Tag: Jerry “The King” Lawler

A Recovering Jerry Lawler Helps Jimmy Hart Induct Andy Kaufman Into The WWE Hall Of Fame

Andy Kaufman’s momentous stint in wrestling was undoubtedly enough to warrant a position in the WWE Hall of Fame, and the comedian’s time has finally arrived. The late Kaufman was inducted into the company’s Hall of Fame last night as a part of the 2023 class and, though a recent stroke prevented him from appearing in person, the moment would not have been complete without involvement from Kaufman’s notorious in-ring rival, Jerry “The King” Lawler. Lawler has long been campaigning for Kaufman to be inducted, and he was finally able to see it through this year.

“One of [the] most memorable moments in my career certainly involved Andy Kaufman,” Lawler said, speaking from his home. Lawler was likely referring to the onscreen tussle that took place on an episode of “Late Night with David Letterman” in 1982 during the pair’s ongoing wrestling feud. In a pre-recorded video, Lawler stated that tonight would have been the biggest night of Kaufman’s life, and then introduced fellow Memphis veteran Jimmy Hart to induct the legendary comedian.

Kaufman and Lawler engaged in a heated rivalry during Kaufman’s time in the Memphis territory in 1982 and 1983, with Kaufman acting as a despised heel who preferred to wrestle women, and Lawler stepping in as a hero who aimed to take Kaufman down a peg or two. At the time, many viewers were fully convinced of the feud’s reality, though Kaufman and Lawler were actually close friends who were working together to put on as entertaining of a performance as possible. Devastatingly, Kaufman passed away from cancer just a short time later in 1984. However, his brief foray into the world of professional wrestling spawned a lasting legacy that’s influential to this day.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jerry Lawler Set To Return Home Following Hospitalization

It’s been a rough week for Jerry “The King” Lawler, as the WWE Hall of Famer suffered a stroke while staying at his Florida condo on Monday.

As he fell ill, Lawler was rushed to the hospital to undergo emergency surgery. Following the procedure, Lawler’s movement and speech remained limited, but with some rehabilitation, he is expected to make a full recovery. In the latest update, Lawler has now been moved out of the ICU to begin the discharge process Friday, as confirmed by his long-time partner Lauryn McBride via a post on Lawler’s Twitter account.

“Jerry is out of ICU & will return to his Florida home for outpatient rehab for his limited speech & cognitive skills. Doctors hopeful for full recovery & Jerry is looking forward to returning to his fans very soon. – Lauryn #LongLiveTheKing,” the tweet read.

https://twitter.com/JerryLawler/status/1623785032623030272?s=20&t=wTD1zm2e7oTqJBnG7yOPbQ

Amidst his health scare, Lawler found himself in the comfort and thoughts of many of his family and friends, including “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart, who visited Lawler in his hospital room. Former WWE broadcast partner Jim Ross also spoke with Lawler and took to social media to share that Lawler’s prognosis seemed positive.

Fellow WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley recently discussed Lawler’s contributions to the professional wrestling industry, and of course, his hope for his former colleague to make a full comeback. Noting Lawler as one of the “premier bump guys,” Foley applauded the multi-time champion’s work as a “top guy for decades.” 

“By the time the world got to know Jerry, he had a lot of wear and tear on his body,” he said on “Foley Is Pod.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jerry Lawler’s Twitter Account Issues Official Health Update

There is good news to be shared about WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler. 

After being hospitalized on Monday — the result of a stroke while at his Florida condo — and making it through surgery, Lawler is apparently doing okay and is on the path to recovery. With a number of friends updating the public on his condition throughout this ordeal, Lawler’s Twitter account has now come out to share the latest developments on his health. 

“Update on Jerry: After suffering a massive stroke Monday, he is now recovering in a Fort Myers, FL hospital,” read the account’s tweet. “His speech is limited, but with rehabilitation will regain a full recovery. He thanks everyone for the continued prayers and will be back in the near future.” In addition, photos were attached of Lawler awake and alert in his hospital room, accompanied by longtime friend “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart.

https://twitter.com/JerryLawler/status/1623391881848668161

Last night, Lawler’s former broadcast partner Jim Ross also shared that he had spoken with “The King” and that he was doing well. 

Lawler has been through major health scares before, including suffering a heart attack while on the air during a 2012 episode of “WWE Raw.” He was able to make a full recovery then as well. Recently, Lawler stepped into the ring to wrestle the Beer City Bruiser at AML Acts of War Games 2 — keeping intact his streak of having wrestled at least one match a year for the last 53 years. He was also a part of the panel for the Royal Rumble pre-show.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jerry ‘The King” Lawler Suffered A Stroke 

Action News 5 in Memphis, Tennessee is reporting that Lawler suffered a stroke at his home in Fort Meyers, Florida. He later underwent surgery and is said to be recovering at a Florida hospital.

 Dutch Mantell took to Twitter to provide an update on “The King,” noting that he spoke with Lawler’s son Kevin who said that the WWE Hall of Famer was improving. He wrote,

“Just talked to Kevin…he said that he talked to the Dr. who said that Jerry is improving. He suffered some paralysis on his left side that he is now regaining use of. The Dr. said that Jerry should recover from this episode. Good luck Jerry.”

https://twitter.com/DirtyDMantell/status/1623048354098806790

Dave Brown, a longtime friend of Lawler, provided an update to commercialappeal.com by noting that Lawler could move his legs and arms. 

