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King Of The WWE Jungle

King Of The WWE Jungle

Posted: Mar 30th 2012 By: mikeiles

No lions, tigers or bears, but there are cobras, silverbacks and pythons, making Jerry Lawler The King of WWE?s jungle.

Lawler, the longtime color commentator of WWE Raw, has worn many crowns during his pro wrestling/sports entertainment career that spans five decades. From referee to promoter to wrestler to Andy Kaufman, he?s just about done it all and done it all well.

?Honestly, I?m not trying to blow my own horn, because I feel lucky moreso than anything,? Lawler said, ?but [WWE CEO/Chairman] Vince McMahon once told me, ?I think you?re the most all-around talented guy I?d ever met in this industry.? Then he explained, ?You?ve done everything and done everything well. You?ve owned a wrestling company. You started out as a referee. You?ve wrestled. You?ve booked. You?ve done payrolls. You?ve done commentary. You still wrestle.?

?It?s just one of those things. It?s like that baseball movie ?The Natural.? Wrestling and anything involved with it has always come natural to me. I never took things too seriously, and I always had a great time and fun doing it.?

Dubbed The King, a well deserved title, Lawler, 62, is still having fun, whether he?s discussing the past times or the present with WWE and WrestleMania.

? Why did WrestleMania continue to make it where events like the AWA SuperClash and the NWA Great American Bash ended?

Lawler: ?Well, yea, the reason, and he would not like me to blow his horn, but the reason WrestleMania made it, and the others didn?t simply was because of Vince McMahon. There?s nobody that?s more dedicated, and nobody who loves the WWE more than Vince McMahon. WrestleMania is the ultimate thing to him, and every year it?s grown bigger and bigger. I swear. I?ve been probably involved in 17 or 18 WrestleManias, and every single year, when WrestleMania is over, I honestly say to myself, ?Well, no way they?ll ever top this,? and somehow every single year they do.

?Last year [WrestleMania 27 in Atlanta] was the first one I got to compete on, and they were saying it was the greatest one in history. You had Stone Cold Steve Austin involved. You had The Rock back, involved with John Cena. You had Triple H and The Undertaker. At the end of that one, I said, ?I don?t know how they?re going to top this,? but somehow it just keeps getting bigger and bigger and better and better.

?There?s no question ? when you look at the bottom line ? the driving force that makes WrestleMania what it is ? is Vince McMahon.?

? WrestleMania 28 in Miami means what to The King?

Lawler: ?Oh my gosh. When you?ve been with the company as long as I have, you know WrestleMania is going to be great. You know it?s going to be big no matter where it is. So then you?re looking for the extra icing on the cake is the location. Good grief. Miami, what more could you ask for. There aren?t many cities that you?re going to be able to do. WWE superstars, we?re there for the entire week. It?s WrestleMania Week for us. There are a lot of appearances, and there are a lot of promotions and fan access, but then we also have some free time connected in the evening.

?So when you look for a place to enjoy yourself, what better place is there than Miami? So everybody?s excited that it?s going to be there ? so much excitement, so many fun things to do there in the city, and the weather should be great. Like I said, the location is always the icing on the cake for WrestleMania, and being in Miami may be the best ever.?

? Favorite WrestleMania moments for The King?

Lawler: ?Without a doubt, walking out in front of 71,000 fans and hearing 71,000 people chant your name and knowing for that one brief moment, you?re the center of attention [last year at WrestleMania 27 in Atlanta]. When you?re coming down that aisle, your entrance going to the ring at WrestleMania, theirs is absolutely no way to describe that. It sent chills up and down my back, tears in my eyes, hair on the back of my neck standing up, everything you could think of. I?m still amazed that my legs just didn?t go weak, and I didn?t pass out or stumble down that aisle. That?s how awesome that moment is, and then to go in the ring and have Stone Cold Steve Austin the special guest referee for my match, you can?t ask for anything more.

?My favorite moments for actually calling the action, there have been so many. One match that I really enjoyed calling was The Rock against Hulk Hogan [WrestleMania 18 in 2002 in Toronto]. That was a match you thought you?d never see. I?d put that like a match between Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. It was just something you thought would never happen, and it was a great match. As far as I?m concerned, of the matches I?ve seen, it was probably Hulk Hogan?s best match ever, and The Rock was fabulous in it. So I thought that match was great.

