WWE legend Jerry Lawler provides health update (Exclusive)
WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler recently gave a positive update on his condition following a serious health issue earlier this year.
Lawler, also known as The King, is widely regarded as one of the greatest commentators and wrestlers ever. In February, the 73-year-old was hospitalized after suffering a stroke for the second time in five years.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter, Lawler explained how his recovery is going:
"I've had a bunch of different things and I'm still in rehab three times a week, and probably the main thing that's drawing me back now, that you can probably tell as you hear me talk, my voice is not the same as it was beforehand. It's slowly coming back, but it needed to come back a little more before I could make sense with my speech and vocabulary." [0:21 – 1:04]
Jerry Lawler suffered the stroke at his home in Fort Myers, Florida. He is now recovering at another residence in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee:
"I really don't do a lot, just staying around the house and do three rehab sessions a week where I go into hospital, and then I do some more at home here in Memphis, and that's pretty much it," Lawler continued. [1:15 – 1:39]
Watch the video above to hear Bill Apter's conversation with the WWE legend.
Jerry Lawler explains how the stroke impacted him
Known for his quick wit and ability on the microphone, Jerry Lawler's speech became limited following his latest stroke.
The Memphis icon has made significant progress in recent months thanks to regular rehabilitation sessions:
"One [rehab session] is speech – that's my main one," Lawler said. "That's three times a week. When I just started this, right after I had the stroke, I could barely talk. Now I go in and I sit down with this rehab lady and we just talk about different things. She had me read stuff, and all of this stuff has just helped me day in and day out getting my vocabulary better." [1:47 – 2:31]
In addition to his success in the wrestling business, Jerry Lawler is a talented artist. In 2018, he revealed how a painting he created for Vince McMahon reduced the WWE Executive Chairman to tears.
The stroke also impacted the right side of Lawler's body, affecting his ability to draw and write autographs:
"My right arm and my right leg and everything on my right side of the body, it's not hurt me where I can't walk around. I can still walk around, but I don't have really good control of writing my autograph. I can write my autograph pretty good, but I've been so proud of my autograph and artistic ability to it, but that's all sort of taken a while to come back." [2:42 – 3:21]
Lawler also gave a heartfelt thank you to the wrestling fans who have sent him well-wishes:
"I would like to say thank you for being concerned and worried about my upkeeping and what I've had going on. It's just awesome to know that there are fans out there wondering what am I doing during my time off. It's nice to talk to them." [3:36 – 4:04]
On August 28, Lawler appeared in front of the WWE crowd in Memphis during a commercial break on RAW. Delighted to see their hometown hero back on his feet, fans reacted with chants of, "Jerry! Jerry!"
What are your favorite moments involving Jerry Lawler? Let us know in the comments section below.
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