Jerry Lawler
| Jerry Lawler | |
|---|---|
Lawler at the New York Comic Con in 2010
|
|
| Birth name | Jerry O'Neil Lawler |
| Born |
November 29, 1949 West Memphis, Arkansas, United States |
| Spouse(s) |
Kay Lawler (m. 1971; div. 1978) Paula Lawler (m. 1982; div. 1991) Stacy Carter (m. 2000; div. 2001) |
| Children | 2; including Brian Christopher |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Jerry Lawler |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Billed weight | 236 lb (107 kg) |
| Billed from | Memphis, Tennessee |
| Trained by | Jackie Fargo |
| Debut | 1970 |
Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and color commentator, signed to WWE under the company's legends program. Lawler is known throughout the professional wrestling world under the ring name Jerry "The King" Lawler.
Prior to joining WWE in 1992 (then known as the World Wrestling Federation), Lawler wrestled in numerous territories, winning 168 championships throughout his career. Lawler is a one-time AWA World Heavyweight Champion and a three-time WCWA World Heavyweight Champion. He unified the titles by defeating Kerry Von Erich at Superclash III, forming the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship, a championship which he held 28 times. Lawler has held more championships than any other current WWE wrestler, though he has never won any championships in WWE since joining the company. In 2007, Lawler was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
While working in Memphis, Tennessee as a disc jockey, Lawler's artistic ability attracted the attention of local wrestling promoter Aubrey Griffith. The two made an agreement in which Lawler would give Griffith free publicity in exchange for free wrestling training. Lawler debuted as a wrestler in 1970 and won his first championship in September 1971 by winning a battle royal. He soon won the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship under the managerial service of Sam Bass with partner Jim White. In 1974, Lawler began feuding with Jackie Fargo, who had been his trainer and mentor. This led to a match for the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship. On July 24, 1974, Lawler was booked to win the belt and the title of "King of Wrestling." During 1975, Lawler teamed with a variety of partners such as Mr Wrestling II, Don Greene, and Bob Orton, Jr. He won the NWA Macon Tag Team Championship twice during this period. While Lawler began his career as a heel, he became a face after splitting from Bass at the end of 1974. On November 12, 1979, while working in the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA), Lawler defeated Superstar Billy Graham to become the CWA World Champion. In 1980, his career was put on hold due to a broken leg, but he returned to the ring after several months.
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