?Also, I enjoyed the confrontations between my buddy Pete Rose [Major League Baseball?s Hit King] and Kane. How do you top seeing Pete Rose getting pile driven on the top of his head? What in the world. It?s classic. That was great.

?My other favorite was sitting next to Donald Trump and having him as a broadcast partner for some of the shows, leading up to the [hair vs. hair] match, and watching Donald Trump [via Bobby Lashley] be victorious [over Umaga] and seeing Vince McMahon get his head shaved.

?The WrestleMania DVD, ?The History of WrestleMania,? when you get that and look back, there are so many things that have happened at WrestleMania. It boggles the mind that you couldn?t remember them all. Then when you?re looking at them one-by-one, you say, ?This is my favorite. No, no, this is my favorite. Oh no, this is better than that. So it?s hard to pick the best moment of WrestleMania.?

? WWE WrestleMania 28 is April 1 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens.

? Like Facebook WWE WrestleMania 28 Miami at http://www.facebook.com/pages/WWE-WrestleMania-28-Miami/241160769255279.

 

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Spotlight in History

  • 1977 Dick Murdoch def. Jerry Oates for the TSW North American Title
  • 1978 Jerry Stubbs became the TSW Mississippi Champion
  • 1999 Joey Casanova became the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Champion
  • 2010 Jermaine Johnson def. Aaron Neil for the IZW Heavyweight Title
  • 2010 Awesome X (Kevin Morgan & Xavior) def. Aerial Assault (Ky-ote Joe & Eric Rose) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 2021 Koko became the WAH Living Hope Champion
  • 2021 Tino Valentino became the NCWO Oklahoma Champion
  • 2021 For God And Country (Pastor Brent & Cpl. Punishment) def. Most Wanted (Dan Webber, Reese, & T-Arsenal) for the WAH Tag Team Titles
  • 2021 Danni Bee became the NCWO Women's Champion
  • 2021 Samedi def. Tommy Dean for the CPW Heavyweight Title
  • 2021 Ky-Ote became the NCWO Choctaw Nation Champion
  • 2021 Tino Valentino became the NCWO Heavyweight Champion
  • 2021 Akbar Farat def. Tino Valentino for the NCWO Heavyweight Title
  • 2022 Jason Jones def. Dimitri Alexandrov for the WFC Prime Title
  • 2022 Leo Fox became the ASP Mid-American Champion
  • 2022 Olivier Vegos def. Skylar Slice for the ASP Women's Title
  • 2022 High Ratings (Maui Mike & Beau Betten) def. Chosen Influence (Malik Mayfield & Luke Richmond) for the ASP Tag Team Titles
  • 2022 Gatekeeper def. Mr. Nasty for the ASP 5-Star Title
  • 2022 Tino Valentino became the ASP Heavyweight Champion
  • 2026 Ronnie Morton def. Nate Bourne for the RDW Na'Cho Momma's Hardcore Title

