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Assault charges filed against Memphis wrestler

Posted: Jul 16th 2007 By: mikeiles

The man who filed assault charges against wrestler Jerry "The King" Lawler is telling his side of the story.

Sal "Big Cheese" Corrente says he suffers from back and neck pain after Lawler punched him during a wrestling match in Tunica.

Corrente has hired a lawyer and now he wants Lawler to pay. Lawler is now a wanted man in Mississippi.

"Jerry Lawler is trying to take the fact that wrestling is a worked, choreographed production and he's trying to bluff the people of Memphis," said Corrente.

Corrente filed assault charges against Lawler saying the King sucker-punched him in a completely unscripted encounter in June.

But Lawler said it's a common thing they do in wrestling. He saw Corrente incite fans, and Lawler, in turn, decided to play off the crowd punching Corrente, but says it's no different from any of his thousands of other fights.

"Never once have I had another performer on the show, wrestler or manager, try to file charges because they said I hit too hard. If I were him I'd be embarrassed," said Lawler.

But Corrente says that's exactly what he thinks Lawler's plan is -- to make a fool of him.

Corrente added, "it's bad enough I've been assaulted now they're trying to publicly humiliate me. Their story is not true. My story is the truth."

He said Lawler is making this one huge publicity stunt.

Corrente said they're doing anything they can to get crowds in the arena but Lawler blames "The Cheese" for the same thing.

Lawler's next wrestling event is scheduled for July 20th in Tunica where authorities say they'll be serving him papers.

Lawler said he's not scared, "no, I'm not nervous about it -it's so absurd," he added.

Lawler's next wrestling event is scheduled for July 20th in Tunica -- where authorities say they'll be serving him papers.

Corrente says he won't be there.