Some controversy has arisen after it was revealed that Jerry Lawler needed a cheat sheet on Raw this past week because he didn't know some of the wrestlers that were performing.
Jerry Lawler Controversy
After Raw last week, reports surfaced that Jesse "the Body" Ventura, who was playing the role of celebrity guest host, was given a cheat sheet when he was doing commentary during the battle royale.
Wrestling fans were quick to forgive the legendary hall of fame performer because he had been away from the business for quite some time. With his schedule being so packed, it wasn't a big deal that he hadn't kept up with WWE as intently as the fans.
No, what the fans are in an uproar about is the fact that Raw color commentator Jerry Lawler needed a cheat sheet as well.
Jerry Lawler, who started his WWE announcing career exactly 17 years ago, was not familiar with the Smackdown and ECW wrestlers that were brought on to the show last week.
That has led some wrestling fans to question Jerry Lawler's passion about the business.
Knowing The Product
Some wrestling fans have gone online to try to defend Jerry Lawler by stating that not everyone is going to know their fellow employees.
However, the WWE is an entirely different game.
Vince McMahon may not know every single person in his marketing department or his production team. He's probably never even met the guys that are sending out WWE merchandise in his shipping department.
However, knowing the wrestlers is a lot different than knowing the employees. The wrestlers are the product. Their characters and their backgrounds are vital things to know when selling the product.
Jerry Lawler's job as a color commentator is to sell the product. In order to do that, he needs to know the entire product as opposed to just the ones that he works with on Mondays. The former USWA champion does not spend his Tuesday nights or Friday nights watching WWE TV.
A guy like Matt Striker, who appears to be more passionate about the business and hungrier for a promotion, is more likely to consistent watch Raw and Smackdown on a weekly basis.
Other Interests
To be fair to Jerry Lawer, if he's not nearly as interested in professional wrestling as he used to be, then we should just accept that.
The man has been involved in the business for almost 4 full decades now. That's a long time. It's much longer than the average wrestling fan has been alive.
Over the last few years, Jerry Lawler has proven to show a lot of interests outside of WWE. He ran for mayor of Memphis (which he did not win), and he's quite an established artist.
If he's ready to move on, then who can blame him?
The problem, though, is that he hasn't moved on. If he's still working for WWE, then it shouldn't be too much for wrestling fans to expect him to know the product, inside and out.
Closing Thoughts
For some, this isn't a big deal. For others, though, it's a big deal because it does appear as if Jerry Lawler isn't interested in the entire product. If he's not interested, then why should the rest of us be? |