Lawler’s longtime commentary partner Jim Ross gave an update on Lawler’s condition by writing the following: 

“I spoke very briefly with ⁦Jerry Lawler tonight. He’s obviously weak but I could understand his affected speech. Jerry’s prognosis is positive but he needs all our thoughts and prayers. #LoveYaKing”

https://twitter.com/JRsBBQ/status/1623193574606262277
https://twitter.com/DirtyDMantell/status/1623060730734866437

Lawler previously suffered a stroke back in 2018, and had a heart attack during a live broadcast of WWE Raw back in 2012.

Jerry “The King” Lawler Wrestles In Match For 53rd Straight Year

Jerry “The King” Lawler has competed in at least one wrestling match for 53 straight years.

Lawler can claim that distinction after working on an independent show on January 21 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The WWE Hall of Famer defeated the Beer City Bruiser at the event, titled Acts of War Games 2.

Source: eWrestlingNews

Former MLB Player Todd Frazier Makes The Save For Jerry Lawler At Local Indie Show

Former Major League baseball player Todd Frazier shared a post on Instagram where he helped Jerry “The King” Lawler during the Stand Alone Wrestling event on Saturday night in Toms River, New Jersey.

Frazier came to Lawler’s aid when Lawler faced Rik Ratchet, with Prince Nana and Marc Coralluzo interfering and trying to attack Lawler during the match. You can view some clips from the event that Frazier posted on Instagram below. Frazier wrote,

“What a thrill to live out a childhood dream of mine. The Contest of Champions did not disappoint. All proceeds went to the 200 Club. Wrestling along side Jerry ‘the King’ Lawler was pretty awesome too. I had a feeling I still needed my baseball bat still ????????????????????????”

Source: EWrestlingNews

Tales From The Territories Episode Could Have Been A Dark Side Of The Ring One

The creators of Vice TV’s popular “Dark Side of the Ring” series have another show on the way with “Tales from the Territories.” While speaking to Chris Jericho on the “Talk Is Jericho” podcast, creators Evan Husney and Jason Eisener spoke about the process of selecting topics for the series, including what separates a “Tales from the Territories” entry from “Dark Side of the Ring.” One episode that could have found a place on either show was the installment detailing the famous feud between legendary Memphis wrestler Jerry Lawler and comedian Andy Kaufman.

“[Andy Kaufman and Jerry Lawler] could have been a ‘Dark Side of the Ring’ episode,” Husney said. He explained that the process for putting the show together consists of researching books, interviews, and podcasts of wrestlers from the era to find the best potential topics for episodes. “Obviously, when we’re getting into Memphis, it’s hard to ignore … the Kaufman-Lawler thing. … The Kaufman versus Lawler angle we actually built out into an entire episode.”

Hunsey would go on to explain that the people involved in the Lawler-Kaufman story made it an easy decision to base an episode around. “When we got there, we were filming with the guys, the chemistry was so good. It was like. ‘All right, let’s tell the Kaufman story,’ and they just went, and they went for hours,” Husney said. “It was cool because I had never really heard Lawler’s … top-to-bottom perspective on the whole angle.”

“Tales from the Territories” is produced by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and debuts tonight on Vice TV. Tonight’s episode is on Memphis wrestling. The episode on the Lawler-Kaufman feud premieres on Tuesday, October 11. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jerry Lawler Confirms Plans For Upcoming A&E Biography

WWE and A&E have produced over 130 hours of new content since they expanded their partnership in March. The current season of the series “Biography: WWE Legends” kicked off with an episode centered around The Undertaker and recently wrapped up with an episode dedicated to the first WrestleMania. Next season will include an episode featuring WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler.

“For next season, they’re doing my documentary for A&E, and we had the Batmobile out, driving it over to the Mid-South Coliseum where we had all those famous matches and all that sort of stuff,” Lawler said on the Johnny Dare Morning Show. “So yeah, it’s always fun to get the Batmobile out. I love looking at people’s faces.”

The series premiered in April 2021, with episodes featuring stars such as WWE Hall of Famers “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and Bret “The Hitman” Hart. A&E ordered more episodes, which began airing weekly in July. When the two sides expanded their deal earlier this year, WWE co-CEO Nick Khan commented on the successful partnership with A&E.

 “A&E is an amazing partner with an impressive lineup of signature series across its networks,” Khan said in the original announcement. “The expansion of our partnership will allow us to continue creating a massive slate of new content with a trusted partner while further establishing A&E as a destination for WWE fans for years to come.”

Source: Wrestling Inc. with credit to “Johnny Dare Morning Show”

Jerry Lawler Returning To WWE RAW Commentary

WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler is set to return to RAW commentary next week.

Lawler appeared on RAW Talk last night and revealed to Matt Camp and Jackie Redmond that he will work RAW commentary for a few weeks to replace Corey Graves while Graves is on his honeymoon with Carmella.

Lawler did not specify how many weeks he will be working RAW, but Redmond noted that he will be at the announce table with Jimmy Smith and Byron Saxton for “a couple of weeks.”

“I am looking forward to it,” Lawler said. “I’m going to be back behind the announcer’s table there on Monday Night RAW because that idiot Corey Graves is getting married!,” he joked.

Graves and Carmella are set to tie the knot in Fort Lauderdale, Florida this week. Graves spoke to The Athletic last week in the lead-up to WrestleMania 38 and commented on getting married this week, revealing that the ceremony is scheduled for Thursday.

“Tuesday morning, I get on a plane and fly to Fort Lauderdale. Because Thursday, we’re getting married. Why try to relax after a busy professional week? Let’s go right into the biggest life event we could possibly have,” Graves said.

Last night’s RAW saw Carmella and Queen Zelina Vega officially split up, which came after they dropped the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles to Sasha Banks and Naomi at WrestleMania 38. The RAW segment featured a ringside make-out sessions with Graves and Carmella, which you can see below.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 3/7/22

Tonight’s WWE RAW will air live from the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio.