Time for Jerry Lawler to bow out?

[Luten]

So, I watched Smackdown this week, it must have been the first time in months and I immediately noticed how better the two man commentary team of just JBL and Cole is without Lawler.

I really respect Lawler, I was brought up on JR and King behind the table, but now I think it’s time for Lawler to bow out. Obviously he could still work for WWE in some backstage capacity, but as an on screen voice/character, I really think he’s done.

He used to provide (good) comedy, or provide great heel commentary and really get under your skin. But these days he just seems to chime in an irrelevant comment here and there. He also stumbles and makes too many mistakes.

The duo of JBL and Cole is all you need these days, and that’s hard for me to admit after years of disliking Cole’s commentary style. This would work especially well if JBL heeled it up another level.

I do find myself wondering why they actually still want him out there every Monday night.

Anyway, thoughts?

 

[J.J.]

To be honest, commentary is the least of my concerns. I'd rather they improve on the storylines and who they pick in these feuds.

I'd much rather see King commentating than in the ring. I feel eventually he will step away from the table. He isn't that bad.

 

[Eyebrows]

He just doesn't sound like his heart is in it anymore. The announcers are meant to sell excitement and get the product over. At the moment King is just sort of there, partly because it's a three-man booth and JBL is playing the overtly heel announcer. I imagine his normal sense of humor isn't particularly PG and he feels he has to reign it in a lot.

I'm not a fan of the three man booth in general. A case of too many cooks. Part of what made Lawler so good in the attitude era was that he had Jim Ross as a strong face play by play to bounce off and that's also lacking on the current broadcast team.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I'd say that yes he should retire from announcing. It would be fine if he enters some other role offscreen, maybe helping the rookies or something. Lawler has been contributing the least out of the announcers for a very long time and he's honestly not needed anymore. The Lawler who announced 7+ years ago and the Lawler who announces today are like two different people. JBL and Cole are fine by themselves as official announcers for Raw. I would like to see a seperate team on Smackdown again though. If Riley and Booker were not busy with the pre-show and after show panels they would be perfect for that.

 

[Soulblazed]

He just doesn't sound like his heart is in it anymore. The announcers are meant to sell excitement and get the product over. At the moment King is just sort of there, partly because it's a three-man booth and JBL is playing the overtly heel announcer. I imagine his normal sense of humor isn't particularly PG and he feels he has to reign it in a lot.

I'm not a fan of the three man booth in general. A case of too many cooks. Part of what made Lawler so good in the attitude era was that he had Jim Ross as a strong face play by play to bounce off and that's also lacking on the current broadcast team.

You've hit the exact point I've been making for years about Lawler! Since WWE is PG, Lawler really can't express his personality anymore. Back in the mid 90s, Lawler was free to talk shit about anyone he saw fit-from Bret and his parents to whatever face happened to be at ringside. Lawler back in the 20th century was great to listen to. Lawler today really says nothing more than advertising plugs and once in awhile he'll say something where you can tell he wants to say a lot more but he holds back.

Personally, after seeing what a great artist Lawler is, Lawler could give up announcing and just stick to making artwork where he could probably express himself better than he could by being a censored announcer today.

Though I do want to see Lawler hit one final Piledriver before he leaves the WWE. I don't care who he Piledrives, I just want to see 1 more Piledriver from Lawler.

A link to Lawler's art page on his website is below

http://kingjerrylawler.com/artwork.html

 

[Pedigree1]

Jerry Lawler is someone whos heart left along time ago.. Some could easily argue the Night JR was drafted to Smackdown was the day Lawler just didnt care anymore.. The Lawler from 7 years ago and today are universally different people.. JBL and Cole are clearly the best announcers today,and Lawler really is not needed.. I would have Lawler as a Road Agent helping out the younger talent..

He tries to make lame jokes,but he is just not funny anymore.. Plus with his recent heart attack on screen,at some point he has got to look out for his health.. When he annnounces,it sounds forced and just rather dull.. That is not the Lawler I want to remember and neither do his true fans

 

[wrestler36]

The thing is, there may be more to the story behind the scenes. It's pretty well known that Vince is an announcing Nazi and that many of the lines given are from Vince's mouth. That's why Foley and Booker didn't last very long. They could have put King on a leash as far as what to say nowadays since Vince has to answer to a board of investors now. The only thing I can say is (which won't happen) let's see Cole and King or JR and King uninhibited to see how he would really perform

 

[whoopin' ass]

The whole announce team needs replacing but Lawler should retire. To be blunt, he is an old man trying to be young and it isn't working. I think a big part is he just doesn't gel as well with Cole and JBL as he did with JR and it shows. I don't know if he is comfortable in the current wwe so instead of just talking, he is falling into safe patterns and the commentary sounds the same week to week.

 

[king1836]

In my opinion Lawler should retire from commentating after WM31. It's time for some new blood in the broadcast team.

 

[Slash-LN]

You could bring in all new announcers but as long as they're being fed lines it's going to be shitty.

Plus they all talk over each other so when you have 3 people talking at once and in some cases 4 and 5 people all trying to talk at once it's a total cluster fuck.

Since this thread is about Lawler though I'll focus on him.
He was much better when he was a heel. Back before he was excited about "puppies" and all that. When he was a commentator on Superstars with Vince I think is when he shined the most and there's no going back to that.

I certainly wouldn't miss him if he retired now and took a backstage role or even left the company. He's going to be 65 this year. Assuming he managed his money well he should be able to retire soon.

 

[Soulblazed]

For anyone who hasn't had the luck of hearing Jerry Lawler in the mid 90s(this is way before he rambled on about puppies) here's a few clips

This is 13 minutes of random Jerry Lawler clips

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1fhM5nu13Y

Paul Heyman/Jerry Lawler 1997 Monday Night Raw Debate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCchczwkESg

Lawler talking shit about Goldust

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aWKM-UZD3E

 

[theblasterkid]

The commentary is important in sports, but their "sports entertainment". I would like them to call the match more instead of the storylines. Michael Cole can call a match if you allow him to. The guy can talk his ass off, but Vince is always in his ear.

 

[Reflection]

I feel Michael Cole is easily the best commentator out of the three in RAW, and the best in the company if you consider both commentary quality and experience. The only guy ahead of him right now in commentary would be Tom Phillips, and he is the person who would be the most suitable replacement for the useless duo of JBL and Jerry Lawler. When both commentators actually call the action (like JR and Lawler did back in 06-07) instead of arguing with each other or passing random remarks, the action too will feel more exciting. So yes, it is definitely time for Jerry Lawler to call it a day. And not just Jerry, JBL too. They are totally out of gas.
On a sidenote, Renee Young should stick to interviews and presentation, because thats her speciality and where she reigns supreme. Commentary is just not her thing, and its only a matter of time before she and the others figure it out. Saxton is an okay commentator, but he lacks clarity.
So what are the options we have left? Regal is a good supporting commentator, but will fall short in the long run. Scott Stanford is suitable for NXT but not RAW. Tensai- is he still there? Alex Riley could be called in. Hell, they should bring back Matt Striker! He was the real deal.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I was recently rewatching some Raw and Smackdown events from the turn of the century on YouTube recently (as I'm in the UK and don't have the Network yet), and it struck me how much better Lawler's commentary was back then, it shocked me how his standards have dropped since then.

Obviously he's older, and has had to reign in his style of humour with the PG rating but it does just sound to me like he doesn't care any more, or at the very least cares alot less. He doesn't show the same excitement and enthusiasm for the action anymore, and the reactions of the announce team can really help to get an angle over. Lawler definitely doesn't have the same chemistry with Cole and JBL as he had with JR- that duo was a once-in-a-lifetime partnership, the greatest of all time in my opinion.

I do think King should look at calling it a day-I'd be surprised if he needs the money, and with him suffering a heart attack a couple of years ago, I reckon his body is telling him its time to stop the nonstop life on the road and take it easy back in Memphis. He could still make the odd appearance on WWE TV, and appear at indie shows, autograph sessions etc, or even work backstage for WWE if required, putting his vast knowledge to use helping the younger talent. It wouldn't even have to be full-time but would keep him around the business if that's what he wants.

 

[Mudlup50]

Thank you, and personally this is long overdue. The moment they put Cole on Raw he should've went. The night with the heart attack screwed Cole so bad! He was a huge heel and people booed him, dare I say he was #3 or 4 for boos. Then Lawler's heart attack and Cole is bland now. We need Cole to go full face, I think he's better as a defenseless smart guy. Then JBL can stay but for real nobody new!

 

[Mustang Sally]

It's ironic, isn't it? A old-time wrestler like Jerry Lawler should be a treasure trove of information, a guy with the gift of gab who could share stories of his experiences in pro wrestling, mixing them in with what we're seeing on the screen. I think he has the ability to do this, but it doesn't fit in with the style of sports entertainment today. For one thing, the people in the ring don't work matches as they used to in Lawler's prime; too often, they're "hitting spots" to keep the crowd interested (and off their cell phones during the match going on in front of them). There's no time for Lawler to enlighten us; he's too busy trying to amuse us.

But this isn't his fault, nor is it all something that came about in the past couple of years. Even when Lawler was considered at his best, he wasn't truly serving as a wrestling analyst; instead, he was conducting a comedy clinic, ogling the divas and intentionally coming off as a dirty old man. That's what we liked him for.....but now, the routine has long since run thin. Watching him checking out Paige's butt last week earned him more scorn on the Internet than laughs, right? Those days are over.

It's a lose/lose scenario for Jerry Lawler. His old routines just aren't funny anymore.....while his experiences and wisdom in pro wrestling aren't something fans want to hear about.

If WWE can find a more effective way to use him, that would be great.....but I don't think they're looking to do it.

 

[Creepy Old Man]

Lawler is dreadful. He was a decent talent in wrestling at one time, being able to draw great heat (although booking yourself as the 1000-time champion of Memphis is hardly anything impressive). As a commentator in the 1990s he was wonderful, a suitable heir to Heenan's throne. For at least the last five years he's been dispensable. He has absolutely no interest in WWE, doesn't watch anything of theirs on TV, and his enthusiasm sounds forced 90% of the time.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The problem they have isn't Jerry but that whoever they put in the chair is not going to be "good enough" in Vince's eyes and ears... he still considers himself "the best" so "by dammit you're gonna say what I say".

I think that's why Hunter is being smart with this, he doesn't want to burn the good ones in Regal and Renee Young by having them "fed to Vince" the way Tazz, Booker and Foley were he'll wait till HE can be the guy in their ear, instead of shouting whispering almost...

Lawler has seen it all in the WWE, he's been the hottest heel commentator/worker going, quit cos they fired his wife but his balls were defo chopped by that, when he came back he was not the same. Over time he earned back some comfort in the role but even then the role is now different JR isn't there... his passion for it went when JR was removed and while it may have resurfaced for a spell after the heart attack, he is probably just hanging on now till his deal for the Memphis library/his retirement fund is a done deal, then he can walk with a nice golden handshake.

 

[Dyscord]

It's a lose/lose scenario for Jerry Lawler. His old routines just aren't funny anymore.....while his experiences and wisdom in pro wrestling aren't something fans want to hear about.

If WWE can find a more effective way to use him, that would be great.....but I don't think they're looking to do it.

I listened to him on Austin's podcast and honestly, I could listen to his stories and experiences for quite awhile. But then, I'm not their target audience.

I agree they need to find a better way to use him though. His current "gimmick" isn't working anymore.

 

[Trill Co$by]

I always felt like Lawler's talents were wasted in the WWE. Here's a guy that has always been able to go, and was a HUGE star in his day... yet Vince relegated him down to a commentator. Now some may say it's because Lawler had his own companies, but I'm sure that if Vince would sign him as a wrestling talent then he'd have stayed loyal. I never quite understood how such a master of psychology, and someone who could've made Vince a lot of money in the ring was put at the table.

But then again, this is the same company that put Jim Cornette in the booking committee and then made him the head booker of OVW. I guess even WWE makes mistakes sometimes. But I will say this, Jerry Lawler isn't really the problem with commentary. If anything, he should be there as long as possible. Because unless they put someone like Arn Anderson, Michael Hayes, or Ric Flair at commentary; Jerry Lawler is the best color commentator they have. He's old enough to know who the legends like Zeb Colter and Hacksaw truly are, and he's young enough to see go over well with the audience. And he's also one of the biggest pieces of the Attitude Era.

 

[Navi]

Lawler used to be great on commentary, the operative term there is used to be, nowadays it feels like he just phones it in. I blame a number of things for it really it's not just his fault. Vince is known as a control freak, and if the wrestlers are scripted as much as they are, then the commentary team is as well.

I would love to see William Regal at the table, he is wonderful in NXT and think he would be great in Lawler's place. Cole and JBL aren't as bad a some say, but yea get Vince out of their ears and they'd be a lot better.