During the latest edition of his “My World” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett commented on Jerry Lawler’s long career as an in-ring performer, and more. You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On Jerry Lawler’s career as an in-ring performer: “You have to have lived it because I don’t think my words will do it justice. This is probably – no, it’s not being too over the top. To be in an arena, specifically the Mid-South Coliseum or Louisville Gardens or Nashville, where you’d had five, six, or seven matches. But when the bell would ring for the main event – not Lawler’s music, not anything other than that semi-main event got out of the ring and ding, ding, ding. When they knew it was Lawler’s match, again, not just his music hit, but when they knew, ‘Okay, Lawler is up next,’ people stood up. You just cannot manufacture of Pavlov’s dog that. The glass breaks, ala Steve Austin, boom. The Rock says, boom. It is, here comes Lawler’s match. People stand up. He comes out, and I always said, for whatever reason and this is something you really have to dig into and for anybody out there who wants to learn the psychology of the business.
“Lawler could do more on ding ding, the match is starting, and body language and mannerisms and looking at his opponent across the ring and subtly look at somebody on the front row and the referee – Lawler could create an aura of a big-fight feel and never opened his mouth. He really never even moved in the ring and sort of measured things up to where you go, ‘Okay, wow we’re about to see something here.’ Then Lawler, in his style, would start the match, and Lance Russell would always say, ‘Jerry Lawler, he’s a legendary slow starter.’ That’s how Lance would bring that cadence on, but he was adding to the drama that ‘folks, we’re about to see something.’ Then as the match would develop and get going, the heel would cheat or whatever it may be, and Lawler is down on his luck and take a pounding and punishment to the point where you go, ‘This guy should be dead.’ But he’s not, and Lawler is building this with all the emotion and drama and body language and selling.”
On the impact of Lawler pulling his strap down during matches and Lawler being one of the most well-rounded performers in wrestling history: “Then Lawler would start his comeback and for whatever reason, slinging punches wouldn’t get the job done. Lawler would back down, and they would pound on him some more. Lawler would start the hulk and truth be done, the hulk up came from the Lawler hulk up. He taught Hulk on how to build that emotion to where it finally got to a point where Lawler would pull the strap down. To live in those Mid-South Coliseum or Louisville Gardens nights where you see Lawler pull the strap down – as silly or cartoon as it may be – if you ask people back in the day, when he pulled the strap down, he’s kicking some ass. So, Lawler built that legacy. When you look at the heyday of Memphis, he was in the main event 90-something percent of the time and averaging thousands of fans. You think about how many fans paid to see Lawler kick ass, and it’s astounding. He as well-rounded of a performer that I think the industry has ever produced.”
(h/t – 411 Wrestling)
