When news broke that WWE wasn’t renewing the contract of Jerry Lawler, the long-time broadcasting partner of Jim Ross during the Attitude Era, it hit more than a few fans right in their feelings.
Now sure, “The King” hasn’t called a match for WWE since 2020 and suffered a stroke last year that left him unable to speak for months, but before his health issues, Lawler was a regular on Premium Live Event panels and provided fans with his wealth of knowledge from decades and decades within the squared-circle.
Discussing the end of an era in professional wrestling on his Grillin’ JR podcast, Jim Ross acknowledged that he felt bad for his long-time partner and vowed to appear with him at some point in the future.
“I felt bad about this week’s news about Lawler, my partner,” Jim Ross said via Fightful. “I don’t think that he and I have worked our last match together. I really don’t believe that. I think somewhere down the road, we’ll… if nothing else, it’ll be at an appearance.”
When co-host Conrad Thompson noted that Lawler is financially set, Ross agreed, noting that they could still work together in the future due to their chemistry, even if it doesn’t happen in AEW.
“How much are you gonna saddle your old horse up, Jerry, and ride it work? You’re right, he’s gonna be fine. He’s always lived within his means. I doubt if he’s got any doubt, even on his real estate. Pulling for him in all aspects,” Ross noted. “I just think that JR and The King is marketable after all these years together. So we’ll see how that works out. I’m not saying that he’s gonna join the staff at AEW whatsoever. I don’t have any idea about that, and nor do I want to know. It’s not my place to hire talent. But I certainly feel in my bones that there’ll be opportunities for he and I to work together, whether that be on a TV show, a one-off type thing, or certainly some appearances. We still have great chemistry.”
Could AEW bring in Lawler for a one-off call the next time they are in Memphis? Totally, there are plenty of wrestlers who would love to have “The King” call one of their matches, from Jon Moxley to Eddie Kingston, and beyond. And if Tony Khan isn’t into the idea? Well, some promoter likely is, and would likely pay up for the duo to reunite at a Supercard in the future.
Booker T was shocked to see Jerry Lawler leave WWE.
Speaking of Jerry Lawler’s exit from WWE, another one of the promotion’s commentators, NXT’s Booker T, reflected on his exit, declaring the news shocking on his Hall of Fame podcast.
“I didn’t see that coming. I didn’t see waking up this morning and opening up the phone, and the first thing I see is, ‘Jerry Lawler no longer a part of WWE.’ Just because he’s been a part of the fabric of WWE for so long, man. And that’s just evolution, I think that’s just chang. And that’s something that’s going to happen for just about all of us, of course,” Booker T explained via 411 Mania.
“But I just feel like, probably with the change of the guard, it probably happened a little bit sooner than it probably would have happened. You know, just because Jerry has been a part of this family for so long. But you know, there again, man, Jerry is a survivor. I don’t think you’ll have to worry about Jerry at all. Probably got so much money stacked up in some safe somewhere. The rumor with Jerry that always had an exit strategy, you know. Definitely, like I said, we’ll miss him. And I’m sure I see Jerry down a lot.”
As crazy as it may sound, Booker T and Lawler have actually appeared together more times on WWE panels than in the ring, with the duo only working four matches of their shared careers, three in 2007 and another in 2012. Still, who can forget when King Booker wrestled “The King” for his crown on RAW back in the day as the capstone of their feud? That moment is likely special to both men and surely helped to fortify a friendship that clearly remains to this day. While they may no longer be coworkers, Booker’s take is likely correct, as when it comes to professional wrestling, nothing is ever truly over until someone passes away, leading to an eventual reunion of the two men, and maybe even of Lawler with WWE at some point down the line.
More must-reads: