross andSmackDown! withMichael Cole, untilthe brands were separated and Lawler became exclusive toRaw. Lawler stated that his well-worked chemistry with Jim Ross has been a result of their different styles; according to Lawler, Jim Ross is a fine storyteller and keeps fans well-versed with current storylines, whereas he provides reaction and emotion to liven the commentary.[28]
In 2003,Raw's announce team of Lawler andJim Ross feuded withSunday Night Heat's team ofJonathan Coachman andAl Snow.[4] AtUnforgiven, Lawler and Ross lost a match against Coachman and Snow, thus losing their right to do commentary onRaw.[4] In a rematch, however, Ross defeated Coachman, winning Lawler and Ross their position back.[4]
In 2006, Lawler faced Tazz atECW One Night Stand, which Tazz won in only 30 seconds by making Lawler pass out to theTazzmission.[29]
In July 2006, Randy Orton began a feud withHulk Hogan. Lawler attacked Orton in defense of Hogan,[30] which set up a match between them onRaw.[31] Orton defeated Lawler after alow blow and anRKO.[32]
On March 31, 2007, Lawler was inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame byWilliam Shatner,[2] whom Lawler had a memorable altercation with on a January 1995 episode ofRaw. In August,King Booker claimed to be the only one entitled to be known as "King".[33] After being beaten by Booker in the ring,[34] Lawler was supposed to be forced to crown his opponent at a show of August 13 inMadison Square Garden.[35] During the ceremony, however, Lawler announced another king as a new opponent for King Booker, "The King of Kings"Triple H. This led to aworked brawl between Lawler and King Booker.[35]
On the July 7, 2008, episode ofRaw, Lawler was attacked by Kane after savingMichael Cole from a similar attack, in which Kane repeatedly asked "Is he alive or is he dead?"[36] Later that summer, he teamed with "Hacksaw"Jim Duggan to faceTed DiBiaseandCody Rhodes for theWorld Tag Team Championship but lost.
On the March 23, 2009, episode ofRaw, Lawler challengedChris Jericho to a match because of his disrespectful and erratic behavior to WWE Hall of Famers, which Jericho accepted. The following week, Lawler lost to Jericho after submitting to the Walls of Jericho. After the match, Jericho outlined how he would remain supreme against WWE Hall of Famers atWrestleMania 25.
On the July 20 episode ofRaw, Lawler announced himself as the opponent against TheBrian Kendrick. He went on to defeat Kendrick. On the November 16 episode ofRaw, after recent acquisitionSheamus attacked the timekeeper in frustration for not receiving an opponent, Lawler left the announce table to confront Sheamus and check on the victim, only to receive a kick to the head for his troubles. On June 7, 2010, during a Viewer's Choice edition ofRaw, Lawler lost his crown toIRS because he had apparently not paid his taxes, but it was regained byQuinton Jackson later on. At the end of the night, Lawler was one of the many employees at ringside that were brutally attacked by the season 1NXT rookies. Lawler, however, was the only person at ringside that fought back, as he used punches and chops to attack the NXT rookies assaulting him until it was a 3-on-1 assault. The following week on Raw, Lawler and the Raw roster fought off the now-called "The Nexus" when they attempted to ambushJohn Cena a second time. On June 28, Lawler, Ricky Steamboat,Michael Hayes,Arn Anderson,Mike Rotunda andDean Malenko were severely attacked by the Nexus, just as they were celebrating Steamboat's career. Josh Mathews replaced Lawler on color commentator for the remainder of the show.
On the July 26 episode ofRaw, Lawler teamed withMark Henry,Goldust,Yoshi Tatsu,Evan Bourne andThe Hart Dynasty in a tag team elimination match versusthe Nexus. Lawler was eliminated byHeath Slater.
