Who will/can replace The King?

[Jerichoholic8894]

Excuse me, but JOHN BRADSHAW LAYFIELD. This man is one hell of an announcer, and he would even be open to a commentary return, I say get JBL on that table, and let The King enjoy retirement and his health.

 

[Ryberg]

No one can replace the King BUT I would love Regal to fill in until Jerry returns, (if he can). Or they could have a rotating announcer filled in my the wrestlers who are feuding with the guy in the match.

 

[donfryeismyhero]

No one can replace the King BUT I would love Regal to fill in until Jerry returns, (if he can). Or they could have a rotating announcer filled in my the wrestlers who are feuding with the guy in the match.

I kind of like the idea of rotating announcers being wrestlers. They actually did that in late 93 early 94 on Raw. The Brain had left for WCW, King was having his legal troubles & Macho Man was "suspended" for attacking Crush. I really like that idea but it would only work on a temporary basis I think.

 

[Owen 3:16 says I just stole your Slammy!!]

I don't think that JR will come back to replace Jerry Lawler, JR is the play by play guy and they got Cole for that. Heyman, would be a great choice, Heyman can draw heat and talk great on the mic, just like he done when he replaced Lawler in 2001. But i don't think they will have Heyman replace Lawler, I think they are going to use Paul as Punk's manager or something like that. I like to see Josh Matthews, I think he is improving. I also think that Road Dogg can come in and do an awesome job. Maybe, DDP can come announce.

 

[James]

The God JBL will be returning soon unless they decide to have JR come in until JBL is ready to return. The reports have stated that JBL will be back soon, but they didn't say how soon.

 

[Cereal Killer]

Well the apparent JR appreciation night is on the way so in respect for Jerry, he might return and take his place. But that seems unlikely so maybe The Miz because of what happened recently with him on commentary and people actually enjoying it. Miz has been held back and this can probably keep him going for a while and then after that he can get a huge push like Punk did. His mic skills are great which means his commentary obviously is. Heel commentators are great anyway.

However it's hard to say who a LONG TIME commentator will be like Lawler is/was. But for now; it's safe to say the guy replacing Jerry Lawler is probably JR or Miz.

Wish Lawler well.

 

[uguess94]

I am personally pretty appalled that this kind of stuff is being talked about this soon, the guy is not out of the woods!!! If this was your family member or friend and people were talking about his replacement before they even knew he was properly ok you'd be annoyed to say the least!

"too bad the Brain isn't in any capacity..." too bad your feelings aren't in any capacity!

Sure "the show must go on" but come on, it's also 9/11... some respect should be shown, these discussions can wait till we at least know Jerry is going to pull through... and if this is "spamming" then too bad!

We are not disrespecting Jerry at all and I personally love The King. All I'm saying is I dont want to see another tragedy happen god forbid something happens. If you read the reports Jerry is going to be OK, but for his own health I would like him to take a break. Its not worth his life just so we can hear him once a week. If you were also a true Jerry fan you would want the same for him and not have him put his life a risk by traveling all over the world& competing in the ring with guys 30 years younger than him. You got the wrong message by what I said and what does 9/11 have to do with this, that was a sad day and coming from a New Yorker we were all affected here and we have all got past it. I respect the dead and thank god that the day did not get any more out of hand, but if we as Americans keep reflecting on this day in a negative way like you did, all we are doing is letting them win. God Bless Everyone.

 

[bb0i8o8]

We are not disrespecting Jerry at all and I personally love The King. All I'm saying is I dont want to see another tragedy happen god forbid something happens. If you read the reports Jerry is going to be OK, but for his own health I would like him to take a break. Its not worth his life just so we can hear him once a week. If you were also a true Jerry fan you would want the same for him and not have him put his life a risk by traveling all over the world& competing in the ring with guys 30 years younger than him. You got the wrong message by what I said and what does 9/11 have to do with this, that was a sad day and coming from a New Yorker we were all affected here and we have all got past it. I respect the dead and thank god that the day did not get any more out of hand, but if we as Americans keep reflecting on this day in a negative way like you did, all we are doing is letting them win. God Bless Everyone.

Well I disagree. But i agree fans are worried about his health.. It all boils down to Jerry Lawler dicision to come back or not. If you love something you do you simply cant just walk away from it forever. LOOK at HBK he retired but he still comes back to make appearances. You Simply cant walk away from something you love doing. Personally I LOVE my job and i for myself would have a hard time walking away from it.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

As I said, there's a fine line that some people were not respecting by filling the man's shoes before he'd even gotten out of surgery. Things have calmed down now and hopefully Jerry is on the mend.

I don't see using the day as a day of reflection as being negative. Yes it is 11 years, yes the world has moved on...but it's still a day we should all think a little more before we speak and act and maybe care a little more about others. If we do that...we win!

