From The WWE Rumor Mill: Backstage news on Jerry Lawler; what Vince McMahon feels about 'The King'
What’s the story?
On a recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that the WWE is impressed with Jerry Lawler’s recent work on the commentary team.
The belief backstage is that Lawler’s likely to be accorded a role on either the RAW or SmackDown brand in the days to come.
However, Vince McMahon is apparently hesitant to have Lawler play a lead role on the commentary team, owing to The King’s advancing age, as a result of which the recently-vacated JBL job on SmackDown Live was given to Corey Graves.
In case you didn’t know…
Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers, and was extremely popular in his heydey.
Lawler stepped away from in-ring competition and transitioned to a commentary role; his most memorable moments as an announcer coming with Stacy Keibler back when the WWE produced adult content, as well as an ‘announcer vs announcer’ feud against Michael Cole in the PG era.
The heart of the matter
Veteran professional wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer explained that WWE management are very high on Jerry Lawler right now, given the high quality of work he has produced lately, breaking down WWE matches and action in his unique style.
It was widely believed that the role of lead commentator on SmackDown Live -- a position held by John Bradshaw Layfield -- would be accorded to Lawler, after JBL parted ways with the blue brand’s announcing team.
What’s next?
As we had previously reported, JBL’s spot on SmackDown Live will now be filled by Corey Graves.
It’s unknown whether the WWE plans to rope in Jerry Lawler on the commentary team for RAW or SmackDown.
Author’s take
In my opinion, Jerry Lawler could be brought in to add a bit of much-needed zing to the announce table on Monday Night RAW.
Corey Graves would be better off working full-time solely for the blue brand, while RAW can do with a combination of Michael Cole, Booker T and Jerry Lawler.
Which combo the WWE chooses to go with remains to be seen. Regardless, let’s hope we get to see the King from Memphis back where he belongs.