On the November 29King of the RingRaw special, Lawler (who was celebrating his 61st birthday) challengedThe Miz to aWWE Championship match. It was granted by theAnonymous Raw General Manager, who made it aTables, Ladders, and Chairs match and it was Lawler's first shot at the title. The Miz retained the championship after interference by Cole andAlex Riley.[37] Cole's interference caused tension between the two, but when Lawler threatened to attack Cole, the Anonymous Raw General Manager issued a "cease and desist" order, which barred any physicality between them.[38]
Lawler continued to challenge with The Miz, where on the December 20Raw, Lawler teamed withRandy Orton andJohn Morrison to take on The Miz, Riley andSheamus in a 6-man tag match which Lawler won by pinning The Miz.[39] This led to a rematch between The Miz and Lawler the following week, with Lawler once again getting the victory, this time by count-out after Morrison got involved.[40] Lawler teamed with Orton again on the January 10, 2011Raw, facing The Miz and Riley, which Lawler won by pinning Riley.[41] Lawler won a 7-manRaw Rumble match on the January 31Raw with help fromJohn Cena to earn a WWE Championship match against The Miz atElimination Chamber,[42] where he was unsuccessful in winning the title, ending the feud.[43]
The following night onRaw, Lawler, after having enough of Cole's attitude, which included the mocking of Lawler's mother's recent death, challenged him to a match atWrestleMania XXVII,[44] which Cole accepted on the February 28Raw and announced that he would be trained in the coming weeks byJack Swagger for the upcoming match.Stone Cold Steve Austin was announced as the guest referee for the match the following week.[45] On the March 14Raw, Lawler was confronted by his son,Brian Lawler, who was invited to Raw to "expose" his father's character. Brian ranted about various problems he had with his father before slapping him and leaving. Cole continued to harass Lawler after Brian left, but was interrupted by a returningJim Ross. Before Ross could attack Cole, Swagger attacked Lawler from behind and then proceeded to attack and lock in theankle lock on Ross, while Cole harassed him. Lawler tried to stop the attack, but fell victim to the ankle lock as well.[46]
At WrestleMania, Lawler initially won by submission, but the Anonymous Raw General Manager reversed the decision due to Stone Cold physically getting involved in the match by pushing Cole, making Cole the winner bydisqualification. Lawler and Ross then faced Cole and Swagger atExtreme Rules in a Country Whipping match, where they were defeated. Lawler challenged Cole to one last match atOver the Limit, even going as far as to putting hisHall of Fame ring on the line and offered to personally induct Cole into the Hall of Fame itself. During the contract signing, Cole announced it would be a "Kiss My Foot" match. At the pay-per-view, Lawler defeated Cole. Afterwards, Ross,Eve Torres andBret Hart helped Lawler by making Cole kiss his foot. Following the pay-per-view, Cole apologized to Lawler, ending the feud.
Lawler competed in the2012 Royal Rumble match as the number 12 entrant, but was eliminated byCody Rhodes after 43 seconds. He, along withBooker T, eliminated Cole afterwards.[47] On the April 30, 2012, episode ofRaw, Lawler competed in aBeat the Clock challenge to determine the number one contender for theWWE Championship match atOver the Limit, but was defeated byDaniel Bryan, who went on to challenge for the title.[48] On the July 9 episode ofRaw, Lawler went against Cole in aWrestleMania XXVII rematch, which he quickly won, but the anonymousRaw General Manager, who returned that night as the guest general manager, reversed the decision and Lawler lost to Cole by disqualification following interference by Booker T.Santino Marella came out to reveal thatHornswoggle was the AnonymousRaw General Manager, who was hiding underneath the ring.
