Jerry Lawler: podcast appearances and interviews

Jerry O Neil Lawler, born November 29, 1949, is an American retired professional wrestler and color commentator. He began his career in Memphis Tennessee during the 1970s, becoming a leading figure in the regional Continental Wrestling Association. Lawler held the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship 57 times and the CWA World Heavyweight Championship once. He gained national prominence through his feud with comedian Andy Kaufman, which included an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman in 1982. In addition to competing as a wrestler, Lawler worked as a booker in CWA and its successor, United States Wrestling Association. Throughout his career, he won numerous championships, including a one-time AWA World Heavyweight Championship and a three-time WCWA World Heavyweight Championship. He unified the titles by defeating Kerry Von Erich at SuperClash III in 1988, creating the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship, which he held 28 times. In 1992, Lawler joined the World Wrestling Federation, now WWE, where he served as a color commentator and occasional wrestler. He became a regular commentator on Raw during the mid-1990s, forming notable partnerships with Jim Ross and Michael Cole. Though he never won a championship in WWE, he engaged in high-profile feuds and challenged for the WWE Championship in 2011 at age 61. Lawler continued to work in WWE in various capacities, ending regular commentary in 2020, and wrestled on the independent circuit until 2023. He is a member of the halls of fame for Memphis Wrestling, Professional Wrestling, Wrestling Observer Newsletter, and WWE. Outside of wrestling, he has pursued music, commercial art, and politics, notably running for mayor of Memphis in 1999. He portrayed himself in the film Man on the Moon about Andy Kaufman.