Week of Sun 11-01 to Sat: 11-07

  • 11-01 1960 Tony Jiminez & Jesse Jiminez became the TSW Louisiana Tag Team Champions
  • 11-01 1981 Ted DiBiase def. Paul Orndorff for the MSW North American Heavyweight Title
  • 11-01 1982 Al Madril def. Frank Dusek for the WCCW Television Title
  • 11-01 2008 El Hoto def. Martin Justice for the OECW Southwestern Title
  • 11-01 2008 The New Age Syndicate (Scott Sanders & Shawn Matthews III) def. The New York Express (Jeff Knight & Thomas Knight) for the OECW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-01 2013 Steven Sterling def. Bobby Starr for the ComPro Showtime Title
  • 11-01 2014 Guy Atticus became the IZW Impact Division Champion
  • 11-01 2014 Kevin James Sanchez def. Kareem Sadat for the SWCW Hardcore Title
  • 11-01 2019 Brock Landers def. Tego for the ASP Inter-County Title
  • 11-01 2020 Double D became the EPW Heavyweight Champion
  • 11-01 2020 Drake Gallows became the EPW All-American Champion
  • 11-01 2020 Revan became the EPW Internet Television Champion
  • 11-01 2020 The Sidekicks (Kevin James Sanchez & Gemini [2nd]) became the EPW Tag Team Champions
  • 11-01 2020 High Times (Father Padge & Dean Lambert) def. The Sidekicks (Kevin James Sanchez & Gemini [2nd]) for the EPW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-01 2025 Iron Mountain (Duke Blanchard & Jack Davenport) def. The Trendsetters (Andre West & Nelly Rivers) for the WFC Tag Team Titles
  • 11-02 1978 Ray Candy def. Ernie Ladd for the TSW Arkansas Title
  • 11-02 2002 Terry Montana def. Shadow of Death for the OCW Oklahoma Hardcore Title
  • 11-02 2003 Ty Magnus def. John O'Malley for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 11-02 2003 John O'Malley def. Ty Magnus for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 11-02 2003 X-Cal def. John O'Malley for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 11-02 2003 Outcast def. X-Cal for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 11-02 2013 Kevin Morgan def. Drake Gallows for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 11-02 2013 What Wrestling Should Be (Jermaine Johnson & Jordan Jacobs) def. Team Bull (The Bronze Bull & Bobby Starr) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-02 2013 Miss Diss Lexia def. Erica for the IZW Queens Title
  • 11-02 2014 Les Mayne def. Rick Russo for the MSWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title
  • 11-02 2019 Clint Poe became the EmpCW All American Champion
  • 11-02 2019 War Party (Gorgeous Garcia & Nytronis A’Teo) def. The Saints of Pro Wrestling (Scott Sanders & Shawn Sanders) for the EmpCW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-02 2019 Dexter Hardaway def. Double D for the EmpCW Heavyweight Title
  • 11-02 2019 Karnage def. Naiomi Sanders for the BPW 365 Title
  • 11-02 2019 Unicorn def. Karnage for the BPW 365 Title
  • 11-02 2019 Karnage def. Unicorn for the BPW 365 Title
  • 11-02 2019 C. M. Burnham def. Karnage for the BPW 365 Title
  • 11-02 2019 Karnage def. C. M. Burnham for the BPW 365 Title
  • 11-02 2019 Naomi Sanders def. Karnage for the BPW 365 Title
  • 11-03 2001 The VIP Crew (Rocco Valentino & Vinnie Valentino) def. The Texas Outlaws (Beau Dalton & Butch Dalton) for the OPW Oklahoma Tag Team Titles
  • 11-03 2001 Splash Jackson def. Big Daddy Moore for the OPW Oklahoma Hardcore Title
  • 11-03 2012 The Old School Suckas (Randy Price & Bryan Cruize) def. Big Business (Damon Windsor & Kevin Morgan) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-03 2012 Erica def. Angel Blue for the IZW Queens Title
  • 11-03 2018 Damon Windsor def. Randy Price for the WCR Revolutionary Title
  • 11-04 1985 Rick Rude def. King Parsons for the WCCW American Heavyweight Title
  • 11-04 1988 Kerry Von Erich def. Jerry Lawler for the WCCW World Title
  • 11-04 2005 Beau Dalton & Bobby Dalton became the SRPW Tag Team Champions
  • 11-05 1979 Jim Garvin & Herb Calvert def. Oki Shikina & Sugar Bear Harris for the TSW United States Tag Team Titles