On the July 23 episode ofWWE Raw 1000, afterCM Punk attackedThe Rock, Lawler would mention on commentary that "CM Punk has turned his back on the WWE Universe." The following week onRaw, Punk would confront Lawler about what he said before being interrupted byBig Show.[49] On the August 20 episode ofRaw, after Cena would not tell Punk he was the "Best in the World", Punk would ask for Lawler to get in the ring and say it for the WWE Universe. After Lawler refused to say Punk was the "Best in the World" too, Punk would attack Lawler from behind.[50] The next week onRaw, after Lawler demanded an apology from Punk, Punk would challenge Lawler to a match, which Lawler would accept later that night, where Punk would defeat Lawler in aSteel Cage match.[51] Before the September 3 episode ofRaw, Punk and Lawler brawled backstage, with Punk getting the upper hand before officials stopped them, Lawler was kicked in the throat, which caused Lawler to miss commentary that night, withThe Miz filling in for him.[52]
On September 10, 2012, duringRaw at theBell Centre inMontreal, Quebec, not long after defeating Punk andDolph Ziggler in a tag-team match withRandy Orton, Lawlerlegitimately collapsed at the announcers table whileKane and Daniel Bryan competed againstTitus O'Neil and Darren Young.[53][54] Cole continued to call that match alone, as well as the next match, before WWE (through Cole) announced the medical situation with Lawler. The remaining matches on the show went ahead as scheduled but without commentary and updates on Lawler's condition were provided by Cole. At the end of the broadcast, it was announced that he had receivedCPR, but was breathing independently and reacting to stimulation. Doctors said that Lawler was clinically dead for almost 30 minutes.[55] It was later confirmed on WWE.com that Lawler had suffered a heart attack.[56] On September 11, he underwent anangioplasty to improve blood flow to his heart.[57] On September 12, Lawler was reported to be slowly being eased off sedation, his ventilator removed. He was able to blink, nod, and squeeze with his hands,[58] and that same day, the results of several CT scans showed no signs of brain damage.[59] By September 17, Lawler had returned to his home in Memphis.[60] During Lawler's hospital stay, it was determined that his heart attack was not caused by a blocked artery, but was instead an unexplained cardiac arrest. Lawler was soon medically cleared to continue wrestling.[61]
It was announced on October 29 that Lawler would return to WWE on the November 12 episode ofRaw. He continued his rivalry with Punk after his return was interrupted by Punk andPaul Heyman, who re-enacted his heart attack. Lawler continued to favor Punk's opponents, hoping that Punk would lose theWWE Championship, which he eventually did toThe Rock at theRoyal Rumble much to Lawler's delight.[62]
On January 8, 2015, it was announced on WWE.com that Lawler would be a part of theSmackDown broadcast team as a color commentator along with Cole andByron Saxton starting January 15, ending his 19-year run as a color commentator ofRaw as he was replaced byBooker T.[63]
On the March 30 episode ofRaw, however, Lawler made a one-night return to commentary with Saxton to fill in for Cole, Booker T andJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) after they were assaulted byBrock Lesnar after Lesnar was refused his rematch againstSeth Rollins. On June 17, 2016, Lawler was suspended following his arrest for domestic violence, with WWE stating they have "zero tolerance for matters involving domestic violence, and per our policy, Jerry Lawler was suspended indefinitely following his arrest", until July 1, when the charges were dropped and WWE lifted Lawler's suspension.[64]
On July 7, 2016, Lawler returned toSmackDown resuming his commentary role. However, shortly afterwards, Lawler was taken off air and placed on the pre-show of bothRaw andSmackDown as an analyst.
On December 5, 2016, it was announced that Lawler would no longer be used on pre-shows and instead be kept for special events such as the Hall of Fame ceremony.[65]
On January 17, 2017, Lawler returned toSmackDown Live to host the return of The King's Court from his hometown ofMemphis, Tennessee. During his interview with Dolph Ziggler, Ziggler took credit for Lawler'sreal life heart attack in September 2012 before and kicking him in the chest and leaving the ring. Later that night onTalking Smack,Renee Young announced that Lawler, Cole andCorey Graves will be the commentary team for the Royal Rumble match at the2017 Royal Rumble. On August 28, Lawler filled in for Booker T onRaw commentary from his hometown of Memphis. Lawler, Ross and numerous other WWE Legends appeared onRaw 25 on January 22, 2018.[66][67] On January 26, it was revealed that Lawler signed a new one-year deal with WWE. At the2018 Royal Rumble, during the men's match, Lawler was the special guest commentator where he correctly predicted thatShinsuke Nakamura would win.