 

[UFOcalling]

If CM Punk and/or The Miz weren't currently wrestling (if they retired, or were injured, etc), either of them would be perfect candidates for Lawler's chair at the announce table. At this point, I'd have to imagine that the WWE puts Josh Matthews in Lawler's seat next Monday (if The King isn't fit to travel, etc).

If anything, I think that what happened last night will result in Lawler hanging up his wrestling boots for good (at least in the WWE). I don't think Vince will put him in the ring ever again. As far as commentating, however - I think that Jerry Lawler will be back on Raw before the end of September. If Vince really wants to play it safe (à la Jim Ross), then maybe he'll have to stay home from now on. I hope that's not the case, and I will definitely keep The King in my thoughts until he makes his inevitable recovery. Get well soon, King!

 

[Silly Willy Nilly Vanilly in the Milly]

IMO, nobody can really replace King, but if I had to choose...
JBL. One of my favorites of all time and his previous commentary teaming with Cole was nice, and I wouldn't mind seeing it again.
My honorable mentions go to Regal (although I'd prefer him as a future GM; hint hint) and Matt Striker (where you been, bro? Miss you!).

 

[Brothervis]

Yeah Krayoz at one point you were right but when they dumped JR to the curb the King should of joined him. Not knocking him but sometimes a new voice is refreshing unless his name is Mike Adamle

 

[Dilligaf]

IMO, nobody can really replace King

Same here, King is absolute gold from time-to-time, im no doctor but im wondering how long does heart surgery take to recover from before you can get back to a somewhat less strenuous normal life?

Knowing Jerry, im sure he'el be back sooner rather than later, but WWE will need someone in the short-term until Jerry feels he's ready to come back to commentary.

Im guessing they'll use one of the commentary team they have on the current roster (Mathew's, Striker or Regal) personally id like to see Regal do it or even Miz (who IMO did a great job last week)

Whoever fills king's position (for the short term) we'el have to wait till next week to find out.

 

[d_henderson1810]

First of all, get well soon Jerry "The King" Lawler.

I have an idea for a temporary replacement to fill "The King's" chair on "Raw", in his absence.

Why not, for a couple of months, have rotating Raw Guest Commentators?

Here's how it would work. It is similar to the Raw guest hosts, who hosted between John Laurinatis, to the appointment of A.J. Lee and Booker T.

The commentator joining Cole for each week would be a previous colour commentator from "Raw", "Smackdown" or WWE history.

The following people qualify, as previous commentators.

Mick Foley
Paul Heyman
JBL
Matt Striker
Todd Grisham
Mike Adamle
Booker T
Jim Ross
Vince McMahon
Josh Matthews
Joey Styles

They could even approach Jesse "The Body" Ventura about co-commentating "Raw" one week.

By doing this, this buys time and it allows Jerry Lawler time to recover, decide if he can or wants to commentate again. Also, it would make "Raw" interesting, as you never know who will be the co-commentator, and their commentary, and interaction with Michael Cole, could be worth listening out for.

After this idea has run its course, they can either (a) bring back Jerry Lawler if he can and chooses to return, or (b) if he can't, then find a permanent co-commentator to accompany Michael Cole each week (I think someone like Edge or Shawn Michaels would be excellent at commentary).

What do you think of this idea?

 

[jay bigz]

I personally think Matt Striker should be called up - I always enjoyed his commentary on smackdown, and PPV's, throughout 2009/10 - I like the way he talks up the lesser known small guys, pulls out all kinds of interesting facts about just about anything, and his true enthusiasm for the product is evident in his announcing - Very much doubt he will be called up though, as apparently neither King, or Cole liked working with him, and he's a bit of a liability...

Next up on my list would be J.R, naturally - I don't think he can handle the schedule though, and is certainly not the announcer he once was - you can tell he has lost passion for it somewhat, and can't be bothered anymore.

For what it's worth, I think Striker (as a heel colour commentator) and JR as a face play by play, would be a good team - I think Striker could annoy the hell out of J.R with his comments, with some great reactions - kind of like King used to do during the attitude era.

No Josh Matthews (zzzzzz)
No Booker T (annoying)

Regal would be ok - JBL could work, and Paul Heyman would be amusing.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I think Regal would be a good choice. If you listen to him down in FCW/NXT he is very good, and has that special touch that comes with being a former in ring guy.

As much as I loved JR back in the day he isn't as sharp as he once as. Plus people are saying King's health issues should keep him away from the booth, yet that is the same reason JR left in the first place.

It will be a bit of a weird situation though, as I think commentary teams works best when the play by play guy is a face and the color commentator is a heel. Maybe they could use this to turn Cole back to a face. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

 

[Wolf Pac]

Road Dogg.

I'd rather someone new take over instead of somebody who already commentates on another show or somebody who's no longer with the company, although if they were to bring back someone to the company for the commentary gig then I'd like to see JBL return. Road Dogg is still with the company though, he doesn't wrestle anymore, which makes him free for the role, and he's a master on the mic with all these fancy catchphrases, raps, and other street lingo. He'd be like a white Booker T on commentary but more talented when it comes to giving his views, calling the action, and putting the talent in the ring over.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I think it has to be John Bradshaw Layfield

I don't think many people are going to be booing Michael Cole any more after the excellent and professional way he handled the King situation, so a heel colour commentator is required, and who better than "The Wrestling God" himself.

JBL has said recently he would be interested in coming back to the WWE, and although I would prefer to see him as GM- heel GMs are always better, a return to the commentators table would be awesome too.

Layfield worked well with Cole on Smackdown, and is quick-witted, very funny and has the benefit of being a former wrestler, just like Lawler. He would be my first pick.


However, as Machismo just mentioned, Road Dogg would be another excellent pick. Very funny, charismatic and easily one of the best mic workers in recent WWE memory, the D O Double G would be awesome as a colour commentator. Plus, he is already with WWE so could easily fill in at least on a short-term basis.

 

[justinept]

CM Punk.

Not only was CM Punk fantastic on color commentary a few years ago, but this could further enhance his story line for the next few weeks. His tangent feud with Lawler has been centered around Lawler making ill comments about him at the 1000th Raw. Since then, he has referred to Lawler as the Minister of Propaganda and demanded that Lawler tell the people that he's the best in the world - after all, the WWE Universe believes the lines fed to them by the broadcasters. What better way to feed lines to the public than to become the broadcaster yourself?

I understand that Punk is going to need to wrestle from time to time on Raw, but doing commentary never prevented Lawler from wrestling so I don't see it being a problem.

Now, understand that this isn't a permanent solution to the situation - hell, it doesn't even need to last the duration of the time that Lawler is away ... but it can bide them time while they make a more permanent decision and it can add to an on-going story line.

 

[theBec2101]

JR-without question play by play man right behind Monsoon. but i think Cole is a face commintator now though.
Edge-I think he would be great either as a heel or face commintator. Plus if Cole is face he can play heel well or the could switch back and forth. Edge would also make better run in.
JBL-wasnt that bad. Great heel commintator. also can be very funny picking on Cole. Also can perform run-ins

Otehr notable mentions
HHH
VKM
Styles
Road Dogg

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

This is tough. I love Lawler, always have. However, he has been headed downhill for years. It was time for a change, regardless of health.

My vote goes to William Regal. I have several reasons for my choice.

1. He's the best man for the job. He's an excellent talker. He's witty, quick, funny and knowledgeable. He can go word for word with Cole (which isn't all that hard) and can be as pompous as he wants. Pompous, next to Cole, doesn't automatically equal heel commentator. Not with Cole doing play-by-play.

2. He'll be there long-term. He has nothing else going on. He's a wrestler through and through. No side projects, no other jobs, etc. They need an entertaining guy who is willing to stick around for ten or more years, consistently. That's Regal.

As long as it isn't Josh Matthews (the King of Boring) or Matt Stri(y)ker (even worse than Matthews), I probably won't complain.

 

[kenlow73]

I tried answering this on the main page but it kept telling me I need to authenicate my user name and e-mail. WWE sent out an alert a few hours ago. It's a three man team of Cole, JBL and JR. JBL isn't sticking around for long (from an earlier article where he talked about filling in at NOC) cause he's currently involved with a mountain climbing fundraiser. I hope this isn't considered a spoiler. It's not meant to be.

 

[Trill Co$by]

With Jerry Lawler confirmed to not be at Raw next week, who should fill in for him while he's gone. JBL is off to Mnt. Kilimanjaro and JR is probably going to be back, but who should be the third guy?

I personally hope for it to be Matt Striker. It's been a while since he's been on WWE tv and I think he should be commentating all the time. Why? Because he educates the fans like nobody ever could. He goes into detail about the moves, he gives great background insights, and he even makes matches much more exciting when he's into the matches.

 

[Wolf Pac]

How about somebody who could do all those things 10 times better? Paul Heyman. He wouldn't just be there to fill the role, he'd also be there to help build up Cena/Punk. God, how awesome would it be if Paul E was back on commentary for one night only? If JR is there aswell, that would make it more awesome, knowing the beef the two have with each other, it'll be fun seeing them bicker back & forth just like old times, with Heyman defending Punk and JR defending Cena while Michael Cole is in the middle of all of it. Personally, I'd love to see Heyman return as a commentator permanently, but with him managing Punk, that won't happen. Maybe after he's finished with him & Brock, they could bring him back permanently?

 

[B.Ware]

Raven! When he was Johnny Polo back in the 90's he had a few stints at the commentary table, he was so witty it was astonishing that they never hired him as a commentator full time. His style was very similar to Bobby Heenan's, he could take a fault of somebody's and turn it into an insult without actually damaging that person.

Vince McMahon Who doesn't want to hear "WHATAMANEUVER!" ?