  • 11-05 1980 Hector Guerrero & Ron Sexton def. Ron McFarlane & Doug Somers for the TSW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-05 2002 Jeffrey Parker def. Li'l Joe for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 11-05 2004 Luc Lapointe def. Prophet for the SRPW Boys and Girls Club Title
  • 11-05 2004 Dirty Harry Sanchez def. Beau Dalton for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 11-05 2004 Beau Dalton def. Dirty Harry Sanchez for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 11-05 2005 Justin Lee & Michael Faith became the TPW Tag Team Champions
  • 11-05 2011 Michael York & Ignition became the ComPro Tag Team Champions
  • 11-05 2011 Brandon Walker def. Steven Sterling for the ComPro Showtime Title
  • 11-05 2011 X-Rated (Kevin James Sanchez & David Kyzer) became the SWCW Tag Team Champions
  • 11-05 2016 Kareem Sadat def. Dean Lambert for the EmpCW Independent Hardcore Title
  • 11-06 1977 Dick Murdoch def. Jerry Oates for the TSW North American Title
  • 11-06 1978 Jerry Stubbs became the TSW Mississippi Champion
  • 11-06 1999 Joey Casanova became the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Champion
  • 11-06 2010 Jermaine Johnson def. Aaron Neil for the IZW Heavyweight Title
  • 11-06 2010 Awesome X (Kevin Morgan & Xavior) def. Aerial Assault (Ky-ote Joe & Eric Rose) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-06 2021 Koko became the WAH Living Hope Champion
  • 11-06 2021 Tino Valentino became the NCWO Oklahoma Champion
  • 11-06 2021 For God And Country (Pastor Brent & Cpl. Punishment) def. Most Wanted (Dan Webber, Reese, & T-Arsenal) for the WAH Tag Team Titles
  • 11-06 2021 Danni Bee became the NCWO Women's Champion
  • 11-06 2021 Samedi def. Tommy Dean for the CPW Heavyweight Title
  • 11-06 2021 Ky-Ote became the NCWO Choctaw Nation Champion
  • 11-06 2021 Tino Valentino became the NCWO Heavyweight Champion
  • 11-06 2021 Akbar Farat def. Tino Valentino for the NCWO Heavyweight Title
  • 11-06 2022 Jason Jones def. Dimitri Alexandrov for the WFC Prime Title
  • 11-06 2022 Leo Fox became the ASP Mid-American Champion
  • 11-06 2022 Olivier Vegos def. Skylar Slice for the ASP Women's Title
  • 11-06 2022 High Ratings (Maui Mike & Beau Betten) def. Chosen Influence (Malik Mayfield & Luke Richmond) for the ASP Tag Team Titles
  • 11-06 2022 Gatekeeper def. Mr. Nasty for the ASP 5-Star Title
  • 11-06 2022 Tino Valentino became the ASP Heavyweight Champion
  • 11-06 2026 Ronnie Morton def. Nate Bourne for the RDW Na'Cho Momma's Hardcore Title
  • 11-07 1984 Bill Dundee def. Adrian Street for the MSW Television Title
  • 11-07 2008 The Gentlemen Thugs (Cast-Iron Cothern & Shane Morbid) def. The Old School Express (Jason Jones & Jake Boulder) for the MStW Southern Tag Team Titles
  • 11-07 2009 Dustin Heritage def. Randy Price for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 11-07 2015 The Terror Squad (D Money & Montego Seeka & Marce Lewis, Nytronis A'Teo & MVP) became the IWR Tag Team Champions
11-06
  • Frank Dunbar Nov 6th Today!
  • Darin Matthews Nov 6th Today!
  • Brian Faith Nov 6th Today!
  • Lu Kim Nov 6th Today!
  • Ken Patera Nov 6th Today!
  • Dominik Whiteheart Nov 7th
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  • Keith Watkins Nov 7th
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  • Treach Phillips, Jr. Nov 8th
  • Rika Wildlee Nov 8th
  • Dizzy Davis Nov 8th
  • Austin Mulitalo Nov 8th
  • Joyce Grable Nov 9th
  • Jean-Claude Boudreaux Nov 9th
  • Lance Osburn Nov 9th
  • Kolossus Nov 9th
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  • Gil Knutson Nov 9th
  • Menace 2 Society Nov 9th
  • Bob Orton, Jr. Nov 10th
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  • Danny Savich Nov 10th
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  • Alex Perez Nov 11th
  • Green Dragon Nov 11th
  • Brandon Moxley Nov 11th
  • Little Cloud Nov 11th
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  • Brett Taylor Nov 12th
  • Thud Powell Nov 12th
  • Terrale Tempo Nov 12th
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  • Big Smooth Nov 13th
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