Jerry Lawler

Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949), better known as Jerry "the King" Lawler, is an American 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. Beyond his duties as an active wrestler, Lawler also worked as a booker in CWA and later in its successor promotion, United States Wrestling Association (USWA). He went on to perform for numerous other territories, winning dozens of 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. Debuting as a commentator on Superstars, Lawler became a regular color commentator on Raw in the mid-1990s, forming long-running partnerships with Jim Ross and later Michael Cole. 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. 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. Throughout his time in WWE, he also performed on the independent circuit, last wrestling in 2023.

Lawler is a member of the Memphis Wrestling, 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.