On March 21, 2018, Lawler suffered a stroke at his home in Memphis. He explained the incident on his podcast,[68] which he revealed he could not speak for three days. He stayed in the hospital's ICU until he woke up three days later and regained his speech. The doctors said Lawler would make a full recovery. He was able to make all of his appearances during WrestleMania 34 weekend in New Orleans and was cleared to wrestle.
On April 8, 2018, atWrestleMania 34, Lawler called the fifth annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the WrestleMania 34 pre-show, alongside Ross and Saxton.[69]
On April 27, 2018, Lawler served as part of the pre-show panel at the first WWE pay per view in Saudi Arabia called theGreatest Royal Rumble alongside Ross.[70]
On the specialSmackDown Live 1000th episode on October 16, 2018, Lawler returned as a guest commentator alongside Booker T to provide commentary for theNew Day–The Bar match for theSmackDown Tag Team Championship.[71]
Lawler returned as a guest commentator on the July 22, 2019, special episode ofRaw called the Raw Reunion.[72]
On the July 30, 2019, edition ofSmackDown Live, Lawler returned to host the Kings Court withTrish Stratus as his guest.[73]
Lawler returned on the August 19, 2019, edition ofRaw to host the Kings Court and was attacked by"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt.[74]
On September 26, 2019, WWE announced as a part of their "WWE Premiere Week" that a new commentary team will be onRaw. Lawler would return to full-time commentary onRaw, as an analyst alongsideVic Joseph andDio Maddin beginning on the September 30, 2019, edition ofRaw.[75] By January 2020, Lawler had outlasted both Joseph and Maddin, who were replaced byTom Phillips and Byron Saxton, respectively. Lawler was replaced bySamoa Joe on the April 27, 2020, episode ofRaw.[76]
Following his 2023 stroke recovery, Lawler appeared atRaw in Memphis, Tennessee on August 28, 2023, in a segment for the live audience, which was later uploaded to WWE's YouTube page as a digital exclusive.[77] On the November 28, 2023, episode ofNXT, he chose the participants that will compete in the Iron Survivor Challenge atNXT Deadline.
On May 6, 2024, it was reported that Lawler's broadcast contract with WWE expired at the beginning of 2024 and the company decided not to renew it.[78] Lawler still remains under a Legends contract with WWE.[79][80]
In 2003, Lawler made his debut forMemphis Wrestling. He defeated his rivalKamala by disqualification on May 17. He would occasionally teamed up withBill Dundee andBrian Christopher. He had a short feud withKing Mabel. On February 14, 2004, he lost to Brian Christopher in a Memphis Wrestling Television Title Vs. Jerry Lawler's Hummer match. On July 14, Brian and he won a tag team battle royal. Also, Lawler won a battle royal onBoxing Day 2004. He defeatedCassidy Reilly for the USACW United States Title on April 14, 2005.
On June 20, 2008, Lawler returned to Memphis to defeat Kevin White. He lost toSid Vicious on February 28, 2009.
On March 14, 2014, he returned and defeatedGangrel atCarl Perkins Benefit event.
In 2007, it was announced that Lawler would be participating in a 'dream match' withHulk Hogan which had been set to take place in theMemphis Wrestling promotion on April 27. The match had been heavily hyped by promoter Corey Maclin as Hogan had competed in the Memphis territory early in his career.[81] On April 12, however, Lawler pulled out of the event citing his contractual obligations to WWE rendering him unable to appear on a show that was due to be filmed byVH1 for the television showHogan Knows Best.[82] On January 11, 2008, Maclin revealed that he filed a lawsuit against WWE, claiming that pressure on Lawler (and others) to withdraw from the event violated section two of theSherman Antitrust Act.[83]
In May 2010, Lawler announced a new TV wrestling show called,Jerry Lawler's Memphis Wrestling. The show was set to debut onIon Network channel 50 in Memphis on June 5 at the classic 11 am time slot. Three episodes were taped on May 20, 2010, at the Vine in Memphis. On September 11, 2010, Lawler announced that there would no longer be any new shows, but that the talent was still available for fundraisers.
