Jerry Lawler

Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949), better known as Jerry "the King" Lawler, is an American retired color commentator and professional wrestler signed to WWE under a Legends contract.

Lawler began his career in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, in the 1970s, becoming the top star in the regional Continental Wrestling Association (CWA) promotion. In CWA, he held the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship 57 times and the CWA World Heavyweight Championship once. During this time, he gained national recognition for his feud with comedian Andy Kaufman, which included an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman in 1982. Lawler went on to perform for numerous other territories, winning multiple world heavyweight championships. He 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 in 1988, forming the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship, which he held 28 times.

In 1992, Lawler joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), where he performed as a color commentator and occasional wrestler. Although never a champion in the promotion, he had high-profile feuds with Bret Hart and challenged The Miz for the WWE Championship in 2011 at the age of 61. Lawler became a regular color commentator on Raw in the mid-1990s, forming long-running partnerships with Jim Ross and later Michael Cole. He last served on a regular commentary team in 2020, after which he reduced his appearances while remaining affiliated with the company in a limited capacity.

Lawler is a member of the Memphis, Professional Wrestling, Wrestling Observer Newsletter, and WWE Halls of Fame. Outside of wrestling, he is known for his work in music, as a commercial artist, and for running for mayor of Memphis in 1999. He is also known for portraying himself in the 1999 Jim Carrey film about Kaufman, Man on the Moon.