MMAfighting.com recently talked with WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry "The King" Lawler while he was promoting an upcoming show of Bellator in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. Below are some of the highlights from the interview :
Speaking of MMA, Jerry, who has been involved with the WWE since 1992, said that he is a big fan of MMA and especially of the people who alternate between wrestling and Mixed Martial Arts:
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"I've been a big MMA fan for a long time, especially the crossover guys, Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley, all the way back to Ken Shamrock, That natural tie-in heightened my interest in it. Just recently I was approached by the people from Bellator."
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Very few people know that the former WWE star ran for the mayor of Memphis and was somewhat considered a serious competitor because of his popularity in the area from his wrestling days.
Speaking of the development of wrestling in his hometown Lawler talked about how people in those days used to watch Live wrestling shows
"It's amazing the history wrestling has in Memphis, Wrestling was so unique.
For years, we didn't have any professional sports in town. We had no sports, pro wrestling was it. We had a live 90-minute show for 35 years straight that people watched growing up, and we'd do live matches at the Mid South Coliseum every Monday night. "
Later in the interview, the former WWE commentator took time to talk about the chairman of WWE, Vince McMahon and compared him with the president of Bellator MMA Scott Coker, while pointing out the similarities between the New Era of WWE and the recent developments in Bellator:
"Scott Coker, the President of Bellator MMA reminds me so much of Vince McMahon, especially with the new signings, We had the brand split, and are calling it a new era, bringing in young guys and new women from NXT, the new training facility.
All these guys are making that jump. It's the same thing with Bellator MMA. A ton of new guys have been signed by Scott Coker. It reminds me so much of the same type of building things up and the enthusiasm we have in WWE."
Jerry Lawler made his WWE debut back in 1992 and had feuds with the likes of Bret 'The Hitman' Hart, Mr. McMahon and more before being released in February 2001. He was later rehired in November the same year as a colour commentator and has stayed with the company since.
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