For twenty years, Lawler has worked forNortheast Wrestling based in Massachusetts. His first match was on November 9, 2002, when he defeatedSyxx-Pac.
On April 30, 2005, he defeatedKing Kong Bundy with special guest refereeMick Foley in Bristol, Connecticut.
From 2006 to 2007, he feuded with former WWE wrestlerRomeo Roselli.
On January 15, 2011, he defeatedTommy Dreamer in a cage match. Then on October 1, 2011, he defeatedTerry Funk in a No Disqualification No Holds Barred match.
In 2013, he returned to Northeast after a heart attack in 2012 where he defeatedMatt Striker on September 21.
On August 25, 2017, he lost toNEW Heavyweight ChampionCody Rhodes in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
From 2015 to 2019, he has been feuding with Brian Anthony. Lawler would team with Keith Youngblood defeating Anthony Battle and Daniel Evans on April 26, 2019, for the NEW Tag Team titles. They dropped the tiles to Brian Anthony and Daniel Evans on August 17.
On August 14, 2021, Lawler defeatedEnzo Amore in aCasket match in Poughkeepsie, New York.
Lawler's last Northeast match was on September 9, 2022 teaming withErick Rowan defeating Elijah Dean and Zach Nystorm.
He returned to wrestling in 2013 nearly a year after his heart attack in an appearance in WWE. His first match back was on May 25 in an 8 Tag team where he teamed withDory Funk Jr. which they won atFunking Conservatory inOcala, Florida. On July 7, 2014, he defeatedScott Steiner at Wild Fire Wrestling in Memphis. A week later, he went toWorld Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico where he defeatedCarlito.[citation needed]
On October 24, 2015, Lawler defeatedTerry Funk by disqualification atUSA Championship Wrestling inJackson, Tennessee, at theOman Arena. He would feud withTommy Rich from 2017 to 2018. On March 23, 2019, he teamed withRikishi defeating Scott Steiner andBuff Bagwell for the Grind City Tag Team titles at aMemphis Grizzlies game.
At 70, Lawler put his career on the line on January 18, 2020, against Arkansas Heavyweight ChampionMatt Riviera in a "Title vs Career" match at Championship Wrestling of Arkansas' "No Surrender" event inNorth Little Rock, Arkansas, where he won the match and the title.[84]
On January 21, 2023, Jerry Lawler had his final match for AML Wrestling promotion where Lawler defeatedBeer City Bruiser.
Lawler has created some musical recordings. Among these are two late-1970s singles: "Cadillac Man/Memphis", and "Bad News". During his feud with managerJimmy Hart (Lawler is a factor for "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart entering professional wrestling; Lawler wanted to record a wrestling album with him singing, and since they had gone to school together, he called Hart and asked him to be a part of it) in the mid-1980s, Hart became known as "The Wimp", a nickname given to him by Lawler and chanted by fans. Hart was the subject of the song "Wimpbusters", which was sung by Lawler to the tune of the popular hit "Ghostbusters" byRay Parker Jr.. A music video was also made, featuring Lawler, legendary announcerLance Russell, and wrestlers such asRandy Savage,Jimmy Valiant,Dutch Mantel,Tommy Rich, andRufus R. Jones, along with footage of "The King" beating Hart and his "First Family." A very youngBrian Christopher also made an appearance as a young child being bullied, and another child is seen wearing a replica ofTully Blanchard'sWest Texas State jersey. He also recorded aCD titledMemphis' Other King.[85]
Lawler had his own talk show called "The Jerry Lawler Show" on WMC-TV in Memphis during the 1980s.
