Jerry Lawler Reflects On 50 Years Of Being ‘The King’ & Wrestling Being Called ‘Fake’

Jerry Lawler has been involved in wrestling for five decades. In that time he’s seen the rise of cable TV, the birth and takeover of streaming platforms, and so many infrastructural changes. Ahead of a celebration of his life in wrestling this Saturday, Jerry Lawler spoke with the Commercial Appeal in the town that crowned him “King.”

“To me, it’s just a nickname,” said Lawler, when discussing the moniker that has been royally overutilized in wrestling, but always goes back to Lawler. “Especially in the wrestling business, everybody just says, ‘Hey, King,'” Lawler said. “I just take it for granted.”

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The fact that wrestling storylines and the outcome of matches may be planned in advance doesn’t negate the athleticism, he said. There’s nothing dishonest about the drama. The “E” in WWE stands for “Entertainment,” after all.

“For years, people would come to me and say, ‘I don’t watch wrestling, it’s all fake,'” Lawler said. “And I’d say, ‘Oh, do you watch movies?’ ‘Uh, yeah.’ ‘So when Tom Cruise gets shot, he’s really dead, right?'”

You can check out the full feature piece on Lawler at this link.