In 1998, Lawler appeared in the filmMan on the Moon, starringJim Carrey.[4] According to Lawler's autobiography,It's Good To Be The King... Sometimes, an incident involving Jim Carrey forgetting a line led to animosity between the two actors during filming. Between scenes Jim Carrey often remained in character as Andy Kaufman and at one point spit on Jerry, just as Kaufman had done in 1982. A 'stunned' Lawler reacted by grabbing Carrey by the hair and locked him in a sleeper hold and jerking his neck— sending Carrey to the hospital.
In 1999, Lawler ran for mayor ofMemphis, Tennessee.[10] His platform focused on making the streets safer for residents, beautifying the city, and improving the quality of education.[86] In addition, he vowed to attract businesses to Memphis, improve the flow of traffic, create more parks, and decrease property taxes.[86] Lawler ended up with 11.7% of ballots, beating twelve of the fifteen candidates.[87] Ultimately, however, MayorWillie Herenton was easily reelected.[87]
In 2000, Lawler made a very brief cameo appearance in the music video of "I Can't Lie To Me" ByClay Davidson. On December 17, 2002; he released his autobiography titledIt's Good To Be The King... Sometimes. On July 8, 2009, Lawler again ran for the position of Mayor of Memphis in a special mayoral election; on October 15, 2009. He was in 5th with 4% of the vote.
Lawler is also a commercial artist, designing graphics for various companies, including WWE. In 2007, he painted the cover of the wrestling comic bookHeadlocked.[88]
In 2012, he played the role of Sheriff Jackson Cole in thehorror comedy filmGirls Gone Dead.
Lawler has provided his voice for numerous WWEvideo games in which he has appeared as a commentator. He is also a playable character in a number of WWE games,WWE All Stars as a wrestler,WWE '12 as both a wrestler and a commentator andWWE '13,WWE 2K14,WWE 2K15, andWWE 2K16,WWE 2K17 andWWE 2K Battlegrounds simply as a commentator andWWE 2K20 as a wrestler.
In 2016, Lawler and business partner Barry Aycock opened a wrestling-themed establishmentKing Jerry Lawler's Hall of Fame Bar & Grille onBeale Street,Downtown Memphis, Tennessee.[89] The next year Lawler opened King Jerry Lawler's Memphis BBQ Co. inCordova, Tennessee.
In March 2017, Lawler launched the wrestling and pop-culture podcastDinner with the King. His co-host is Glenn Moore and the podcast is produced by Pod Avenue.[90] The podcast ceased production after Moore was accused of scamming Lawler fans who tried to buy merchandise and artwork from Lawler. Lawler and new co-host Scott Reedy started a new podcast calledThe Jerry Lawler Show in 2019 and ran until 2020.
Lawler is the cousin of fellowprofessional wrestlerThe Honky Tonk Man.[91] Lawler has been married three times and had two sons with his first wife, Kay.[92] His sonBrian, who wrestled in WWF/E under the names "Brian Christopher" and "Grandmaster Sexay," died by suicide on July 29, 2018. His other son, Kevin, has been in professional wrestling as both areferee and wrestler under the names "Kevin Christian" and "Freddie Gilbert," the latter of which was used during a stint as the "brother" ofEddie Gilbert.[citation needed]
In his book,It's Good To Be The King ... Sometimes, Lawler says he believes Kevin's short physical stature has prevented him from reaching success similar to Brian.[citation needed] In August 2008, Kevin was arrested on charges of trespassing and aggravated burglary.[93] After divorcing Kay, Lawler was later married to Paula from February 14, 1982, to October 2, 1991.[92]
He met his third wife,Stacy "The Kat" Carter, at acharitysoftball game inMemphis, Tennessee, on July 23, 1989.[94] They married in September 2000.[4] In mid-February 2001, Carter (who was a valet and has also made in-ring appearances) was released by the World Wrestling Federation.[95] Lawler then left the company in protest.[95] Carter and Lawler later separated shortly before Lawler rejoined the WWF in November 2001. Their divorce was finalized on October 15, 2003.[27]
Though he has spent most of his life in Memphis, Lawler did spend a part of his childhood inOhio after his father was transferred to a Ford Motor Company assembly plant inLorain, Ohio. From the ages of 7 to 15 his family resided in the city ofAmherst, Ohio, a suburb nearCleveland. Although this stay was brief, it would have an influence on Lawler throughout his life thereafter. He often citesCleveland as his second-favorite city behind only Memphis and is a die-hard fan of theCleveland Guardians, theCleveland Browns, and theCleveland Cavaliers. When WWE performs in Cleveland, Lawler will usually wear a Browns jersey or an Indians jersey (atSummerSlam 1996 he teased Browns fans by wearing aBaltimore Ravens jersey, because theoriginal Browns moved to Baltimore and became theRavens), and during baseball season, he would throw out the first pitch at a game.[96]
Lawler is a collector ofCoca-Cola andSuperman merchandise, and owns a replica of the Batmobile from the1960s Batman series.[97]
In late 1993, Lawler was indicted inJefferson County, Kentucky, on charges of statutory rape and sodomy of a 13-year-old girl. Lawler later made a plea for a lesser charge after witnesses refused to testify.[98] Lawler then returned to work for theWorld Wrestling Federation.[99]
Lawler's son Brian was found hanging in the Hardeman County Jail on July 29, 2018, and was pronounced dead later that day. On the one-year anniversary of his death, Lawler filed awrongful death lawsuit against Hardeman County, Hardeman County Sheriff John Doolen and others for allegedly failing to protect him. He alleged that Doolen had personally promised to "keep an eye" on Brian after he was incarcerated.[100] The case was dismissed on September 20, 2024.
On February 7, 2023, Lawler was rushed to the hospital after suffering a stroke at his Florida home. Lawler had previously suffered a stroke in 2018.[101]
Lawler was scheduled to appear at HorrorHound Weekend inCincinnati on Friday, September 5, 2025; however, on September 10, it was reported that "due to some personal matters" he had to cancel. The following day on September 11,TMZ reported that Lawler cancelled due to suffering his third stroke since 2018 at one of his homes in Florida on that Friday and was hospitalized. Lawler's daughter Jenny confirmed that her father was on the road to recovery and that she was taking Lawler back to his primary residence in Memphis where he will rest up for a few more weeks before getting back to normal.[102] According to Lawler's caregiver, his 2023 stroke impacted the left side of his body while his 2025 stroke impacted the right side of the body and slightly impacted his vision as well however he is still able to walk and talk.[103]
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerry Lawler (hair) | Inferno (mask) | Nashville, Tennessee | GWE Nashville | June 5, 1974 | [186] |
| Jerry Lawler (hair) | The Mummy (mask) | Memphis, Tennessee | GWE Memphis | December 2, 1974 | [186] |
| Jerry Lawler (hair) | Bill Dundee (hair) | Memphis, Tennessee | GWE Memphis | September 5, 1977 | [186] |
| Jerry Lawler (hair) | John Louie (hair) | Memphis, Tennessee | CWA Memphis | April 24, 1978 | [186] |
| Bill Dundee (hair) | Jerry Lawler (championship) | Memphis, Tennessee | CWA Live event | October 1, 1979 | [187] |
| Jerry Lawler (hair) | Tom Branch (hair) | Memphis, Tennessee | CWA Memphis | November 11, 1985 | [186] |
| Jerry Lawler (hair) | Big Bubba (hair) | Memphis, Tennessee | CWA Memphis | November 23, 1986 | [186] |
| Austin idol (hair) | Jerry Lawler (hair andchampionship) | Memphis, Tennessee | CWA show | April 27, 1987 | [188] |
| Jerry Lawler (hair) | Don Bass (hair) | Memphis, Tennessee | CWA Memphis | August 31, 1987 | [186] |
| Jerry Lawler (hair) | Christmas Creature (mask) | Memphis, Tennessee | USWA Memphis | December 28, 1992 | [186] |
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